Policy Briefing: NJ’s Complicated Affordable Housing Policies-Considering the Alternatives

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COAH is in the midst of its third attempt at making rules for the “third round,” which began in 1999! The two previous attempts (in 2004 and 2008) were overturned by the courts. The Supreme Court has already been requested to short-circuit the current rule proposal before COAH even adopts it. Given the quagmire of this recent history of COAH proposals and litigation in NJ, maybe it’s time to review how other states are facilitating affordable housing production and to consider how their experiences could reshape New Jersey’s approach.

Leading the discussion is Rachel Bratt, Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University, and author or co-author of many articles, reports, and chapters in books on housing policy. She will highlight affordable housing strategies from other states and assess their applicability in New Jersey. Two response panels will follow her remarks. The first panel, consisting of planners and housing advocates, will discuss key trends, policy principles, and what could work in New Jersey. The second panel will feature housing developers and a local official to ground the discussion in real world experiences. There will be ample time for questions and answers.

Agenda

8:30 Registration & Continental Breakfast

9:00 Rachel Bratt, Tufts University – Model Affordable Housing Policies and How Applicable to New Jersey; Author of Rebuilding a Low-Income Housing Policy and a co-editor of
Critical Perspectives on Housing and A Right to Housing: Foundation for a New Social Agenda.

9:30 Response Panel: Conditions in New Jersey

• Philip B. Caton, FAICP, Clarke Caton Hintz, Moderator
• Alan Mallach, FAICP, Senior Fellow, Center for Community Progress – Key Trends and the Realities in New Jersey
• David Kinsey, Ph.D., FAICP, Kinsey & Hand – What Policies Make Sense for New Jersey
• Adam Gordon, Fair Share Housing – An Advocates Perspective

10:15 Real World Challenges and Opportunities

• Henry Kent-Smith, Fox Rothschild, Moderator
• The Honorable Liz Lempert, Mayor, Princeton – Mayor’s Perspective
• Chris Foglio Palmer, Community Investment Strategies – 100% Affordable Housing
• Dave Fisher, K. Hovnanian – Home Builders Remedy

11:00 Q & A

*AICP CM 2.5