A New Jersey housing rights group is suing Hoboken, arguing that the city did not adhere to its own affordable housing requirement when amending a redevelopment plan in April.
The amended Western Edge Redevelopment Plan passed in mid-April allows the developer of mixed-use buildings and a hotel in a northwestern section of the city to build higher than previously allowed. In exchange, it will provide the city with funds or construction resources for a new multi-service community center that may include the city’s first public pool.
Additional residential units that result from the amendment are not subject to the city’s 10% affordable housing requirement, the lawsuit says.
Excluding the additional units from that requirement is illegal and additionally violates the city’s master plan, the June 1 lawsuit filed by the Fair Share Housing Center argues.
The redevelopment plan had called for up to 207 units in two towers, which would equate to 21 affordable housing units. Under the amended plan, the developer could build up to 357 units, but will still only be responsible for 21 affordable units, not 36 that would normally be required.
The New Jersey-based nonprofit has sued about 350 municipalities statewide for violations of a state doctrine requiring them to contribute to affordable housing.
“Hoboken is seeing tremendous gentrification, exploding property values and a large portion of residents who are paying too much for housing already,” said Fair Share Housing Center,spokesman Anthony Campisi. “The city should be using every tool at its disposal to make Hoboken affordable for working families and providing opportunities for there to be economic and racial diversity.”
There are already conversations within the city council to amend the plan and address the Fair Share Housing Center’s concerns, said Councilwoman Vanessa Falco.
Falco has spent her tenure in public office pushing for heftier affordable housing requirements, but was one of seven council members who voted in favor of the April 15 amendment.
That “yes” vote was because of how deeply many of her constituents want to see a pool in the city, but it came at the expense of something that really matters, she said.
“What is unfortunate is that in this town the one thing that’s always at the compromise is always the affordable housing,” Falco said. “Why is that always the compromising position that we as council people have to be put in?”
The lawsuit was filed with the Hudson County Superior Court and Campisi said his advocacy group is prepared to litigate it if the city does not make changes to its redevelopment plan.
