West Orange Releases Long-Awaited Affordable Housing Plan (See Map Of Locations)

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange has released its highly anticipated plan to create or rehab more affordable housing, and if it gets a final thumbs-up, it will change the way that some local neighborhoods look over the next decade.

In October 2024, state officials released the affordable housing quotas that New Jersey towns and cities will have to meet over the next 10 years, including West Orange. The calculations include numbers for “present need” (existing housing units deemed substandard/deficient and in need of repair), and “prospective need” (the number of new units that will be needed based on population trends).

West Orange is on the hook for 409 “present need” units and 660 “prospective need” units. Towns and cities don’t have to create the housing themselves, but must ensure that the threshold is met – often by requiring affordable housing as a condition for local real estate projects.

The township released its draft affordable housing plan this week. View the full, 474-page document online here.

The proposal still awaits a vote from the town’s planning board, which has scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 10 (see details below).

The township plans to address its 660-unit Fourth Round unmet need obligation with a multi-pronged approach:

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Several real estate development projects were listed in the town’s draft plan, which is also banking on 76 bonus credits as part of the blueprint.

The list includes:

• 555 Northfield Avenue – 11 affordable units
• 172-174 Main Street – 1 affordable unit
• 216-222 Main Street – 3 affordable units
• 275 Northfield Avenue – 14 affordable units
• 762 Pleasant Valley Way – 12 affordable units
• 525 Northfield Avenue (Essex House) – 12 affordable units
• 103 Pleasant Valley Way (Greenhill) – 39 affordable units
• 350 Pleasant Valley Way – 59 affordable units
• 28 Babcock Place – 4 affordable units
• 4 Tompkins Street – 4 affordable units
• 1155 Pleasant Valley Way (Daughters of Israel) – 41 affordable units
• 19 Terrace Avenue – 3 affordable units
• 97 Edgewood Avenue – 5 affordable units
• 23 Oak Avenue – 3 affordable units
• 60 Glenview Drive – 3 affordable units
• 167 Pleasant Valley Way – 5 affordable units
• 177 Marion Drive – 2 affordable units

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REHABBING HOUSING

The township intends to address its 409-unit obligation through a continuation of the West Orange Homeowners Rehabilitation Program (WOHRP). The program offers assistance to low and moderate-income township homeowners, lending up to $25,000 at zero interest to assist with home repairs. The program is funded through the township’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Presently, the WOHRP has a total of 119 homes on its waiting list, which are being processed, the plan states.

VACANT LAND ADJUSTMENT

Municipalities can request an adjustment to their obligation based on the determination that there is not sufficient vacant or developable land within the municipality. These “vacant land adjustments” should help to knock down West Orange’s numbers even more, the township’s plan says:

“Since the township lacked sufficient land to satisfy its Round 3 obligation, it lacks sufficient land to satisfy the additional 660-unit obligation for Round 4. Moreover, there have been no changed circumstances since the court entered a judgment of repose approving the township’s VLA and RDP on March 17, 2021. Therefore, due to the lack of developable land, the township has an RDP of 0 for the Fourth Round prospective need obligation. The amended Fair Housing Act requires municipalities seeking a VLA to identify sufficient parcels likely to redevelop during the current round of obligations to address at least 25% of the prospective need obligation that has been adjusted. This amounts to a total of 165 total units for West Orange Township.”

West Orange isn’t the only Essex County municipality that is planning to reduce their quotas without hammering a nail.

Nearby in Livingston, officials have declared that the town has already met its affordable housing numbers by leaning heavily on real estate projects that have already been approved – and the use of bonus credits.

PUBLIC HEARING

The West Orange Planning Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing for the affordable housing plan during a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 10 in the council chambers at Town Hall, 66 Main Street.

The board will attempt to broadcast the meeting via Zoom for viewing and listening purposes only. No questions or comments will be accepted from anyone not physically present at the hearing in the council chambers. Formal action may be taken.

See planning board agendas here. View Zoom login info for the Sept. 10 meeting here.

CRITICISM

At least one council member has expressed concerns about the newly released plan.

“What’s being proposed is nothing short of a failure in responsible, sustainable planning,” Joyce Rudin wrote in a social media post this week.

“If you live anywhere near Pleasant Valley Way, take special note: four massive new developments are planned in forested areas and in wetlands along this road,” she said. “These projects would add over 1,000 new housing units, threatening to overwhelm our schools, our infrastructure, and our community character.”

“And that’s not all,” Rudin continued. “A fifth major development on PVW, known as The Redwoods, is also included in the third round of affordable housing plans—adding hundreds more units to the already staggering total.”

BUILDER’S REMEDY LAWSUITS

In July, Mayor Susan McCartney announced that the town missed the June 30 deadline to submit its mandatory Fair Share Housing Plan to the state.

The township has seen two notable “builder’s remedy” lawsuits filed in the meanwhile: one involving the former Mayfair Farms site and another involving an expansion proposal from Daughters of Israel. Read More: West Orange Faces 2 Builder’s Remedy Lawsuits

The mayor and the four current town council members have each blamed each other for the missed deadline and resulting legal liability. Read More: Lawsuit Over Affordable Housing In West Orange Sparks Political Shoving Match

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