Brielle council adopts housing-plan amendments, multiple rezonings and funding commitments to meet state affordable-housing obligations

The Brielle Mayor and Council voted unanimously on Feb. 23 to adopt amendments to the borough's Housing Element and Fair Share Plan and to pass a package of zoning changes intended to create realistic opportunities for affordable housing in town.

Administrator Nolan told the Council that Ordinance 1162 would be reintroduced after a block-and-lot error was found and that the public hearing would be held March 11 at a joint meeting with the Planning Board. He said the amendment package incorporates State-required Housing Plan elements into the zoning code, establishes a Route 71 corridor overlay and includes site-specific changes for Borrie Avenue and the Borough Hall property.

On Borrie Avenue, the Council heard that the number of proposed units was reduced from five to two and that the borough was negotiating with Habitat for Humanity to construct those units; a separate municipal site in the Plan includes five units proposed for development by Affordable Housing Alliance. Attorney Surenian told the Council that, because Brielle has limited vacant land, the town's pending litigation landscape would likely not produce additional benefit and that approving the Plan would produce a realistic development potential (RDP) of 24 units and help insulate the borough against future builder's-remedy claims.

Residents raised several questions during public comment. Gail Harren asked why the borough had owned Borrie Avenue lots for so long without selling them; George Mervine urged delay until pending litigation was resolved; and multiple commenters questioned why certain corridors (including Route 70 C-3 and portions of Higgins Avenue such as Euclid Avenue) were not included in overlay zones. Attorney Surenian and Administrator Nolan responded that filing deadlines and planning judgments constrained changes now but that items could be revisited after the Plan filing.

The Council passed multiple ordinances and resolutions on final reading, including the Borrie Avenue rezoning and a separate ordinance permitting 100% affordable units at the Borough Hall site. The Council also adopted a Route 71 overlay zone and created Chapter 22 to implement affordable-housing rules; all votes were recorded as unanimous.

The Council designated an Administrative Agent to implement parts of the Plan and oversee marketing and applicant screening. The minutes record the recommended agent as Peter Van den Kooy of Acuity Consulting Services at a rate of $185 per hour (as noted in council discussion and in a subsequent resolution naming the administrative agent). The Council also passed a resolution stating its intent to bond or otherwise commit municipal funds if non-municipal financing does not fully fund the Plan's compliance techniques.

Why it matters: the package is designed to move Brielle toward judicial and statutory compliance with State affordable-housing obligations while aiming to limit the borough's exposure to builder's-remedy litigation. Supporters argued the rezonings and Plan amendment create a defensible, negotiated path to produce housing; some residents urged broader site selection or delay pending court outcomes.

Next steps: the corrected Ordinance 1162 will be reintroduced with a public hearing March 11 at the joint Planning Board meeting; other hearings and publication notices were scheduled for March 9 and March 15, 2026, according to the minutes.