TOMS RIVER, NJ — The state of New Jersey is trying to force Toms River Township to build almost 700 new high-density affordable housing units, but Mayor Dan Rodrick and the township council are fighting back against Phil Murphy’s mandated overdevelopment.
Mayor Rodrick looked into the state’s demands, and the township calculated that it has not only met the state’s previous requirements, it exceeded those requirements under former Mayor Maurice Hill.
The Toms River Township Council has formally rejected the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) latest non-binding calculation of the township’s affordable housing obligation, asserting that the state’s numbers are inaccurate and overly burdensome.
Trenton is now demanding the township continue building more high density affordable housing units in the township. This time, they are asking for 670 more, despite a four-year run of overdevelopment by the previous township administration and council.
“The prior administration, under former Mayor Hill, built 1,250 units, the state says we need 670 more,” Rodrick said. “It looks like we may not have to do any affordable housing because we were only obligated to build 250. We also calculated that we actually owe 114. So, the state owes us a credit for the remaining 111 units Mo Hill overbuilt.”
During the council meeting on January 29th, Mayor Dan Rodrick criticized the state’s assessment, which originally required Toms River to provide 670 new affordable housing units.
The township’s planning firm, Alaimo Associates, conducted an extensive review and determined that a significant portion of the state’s calculations included improperly classified land. Despite adjustments, the revised requirement presented what Rodrick described as an “unacceptable” number, given the township’s available land.
In past plans, New Jersey counted the median on Route 37, school fields, and even cemeteries in calculating where new housing should be built.
Rodrick emphasized the inconsistency of the state’s formula, noting that even if Toms River had no available land, it would still be obligated to provide 450 units, according to Trenton’s math.
He attributed this to the township’s strong tax base and recent development trends. The mayor cited a recent challenge by the Borough of Lavallette, which successfully reduced its obligation from 35 to seven units after it was determined that the state had incorrectly included replacement housing from Hurricane Sandy in its calculations.
Following this discovery, Toms River officials recalculated their figures and determined that the township’s true obligation was 114 units. However, Rodrick suggested that even this figure may be unnecessary, referencing recent case law that limits municipal affordable housing mandates to a maximum of 1,000 units per round.
Rodrick said the 250 unit overage by Hill’s administration would cancel out the 114 unit assessment in the current round.
The resolution rejecting the DCA’s directive received strong backing from council members, including Council President Justin Lamb, who framed the mandate as an overreach from Trenton. Lamb accused state lawmakers and advocacy groups of attempting to impose social policies on Toms River and vowed to push back against the directive.
“This is all being pushed by bleeding heart social engineers like Democrat Assemblyman Troy Singleton and the lobbying efforts of the Fair Housing Center, a group of sniveling race baiting ivy league Democrats from Trenton who want to tell Toms River that we we’re not fulfilling our obligations,” Council President Justin Lamb said. “We’re certainly not going to allow that. We’re going to fight back and this resolution is a sound rejection of Trenton’s efforts for local control.”
Councilman James Quinlisk said he disagreed with the state forcing the number on the township, but said he felt Toms River should build more affordable housing units.
“The state should not be ramming down these numbers down our throat, but with that in mind we have a responsibility to take care of those less fortunate,” Quinlisk said. “So, I accept that we’re going to have some of these units…our young residents and our seniors will benefit. Single mothers, especially will benefit from affordable housing so it’s not to say that we cannot have any we just should not be obligated or forced to have the numbers that the state is pushing.”
Quinlisk voted yes on the measure despite his call for more affordable housing.
Mayor Rodrick noted that Toms River exceeded that threshold in the prior round, potentially negating the need for additional development.
Councilman Lamb said that since 2017, he and Mayor Rodrick have been fighting against overdevelopment in Toms River and they are fulfilling their promises to the township. The measure was passed unanimously.
