Howell officials grapple with housing mandates
BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Staff Writer

HOWELL - The township has a 487-unit state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) obligation to fulfill and municipal professionals have unveiled a plan on how to meet that number.

Under COAH rules, developing municipalities such as Howell are required to provide affordable housing for people with low and moderate incomes as defined by the state. Affordable housing is housing that is sold or rented at below market prices to people with qualifying incomes.

At the Planning Board's Oct. 26 meeting, township planner Charles Newcomb distributed the plan which was prepared by Banish Associates. There was no public comment session at the meeting.

The board will discuss the plan in total and hold a public hearing on Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at town hall. Copies of the plan are available through the Planning Board office.

The Township Council may vote to endorse the affordable housing plan at its Nov. 28 meeting.

Newcomb gave a brief explanation as to why Howell must enter COAH's third round of affordable housing requirements.

As noted in the plan, "third round rules adopt a new 'growth share' methodology ... [of] one new affordable housing unit for every eight market-rate homes that are built or for every 25 new jobs" created in the municipality.

Two objectors to the Housing Plan Element and Fair Share Plan - AST, Sunnyside Road, LLC, and Elon Associates, LLC - filed complaints which impact the round three obligations as well.

AST sought permission to build 245 age-restricted units on land fronting Route 9 north across from Sunnyside Road on the site of the Cutler-Rubenstein egg farm.

In September 2005, the Planning Board recommended that the Township Council not rezone the 31-acre parcel. The rezoning would have allowed AST to build the apartments on the site. That decision resulted in litigation.

Now an agreement between the township and AST has been reached, but the developer has not executed the agreement as of yet, according to the Banish Associates report.

As for Elon Associates, the township has entered into a verbal settlement resolution with that developer, too, which offered 240 age-restricted units during past mediation.

Elon Associates had previously filed complaints regarding the zoning of its property. The property in question is on the northeast corner of Route 524 and Yellowbrook Road.

Howell's growth share obligation from 2004-2014 is calculated at 438 units, with an additional 49 units from previous round two obligations or housing rehabilitation commitments, for a total of 487 units.

The township plans to meet the bulk of its obligation by entering into a Regional Contribution Agreement (RCA) with another municipality, most likely Keyport, according to the Banish Associates report.

An RCA allows a municipality to transfer up to 50 percent of its growth share requirement to another municipality in the region.

The maximum number of affordable housing units Howell may transfer out of town is 238. Howell would need to pay about $35,000 per unit to Keyport if a transfer should take place. The cost to Howell in that scenario would be more than $8 million.

To meet the balance of the 487 affordable housing unit requirement, Howell estimates it will receive a credit of 119 units from age-restricted housing projects; 53 units form inclusionary projects; 42 rental bonus credits; 26 units from settlement agreements; 24 units from growth share ordinances and amendments; and 20 units from the municipal rental program and accessory apartment programs, according to the Banish Associates report.

Through allowing developers to construct 1,949 market rate units, the township says it will satisfy its 487-unit affordable housing obligation, according to the report. The total construction package calls for 2,198 news units in Howell.