file photo by Boyd Loving
Given the population decrease in NJ due to people seeking greener pastures (or just a job or lower property taxes) elsewhere, perhaps the answer is not to build additional housing units in Ridgewood to help us meet our COACH obligations, but to find some way to force the price or market valuation of the entire existing housing stock in Ridgewood down far enough in value as that a sufficient number of previously built single family homes in Ridgewood end up falling into the affordable housing category. Why try to build up (because there is no actual room to build out) when you can simply drag down? Perhaps there would be some difficulty in forcing the unfortunate existing owners to sell but, hey, this is New Jersey…we’ll just intimidate them, Soprano’s style, until they see the wisdom of the policy. /s
Seriously though, can COAH obligations only be met by building spanking new housing stock? We have 5000 or so single family houses in Ridgewood. Does none of it qualify as affordable housing? The citizens and taxpayers of New Jersey need to end this judicial nonsense, by Constitutional amendment if necessary.
The article writer clearly has no idea whatsoever regarding economics and the basic economic drivers of supply and demand.
2:11pm – the COAH is across the whole state.
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Take a look at Dumont which is on a different housing market level. They recently had a lawsuit against a developer who is building multiple housing facilities on what was once working farmland.
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To force towns into COAH only helps the developer.
Unless Ridgewood miraculously brings in a few thousand hispanics and blacks (asians don’t count) – the COAH beatings will continue.
Developers typically only commit to providing 1 or 2 dozen Affordable Housing units in any given project, the vast majority of units being unrestricted in terms of their sale price. Given this unavoidably piecemeal approach, how can Ridgewood possibly satisfy its judicial masters?
7:26 pm clearly does not understand how to process satire…
We have communists on this blog?
you live in NJ you vote for every criminal low life that tells you they are going to steal all your money and run your life and now you are surprised your neighbors are proposing taking your property away from you ????
Good morning 3:48am! Now that you’ve had your coffee, you’re ready to receive the same treatment as 7:26pm. You clearly need to learn how to recognize and process satire. Or at least researc what “/s” means at the end of a comment. Pax Vobiscum.