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Rockleigh council adopts sweeping affordable-housing code, approves related marketing and spending plans
Summary
On March 2, 2026, the Rockleigh Mayor and Council adopted Ordinance 2026-2, replacing Chapter 36 to align local rules with New Jersey's amended Fair Housing Act and UHAC, and approved an Affirmative Marketing Plan and Fourth Round Spending Plan required under the borough's Housing Element and court consent order.
The Rockleigh Mayor and Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 2026-2 on March 2, 2026, a comprehensive replacement of the borough's Chapter 36 (Affordable Housing) to conform local rules with the 2024 amendments to New Jersey's Fair Housing Act and the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls (UHAC). The measure passed after the second reading and a public hearing at which no members of the public spoke.
The ordinance sets borough-wide standards for very low-, low- and moderate-income units, including mandatory set-aside, design and phasing requirements, affordability control periods, monitoring and reporting rules, and development-fee provisions. It requires municipalities to record deed restrictions, use the Department of Community Affairs' Affordable Housing Monitoring System for annual reporting, and maintain an Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The council also approved Resolution 2026-23 (an updated Affirmative Marketing Plan) and Resolution 2026-24 (the Fourth Round Spending Plan), both required under the borough's Housing Element and Fair Share Plan and by the consent order tied to the borough's conditional compliance certification.
Key Ordinance provisions include a municipal mandatory set-aside of 20% for qualifying inclusionary developments (with rounding and fractional-subsidy options), minimum standards on bedroom distribution and unit sizes, and explicit design and integration requirements so restricted units use the same materials and access to amenities as market-rate units. The ordinance sets minimum control periods (30 years for ownership units and generally 40 years for rental units, longer for LIHTC projects), establishes monitoring and administrative roles (Municipal Housing Liaison and Administrative Agent) and affirms that spending of development fees must conform to a court-approved spending plan.
The ordinance text and the council's resolutions reference the borough's recent work with the Affordable Housing Dispute Resolution Program: the borough filed a HEFSP in June 2025, received follow-up requests from FSHC, and obtained a consent order granting conditional compliance certification subject to conditions that include adopting the updated marketing and spending documents the council approved March 2. The resolutions adopt the Affirmative Marketing Plan and the Spending Plan required to implement the HEFSP and to guide use of municipal trust-fund revenues.
No public commentary was recorded during the hearing. The clerk recorded a unanimous roll-call vote in favor of the ordinance and the two resolutions. The council's action advances the borough's compliance with state affordable-housing requirements and establishes the administrative, monitoring, and finance rules the borough will use to implement its fair-share plan.
Next steps: the ordinance and resolutions are effective upon publication and the borough will proceed with the monitoring and reporting steps identified in the ordinance, including submission of required data to the Department of Community Affairs' AHMS portal and implementation of the Affirmative Marketing Plan.
