Legal battles flare over Garden State affordable housing protocols

An affordable housing agreement to develop 195 units across three properties in the Borough of Franklin Lakes has allowed the municipality to meet a key building benchmark, NorthJersey.com reported. A state judge approved a deal on June 26 that will generate 87 credits needed by Franklin Lakes to meet its constitutional affordable housing obligation and protect it from lawsuits until July 1, 2025, under New Jersey’s Mount Laurel Doctrine, which requires municipalities to use their zoning powers to promote affordable housing options. The Franklin Lakes plan calls for the construction of 52 units at 739 Franklin Avenue, 88 units at 724 Franklin Avenue and 55 units on McCoy Road. Meanwhile, in nearby Ridgewood, a developer behind the 43-unit Chestnut Village has filed a lawsuit against the village over changes to the affordable housing development. Two-Forty Associates, a limited liability company controlled by the family of late Ridgewood developer David Bolger, claims that it secured approvals to provide off-site special-needs housing in December. The developer is seeking to enforce what it believes is an approval it received for special-needs units across seven off-site inclusionary family rentals. The Ridgewood village attorney, however, said the developer did not secure approvals for special-needs housing, only for affordable housing. [NorthJersey.com]