Source: https://ecode360.com/16169171
Timestamp: 2020-02-22 02:23:54
Document Index: 309698347

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80', '§ 80']

Ch 80 Art I Affordable Housing Requirements
Ch 80 Art II Additional Fair Share Provisions
§ 80-21 Monitoring and reporting requirements.
§ 80-22 Definitions.
§ 80-23 Applicability.
§ 80-24 Alternative living arrangements.
§ 80-25 Phasing schedule for inclusionary zoning.
§ 80-26 New construction.
§ 80-27 Utilities.
§ 80-28 Occupancy standards.
§ 80-29 Control periods for restricted ownership units and enforcement mechanisms.
§ 80-30 Price restrictions for restricted ownership units, homeowner association fees and resale prices.
§ 80-31 Buyer income eligibility.
§ 80-32 Limitations on indebtedness secured by ownership unit; subordination.
§ 80-33 Capital improvements to ownership units.
§ 80-34 Control periods for restricted rental units.
§ 80-35 Rent restrictions for rental units; leases.
§ 80-36 100% Affordable projects.
§ 80-37 Tenant income eligibility.
§ 80-38 Municipal housing liaison.
§ 80-39 Administrative agent.
§ 80-40 Affirmative marketing requirements.
§ 80-41 Enforcement of affordable housing regulations.
§ 80-42 Appeals.
Article I Affordable Housing Requirements
Article II Additional Fair Share Provisions
[Adopted 6-18-2012 by Ord. No. 12-743]
Appeals from all decisions of an administrative agent designated pursuant to this article shall be filed, in writing, with the Executive Director of COAH.
The Township of Cedar Grove specifically acknowledges the potential need for amendments to this article to reflect any changes in the statutes, regulations or other laws governing affordable housing within the Township, and reserves the right to make any such amendment.
[Adopted 4-1-2019 by Ord. No. 19-839]
The Township of Cedar Grove shall comply with the following monitoring and reporting requirements regarding the status of the implementation of its Housing Element and Fair Share Plan:
Beginning on April 1, 2019, and on every anniversary of that date through April 1, 2025, the Township shall provide annual reporting of its Affordable Housing Trust Fund activity to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Council on Affordable Housing, or Local Government Services, or other entity designated by the State of New Jersey, with a copy provided to Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC) and posted on the municipal website, using forms developed for this purpose by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA), Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), or Local Government Services (NJLGS) The reporting shall include an accounting of all Affordable Housing Trust Fund activity, including the source and amount of funds collected and the amount and purpose for which any funds have been expended.
Beginning on April 1, 2019, and on every anniversary of that date through April 1, 2025, the Township shall provide annual reporting of the status of all affordable housing activity within the municipality through posting on the municipal website, with a copy of such posting provided to Fair Share Housing Center, using forms previously developed for this purpose by COAH or any other forms endorsed by the Special Master and FSHC.
By July 1, 2020, as required pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:27D-313, the Township will post on its municipal website, with a copy provided to FSHC, a status report as to its implementation of its Plan and an analysis of whether any unbuilt sites or unfulfilled mechanisms continue to present a realistic opportunity and whether any mechanisms to meet unmet need should be revised or supplemented. Such posting shall invite any interested party to submit comments to the municipality, with a copy to FSHC, regarding whether any sites no longer present a realistic opportunity and should be replaced and whether any mechanisms to meet unmet need should be revised or supplemented. Any interested party may by motion request a hearing before the court regarding these issues.
By March 1, 2020, and every third year thereafter, as required by N.J.S.A. 52:27D- 329.1, the Township will post on its municipal website, with a copy provided to FSHC, a status report as to its satisfaction of its very-low-income requirements, including its family very-low-income requirements. Such posting shall invite any interested party to submit comments to the municipality and FSHC on the issue of whether the municipality has complied with its very-low-income and family very-low-income housing obligations.
The entity designated by the Township to administer affordable units in accordance with this article, N.J.A.C. 5:93,[1] and UHAC (N.J.A.C. 5:80-26).
