L.B. Planning Board moves forward on master plan

L.B. Planning Board moves forward on master plan
Attorney: City is meeting affordable housing quota
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH — The city Planning Board continues to work toward a comprehensive master plan, which is due to be completed by March.

At the Dec. 15 meeting, the planners passed a resolution approving the fair-share housing plan for the city that was originally presented to them in October.

Attorney Robert Beckelman, of Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith and Davis, Woodbridge, explained that the city will meet its obligation to provide affordable housing under the state Council on Affordable Housing guidelines.

“This lays out how the city goes forward with our fair share obligation with projects that have already taken place or projects that are in the pipeline or being contemplated,” he said. “Given the housing authority projects that have already taken place and that we expect to take place, it is something we expect to handle.”

Beckelman explained there has been a change in the city’s status.

“The numbers have changed,” Beckelman said. “We estimated 675 units, which is higher than COAH’s projection.”

Since its inception in 1985, COAH has had two previous rounds that the city has not participated in.

According to the master plan, the city’s obligation has been to create 254 units of affordable housing from 2004 to 2018. This includes 119 units of affordable housing from the projected 593 market-rate units that will be created, according to the master plan.

It also includes an additional 135 affordable units based on projections that 2,164 jobs will be created, or one affordable unit per 16 jobs, as per COAH regulations.

COAH was established in 1985 by the state Legislature in response to a series of state Supreme Court rulings commonly known as the Mount Laurel Doctrine.

According to the Department of Community Affairs, COAH has the power to define housing regions, estimate

low- and moderate-income

housing needs, set criteria and guidelines for municipalities to determine and address their own fair-share numbers, and approve and review housing fair-share plans for municipalities.

Since its inception, COAH has had three phases of fair-housing plans. Round one of the plan focused on creating reasonable opportunities for affordable housing through municipal zoning ordinances. The second round focused on rehabilitating existing housing. COAH’s third round focuses on establishing a uniform growth share element for New Jersey municipalities.

Affordable housing, as defined by the state, is housing that can be bought or rented with 30 percent or less of an individual’s income.

The fair share plan is just one section of the master plan that is scheduled to be adopted by spring.

Also included in the master plan is a self-assessment report that includes a list of projects and demographics of the city and a list of recommendations, including creating a transit village and moving City Hall farther east on Broadway.

Contact Kenny Walter at

kwalter@gmnews.com.