February 7, 2024

New Jersey has an affordable housing challenge that affects hundreds of thousands of people and hundreds of communities in our state. A 2021 Rutgers-Eagleton poll found at least 90% of New Jerseyans worry about the costs of housing in our state, with another 55% considering it a very serious problem. It’s not just a lack of housing that people can afford, but it is also how the planning, development, and redevelopment of housing is impacting our communities—from addressing racial and economic segregation to making it easier to get around without a car while we adapt to the increasing threats from climate change. There are two exciting things happening right now that can have a profound impact on where and how we develop affordable housing in New Jersey.

First, New Jersey’s legislature is moving a monumental bill that would lay the foundation for how municipal affordable housing obligations will be determined and, equally important, how they will be met. A4/S50 streamlines the process of how affordable housing obligations are developed and allocated while also keeping the necessary challenging and enforcement mechanisms in place. It also gives towns the time to plan better and elevates the importance of redevelopment. New Jersey Future supports A4/S50, and is encouraging changes that will make a stronger connection to the State Development and Redevelopment Plan, improve the allocation method, and provide resources for towns to plan more walkable, healthy, and resilient places. All indications point to the legislature voting on this bill in February, and we encourage our readers and supporters to get involved. 

Second, we’re organizing a series of housing convenings in partnership with Princeton University to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders—including housing advocates, local and state officials, planners, and developers. The next meeting of this group will be held later this month as we expand from our steering committee to a broader advisory committee of stakeholders. Our intention is that through this collaboration, we can form consensus around an action agenda to produce more housing that is both equitable and sustainable in the Garden State. 

It is important that this work be grounded in research and sound policy development. This week we published a new report examining the racial integration in Monmouth and Morris Counties, which took different approaches in adopting and fulfilling their affordable housing quotas. Last year we published a feature in Municipalities Magazine, “The Future of Housing in New Jersey,” which further lays out our policy priorities and focuses on promoting good, center-based development. 

We look forward to working with you all to make New Jersey an even greater state to share with each other and to pass on to the next generation.

Peter Kasabach

Executive Director

New Report Digs Deeper into Diversity in Morris and Monmouth Counties

New Jersey is an expensive state, with among the highest housing costs in the country. It is also one of the most segregated states in the nation by both income and race, despite being one of the most racially diverse states overall. A new report from New Jersey Future explores the relationship between the enforcement of housing requirements, housing affordability, and racial and economic diversity, using a comparison between two demographically similar suburban counties—Morris and Monmouth—that followed different trajectories in complying with New Jersey’s affordable housing obligations. Read more.

What You Read 2023 – A Message from the Editor

We’ve compiled the most-read articles from the year—no surprise that housing, flooding, and transportation were popular topics. Check out the top articles that have captivated our readers in 2023 and continue to keep current with news and developments by reading What We’re Reading! Read more.

We are excited to announce that Charles Brown, Founder & CEO, Equitable Cities LLC, Michele Delisfort, Principal & Managing Partner, Nishuane Group, LLC, Kevin Drennan, Managing Director, Mercury, Allison Ladd, Deputy Mayor/Director Economic and Housing Development, City of Newark, NJ, and Elizabeth McManus, Principal, Kyle + McManus Associates have joined our board of trustees. Brown, Delisfort, Drennan, Ladd, and McManus bring diverse professional backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise to an organization that continues to grow and evolve. Learn more about our new trustees here.

New Jersey Future and the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association are partnering once again to host the 2024 New Jersey Planning and Redevelopment Conference.

This three-day conference will be held June 5-6 virtually and June 7 in person at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick. Hold the date and be part of making this event a success! Join us by submitting a panel session proposal on the portal after reading the guidelines. Submission deadline is February 15, 2024.

Do you know of an innovative project, plan, or initiative that deserves to be honored for its commitment to smart growth principles? Consider nominating it for a 2024 Smart Growth Award! Each winning project will be featured in a professionally produced video, which will be shown during the in-person Smart Growth Awards Showcase event.

Smart Growth Award and Redevelopment Trailblazer Award nominations along with all supporting documents are accepted only via the online submission portal. Start your nomination after following the guidelines and nomination instructions. Submission deadline is March 31, 2024.

Legislative Updates

New Jersey Future continues to communicate with the Office of Planning Advocacy in advance of the anticipated update of the State Plan. As such, we’ve provided research insights and have advocated for the expansion of consideration in areas of great importance to the future of our state.

The Age-Friendly New Jersey Statewide Collaborative Policy Committee will be submitting a letter with recommendations to the Office of Planning Advocacy, and they are actively encouraging others to sign on in support. Our land use policies should be crafted to serve as a cornerstone of a comprehensive “aging policy” for New Jersey by ensuring an age-friendly built environment.