A sales price or rent level that is within the means of a low- or moderate- income household as defined within N.J.A.C. 5:93-7.4,[2] and, in the case of an ownership unit, that the sales price for the unit conforms to the standards set forth in N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.6, as may be amended and supplemented, and, in the case of a rental unit, that the rent for the unit conforms to the standards set forth in N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.12, as may be amended and supplemented.
All the residents of the development wherein the unit is situated are 62 years of age or older; or
At least 80% of the units are occupied by one person who is 55 years of age or older; or
Any person, partnership, association, company or corporation that is the legal or beneficial owner or owners of a lot or any land included in a proposed development, including the holder of an option to contract to purchase, or other person having an enforceable proprietary interest in such land.
The provisions of this article shall apply to all affordable housing developments and affordable housing units that currently exist and that are proposed to be created within the Township of Cedar Grove pursuant to the Township's most recently adopted Housing Element and Fair Share Plan.
Moreover, this article shall apply to all developments that contain low- and moderate-income housing units, including any currently unanticipated future developments that will provide low- and moderate-income housing units, and also including projects funded with low-income housing tax credits.
Any property in the Township of Cedar Grove that is currently zoned for nonresidential uses and subsequently receives a zoning change or use variance or approval of a redevelopment plan to permit residential development, or that is currently zoned for residential uses and receives a zoning change or density variance or approval of a redevelopment plan to permit higher density residential development, provided such density is at least twice the density previously permitted, shall provide an affordable housing set-aside of 15% if the affordable units will be for rent and 20% if the affordable units will be for sale. No property shall be subdivided so as to avoid compliance with this requirement. Moreover, this provision governs municipal actions only and shall not entitle any property owner or developer to such action by the Township. All affordable units created pursuant to this paragraph shall be governed by the provisions of this article.
In inclusionary developments, the following schedule for the issuance of certificates of occupancy for the required affordable housing units relative to the issuance of certificates of occupancy for the permitted market units shall be followed:
(COs Issued)
The fair share obligation shall be divided equally between low- and moderate-income units, except that, where there is an odd number of affordable housing units, the extra unit shall be a low-income unit. At least 13% of all restricted rental units shall be very-low-income units (affordable to a household earning 30% or less of regional median income by household size). The very-low-income units shall be counted as part of the required number of low-income units within the development.
Accessibility requirements. The first floor of all restricted townhouse dwelling units and all restricted units in all other multistory buildings shall be subject to the technical design standards of the Barrier Free Subcode, N.J.A.C. 5:23-7, and the following:
An adaptable toilet and bathing facility on the first floor.
An adaptable kitchen on the first floor.
An interior accessible route of travel on the first floor.
If not all of the foregoing requirements in Subsection B(1)(a) through (d) can be satisfied, then an interior accessible route of travel must be provided between stories within an individual unit, but if all of the terms of Subsection B(1)(a) through (d) above have been satisfied, then an interior accessible route of travel shall not be required between stories within an individual unit.
An accessible entranceway as set forth at P.L. 2005, c. 350 (N.J.S.A. 52:27D-311a et seq.) and the Barrier Free Subcode, N.J.A.C. 5:23-7, or evidence that Cedar Grove has collected funds from the developer sufficient to make 10% of the adaptable entrances in the development accessible:
The funds deposited under Subsection B(1)(f)[2] above shall be used by the Township of Cedar Grove for the sole purpose of making the adaptable entrance of an affordable unit accessible when requested to do so by a person with a disability who occupies or intends to occupy the unit and requires an accessible entrance.
The developer of the restricted units shall submit a design plan and cost estimate to the Construction Official of the Township of Cedar Grove for the conversion of adaptable to accessible entrances.
In establishing rents and sales prices of affordable housing units, the administrative agent shall follow the procedures set forth in UHAC, utilizing the most recently published regional weighted average of the uncapped Section 8 income limits published by HUD and using calculation procedures approved by the court.
The rents of very-low-, low- and moderate-income units may be increased annually based on the permitted percentage increase in the Housing Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Urban Area. This increase shall not exceed 9% in any one year. Rent increases for units constructed pursuant to low-income housing tax credit regulations shall be indexed pursuant to the regulations governing low- income housing tax credits.
Tenant-paid utilities included in the utility allowance shall be set forth in the lease and shall be consistent with the utility allowance approved by HUD for the Section 8 program.
