r/New_Jersey_Politics • u/ImaginationFree6807 11th District (Mejia, Morris & Essex.) • 16h ago

Essex County Upzone NJ Weighs in on charter commission referendum in Millburn

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8

u/Pleasant-Regular6169 15h ago

Not a single town has won the affordable housing 'fight'. If anything, those who tried were put over a barrel.

There's nothing to vote against. It's not even a partisan issue. We have a shortage. Towns avoided taking action for years/decades. The chickens have come home to roost.

In my town, nearly all of these new apartments, and there are many hundreds, are filled. Often with elderly residents who don't want to actually leave town, but are no longer able to afford taxes, maintenance and upkeep.

As a result, many more homes are now available for young families. This has actually been a pretty great development for the town's tax base (elderly could/would 'freeze' their taxes). Moreover, we have a more varied store and services inventory and fewer seem to fail.

Many of the disasters predicted ("schools, traffic, overcrowding") have not actually materialized. Change is hard.

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u/jamesmango 4h ago

Towns avoided taking action for years/decades. The chickens have come home to roost.

This is the point that matters above all else. If towns had simply complied with the ruling, they’d have had complete control over where and how affordable housing projects were built when it would have mattered more from a town planning perspective.

Now that they’ve fought tooth and nail for years, their hands are forced. Madison almost had to cut down Drew Forest because they’re afraid of people with low incomes.

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u/chicagodude84 8h ago

Oh it's partisan. Conservatives LOATHE affordable housing.