Garden State Patriot

I haven’t posted much about COHA lately, so in an effort to keep this vital issue on the radar I wanted to share this.

Assemblymen Michael Doherty and Michael Patrick Carroll have introduced a concurrent resolution (ACR-216) that would lead to amending the state Constitution to remove the affordable-housing obligations placed upon local municipalities as a result of the Mount Laurel court decision.

If both houses of the Legislature approve it, the declaration would be submitted for voter approval at the next general election. The resolution will also prohibit state government from imposing laws that would overturn or interfere with a municipality’s zoning ordinances.

The amendment says that no law shall require any municipality to “create, fund or implement any program to provide housing for all income levels by means of land use regulation, or by fee assessment.”

“Nowhere in New Jersey’s Constitution is there a mandate for the state or local towns to provide affordable housing,” said Mr. Doherty, a Republican representing 24 of Hunterdon’s 26 municipalities. “There is not even an acceptable definition of what constitutes ‘affordable.’
“Our intent is to take such nebulous terms out of the hands of the court system and ultimately let the voters decide whether they should subsidize new housing in their towns. The infrastructure costs associated with this directive are enormous, and are ultimately borne by the taxpayer. This resolution will correct a misguided public policy.”
Mr. Carroll said the amendment “restates — for a judiciary that wrote its own policy preferences into the Constitution — that property tax payers owe no obligation to subsidize development of any kind.

We commend the efforts of Assemblymen Doherty and Carroll for taking this first step towards ending COHA mandates. Of course, Steve Lonegan has been very much at the forefront of this issue as well, with one of his priorities being to put this issue before the voters via referenda should he win the governorship.

Ultimately, this is exactly what needs to happen in order to re-establish the right of the people to govern themselves and thwart a renegade NJ Supreme Court.

Read more COAH news here:

• Impact on Randolph, NJ/Highlands Area: We’re being pressured to sign on
• Marlboro team trounces COAH in resolution

Cross-posted at Red County.