South Brunswick Reaches Settlement, Will Build 1,500 Affordable Housing Units
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SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — After a hard-fought battle, South Brunswick became the first town in New Jersey to reach a deal on state-mandated affordable housing obligations, that could clear the way for more than 1,500 units in town.
These units will be built over a span of a decade.
With this deal, South Brunswick will meet its fourth-round obligation under NJ’s Mount Laurel Doctrine – the landmark case that requires municipalities to provide their fair share of affordable housing.
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“It’s not perfect and it’s the best we could do,” Mayor Charles Carley said during Wednesday’s Council meeting in response to resident John O’Sullivan’s question.
“It doesn’t bleed out forever and doesn’t cost us lawyers. And the town can get on with its life and start planning for the future.”
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South Brunswick negotiated the deal with Fair Share Housing Center, a nonprofit organization that negotiates affordable housing plans with municipalities across NJ.
“Our opposition decided that they were tired of dancing,” Carley said. “The numbers were imposed upon us by the state.”
The Mayor told the community that the administration treads cautiously on development as it could lead to the potential for overdevelopment.
“What we do with this agreement is it allows us to focus on development not on woodlands and farmlands, but on neglected property, particularly on the route 1 corridor,” Carley said.
“It’s a sustainable path for the town. It won’t result in new schools being built, traffic is something we already have and we have to deal with.”
The Mayor said that another suggestion put forward was for the town to enter into a compromise that would have brought 9,000 housing units to town. Instead, South Brunswick decided to go with the option available resulting in 1,500 housing units.
Ahead of the 4th Round of Obligations starting in 2025, Gov. Phil Murphy signed landmark legislation (S50/A4) in March that sets a course for future enforcement of the Mount Laurel Doctrine.
By agreeing to the settlement, South Brunswick is steps ahead in the process. The agreement details 20 different sites where the township plans to build or redevelop new affordable housing.
South Brunswick’s decision to settle is in stark difference to other towns. Last month, nine municipalities came together and sued to overturn the new affordable housing law.
“After many tumultuous years of litigation, South Brunswick is wisely getting ahead of the curve by planning now for the next decade,” Josh Bauers, director of exclusionary zoning litigation at Fair Share Housing Center said in a statement.
“Good planning means planning in advance — this allows time for municipalities to find appropriate sites and develop strong partnerships to produce these much-needed homes.”
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