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Affordable Housing
Historic Background
In 1975 the New Jersey Supreme Court determined, in So. Burlington Cty. NAACP v. Borough of Mount Laurel (Mount Laurel I) that every developing municipality in New Jersey had an affirmative obligation to provide for its fair share of affordable housing. In a subsequent decision in 1983 (Mount Laurel II), the Court acknowledged that the vast majority of municipalities had ignored this constitutional obligation. The Court in that decision refined this obligation to focus primarily on those municipalities that had portions of their boundaries within the growth area as delineated in a document that was the precursor to the State Development and Redevelopment Plan. The Court also called for the state legislature to enact legislation that would save municipalities from the burden of having the courts determine their affordable housing needs. The result of this decision was the adoption of the Fair Housing Act in 1985 as well as the creation of the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), which became the state agency responsible for overseeing the manner in which New Jersey’s municipalities address their low and moderate income housing needs.
Morris Habitat for Humanity is Seeking Applicants:
Morris Habitat is seeking applicants for affordable units at their new project at 146 Morris Avenue in Summit. Click the image below to learn more and apply. https://www.morrishabitat.org/homeownership/apply-for-home-ownership
NOTE: Morris Habitat's project is being administered directly by Morris Habitat. In addition to this opportunity, please continue below to engage the City's affordable housing opportunities.
Do you qualify for affordable housing?
NOTE: Morris Habitat's project is being administered directly by Morris Habitat. In addition to their opportunity above, please continue below to engage the City's affordable housing opportunities.
Based on your earnings and the number of people in your household, do you qualify for affordable housing? Using the gross income on the last pay stub of the year or on your prior year's tax return for all household members can act as a loose guide. The following chart can help you determine if you qualify based on your income and household size. Still not sure? Please use the sign-up sheet below to pre-qualify and enter the random selection pool or call us at (908) 777-7752.
HOUSEHOLD SIZE | MAXIMUM GROSS HOUSEHOLD INCOME |
---|---|
1 Person | $60,265 |
2 Person | $68,874 |
3 Person | $77,483 |
4 Person | $86,092 |
5 Person | $92,980 |
6 Person | $99,867 |
7 Person | $106,754 |
8+ Person | $113,642 |
*2021 Income Limit for Region 2 |
Sign-up for Summit's affordable housing random selection list
Complete the pre-application information below to begin the process
NOTE: The information below is NOT part of the Morris Habitat project above. Please contact them directly.
ADDITIONAL HOUSING RESOURCES
(877) 428-8844
(888) 576-5529
The LSNJLAW Hotline is open from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM - Monday - Friday
(908) 688-7586
MUNICIPAL AH ROLES & ORDINANCES
- Municipal Housing Liaison Role Defined
- Matthew DiLauri, QPA - Municipal Housing Liaison
- (908) 273-6404
- AH@cityofsummit.org
- Administrative Agent Role Defined
- Marc Leckington - Administrative Agent
- (908) 777-7752
- AH@cityofsummit.org
- Summit Affordable Housing Obligation
- Affordable Housing Development Fees
- Summit Affordable Housing Design Regulations Ordinances
City’s Historic Responses to its Affordable Housing Obligation
The City of Summit has prepared a number of Housing Elements and Fair Share Plans over the years to address its affordable housing obligations. COAH had originally adopted a ‘fair share’ methodology to determine housing-need numbers for all municipalities throughout the state in 1987 and again in 1994. The adopted, combined first and second round housing need numbers for Summit covering the years 1987-1999 indicated that the City had a 171 unit obligation.
The City’s adopted plans approved by the Court in 1991 were followed by plans adopted in 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, and again in 2018, all in response to the ever-changing COAH determinations of housing need.
Prospective Need Affordable Housing Obligation and City’s Response
The state of the State’s determination of prospective need continues to be fluid, given the fact that neither the Courts, COAH, nor the legislature have yet to develop a definitive set of housing-need numbers which are universally accepted. Two sets of numbers have been promulgated. These include numbers prepared by Econsult Solutions on behalf of a consortium of municipalities known as the Municipal Joint Defense Group, of which Summit is a part, and numbers prepared by Dr. David Kinsey on behalf of the Fair Share Housing Center. Each group's statewide affordable housing-need numbers varied dramatically. Econsult estimated a statewide affordable housing need of approximately 54,000 units while FSHC estimated the need to be 201,000 units. For the City of Summit, their estimates were as follows:
City of Summit Estimated Need
Indice | Econsult | FSHC |
---|---|---|
Rehabilitation | 149 | 131 |
Prior Need Obligation | 171 | 171 |
Prospective Need Obligation | 183 | 1,446 |
Ultimately, a Settlement Agreement which was executed by the City of Summit and FSHC, sets forth the extent of Summit’s prior need and prospective need obligations. The parties have agreed upon the following obligations for the City for the period from 1987 through July 1, 2025: a rehabilitation obligation of 131 units, a Prior Round obligation of 171 units, and a Prospective Need obligation of 567 units.
