A Statement from City Council
Asbury Park Mayor and Council applaud Governor Murphy’s Affordable Housing Commitment and
Hope for Support from Fair Share Housing Center in Providing Affordable Housing for Residents
3/11/2022
Mayor and City Council applaud Governor Murphy’s commitment to making New Jersey more affordable with the unveiling of the proposed FY2023 budget which includes measures to bring down the cost of housing.
In an effort to further address the need for affordable housing in the City of Asbury Park, ordinances were adopted in Spring of 2020 incentivizing inclusionary housing with a 20% affordable housing requirement in certain zones throughout the City. Additionally, an Affordable Housing Trust fund has been implemented that will require new development to pay a fee to assist with the creation of affordable housing. These measures follow the adoption of a rent leveling ordinance and restriction of short-term rentals, both enacted to help increase affordable housing in the City.
In this same spirit of proactively producing affordable housing, the City proactively petitioned the Court for approval of its Affordable Housing Plan, despite not having a “new construction obligation” under the State’s Mount Laurel doctrine, and despite having more than 1,000 affordable housing units created in the City by the Asbury Park Housing Authority and other affordable housing organizations.
Since 2021, the City has been going through the Court process with Fair Share Housing Center and the Court in an attempt to secure court approval and provide even more affordable housing for the residents of Asbury Park. Recent efforts have included discussions centering on a potential new 100% affordable development similar to those Murphy’s FY2023 budget seeks to provide for those most in need. Fair Share Housing Center has yet to accept the City’s proposal.
“As Mayor and Council, it is our intention to keep the diversity that makes Asbury Park so special and to that end, we have made affordable housing one of our top priorities,” said Mayor John Moor, “In an effort to resolve the housing crisis we face here in the City, Council has adopted new zoning that requires inclusionary housing. We are anxious to get going and have been working with Fair Share for over a year, providing them with a blueprint for moving forward in creating new affordable housing. We look forward to having them accept our offer to invest millions of dollars into our City’s affordable housing needs.”
“As predicted, the Covid-19 public health crisis has had a negative impact on our economy and the need for affordable housing has never been so great,” said Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, “As Council we have proactively taken steps to lay the foundation for appropriate affordable housing in the City to ensure living in Asbury Park remains a viable option for our residents. We’re pleased to see Governor’s Murphy’s dedication to affordable housing and that our goals appear to be aligned. We are hopeful that Fair Share will agree to a proposal that will benefit the residents of Asbury Park who are so desperately in need of affordable housing.”