Westfield Leaders Give Update On Affordable Housing

WESTFIELD, NJ — The Westfield Town Planner gave an update Tuesday night on the municipality's plans regarding affordable housing.

Council also approved a group of ordinances that were introduced at the meeting related to the projects.

These included an amended regulations ordinance that implements the program, in part, by providing rules for the administration of units and standards for the creation of units.

An amended development fee and trust fund ordinance, which outlines the use of developers' fees collected to fund initiatives and administrative support of the program, was also presented.

Zoning ordinances for Fourth Round sites that allow for 25 units per acre were also introduced.

Town Planner Donald Sammet also gave his yearly update on compliance with the Fair Share Housing Act that mandates realistic opportunities for the development of affordable units for low- and moderate-wealth households.

Nonprofits can now apply for funding from an affordable housing trust fund that's sourced from affordable housing fees.

As of Wednesday, eight affordable units have received funding. Another 22 units for homeless veterans at the American Legion site on North Avenue also have funds dedicated to their development.

None of the 30 planned units have been constructed yet.

Emergency generators have also been made available to nonprofits to aid in the development of affordable housing units.

"The biggest hurdle to constructing affordable housing...is the cost of land," Sammet said of his talks with the nonprofits in 2025.

The Town of Westfield has also raised the amount of subsidies it will give to these organizations when they create units and offer preapproval options, should qualifying properties be found on the market.

Sammet reminded the community that units can be found by visiting Affordable Homes New Jersey or the New Jersey Housing Resource Center online.

Westfield's affordable housing plan for its Fourth Round requirements was formally approved on Feb. 9 by a judge after it was adopted by the previous administration.

The Town has a deadline of March 15 to show compliance with the Fourth Round obligations.

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