the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Englewood NJ, after the city council of Englewood passed plan to provide affordable housing through overlay zones Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes vetoed the ordinance writing that the plan was inconsistent with the master plan , failed to properly respect residential zoning , failed to incorporate redevelopment study areas and the plan, “fails to preserve our goal of maintaining neighborhood character, fails to target development to blighted areas of the city, and was conducted in a fashion that has alienated our citizenry.”
The City Council had pushed the plan, which could have added as many as 4,000 units of housing across the city’s four wards, with 20% of the units set aside for low- and moderate-income housing, was developed through negotiations with the Fair Share Housing Center.
Englewood was mandated last year to negotiate with the nonprofit housing advocacy group to develop a plan to meet its affordable housing obligations as part of a settlement reached in November and approved by the court in January.
Wildes explained the plan fails to consider the city’s long-standing commitment to affordable housing, including the construction of several low- and moderate-income and senior housing complexes and its continued investments in its affordable housing stock.
“Unlike many communities for which the Mount Laurel doctrine was intended, the city of Englewood has been at the vanguard of providing affordable housing in appropriate numbers and in appropriate locations,” he said.
The Mount Laurel doctrine refers to a series of influential state Supreme Court cases beginning in 1975 that said municipalities must zone to create a “fair share” of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families, which typically means a household would spend no more than a third of its monthly paycheck on housing expenses.
“I believe this could be further litigated and more nuanced to accommodate Englewood’s experience,” Wildes said. “We have been the standard bearer in the county for 60 years with affordable housing, and we shouldn’t be afraid to push back in the courts.”
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Good for Englewood.
Much respect to you Sir! This is how local leaders should think and act. Their highest priority should be to ensure and maintain the quality of life of its residents. The rest of the coward mayors keep cowering under the fear of going to court and spending $$$ because it is bad like they really care where their tax $$$ is going.
Cowards or rent seekers?
Everybody stands up for honesty and transparency.
At least until the “campaign contributions” appear.
Yes at valley site.
Apparently in Englewood (unlike Ridgewood) they are NOT RICH and STUPID
Uh oh, Rich and Stupid is back.
No one supports un-affordable rent. But those same people support free stuff, which in my opinion is affordable rent (read subsidized by tax payers, or out of someone else’s pocket).
Comical, Englewood developed several apartment buildings down town and of rt4. Why didn’t they say no to those. Don’t let them fool you