Control periods for newly constructed restricted ownership units shall be in accordance with N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.5, except as modified by the terms of the settlement agreement between the Township of Cedar Grove and Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC), as said settlement agreement may be further amended and supplemented, and each newly constructed restricted ownership unit shall remain subject to the requirements of this article for a period of at least 50 years, until Cedar Grove takes action to release the unit from such requirements; prior to such action, a restricted ownership unit must remain subject to the requirements of N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.1, except as modified by the terms of the settlement agreement between the Township of Cedar Grove and Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC), as said settlement agreement may be further amended and supplemented.
The owners of restricted ownership units may apply to the administrative agent to increase the maximum sales price for the unit on the basis of approved capital improvements. Eligible capital improvements shall be those that render the unit suitable for a larger household or the addition of a bathroom. See § 80-33.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the administrative agent may, upon approval by the Township Council, and subject to the court's approval, permit a moderate-income purchaser to buy a low-income unit if and only if the administrative agent can demonstrate that there is an insufficient number of eligible low-income purchasers in the housing region to permit prompt occupancy of the unit and all other reasonable efforts to attract a low-income purchaser, including pricing and financing incentives, have failed. Any such low-income unit that is sold to a moderate-income household shall retain the required pricing and pricing restrictions for a low-income unit.
Control periods for newly constructed restricted rental units shall be in accordance with N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.11, except as modified by the terms of the settlement agreement between the Township of Cedar Grove and Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC), as such settlement agreement may be further amended and supplemented, and each newly constructed restricted rental unit shall remain subject to the requirements of this article for a period of at least 50 years, until Cedar Grove takes action to release the unit from such requirements. Prior to such action, a restricted rental unit must remain subject to the requirements of N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.1, except as modified by the terms of the settlement agreement between the Township of Cedar Grove and Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC), as such settlement agreement may be further amended and supplemented.
All 100% affordable projects, including projects funded through low-income housing tax credits, shall comply with the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls, N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.1 et. seq., except as modified by the terms of the settlement agreement executed between the Township of Cedar Grove and Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC), as such settlement agreement may be further amended and supplemented. All such projects shall be required to have an initial thirty-year affordability control period plus a fifteen-year extended use period.
The administrative agent shall certify a household as eligible for a restricted rental unit when the household is a very-low-income household, low-income household or a moderate- income household, as applicable to the unit, and the rent proposed for the unit does not exceed 35% (40% for age-restricted units) of the household's eligible monthly income as determined pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.16, as may be amended and supplemented; provided, however, that this limit may be exceeded if one or more of the following circumstances exists:
The applicant shall file documentation sufficient to establish the existence of the circumstances in Subsections A and B above with the administrative agent, who shall counsel the household on budgeting.
There is hereby created the position of municipal housing liaison. The municipal housing liaison shall be responsible for oversight and administration of the affordable housing program for Cedar Grove, including the following responsibilities which may not be contracted out to the administrative agent:
Serving as Cedar Grove's primary point of contact for all inquiries from the state, affordable housing providers, administrative agents and interested households;
Monitoring the status of all restricted units in Cedar Grove's Fair Share Plan;
Compiling, verifying, submitting and posting all monitoring reports as required by the court and by this article;
The Township of Cedar Grove shall appoint a specific municipal employee to serve as a municipal housing liaison responsible for overseeing the Township's affordable housing program, including overseeing the administration of affordability controls on the affordable units and the affirmative marketing of available affordable units in accordance with the Township's affirmative marketing plan; fulfilling monitoring and reporting requirements; and supervising administrative agent(s). Cedar Grove shall adopt an ordinance creating the position of municipal housing liaison and a resolution appointing the person to fulfill the position of municipal housing liaison. The municipal housing liaison shall be appointed by the governing body and may be a full- or part-time municipal employee. The municipal housing liaison shall be approved by the court and shall be duly qualified through a training program sponsored by Affordable Housing Professionals of New Jersey before assuming the duties of municipal housing liaison.
