N.J. Affordable Housing Agency Not Following Court Orders, Lawsuit Claims

Housing advocates went to court today to force New Jersey to produce a new wave of affordable homes after a decade of delays.

 
In a lawsuit filed today, the Fair Share Housing Center, a nonprofit group of lawyers, is calling for a court-appointed monitor to oversee the state Council on Affordable Housing, which critics say has been dragging its feet.
 
The council stopped holding regular meetings in 2010 and shows no signs of life despite a series of recent court decisions ordering it to get back to work, according to Kevin Walsh, associate director of the Fair Share Housing Center.
 
The state Supreme Court recently gave the agency until Feb. 26 to write new rules that would allow affordable-housing construction to start back up in New Jersey. Walsh says COAH has already missed the first deadlines and will not be able to fulfill the court's order by February.