Long Hill Committee introduces comprehensive affordable-housing overhaul; public hearing set for March 11

The Long Hill Township Committee on Feb. 11 introduced Ordinance 583-26 on first reading, a comprehensive rewrite of the township's affordable housing code that the ordinance text says implements P.L. 2024, c.2 and related state administrative rules.

The measure was moved by Committeeman Lavender and passed on first reading by roll call vote; the committee set a public hearing on Ordinance 583-26 for 7:30 p.m. on March 11, 2026.

The ordinance repeals and replaces Chapter 15, "Affordable Housing," and LU-185 on development fees. Its provisions, as printed in the meeting record, cover monitoring and reporting requirements (including use of the Department of Community Affairs' Affordable Housing Monitoring System, or AHMS), detailed design and accessibility standards for affordable units, bedroom-distribution and low/very-low/moderate-income splits, minimum affordability-control periods, and formulas for residential and nonresidential development fees.

Key provisions spelled out in the ordinance text include: - Control periods: ownership units generally remain subject to affordability controls for at least 30 years; restricted rental units established in the current round are subject to controls for at least 40 years; projects financed through 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits must meet a 30-year compliance period plus a 15-year extended-use period (45 years total). - Low/moderate split and bedroom distribution: affordable units must be split roughly between low- and moderate-income categories, with rules requiring two-bedroom and three-bedroom units to make up a majority of restricted units and a minimum share of two- and three-bedroom units to meet family housing needs. - Design and integration: restricted units must use the same building materials and architectural elements as market-rate units in the same development (interior finishes may differ); restricted units must not be concentrated in less-desirable locations and occupants must have equivalent access to communal amenities. - Accessibility: new construction must be "adaptable." The ordinance requires 10% of adaptable entrances be made accessible upon request and establishes requirements for ground-floor adaptability and first-floor accessible features for multistory townhouses. - Development fees and trust fund: the ordinance follows the state formula cited in the text: a residential development fee of 1.5% of equalized assessed value (EAV) where no increased density is permitted and a nonresidential fee of 2.5% of EAV for new nonresidential construction, with detailed collection, reporting, and spending-plan requirements to be administered through a Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund and subject to court-approved spending plans. - Enforcement and remedies: the ordinance provides remedies for violations, including civil fines, foreclosure remedies, and recapture mechanisms; it requires annual reporting to DCA through AHMS and creates penalties for failing to comply with advertising and monitoring obligations.

Why it matters: the rewrite is a substantive update intended to align Long Hill's local code with the amended state Fair Housing Act and the Department of Community Affairs rules described in the ordinance text. The requirements affect how developers price, design and market affordable units, how the township collects and spends development fees, and how long units remain restricted.

What happens next: the committee will hold a public hearing on March 11 and must vote again for final adoption. The ordinance text in the record contains many cross-references to state statutes and administrative code sections; the committee record recommends municipal staff and the administrative agent follow AHMS reporting and other procedural steps outlined in the ordinance.

At the Feb. 11 meeting the ordinance was introduced on first reading by Committeeman Lavender; additional technical questions and public comments (if any) will be taken at the March 11 hearing before the committee considers final passage.