In case you were wondering where New Jersey Governor Chris Christie stands on S-1, the comprehensive affordable housing reform bill which passed the State Senate on June 10, 2010, and the stalling of companion legislation in the Assembly, here is the statement from the Governor’s Press Secretary Michael Drewniak which was released a few minutes ago:

It is time for the Assembly to finish the job of eliminating the Council on Affordable Housing, reforming New Jersey’s outdated and ineffective affordable housing rules and permanently repealing the 2.5 percent commercial development fee.  The Senate overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation that accomplishes these goals. We urge the Assembly to pass legislation that meets these same objectives, lifting arbitrary mandates on municipalities, rehabilitating substandard housing and eliminating the Council on Affordable Housing.  Any legislation that falls short of these goals falls short entirely.

I think it’s fair to say it sounds like its “all or nothing” on affordable housing reform for now.

Stay tuned….

In response to my earlier blog entry today, several sources in Trenton have confirmed that the stalling in the Assembly of comprehensive affordable housing reform may result in the State Senate refusing to pass a temporary extension of the moratorium on the 2.5% non-residential development fee from June 30, 2010 to October 30, 2010.   Apparently, some members of the State Senate, which has already passed S-1, a comprehensive affordable housing reform bill, are concerned that extending the moratorium will unreasonably delay action on reform.

Furthermore, given Governor Christie’s strong stance on eliminating the Council on Affordable Housing and instituting a major overhaul of affordable housing policy in New Jersey, even if the moratorium got to his desk, there is no guarantee he would sign it as a further delay in the development fee would only take the pressure off the Assembly to move on comprehensive affordable housing reform now.

We will be monitoring this issue throughout the week and for as long as the Legislature stays in session this summer as affordable housing reform is a critical issue to our readers, be they developers, municipal officials, affordable housing activists or professionals who practice in this field.

According to a report in today’s Star Ledger, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) has confirmed that the Assembly will not take up abolishment of the Council on Affordable Housing and comprehensive affordable housing reform prior to the summer recess.  “It will not get a vote in committee this summer but we hope to get it to a point where we can vote on it in the fall,” she said.  The Senate’s version of the bill, S-1, primarily sponsored by Senators Ray Lesniak (D-Union), Kip Batemen (R-Somerset) and Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May), passed the state Senate on June 10, 2010 by a vote of 28-3, with 9 members not voting.  At the June 17, 2010 hearing before the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee, Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-Union), who chairs the Committee, indicated that the bill required some changes before he would release it from the Committee.  Several individuals and groups provided testimony regarding the bill, including the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, which proposed changes to the current version of the bill.   This is not welcome news for municipalities currently involved in Mt. Laurel litigation as the status quo will remain in place for the time being.

In anticipation of the delay of comprehensive affordable housing reform by the Assembly, A-3055, a bill to extend the current legislative moratorium on the 2.5% non-residential development fee to October 30, 2010, was introduced in the Assembly on June 24.  A companion Senate bill is expected to be introduced and both bills will be fast-tracked.  The moratorium will continue the exemption for commercial development from payment of an affordable housing development fee equal to 2.5% of the equalized assessed value of the proposed development, provided that the developer has secured preliminary site plan approval by the October 30, 2010 deadline.