I get it: The economy is in freefall, so let’s make it more difficult for towns to build the kind of low-cost housing that is becoming increasingly necessary. That’s the basic gist of legislation written by state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, which delays implementation of a 2.5 percent fee on development.
The business community, of course, endorses the bill, and while suburban towns will lose out on some significant cash, they are not opposed, viewing it a) a way to keep commercial developers from jumping ship and b) as the first crack in shattering the larger affordable housing mandate.
The reality, as housing advociates point out, is that there is a “crying need for low- and moderate-income housing” and the money is needed to help get the housing built.
“This legislation promises economic growth and it will deliver the exact opposite,” said Arnold Cohen, project director of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey.
“There is nothing in this bill that would force the developers to spend one penny of the money returned to them on any future development in New Jersey,” Cohen said. “In contrast, the $13 million in the hands of the towns that collected the money will create homes people can afford, stimulate the construction industry and put people to work.”
So, the housing won’t get built — which is good news for towns like Hopewell and Cranbury, or good news for the people in those towns looking to keep affordable housing out — even as more and more people experience a falling standard of living. That makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?
Hank Kalet 