Updated: DECEMBER 1, 2016 — 1:07 AM EST
by David O’Reilly, Staff Writer
In a case that could reshape the look and feel of many New Jersey towns, the state Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on whether municipalities must zone for the many thousands of affordable-housing units that they did not zone for during the last 16 years.
If the high court rules that an obligation for that “gap period” exists, it could double or triple the number of affordable-housing units that some towns and cities must zone for by 2025.
In some of their questioning, justices seemed to be skeptical that the obligation could be avoided.
“Are you saying these people [in need of affordable housing] disappeared for 16 years?” asked Justice Faustino Fernandez-Vina.
