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Brick Pares Down State’s Affordable Housing Quota From 360 New Units to 29

The New Visions, formerly Nobility Crest, development under construction in Brick, N.J. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

The New Visions, formerly Nobility Crest, development under construction in Brick, N.J. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

State officials determined Brick Township should provide 360 new-build affordable housing units and rehabilitate 149 properties, however township officials greatly reduced that number in their own calculations and have submitted their findings to Trenton for approval.

The township council this week unanimously approved a resolution setting Brick’s affordable housing quota for the next decade at 29 new units, but maintaining the quota for rehabilitation at 149. Officials have said the rehabilitation program – which provides reimbursements to low-income homeowners, usually seniors, who cannot afford structural work – is often funded through federal grants. The township provided data to back up its revised numbers, however the state’s affordable housing laws have historically led to legal challenges when municipalities dispute the quotas – either by the state itself or by affordable housing interest groups that advocate for higher quotas – most commonly the Fair Share Housing Center. The resolution addresses defending or modifying the number based on future litigation. The ultimate number of housing units decided as Brick’s obligation will be required to be added between 2025 and 2035.



Municipalities across the state, near the end of 2024, were sent letters setting the number of affordable housing units the town would be forced to provide under what is known as “round four” of affordable housing quotas as set by the Mt. Laurel doctrine. The state had initially mandated Brick provide 360 units but used Geographic Information System, or GIS, mapping to develop the revisions based on the amount of vacant buildable land in the township. The state’s formula for determining how many new affordable housing units must be provided is based on numerous factors, ranging from the amount of open space that could be developed into housing, to socioeconomic data.



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“The land use staff has provided justification based on the township’s current realistic developable land inventory that outlines the township’s prospective need, and is requesting that the state DCA – Department of Community Affairs – approve of the proposed number of units,” said Council President Derrick Ambrosino.

Ambrosino said the township is continuing to develop plans for affordable housing, specifically for veterans, and is planning to open a small, affordable housing [building] for veterans on a site on Route 88. The exact location of that site was not mentioned at a council meeting held Tuesday, when the resolution was adopted.

The resolution also confirmed the township’s present need obligation for rehabilitation of existing housing units at 149, effectively agreeing with the state’s determination.

“The township has a robust housing rehabilitation program that is partially funded by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant program, and is committed to continuing to provide income-qualified residents of the township with programmatic support,” said Ambrosino.

Brick, like most municipalities, licenses GIS software and has building and engineering employees qualified to use it to analyze statistical data that can be translated into policy.



“We’ve done our own GIS analysis of properties in the town, and we’ve come to the conclusion that the maximum we could support is 29 new units,” said Ambrosino. “This resolution tells the state we can only do 29.”




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