Christie shuts down housing board
Governor Christie is freezing the activities of a state board that regulates affordable housing in New Jersey.
Governor Christie is freezing the activities of a state board that regulates affordable housing in New Jersey.
The governor has set up a five-member task force to review the state’s affordable housing rules. He wants advice on how the state can comply with the so-called Mount Laurel rulings, while still fostering economic growth.
The governor’s order shuts down the Council on Affordable Housing, known as COAH.
Christie: “We know that COAH as it’s been executed has been a failure. It’s placed undue burdens on municipalities and property taxpayers.”
Christie said he thinks municipalities should exert more control over how affordable housing gets built.
Christie: “The message to municipalities in New Jersey is that their COAH nightmare is over and we’re going to move towards making sure that development gets placed back into the hands of local municipalities to make these kind of decisions and not by a group of folks that are sitting down here in Trenton.”
State Senator Ray Lesniak has proposed legislation to replace COAH with amarket-driven affordable housing policy and says he’s ready to work with the governor.
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