Montgomery Previews Affordable Housing Plan as March 15 Deadline Looms.
Nicholas Mistretta
Montgomery Township officials used Thursday night’s Township Committee meeting to preview the next steps in the township’s affordable housing planning process and to provide an update on ongoing litigation tied to state housing deadlines.
Mayor Singh opened the committee’s “Affordable Housing Update” with a public notice about two upcoming Planning Board meetings focused on the township’s amended Housing Element and Fair Share Plan—Montgomery’s affordable housing plan.
According to the mayor, the Planning Board will hold an informational session Monday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. to present the forthcoming amended plan. The session is intended to help residents understand the proposed updates before the board holds its formal public hearing. That public hearing is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.
Singh said the Feb. 9 session is designed to give the community “clarity,” an opportunity to ask questions, and time to prepare informed comments in advance of the Feb. 23 hearing.
Following the mayor’s remarks, the township’s attorney, Wendy Rubinstein Quiroga , briefed the committee on Montgomery’s participation in broader legal efforts challenging aspects of New Jersey’s affordable housing laws and implementation timelines. She noted the Township Committee voted in the summer to join a “conglomeration of municipalities” contesting elements of the law and related deadlines.
“To date, those efforts have not been successful,” Wendy said, referencing the status of the multi-municipality challenge.
She then addressed developments in a federal case, explaining that a Jan. 7 hearing did not go the way of the municipalities, but that a new filing has been made at the nation’s highest court. An appeal has been submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the individual plaintiffs named in that case, she said, seeking a stay of the deadlines for adopting ordinances connected to affordable housing compliance.
Rubinstein Quiroga told the committee that the current deadline referenced in the litigation is March 15, and she said she would report back as soon as the township learns whether the Supreme Court will consider the application and whether any decision is issued.
After the update, Singh asked if committee members had questions, then moved the meeting back to the regular agenda.
Residents who want to follow the local planning process will have two opportunities in February to hear details and provide feedback: the Feb. 9 informational session and the Feb. 23 public hearing, both before the Planning Board at 7 p.m.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com