The recommendations include:

1. “Aging policy is land use policy.” The State Plan update must emphasize centering age-friendly needs into land use and infrastructure planning that serves older people and healthcare workers who serve them. 
2. What’s good for older people is good for everyone. The Plan should prioritize an age-friendly action agenda that tailors recommendations for the state’s urban, suburban, and rural regions.
3. Realistic systemic change. The State Plan should elevate the need for system changes that can transfer government authority over land use to the most appropriate level, an approach being taken across the country. 
4. Translating recommendations into the State Plan itself. The Office of Planning Advocacy is best suited to integrating age-friendly practices into the State Plan’s system goals, statements, policies, and strategies.

The Age-Friendly New Jersey Statewide Collaborative Policy Committee is a multi-sector group focused on identifying, prioritizing, and developing state advocacy strategies, policies, and practices that embed a person-centered and place-based approach to aging within and across a broad range of issues and sectors. For more information please contact Chris Sturm, Policy Director for Land Use at csturm@njfuture.org.

• February 8: Learn more about improving livability in their community by attending the Community Design for All Ages Workshop, Implementation Strategies for Creating Great Places to Age, on February 8 at 12:30 p.m. Register for free!
• June 5-7: The 2024 NJ Planning and Redevelopment Conference hosted by New Jersey Future and APA New Jersey will be held virtually June 5–6 and June 7 in person at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick. Save the dates, and look forward to updates!

Smart Growth is equitable growth. It is also restorative, as smart growth and redevelopment can help correct systemic racial and economic disparities. As New Jersey Future drives land use decision-making toward more equitable outcomes, we will be sharing useful resources and lessons in this monthly spotlight. Please give us your feedback and share with us any particularly insightful articles, talks, events, or videos that you come across.

February is Black History Month, so we're taking this opportunity to highlight important places in Black History in our state. New Jersey played a prominent role with numerous sites in the Underground Railroad, and our state has been home to Black innovators, musicians, and leaders throughout its entire history. 

In 2022, New Jersey established the Black Heritage Trail and Commission. Proposed by State Assemblyman, Antwan McClellan with bipartisan support, the legislation directed the New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) to designate a path marking several important historical sites throughout the state that signify African American contributions to art, science, education, and culture. “This is a nonpartisan bill that we get to celebrate the history of the great Americans not just in New Jersey, but…possibly in the United States also, as we create a trail from South Jersey to North Jersey,” Assemblyman McClellan said at the signing. 

The Black Heritage Trail sheds light on the Black experience and the untold stories of New Jersey’s past by inviting the public to visit these historic sites. Online resources for the Black Heritage Trail showcase Black history with opportunities to explore North, South, and Central NJ. Key sites include the Harriet Tubman Museum along the Underground Railroad in Cape May, the newly redeveloped Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, and the Moses D. Heath Farm in Middletown. Wherever you live in NJ, there are many places to visit in the month of February to better understand and respect Black history.

• Policy and Program Coordinator: New Jersey Future (NJF) seeks a skilled, organized, and motivated individual to manage the day-to-day operations of NJF’s Mainstreaming Green Infrastructure (MGI) Program. This position addresses climate change and equity through more innovative methods that manage stormwater, make our communities greener, and emphasize the use of natural systems.

• 02/05/2024: Morris, Monmouth took different paths on affordable housing. Why Morris has fared better (Daily Record)
• 01/29/2024: Assembly Housing Committee Advances Legislation Addressing Critical Affordable Housing Needs in NJ (New Jersey Assembly Democratic Office)
• 01/10/2024: Murphy pitches cutting costs for N.J. families, more abortion access, big AI moves in State of State (NJ.com)
• 12/27/2023: Want to know if your future home might flood? These states are requiring disclosure (The Washington Post)
• 12/08/2023: Water Workforce Pilot Program at HCCC Graduates First Cohort (New Jersey Business Magazine)
• 12/07/2023: Hudson County Community College graduates 1st cohort for water workforce project (Hudson County View)
• 12/01/2023: Sustainable Water Management: Program Rundown of Municipal Options (NJ Municipalities Magazine)
• 12/01/2023: ROI Influencers: Environment 2023 — A to L (ROI-NJ)

Guide to Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning

Working with the NJDEP, Sustainable Jersey, and statewide partners, NJF led development of the Guide to Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning, providing a model Climate Change-Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (CCRHVA) and planning process for New Jersey Municipalities that satisfies the requirements of the 2021 MLUL amendment.

New Jersey Stormwater Retrofit Best Management Practices Guide

NJF partnered with Princeton Hydro to create a New Jersey Stormwater Retrofit Best Management Practices Guide. This guide provides municipalities, counties, nonprofit organizations, developers, and property owners the tools to identify opportunities to retrofit existing stormwater BMPs and install new stormwater BMPs in built-out environments.

Did someone forward you this newsletter?

Sign up to receive your own copy!