At the Summit Common Council meeting on Tuesday, March 5, Executive Director Michael F. Cerra of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities provided an update on affordable housing Assembly Bill No. 4, Senate Bill No. 50, emphasizing the potential implications for municipalities like Summit if the legislation is approved.

Councilmember and President Pro Tem Delia Hamlet expressed strong concerns about the proposed legislation, highlighting issues such as reduced municipal immunity from zoning lawsuits, changes to agreed-upon affordable housing numbers post-approval, and increased litigation risks.

“I would like to be crystal clear in my opinion that this legislation needs to be substantially rethought as it will devastate New Jersey,” Hamlet explains. “Municipalities should not be compelled to bear additional burdens if they seek to satisfy some portion of its fair share housing obligation through traditional inclusionary zoning and developers choose not to comply.”

Councilmember Hamlet continued: “Executive Director Cerra described proposed amendments to the legislation as significant and generally positive, but I do not believe they will be sufficient for land poor municipalities like Summit that will suffer unfairly if new fair share housing obligations are passed.”

The City of Summit Common Council has already passed a resolution opposing the bills and requesting a delay for more thorough municipal input. An affordable housing update from the city is available online. For detailed information on the legislative changes and their effects, refer to Assembly Bill No. 4, Senate Bill No. 50, and the New Jersey League of Municipalities website.