A bill that will substantially amend affordable housing requirements in New Jersey passed the State Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee with a 7-0 vote yesterday. According to the Star Ledger:

A major amendment would allow developers who take part in the construction of proposed “transit hubs” or “transit villages” in 19 cities and towns — centers with housing for all income levels, retail and office space — to avoid paying a 2.5 percent fee on the value of new commercial development. Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), the bill’s sponsor, said the fee break was proposed out of a concern the fee would hinder development of the hubs.

Among the municipalities where the hubs are proposed are Morristown, South Amboy, South Orange, Rahway, Metuchen, Bloomfield, Bound Brook, Cranford, New Brunswick, Jersey City, Netcong and Elizabeth.

Other amendments would extend the same fee break to commercial developments in Newark and Jersey City and require the state to consider the amount of protected land in a town when deciding how much affordable housing should be constructed there.

Doria told the committee he dislikes the fee break for transit hub developers. He said 20 percent of hub housing must be affordable and any fee collected could be expected to go toward funding that housing. “I think it is a mistake to take the transit villages out,” he said.

For the full article, click here.

For the Asbury Park Press article, which contains more detailed discussion of the bill’s key provisions, click here.