Six Municipalities Receive COAH Certification
56 Towns Now Certified Under COAH’s Revised Third Round Rules


TRENTON - New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Acting Commissioner Charles A. Richman today announced that six more municipalities received substantive certification under the Council on Affordable Housing's (COAH) revised third round rules. The municipalities are Bedminster Township, East Amwell Township, Englishtown Borough, Millstone Borough, Stafford Township and West Orange Township.

"Affordable housing is for working families, seniors, disabled residents, and people who have grown up in a community and now entered the workforce but cannot find an affordable place to live. It is for hardworking people we all know such as teachers, firefighters, pre-school workers and health aides, whose services contribute to the quality of our lives," said Acting Commissioner Richman, who also chairs the COAH Board. "These six municipalities have demonstrated a commitment to providing their fair share of affordable housing and should be commended for their hard work."

The six municipalities join Allendale Borough, Andover Township, Beverly City, Blairstown Township, Boonton Town, Cape May City, Cape May Point Borough, Clayton Borough, Collingswood Borough, Delaware Township, Eastampton Township, East Brunswick Township, Flemington Borough, Florence Township, Frelinghuysen Township, Frenchtown Borough, Harding Township, Hardyston Township, Knowlton Township, Lawrence Township (Mercer County), Maplewood Township, Middletown Township, Milford Borough, Millville City, Montclair Township, Netcong Borough, North Hanover Township, Old Bridge Township, Orange City, Palmyra Borough, Peapack & Gladstone Borough, Pennsauken Township, Pennsville Township, Pine Hill Township, Piscataway Township, Plainsboro Township, Readington Township, Robbinsville Township, Rockleigh Borough, Rocky Hill Borough, Roxbury Township, Sandyston Township, Somerdale Borough, South Hackensack Township, South Plainfield Borough, Springfield Township, Stockton Borough, Stone Harbor Borough, Upper Pittsgrove Township and West Amwell Township as the first 56 towns in the state to receive certification under the third round rules.

The third round rules are COAH's regulations governing affordable housing obligations through 2018. Under the plans certified for these 56 municipalities, 10,690 newly constructed affordable units have already been completed, with another 4,737 proposed, for a total of 15,427 new construction units. Additionally, 831 units have already been rehabilitated, with another 1,362 proposed, for a total of 2,193 rehabilitation units.

Substantive certification is COAH's determination that a municipal fair share plan presents a realistic opportunity for the production of affordable housing to address the town's portion of the affordable housing need. The substantive certifications granted to these 56 municipalities are valid for 10 years from the municipality's date of petition and provide protection from builder's remedy lawsuits.

COAH, an affiliate of the DCA, facilitates the production of sound, affordable housing for low and moderate income households by providing the most effective process to municipalities, housing providers, nonprofit and for profit developers to address a constitutional obligation within the framework of sound, comprehensive planning.

For more information about COAH, log on to http://www.nj.gov/dca/affiliates/coah/index.html on the DCA's website.


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