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TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, the prime sponsor of S-1, legislation to replace the failed Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) with common sense, achievable affordable housing regulations, issued the following remarks on the floor in support of the bill, which was approved in the Senate today by a vote of 21-16:

“The amendments concurring in S-1 as released by the Assembly will establish for the first time in 30 years, when passed by Assembly later today and signed into law by Governor Christie, a system of compliance with Mount Laurel that will result in more affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families, without the enormous costs imposed by COAH and without its disincentives which resulted in a loss of jobs and a loss of affordable housing opportunities.

NEWARK – A group of a dozen faith-based organizations, community development corporations (CDCs) and local development officials met on April 20th with State Senator Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, in a roundtable discussion at the Renaissance Church in Newark to discuss the positive opportunities that Senate Bill S-1, which proposes to significantly reform the state’s affordable housing law, offers to not-for-profit developers in their efforts to revitalize neighborhoods. The meeting was hosted by Pastor Thomas Riddick, whose CDC is actively engaged in the development of affordable housing as part of a larger mission that includes prisoner re-entry, substance abuse services, after-school programs, job training and family counseling.

The group supports the overall concept of switching the planning responsibilities for affordable housing to the local level where, as local CDCs, they can have their voices heard more effectively.

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, the Chair of the Senate Economic Growth Committee and sponsor of S-1, legislation which would replace the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) with a fair, market-drive approach to building affordable housing, issued the following remarks at the start of a Committee hearing on his bill. S-1 was ultimately approved by the Committee by a vote of 6-0:

“It’s impossible to support consolidation of government services and also support COAH.

“S-1 paints with a broad brush and thus will miss some fine points. COAH paints with a fine brush and sets up 566 different schemes so as not to miss anything. As a result, it misses the forest for the trees.

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, the Chairman of the Senate Economic Growth Committee and prime sponsor of S-1, legislation to abolish the Council on Affordable Housing for a fairer, market-driven approach to create affordable housing, announced that the public hearing scheduled for the bill on Monday, March 8 would be cancelled, and replaced by an availability with the media and members of the Committee to go over, in detail, the provisions of a Senate Committee Substitute for the bill.

“The purpose of Monday’s availability is to go over – in great detail – what the Senate Committee Substitute for S-1 actually does,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “Whether it’s coming from people who are in favor of the new approach to affordable housing outlined in S-1, or people who are opposed, there is a lot of misinformation being spread about this legislation. On Monday, we hope to put that misinformation to rest once and for all, so we can at least begin to discuss the bill for what it is.”

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, the prime sponsor of S-1, legislation to abolish the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) in favor of a fairer, market-driven model to comply with New Jersey’s Supreme Court’s Mount Laurel decisions, issued the following statement regarding a Senate Committee Substitute for his original legislation, S-1. The full text will be available to the public tomorrow:

“The New Jersey Supreme Court, in 1975, established the Mount Laurel doctrine, that municipalities had an obligation to provide by land use regulations realistic opportunity for low and moderate income housing. In 1983, Mount Laurel II was decided and the Court’s opinion reflected its frustration with the lack of effectiveness of its original decision, as if the Court could create homes of brick and mortar through judicial fiat. At that point, the Supreme Court became a legislative body.

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, Chairman of the Senate Economic Growth Committee and author of legislation to abolish the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) in favor of a fairer, market-driven affordable housing policy, issued the following statement today regarding Governor Chris Christie’s announcement of an executive order to create an advisory panel to review COAH and make recommendations:

“As the prime sponsor of S-1, which will put an end to COAH’s over-reaching, unworkable top-down mandates, I’m encouraged by the section in Governor Christie’s executive order that freezes COAH. Through this order, COAH won’t be able to do any more damage to New Jersey’s economic well-being. Affordable housing development and job growth will once again be allowed to take place without the agency’s cumbersome and costly rules and regulations.

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, the Chairman of the Senate Economic Growth Committee and prime sponsor of S-1, legislation to abolish the failed Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) in favor of a fairer, market-driven model to create inclusionary zoning in New Jersey’s municipalities, issued the following statement after the Committee met today for the second time to discuss his legislation:

“Today’s hearing was productive, and will ultimately help us refine our legislation, which will lead to a better system to provide for our State’s affordable housing needs.

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, the prime sponsor of S-1, a bill which would abolish the dysfunctional Council on Affordable Housing and create a fairer model for municipalities to meet their affordable housing obligations, issued the following remarks before a Senate Economic Growth Committee hearing on the legislation today:

“Today, we’re going to take testimony on legislation which will abolish COAH and its complex rules and regulations which add unnecessary costs to taxpayers through a top-down, micro-managed system that serves no one well, except consultants, planners, lawyers and State bureaucrats, while doing a disservice to the goal of providing affordable housing for the residents of New Jersey, as well as to needed job creation and economic growth.