North Haledon adopts ordinances to implement fourth‑round affordable‑housing plan

The Borough of North Haledon Mayor and Council unanimously adopted three ordinances and endorsed an amended Housing Element and Fair Share Plan at a special meeting on March 16, 2026, moving the borough toward compliance with the state Fair Housing Act and the borough’s Fourth Round affordable‑housing obligations.

Mayor Randy George opened the meeting by reading the Open Public Meetings Act notice and said the settlement with Fair Share Housing left the borough little choice in how to meet obligations, noting the municipality worked to negotiate a realistic outcome. "We do not have a choice," Mayor George said, and he described the settlement as a negotiated compromise that avoided costly litigation.

Affordable Housing Attorney Michael Pasquale summarized the settlement mechanics and credited borough staff and the planner with producing a vacant‑land adjustment that reduced the borough’s realistic obligation to 11 affordable units. "We determined our realistic number was 11 affordable units, which Fair Share Housing accepted," Pasquale said. He explained that the borough will satisfy that number through a mix of supportive and inclusionary units: five supportive units associated with Eastern Christian Children’s Retreat (which receive a statutory 2‑for‑1 credit), and six units anticipated in a TFJ Belmont Avenue project. Pasquale also said the borough increased the set‑aside on the Alexander Hay property and added an overlay at the Fresh Grocer site to address unmet need.

What the council approved

- Ordinance #2‑2026 establishes Affordable Housing Overlay Zones for two sites: the Alexander Hay property (a single 13.39‑acre parcel in RA‑1) and the Fresh Grocer property at 1068 High Mountain Road (about 3.75 acres in the B‑1/B‑2 area). The overlay allows townhouse development at a density set to nine units per acre under the settlement, with yard, parking and coverage standards specified in the ordinance.

- Ordinance #3‑2026 repeals and replaces Chapter 182 (Affordable Housing) to implement the amended Fair Housing Act (P.L. 2024, c.2), the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls (UHAC), and related DCA regulations. The ordinance codifies municipal requirements including a 20% mandatory set‑aside for qualifying multifamily projects of five or more units, monitoring and AHMS reporting, administrative‑agent and Municipal Housing Liaison duties, affordability controls with multi‑decade control periods, and development‑fee rules for residential (1.5% of EAV) and non‑residential (2.5% of EAV) development.

- Ordinance #4‑2026 amends Chapter 600 to add a B‑2 Affordable Housing Overlay Zone requirement that multifamily developments of five or more new units set aside at least 20% of units as affordable.

Each ordinance passed on its second and final reading by unanimous roll call; the clerk was authorized to publish the required notices. The council also passed Resolution #60‑2026 endorsing the Amended Housing Element and Fair Share Plan (dated Feb. 27, 2026) and authorized the affordable‑housing attorney to submit the compliance package to the Superior Court and the Affordable Housing Dispute Resolution Program.

Why it matters

Council members and staff described the package as necessary to obtain court and program approval and thus avoid exposure to exclusionary‑zoning litigation or a builder’s remedy. The ordinances implement state statutory changes passed in 2024 and the Department of Community Affairs’ monitoring requirements, and they establish local procedures for monitoring, affirmative marketing and long‑term affordability controls required by UHAC and the Fair Housing Act.

Details and next steps

The overlay for the Alexander Hay parcel and the Fresh Grocer site carry maximum building coverage, impervious‑surface limits, parking and landscaped‑open‑space minimums; Ordinance #3 sets control periods for ownership and rental restricted units (typically 30 years for ownership and 40 years for rental, with longer periods for LIHTC projects). The municipal clerk will publish adoption notices; Attorney Pasquale and the borough planner will include the adopted ordinances in the compliance package submitted to the Superior Court and the Affordable Housing Dispute Resolution Program.

The meeting record shows no votes against the ordinances and no speakers opposed during the formal hearings. The council adjourned at 8:15 p.m.