You lost me with that last paragraph. Keeping taxes down? Overprotective suburban town? Large lot size requirements?
The affordable housing requirements come out of the Mt Laurel decisions that go back to 1975, but the municipal practices that led to those suits go back much further. Towns historically practiced exclusionary zoning. They still do. They make it hard if not impossible to build lower cost high density homes vs expensive large 3/4 acre lot neighborhoods. Children cost much more to educate then what is generated from property tax, and lower cost properties bring more families that need assistance. 40, 50 years ago (and still) towns fought hard against builders wanting to bring in large mixed housing projects. Some towns have embraced it more recently with success. Others have large outstanding obligations and a court imposed resolution to prior unfair housing practices.
Yea we know all of that. But it was the suburban sprawl that created this mess. It was the overbuilding on small lots and townhome/condo complexes that created this problem. As has been explained builders don’t want to build large mixed use housing projects. They want to build whatever creates most revenue. They don’t want to build mixed use until they are forced to do so. You even said earlier “ There is merit to the idea of planning for housing near jobs, but an isolated development with no access to the other community things - stores, parks, schools, churches, etc makes no sense at all.”
If Trenton wasn't full of dumbasses who were bought by developers, the subsidy for building COAH housing would be straight cash (taxes or 3rd party fees), but this ridiculous 4:1 market rate kicker is literally destroying suburban towns throughout the state.
All this overdevelopment is why so many places in NJ are constantly flooding. Most of Manville didn't flood pre-Floyd (or it was extremely rare). What changed? We all know the answer.
Absolutely. Wait until the overdevelopment in a certain area of Ocean County rears it's ugly head. Flooding will be the least of the worries. Serious shoddy construction and building code manipulation is an issue
Jackson is starting the process of warehouses being built. I believe many will be vacant.
Farmers don't grease palms of local politicians. Builders and owners of warehouses probably do.
The biggest affordable housing advocacy group desperately tries to keep its donors a secret. Why? Because it is funded by for-profit developers who don't care about affordable housing, they just want to build all those juicy, expensive 4x market rate units with inflated rent.
And cash strapped farmers don’t have the ability to fight a long drawn out legal battle.
Oft suspected the Passaic River flooding mysteriously coincided with giant warehouse pads going up all around route 80. They raise the land, make it impermeable to rainfall.. and the rivers then carry a lot more water... then you add in flood-plain development and the recipe for disaster is complete. Of course then you have to deny claims and raise insurace rates after canelling policies and requiring flood insurance....
I think they should convert one or two warehouses into affordable housing like Louisville did, to meet the obligation. The main building is already constructed, the interior just has to be constructed.
I would have very strict rules for any eminent domain case but you are right- Cranbury would have to address why they don’t take the vacant warehouse properties to have residential housing built instead of that farm.
Little story here. My father worked at that site and was in charge of facilities maintenance. One year he was in charge of redoing those 2 big signs out front that required removal of the big giant shrubs surrounding them. (Him)Being a guy to never miss an opportunity I came home from high school one day to find like 8 of those (giant) suckers placed around our big circle driveway. It became my job to dig and re-plant them.
That's a great story. How many "Band-Aids" did you need from the blisters you got doing that job? Did he get freebies or at least a discount at the company store?
We had closets and cupboards in the basement just filled to overflow with baby power, baby shampoo, and the like. I had really bad ankles that always required taping. I kid you not , it wasn't until about 10 years ago that I used the last roll of free athletic tape (40 years lol).
I give a lot of credit to farm owners trying to keep property as farms and not cashing out. A housing development is typically a tax liability not an asset for a town. I'm not sure why it is anyone's business where they live. It's been in the family for 175 years. Not everyone wants to farm or is able to any more. Maybe they are holding it until a family member can take it over again.
They complain about the cost of housing for young families but are happy their own home prices continue to go up substantially so they can retire and move out of NJ.
"They live in Plainsboro not Cranbury"
You two are way off the mark. People are talking about seizing a farm to solve the problem not providing affordable housing.
Extremely difficult to find affordable housing for a single individual without the financial help of the parents. My nephew years ago straight out of college signed up for a low income housing in his town and purchased a 2 BR condo at a steep discount, about $120k for a $350k condo. His mom helped provide the down payment. Rented the one BR to his best friend for pretty much the cost of the condo about $600 month and was able to accumulate enough assets to buy a real house. You got to learn to beat the system.
So your saying your nephew (low income) buys a condo with the help of his parents and sublets the other bedroom? In most cases both of things violate the low income contract he signed. Great job that’s a felony. And very much at odds at what you espouse in your earlier posts.
As I mentioned earlier, the town probably thought the owners were beating the system by paying taxes for farm land as opposed to market value. I hear a lot of rich people do that. They lived in New Mexico.
Getting a down payment from a parent is within the law. Maybe the renting a BR to his friend wasn’t allowed. Look at what our president is doing. Go after my nephew, years ago. The crime is a little worse than jaywalking. Lol
Not to qualify for low income housing. And what does the president have to do with your story. It was your story. You should have been smart enough not to expose those facts. And you wonder why there aren’t true low moderate income places available. Because people scam.
Who care? First find out who I am then find out which nephew and then go back maybe 20 years. You probably committed a more serious crime than renting to a friend, driving with a few drinks. The friend wasn’t there when he signed the contract, he came after the first year.
If you weren’t so proud of your scam you shouldn’t have advertised. You think the renting to a friend is the crime? It’s not stealing the $230k intrinsic value? It’s not taking that opportunity from the person or family that deserves it? It’s not the delta your nephew captured on the sale of the property?
You don’t know anything about these low income housing. When he sold the condo, he wasn’t able to sell at market value. He had to sell very close to his purchase price controlled by the town. He had a hard time finding a buyer with their restriction, low income and a down payment. Sold to a kid that had a low income working for his Parent who owned a jewelry store. I don’t care what you think, I like you’re upset.
Yea I do. Real estate investor and was on my towns planning board. So have a very good idea. There are guardrails in place on sales but it is % of market rate. And if there is a need in town there are already qualified candidates on a list. Not upset at all. Just love when people out themselves. Especially when they contradict themselves from post to post in the same thread.
Out myself? Did I do it. The town wanted people that lived in the town already and it was a lottery. Surprised he got it. Contradict? I think your mad.
Nope not mad. Did you do it? no but it’s even worse you bragged about your family members doing it and were proud. Read your posts in this thread. Maybe next time puff puff pass. Yet you were the person that want the farm owners to be stripped of their ownership because you think they are rich and live out of state. Odd take. Very communist if you ask me.
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