RUMANA: DEMOCRATS’ COAH BILL DOES NOT REPRESENT REAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING REFORM

November 9, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Assembly Republican Deputy Conference Leader Scott T. Rumana, R-Passaic, Bergen and Essex, issued the following statement on the Democrats’ COAH bill released today by the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee, which would eliminate the Council on Affordable Housing but preserve property tax drivers such as development fees, bonus density and builder’s remedy, which allow developers to build more housing than a municipality and taxpayers can support:

“I appreciate the broad support for eliminating the Council on Affordable Housing, which has wasted decades proving it cannot be part of our state’s affordable housing policy without wreaking havoc on municipalities and driving excessive property tax bills.

“COAH has been an enemy of property taxpayers, but solving this problem requires more than getting rid of a state agency if the solution still leaves in place a fee on construction and a system that yields more housing than a municipality can support and the ability for builders to force development where it hurts municipalities and property taxpayers.

“Eliminating COAH is a necessary step, but to truly reform our affordable housing policy in a way that would benefit our economy and property taxpayers, we must also permanently eliminate development fees, bonus density and builder’s remedy.”