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JANUARY 2025 FREE
Towns reckon with January affordable housing deadline By BiLL SAnSERVinO New Jersey municipalities are once again under the gun to build thousands of units of affordable housing thanks to a new state law passed earlier this year. Every town in the state is currently up against a Jan. 31 deadline to pass a binding resolution to formally adopt their affordable housing requirement over the next decade. The goal is to address a statewide demand for almost 150,000 low- and moderateincome units. In March, Gov. Phil Murphy and the state legislature approved new affordable housing legislation outlining new processes for determining and enforcing municipalities’ constitutional responsibility to provide affordable housing withing its borders. “At this critical juncture in New Jersey, with soaring housing prices and limited housing stock, this legislation is essential,” said state Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, a primary sponsor of the bill. She added: “Furthermore, by streamlining the process for municipalities with clear guidance and deadlines, we aim to make fulfilling affordable housing obligations less daunting while effectively addressing the state’s affordable housing shortage.” As required by the new law, the
Department of Community Affairs released new affordable housing calculations for each municipality in October. The calculations outline the affordable housing needs for the period between 2025-2035. In addition to the resolution, the law also requires municipalities to adopt a Housing Element and Fair Share Plan by June 30 this year. Advocates for the provision of more affordable housing units in the state have praised the legislation. “This new law ensures that New Jersey will have one of the strongest frameworks in the U.S. to require affordable homes in historically exclusionary communities,” said Adam Gordon, executive director of the Fair Share Housing Center. “This will help tear down the walls that have denied too many in our state access to opportunity and create new affordable homes near jobs, schools and transportation. Opponents, meanwhile, argue that the new law puts an unfair burden on municipalities without providing other necessary land use planning tools to provide for construction of the units. A number of towns have filed lawsuits seeking to invalidate or modify the requirements, and many believe the process is overly complex. The towns argue that the calculations of their housing needs See AFFORDABLE, Page 5
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model (un) citizens
Bordentown High Model United Nations members (front row) (front row) Kashika Manak, Julianna Morolda, Gabriella Cuccia, Riddhi Rajpal and (back row) Ethan Vedaraj, Patrick Dziegielewski, Rudrhaneel Sen and Apollo Touch. See story, page 4.
Martin brothers double trouble for Scotties’ hoops opponents By JuSTin FEiL Bordentown Regional High School boys basketball opponents will get a double dose of Martin brothers again this year. Max “Moose” Martin and Chase Martin figure promi-
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nently in the Scotties’ plans. Both are slated to start, and are thrilled to get one more season together for Bordentown. “It means a lot to me,” said Moose, who is a senior guard. “I wouldn’t want to play with anybody else next
to me for my last year of playing high school ball. He’s young. I’m extremely proud of him for everything that he’s been helping us with. He’s a piece with us. And I’m just super grateful to be able to play with him one more See B-BALL, Page 8
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