Freeholder: What is Mayor Smith Thinking? Support COAH Replacement

As a lifelong resident of Union County, I look forward to the day when our 21 municipalities can plan for the future instead of being thwarted at every turn by the bureaucracy known as COAH.

COAH – the Council on Affordable Housing - was created by state law in 1985.  It's been a disaster ever since.  COAH has blocked development of all kinds and run roughshod over vital community issues such as environmental quality and open space preservation.

County government has an up-close close view of the problem because we administer state and federal grants that create new housing and restore blighted properties.  That in turn creates new business opportunities and jobs throughout Union County.

For the past 25 years COAH has slowed the process down to a crawl, costing Union County residents untold millions in lost economic potential.

One main problem is that COAH is a top down system that invites error at every turn.  Developers often find their projects blocked through no fault of their own.  Then they seek relief by suing local governments.  Taxpayers have to foot the bill, as happened recently in Cranford.

The means to end this debacle is finally within reach.  Democratic Senator Raymond Lesniak and Republican Senator Christopher Batemen have introduced S-1, a bill that would abolish COAH and replace it with a far more logical process that respects local needs.  Tandem legislation was introduced in the Assembly (A-205) by Republican David Rible.

Jobs are created when shovels hit the ground, and S-1 will break the logjam that has blocked new projects for a generation.  S-1 will finally make affordable housing, economic development and quality of life work together as a team the way they should, instead of pitting them against each other as COAH does.

We can't afford to let this opportunity to slip through our fingers when thousands of Union County families and businesses are facing financial ruin in the midst of a global economic crisis.

Yet, in the face of all this, Cranford Mayor Mark Smith and Westfield Mayor Andy Skibitsky have come out against S-1.  What are they thinking?

Together, Cranford and Westfield have a COAH obligation of more than 500 new units of affordable housing.  The numbers may change somewhat, but the obligation itself is not going to blow away and disappear.

The fact is that affordable housing is part of the civic infrastructure.  You can't wish it away, no more than you can wish away roads, bridges, or schools.  What you can do is plan wisely to ensure that affordable housing benefits and improves the whole community.

Fortunately, S-1 has the support of a number of municipal officials and New Jersey Governor Christopher Christie.  I am adding my vigorous support to these bipartisan voices.

S-1 will help jumpstart our economy and improve our communities by getting more Union County residents back to work, and that's the bottom line.

Daniel P. Sullivan
Chairman, Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders