Just Beating the Deadline, Paramus Agrees to affordable-housing

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ, the Borough of Paramus has approved an affordable-housing agreement with Fair Share Housing Center that calls for 259 units in the borough.The Borough Council on Monday night approved the settlement agreement, which identifies 259 units of realistic development potential. Councilman Chris DiPiazza, saying he wanted to get a second opinion from another attorney, cast the lone dissenting vote.

Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said this week was the borough’s deadline, as its immunity against builder’s remedy lawsuits was about to end. Such lawsuits can result in high-density development being forced on a municipality.

Fair Share Housing Center, a housing rights advocacy group, intervenes in cases involving the state’s Mount Laurel doctrine,  forcing towns to use their zoning powers to accept affordable housing leaving taxpayers on the hook for all the infrastructure upgrades, school construction, public safety, water, sewage , and road work.

The Borough Council authorized the Planning Board to study the eight lots last year. The board determined that the sites met the criteria to be designated as areas in need of rehabilitation, since the sewer infrastructure at each is more than 50 years old.

Nurseries, including Joy’s Farm, Eisele’s Nursery and Denny Wiggers Garden Center, as well as a lot on the former location of Treeland Nursery and a vacant lot near Parkway Elementary School, would be considered for future affordable housing under the plan.

Most of the 259 units called for in the settlement, about 135 units, would be designated across two proposed developments. One is the Oster Property at the end of Maple Road, near the junction of Routes 4 and 17.

The second property is near Garden State Plaza on Columbus Way, just north of the Gennarelli Sports Complex. It includes open land and a building occupied by the Philippine American Community of Bergen County, which is owned by Paramus Affordable Housing Corp.

About 14 affordable-housing units would be included in a development proposed years ago for Soldier Hill Road. Kaufman said the developer got approval from the Department of Environmental Protection about three years ago to build 140 units.