Council reviews COAH concerns

The presentation of the new regulations indicated that there would be “much more aggressive ratios” for each municipality to provide units of affordable housing.

COAH, which works with New Jersey municipalities to increase affordable housing on a voluntary basis, calculates the ratios on the amount of new residences being built in a community and the number of new jobs being created, Voorhoeve said.

In response to the presentation, Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman noted that “for years before COAH was ever born we have as a community always taken great pride in building units for those who otherwise couldn’t have had units.”

She added that while the Borough will continue this trend, “it’s getting more and more difficult to do that under the formula” that is now being presented by COAH.

Because land is so expensive in Princeton Borough, compliance with COAH’s regulations is more costly to the Borough than to other municipalities in the region, Councilman Roger Martindell said.

“Because of the University and [University Medical Center] we’re 50 percent tax-exempt,” Martindell explained. “Our taxpayers get hammered because of COAH’s regulations.”

Under the new COAH formulas, fees from developers may be allocated to a statewide COAH fund and then redistributed to areas of need. Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi raised concerns that high property values in Princeton would hurt the Borough’s chances of receiving state funds.

Voorhoeve defended these regulations, explaining that such policies are important for public relations and protection against lawsuits brought by developers. “COAH is a voluntary process, so I’m not going to force you,” she said in response to the criticisms that the policies were not in the best interest of supporting affordable housing in Princeton.

Current COAH regulations would require the Borough to build nine new units of affordable housing and 67 units of rehabilitated affordable housing by 2018, Borough Affordable Housing Liaison Derek Bridger explained, adding that these current quotas should be easily reached.

Additionally, outstanding obligations from the previous round of COAH regulations would require Princeton to build another 311 new units. The Borough, however, intends to invoke legal precedent to dismiss these requirements.

The new COAH regulations will go into effect in June, and the Borough Council plans to reconvene to discuss the possibility of opting out of COAH later this year.

“We need to be as informed as we can possibly be before making such an important decision,” Trotman said.

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COAH will accept official written comments from New Jersey citizens and will consider this feedback before the new regulations are enacted as law in June. The Borough plans to ask COAH to examine the Borough’s unique position.