“Dollars for Density”: The Hidden NJ Housing Bill Threatening to Redefine Small-Town Suburbs
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
WESTWOOD, NJ — Local leaders are sounding a massive alarm over a quiet legislative push in Trenton that could fundamentally strip New Jersey municipalities of their zoning rights.
According to Westwood Mayor Ray Arroyo and Council President Lauren Letizia, a series of high-stakes housing bills are weaving through state committees “like stolen cars tailed by the police”—temporarily parking and shifting paths to avoid public backlash before easing back into the voting queue.
At the center of the battle is Bill S-1836, a sweeping piece of legislation that could forcibly bypass local zoning boards to bring staggering urban-level population densities to quiet, established suburban neighborhoods throughout the Pascack Valley.
What is NJ Bill S-1836 (“God’s Backyard”)?
Dubbed by critics as the religious counterpart to the commercial “Stranded Asset” bill (S-1766), S-1836 targets declining attendance at houses of worship by authorizing high-density residential development, as of right, on properties owned by religious institutions.
However, local officials warn that the legislation hides a massive loophole: the exact same development privileges are extended to all secular, non-profit property owners.
The Staggering Impact on Westwood Alone
If passed, the bill wouldn’t just affect houses of worship—it would immediately open up civic spaces like the Elks Club, the Masons Lodge, and the American Legion to aggressive redevelopment.
The local math reveals a potentially overwhelming surge:
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Eligible Properties: 11 churches + 9 secular non-profits = 20 total borough properties.
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Total Affected Footprint: 19 acres across 5 separate residential zoning districts.
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The Development Threat: A maximum potential of over 1,300 new residential units.
To put that in perspective, a 1,300-unit influx represents a staggering 27% increase over current Westwood households. By comparison, Westwood’s carefully managed, infrastructure-conscious growth added just 480 net new residents over a 15-year period between 2010 and 2025.
Tripled Densities and an 80% Cut to Parking
Because historical neighborhood development placed local churches right alongside the front and side yards of residential homes, these high-density complexes would be built directly inside established communities.
The bill strips away almost all local guardrails, allowing:
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Three-story building heights well above current neighborhood limits.
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A near tripling of the upper residential density limit allowed anywhere in Westwood.
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An 80% reduction in mandatory off-street parking spots, creating an immediate public safety and traffic nightmare on local streets.
“Dollars for Density”: The Carrot and the Stick
Trenton is simultaneously utilizing a companion bill, Assembly Bill A-3877, to incentivize compliance. A-3877 promises “priority placement” for state aid to towns that voluntarily alter their zoning laws to increase residential densities.
Local leaders call this a coordinated “carrot and stick” approach aimed at fragile municipal and school budgets.
“The secular state conferring favorable profit-generating zoning privileges, waivers, and immunities upon religious property owners… undermines sound planning principles,” Mayor Arroyo noted, adding that “Affordable Housing” has increasingly become a legislative “magical incantation” used to conjure densities completely blind to local infrastructure and context.
Ultimately, local officials argue that bills like S-1836 leave “no room at the inn” for residents to decide the shape, safety, and intensity of the communities they live in, substituting local insight with mandatory, heavy-handed dictates from state legislators.
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Tags: New Jersey Politics, New Jersey Housing, Local Zoning Laws, Westwood NJ, Pascack Valley, Bill S-1836, Affordable Housing, Suburban Development.
