Close to two dozen municipalities are suing the state, arguing that the affordable housing requirements mandated by the Mount Laurel Doctrine are unrealistic and discriminate against suburban communities.
A group of New Jersey municipalities is asking a court to suspend the state’s affordable housing law until their lawsuit agains the state is resolved, reports Mike Hayes in Gothamist. “The towns claim the law unfairly requires them to build more and more housing without accounting for how much development they can truly support,” a common complaint from cities in New Jersey and other states where similar legislation is in place, such as California.
The towns also claim the law is unconstitutional because it exempts some urban centers designated as “urban aid municipalities.” These are cities with certain characteristics such as high unemployment rates, lower-than-average incomes, or high population density. “Many of these towns are also already home to public housing developments and income-restricted units.” These urban communities are still required to create over 40,000 new homes by rehabilitating existing units.
Read the full story: NJ towns suing to overturn state’s affordable housing rules ask court to put rules on hold
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