Cranbury, NJ – Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli declared Tuesday that New Jersey’s long-standing Mount Laurel housing doctrine has failed the state, vowing to replace it with a plan that halts suburban sprawl, reinvests in cities, and protects the environment.
Ciattarelli argued that the court-imposed doctrine, which requires towns to allow affordable housing, has led to overdevelopment in communities unequipped to handle high-density projects. He said the result has been the loss of farmland and open space, more traffic congestion, worsening stormwater issues, rising property taxes, and damage to wildlife habitats.
“The current state-mandated development scheme is destroying open space, increasing pollution from more idling cars on already congested roads, leading to more local flooding, and driving up property taxes due to endless legal fees and additional local services,” Ciattarelli said, noting that both Democratic and Republican mayors are challenging the policy in court.
Central to his proposal, dubbed a plan to “Put the Garden Back Into the Garden State,” is restoring Regional Contribution Agreements (RCAs) — previously struck down by the courts — to direct housing obligations and investment toward urban centers and transit hubs. Ciattarelli said growth should follow state labor data and be tied to where jobs are located, not forced into rural towns with few opportunities.
“These reforms must come via a real legislative solution – not from a judge,” he said, warning that if lawmakers do not act, he would push for a constitutional amendment and use executive orders to block unsuitable high-density projects.
Ciattarelli also pledged to impose impact fees on new warehouse developments so that developers, not taxpayers, shoulder the cost of infrastructure improvements.
His opponent, Democrat Mikie Sherrill, has backed policies that mirror Gov. Phil Murphy’s support for affordable housing mandates, which Ciattarelli said force towns to cut down forests and build high-density housing.
