Politics & Government

Affordable Housing Income Limits Adjusted

'Low-income' classifications shifted to 'moderate.'

By Dan Gunderman

Long Valley has expanded the pool of eligible affordable housing applicants by updating "low-income" salary levels to "moderate" income.  

The shift in maximum income allowed goes from $31,715 for one person to $50,744.

Also, for a two-person family, the limit goes from $36,246 to $57,993, and for a three-person family, $40,777 to $65,242.

For a larger family of four, the numbers change from $45,307 to $72,492.

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The call to shift the status on the town’s low-income properties came from interest in them, but from parties that exceeded the limit.

“They’re advertised as low-income, and should be raised to moderate. Then there will be a wider base to draw from,” said acting administrator Andrew Coppola.

Find out what's happening in Long Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Agreeing to make the shift toward moderate, committeemen said they would have the township’s website updated with the alteration the next day.

As promised, the low-income advertisement on the township’s website now indicates a moderate-income allowance for an affordable housing property on 80 Fairview Ave.

Interested parties have to submit an initial application for the property, and then eligible ones are given a final application, which is due July 31. Afterwards, if eligible, their status is deemed suitable for a final random drawing (subject to further eligibility review).

COAH Supreme Court Decision 

Also in discussion by the Township Committee was the recent New Jersey Supreme Court decision about Gov. Chris Christie’s attempted abolishment of the Council on Affordable Housing.

“(The ruling said) that the governor cannot do away with an agency created by the legislature,” said township attorney John Jansen. 

The 12-member bipartisan council was created in 1985 to enforce a bloc of state Supreme Court rulings that indicated municipalities have an duty to provide housing for residents with a low or moderate yearly salary.

In a 5-2 state Supreme Court ruling, justices found that the governor’s attempts to sideline the Council were outside the breadth of his power, because it was created by an act of the Legislature.

Christie tried to pass along the duties of COAH’s members to staffers that reported to him, but Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said that the governor and Legislature would have to take a different route if they want to get rid of the agency.

Local officials have provided much of the skepticism toward the council, whose job it is to provide towns with rules on how much low-to-moderate housing they need to provide.

Some see its functions as necessary for lower-income residents so that they will be able to afford the housing costs associated with middle- or upper-class areas.

However, some see COAH as unnecessary and a poor way to craft quotas of residents from differing social statuses.

Christie lashed out at the decision, calling the Court liberal and their attempts to keep COAH afloat an ineffective social experiment. 

However, at the moment, COAH lives and so does its income strata, which Washington Township has altered to draw in a broader interest in the properties. 


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