The Settlement Agreement also affirms, irrespective of the above, that the City’s realistic development potential (RDP) is thirty-six (36) units, which was based upon a vacant land adjustment (VLA) analysis as well as analyses of pending and existing affordable housing developments approved since 1999. In addition, the Settlement Agreement notes the manner in which the City is to address its affordable housing obligation and identifies its Unmet Need of 702 units (567 prospective need + 171 prior round obligation - 36 RDP = 702).
The manner in which the City has agreed to address its need is through the identification of a variety of existing affordable housing units and pending development applications, overlay zones and the use of existing multi-family zones in the City. To address RDP and unmet need the Plan seeks twenty credits for existing group homes, nineteen credits for other existing affordable housing units, and the use of ten credits from pending development applications. In addition, the Plan identifies a number of overlay zones wherein attached residential development with affordable housing set-asides may be developed, and the manner in which the City will attempt to ‘facilitate’ the development of up to fifty new affordable housing units on scattered sites as its effort to address unmet need. Furthermore, the Plan identifies the extensive areas in the City already zoned for multi-family housing. These are all detailed in the body of the report below.
AH PLAN, AGREEMENT, AND COURT APPROVAL
AH ANNUAL REPORTS
2022 Affordable Housing Annual Report
2023 Affordable Housing Annual Report
2024 Affordable Housing Annual Report
2025 Affordable Housing Annual Report
AH COMMITTEE MEETINGS
AH Committee Meeting Dates
YEAR | DATE | STATUS |
---|---|---|
2015 AH Committee | 5/28/2015 | COMPLETED |
2016 AH Committee | 1/26/2016 | COMPLETED |
2016 AH Committee | 3/22/2016 | COMPLETED |
2016 AH Committee | 6/20/2016 | COMPLETED |
2016 AH Committee | 11/30/2016 | COMPLETED |
2017 AH Committee | 6/26/2017 | COMPLETED |
2018 AH Committee | 2/28/2018 | COMPLETED |
2019 AH Committee | 1/31/2019 | COMPLETED |
2019 AH Committee | 10/1/2019 | COMPLETED |
2020 AH Committee | 2/27/2020 | COMPLETED |
2021 AH Committee | 2/3/2021 | COMPLETED |
2021 AH Committee - New Admin Agent Meet & Greet | 10/25/2021 | COMPLETED |
2022 AH Committee | 2/7/2022 | COMPLETED |
AH COMMITTEE AGENDAS & MINUTES
- Common Council Meeting - 2021 Annual Report Presentation - Monday, February 15, 2022 @ 7:30pm
- Annual AH Committee Meeting - 2021 Annual Report Presentation - Monday, February 7, 2022 @ 6:00pm via ZOOM
- AGENDA: Download the 2/7/2022 Agenda
- MINUTES: Download the 2/7/2022 minutes
- Please review the the city web calendar for the next scheduled meeting.
- New Admin Agent Meet & Greet - Monday, October 25, 2021 @ 6pm-6:40pm via Zoom
- AGENDA: Introduction/Q&A with the City's new Administrative Agent: Marc Leckington (https://leckingtonadvisors.com/)
- MINUTES: Download the 10/25/2021 Minutes
- Please review the the city web calendar for the next scheduled meeting.
- 2020 Annual Common Council Meeting Report - Monday, February 17, 2020 @ 7:30pm via Zoom
- 2020 Annual AH Committee Meeting - Wednesday, February 3, 2021 @ 6:30pm via Zoom (See agenda for Zoom details)
- AGENDA: Download the 2/3/2021 agenda
- MINUTES: Download the 2/3/2020 minutes
- Please review the the city web calendar for the next scheduled meeting.
- 2019 Annual AH Commitee Meeting - Thursday, February 27, 2020 @ 6:30pm - City Hall (Whitman Conference Room)
- AGENDA: Download the 2/27/2020 agenda
- MINUTES: Download the 2/27/2020 minutes
- Please review the the city web calendar for the next scheduled meeting.