Local news- Press Release
Warren Township New Jersey - Committeewoman Lontai testifies Regarding Affordable Housing Legislation 04 January 2024 ( news )
Warren Township , state New Jersey ( By Press Release office)
Jan 04,2024
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Committeewoman Lisa Lontai attended and presented testimony at the Assembly Appropriations Committee regarding Assembly Bill 4 on January 4 , 2024 . This legislation overhauls the Affordable Housing Process .
Below are the words the Committeewoman Lontai presented at the hearing:
Good afternoon Chairwoman Swain and members of the committee .
My name is Lisa Lontai and I have the honor of serving as mayor of Warren Township in Somerset County . Though Warren has evolved over the last few decades into a more traditional suburb , our roots as a small farming community are still seen today . Over eight miles separate the east side from the west side . We don’t have sidewalks , we don’t have streetlights , and we have zero access to mass transit . Additionally , our fire and EMS teams are made up completely of volunteers who do their best to keep up with the increasing demands placed upon them .
The Warren Township Committee is deeply concerned about proposed Assembly Bill 4 which proposes dramatic amendments to the Fair Housing Act and the affordable housing process . As you are aware , the proposal eliminates the Council on Affordable Housing and creates within the Administrative Office of the Courts a mediation program to oversee the affordable housing process . While the legislation attempts to steer the process away from the court system , it is still a process that will be overseen by the judiciary .
Additionally , the bill would codify the methodology implemented in the Jacobson decision as a matter of law . The formula Jacobson used created a figure that is much higher than many local municipalities thought was achievable and it is a challenging number to meet .
The legislation also mandates that municipalities must adopt a fair housing plan by January 2025 with full implementation by January 2026 . The development of a fair housing plan by a municipality is a significant undertaking and to mandate these limited timelines does not provide a municipality with the time necessary to prepare and implement a plan with public participation . To release legislation on December 18 with a committee hearing on December 20 does not provide the necessary transparency to allow all municipalities to provide their input with careful forethought . While the press accounts indicate that many stakeholders participated in the process , neither Warren Township nor any of our neighboring towns were consulted .
As a result of the 2015 process , Warren Township has already been required to construct 1 , 060 new housing units which has proven to be a significant challenge for our schools , our first responders , and our municipal departments .
To be clear , we are not opposed to affordable housing -
we are opposed to overdevelopment
. And if A4 passes , more overdevelopment is exactly what we’ll get . Housing must be planned on a regional basis , and areas should be assessed to determine if there is easy access to mass transit , food stores , and medical facilities . This bill encourages development on vacant land and if that land is not near mass transit ( which Warren does not have ) , then it becomes a burden on our taxpayers to be able to provide services to these areas . Many of our lower - income residents do not have their own cars and therefore do not have the ability to access grocery stores , medical care , or recreation facilities .
This legislation does not address the impact on first responders , public schools , or municipal infrastructure while simultaneously forcing towns to allow additional high - density housing .
I urge you to take all necessary steps to slow down the movement of this bill until the next legislative session so all stakeholders can work collaboratively on a plan moving forward .
Thank you .
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