Affordable Housing Mandate, a Demolition, Pet Licensing, and Re-Organization

By Lori Savron | Posted January 2, 2025

Greetings in the new year! All are welcome to join the Township Committee at their annual reorganization meeting on January 2 at 7 pm in the Council Chambers for swearing in and selection of the mayor and deputy mayor. All other yearly appointments are also announced.

The decrepit gas station at the Route 206/518 intersection in Montgomery Township is expected to be demolished soon.

Former Gas Station to Be Demolished

The property owner of the former gas station has applied for and Code Enforcement has issued a permit to demolish the building located at 1276 Route 206. This is the last remaining abandoned building at the 518/206 intersection, and I want to thank all those involved in making this happen.

Continued pressure by my office, combined with the Health Department consistently issuing violations and taking the property owner to municipal court, finally has yielded results. In addition, the township’s construction official and building inspectors routinely have inspected the building for unsafe structure violations. And, the township committee worked with the clerk, planning office and the planning board to initiate redevelopment with the possibility of condemnation.

Please know that if the township had the legal authority to remove the building ourselves and place a lien on the property to recover the costs, it would have been pursued. The building, while unsightly and derelict, did not meet the state’s law for an unsafe structure/imminent hazard, which is the requirement for us to legally remove the building ourselves. As that was not an option, the township used every legal option available to us.

Advertisement

Discarded Christmas Tree Pick-Up or Drop-Off

The Department of Public Works will be starting curbside Christmas tree collection on Tuesday, January 7. This collection takes several weeks and is dependent upon the weather, so please be patient. As an alternative, residents may drop off their trees at Public Works, located at 12 Harlingen Road. This site is available for drop off at any hour, or day, starting December 26 until January 31. All trees to be picked up or dropped off must be free of tinsel and ornaments.

Regular tree limbs/brush may be brought to the Container Facility at the Public Works yard without charge, but due to space limitations, an appointment is required. We would need to ensure staff are on-site. All appointments, including non-payment appointments, can be made on-line on the Container Facility page of the Montgomery Township website. If you have any questions, contact the Department of Public Works at 908.874.3144.

Annual Pet Licensing – It’s the Law

Pursuant to New Jersey State Law and Montgomery Township local ordinance, pet licensing is mandatory. Licensing ensures the protection of pets, their owners and members of the community against rabies and other communicable diseases. It also enables lost pets to be quickly reunited with their owners without a trip to the shelter. Licensing takes places annually during the month of January with proof of valid rabies vaccination. Please note Montgomery ordinance also requires the licensing of cats. To avoid late fees, licensing and renewals are due by January 31. Compliance is key to maintaining a healthy, safe, and happy environment for all.

Free Rabies Clinic

Please sign up online for the free rabies clinic scheduled for Saturday, January 11 and Saturday, February 8 from 9 am to 12 pm, dependent on availability of the vaccine from the state. The clinic will be held at Montgomery Twp. Fire Co. #1, 35 Belle Mead Griggstown Road More information on licensing and the clinic can be found on the Montgomery Township website or contact the clerk’s office at 908.533.9190.

Review of State-Mandated Affordable Housing

Montgomery is carefully reviewing the state’s latest affordable housing obligation numbers and will explore every option available to us in planning what is best for our community. We will have updates throughout the process and opportunities for public input. This month, all NJ towns are required to respond to the state by January 31, regarding whether their town will adopt the NJ Department of Community Affairs fair share obligation for the Fourth Round, which spans a 10-year period from 2025 to 2035. Upon review of the data used, a town can disagree and provide their own calculation provided it use the same methodology as the state.

Of particular note, any town that does not accept the state’s calculation, is subject to challenge by a developer or interest group with a filing deadline of February 28. For many decades in New Jersey, there has been a state constitutional obligation that requires every town to provide for a realistic opportunity for affordable housing to be created. Towns that fail to do so are at risk of developers filing lawsuits for their specific projects to be approved regardless of whether a town wants it or not (known as Builder’s Remedy Lawsuits).

Advertisement

Desirable towns like Montgomery are particularly vulnerable when market demand is extremely high for new housing. Many of the new developments you have seen in town in the past year — and those coming up — are satisfying our current state affordable housing mandate. Over the years, Montgomery has prepared housing plans that seek to provide a balance between meeting our state obligation while doing so in a way that minimizes impacts, including the total number of new market rate units that result from these developments.

Plans adopted by Montgomery have maximized state limits on senior citizen housing, supportive housing for special needs populations, and 100% affordable housing developments. Montgomery has maximized bonus credits for certain types of housing units such as rental units, which receive one bonus credit per unit. (For every affordable rental unit produced, it counted as two credits, up to the limit on total bonus credits permitted by the state.) Also, age-restricted housing received a 0.33 bonus credit per unit up to a maximum limit.