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Hanover official says court may approve plan that sharply reduces township’s affordable-housing obligation
Summary
At the Jan. 8 meeting, consultant Fred Samrau told the Township Committee the original DCA 'fourth round' obligation of 544 units could be reduced on the court record to a plan including 176 market units, 44 affordable units and 60 senior affordable units if the court approves the township's submission; a special adjudicator issued a report supporting the township.
HANOVER, N.J. — At its Jan. 8 meeting, Fred Samrau updated the Hanover Township Committee on the township’s ‘fourth round’ affordable-housing obligation now pending before the court.
Samrau said the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) originally set an obligation of 544 affordable units for the township over a 10-year period. He described the township’s submitted plan as an alternative that, if accepted by the court, would reduce the township’s on-the-ground obligation and allow the governing body to retain more local zoning control.
“We put in our case to the court, and we’ve identified what our fourth round plan would ultimately look like,” Samrau said. “There’s 544 affordable units — that was the original DCA obligation — but the plan the township has put in would, at this point in time, total 176 market units, 44 affordable units, and 60 senior affordable units.”
Samrau said the plan relies on a mix of credits and already-approved projects, and makes use of available tools such as a vacant-land adjustment. He told the committee a special adjudicator assigned to the case had issued a report that supported the township’s position and that the township had filed that material with the court.
“We are hopeful that the court will rule in our favor and approve this plan,” Samrau said, but he added that the township cannot disclose certain details about developers or project inclusions until the court issues a determination.
If the court approves the plan as presented, Samrau said, the township would be able to continue setting zoning decisions locally rather than having them imposed by a court process.
The committee did not take a vote on the plan at the meeting; Samrau characterized the current filing as the township’s position before the court and said a decision by the court is pending.
The committee adjourned after the update. No further timeline or schedule for a court ruling was provided at the meeting.