Subject to the approval of the court, the Township of Cedar Grove shall designate one or more administrative agent(s) to administer and to affirmatively market the affordable units constructed in the Township in accordance with this article. An operating manual for each affordable housing program shall be provided by the administrative agent(s) to be adopted by resolution of the governing body and subject to approval of the court. The operating manual(s) shall be available for public inspection in the office of the Township Clerk, in the office of the municipal housing liaison, and in the office(s) of the administrative agent(s). The municipal housing liaison shall supervise the work of the administrative agent(s).
An administrative agent shall be an independent entity serving under contract to and reporting to the municipality. The fees of the administrative agent shall be paid by the owners of the affordable units for which the services of the administrative agent are required. The administrative agent shall perform the duties and responsibilities of an administrative agent as set forth in UHAC, including those set forth in N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.14, 5:80-26.16 and 5:80-26.18, which includes:
Conducting an outreach process to affirmatively market affordable housing units in accordance with the affirmative marketing plan of the Township of Cedar Grove and the provisions of N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.15; and
Employing a random selection process as provided in the affirmative marketing plan of the Township of Cedar Grove when referring households for certification to affordable units; and
Notifying the following entities of the availability of affordable housing units in the Township of Cedar Grove: Fair Share Housing Center; the New Brunswick, Plainfield Area, Perth Amboy and Metuchen/Edison branches of the NAACP; and the Latino Action Network.
Ensuring that the removal of the deed restrictions and cancellation of the mortgage note are effectuated and properly filed with the Essex County Register of Deeds or Essex County Clerk's office after the termination of the affordability controls for each restricted unit;
The administrative agent shall prepare monitoring reports for submission to the municipal housing liaison in time to meet the court-approved monitoring and reporting requirements in accordance with the deadlines set forth in this article.
The Township of Cedar Grove shall adopt by resolution an affirmative marketing plan, subject to approval of the court, which is compliant with N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.15, as may be amended and supplemented.
The affirmative marketing plan is a regional marketing strategy designed to attract buyers and/or renters of all majority and minority groups, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital or familial status, gender, affectional or sexual orientation, disability, age or number of children to housing units which are being marketed by a developer, sponsor or owner of affordable housing. The affirmative marketing plan is intended to target those potentially eligible persons who are least likely to apply for affordable units in that region. It is a continuing program that directs marketing activities toward Housing Region 3 and is required to be followed throughout the period of restriction.
The affirmative marketing plan shall provide a regional preference for all households that live and/or work in Housing Region 3, comprised of Essex, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties.
The municipality has the ultimate responsibility for adopting the affirmative marketing plan and for the proper administration of the affirmative marketing program, including initial sales and rentals and resales and re-rentals. The administrative agent designated by the Township of Cedar Grove shall implement the affirmative marketing plan to assure the affirmative marketing of all affordable units.
The affirmative marketing process for available affordable units shall begin at least four months 120 days prior to the expected date of occupancy.
In addition to other affirmative marketing strategies, the administrative agent shall provide specific notice of the availability of affordable housing units in Cedar Grove, and copies of the application forms, to the following entities: Fair Share Housing Center (510 Park Boulevard, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002); the New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP; the Latino Action Network (P.O. Box 943, Freehold, NJ 07728); East Orange NAACP (P.O. Box 1127, East Orange, NJ 07019), Newark NAACP (P.O. Box 1262, Newark, NJ 07101), Morris County NAACP (P.O. Box 2256, Morristown, NJ 07962), Elizabeth NAACP (P.O. Box 6732, Elizabeth, NJ 07206) and the Supportive Housing Association.
Upon the occurrence of a breach of any of the regulations governing an affordable unit by an owner, developer or tenant, the municipality shall have all remedies provided at law or equity, including but not limited to foreclosure, tenant eviction, a requirement for household recertification, acceleration of all sums due under a mortgage, recuperation of any funds from a sale in violation of the regulations, injunctive relief to prevent further violation of the regulations, entry on the premises, and specific performance.
A fine of not more than $500 per day or imprisonment for a period not to exceed 90 days, or both, provided that each and every day that the violation continues or exists shall be considered a separate and specific violation of these provisions and not a continuation of the initial offense.
In the case of an owner who has rented a low- or moderate-income unit in violation of the regulations governing affordable housing units, payment into the Township of Cedar Grove Affordable Housing Trust Fund of the gross amount of rent illegally collected.