Prowitz v. Ridgefield Park Village

10 N.J. Tax 103
CourtNew Jersey Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 15, 1988
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 10 N.J. Tax 103 (Prowitz v. Ridgefield Park Village) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Prowitz v. Ridgefield Park Village, 10 N.J. Tax 103 (N.J. Super. Ct. 1988).

Opinion

HOPKINS, J.T.C.

These are consolidated appeals from the judgments of the Bergen County Board of Taxation affirming the 1986 local property tax assessments of two condominium units located in Ridgefield Park. At issue is whether the units, which were purchased pursuant to an “affordable housing” program, implemented by the Housing Authority of Bergen County (HABC), with restrictions upon the resale of said units, should be valued, [105]*105for local property tax purposes, by taking those resale restrictions into consideration.

The facts have been stipulated.

Ridgefield Park is not, nor has it been at any relevant time, a party to any “Mount Laurel” exclusionary zoning litigation. There are no judicial or administrative orders requiring construction of “lower income” housing units within the municipality. The pertinent resale restrictions contained in the master deed and by-laws of the condominium association (master deed) were not the result of any legislation, laws or regulations of the State of New Jersey on affordable housing.

Ridgefield Park is a community consisting of approximately 12,500 residents and has one of the lowest per capita incomes of the 70 municipalities in Bergen County. It has the tenth highest tax rate in Bergen County. A substantial amount of Ridgefield Park property is tax-exempt due to the location of State highways, i.e., the New Jersey Turnpike, Routes 95, 80 and 46, as well as certain property owned by the Bergen County Park Commission.

The Housing Development Corporation of Bergen County (HDC) is a nonprofit corporation of the State of New Jersey. It was formed for the purpose of acquiring land in Bergen County and raising money for the construction of affordable housing. Applicable federal regulations restricted the HABC, a body politic of the State of New Jersey, organized under N.J.S.A. 55:14A-1 et seq., in raising construction moneys through the issuance of bonds and the acceptance of moneys from a community development program. As such, a separate nonprofit corporation, i.e., HDC, was formed. It has five trustees, two of whom are also commissioners of the HABC. The three remaining trustees are appointed by the commissioners of HABC.

The subject condominium units were acquired by HDC in 1980 at fair market value purchase prices from unrelated third parties.

In implementing its affordable housing program, HDC has certain eligibility criteria established by the HABC. The house[106]*106hold must consist of three or more members, with the provision that consideration will be given to a single parent with one child. The total family income shall not exceed 80% of the county median income for a family of four, as published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In 19871 that income was $30,400 for a family of four, and for five and six-person households, the limits were $32,300 and $34,200, respectively.

The preference and selection criteria gave first priority to residents of Mahwah, a second preference to residents of other communities in Bergen County and a third preference to householders living and working in the State of New Jersey. The preference criteria included income and assets, family size and composition and substandard living conditions.

Included in the guidelines and preference criteria, was the provision that large assets from savings or other sources could be used to purchase the unit without penalty. Applicants with less than $60,000 in such assets would have a preference over those with assets in excess of $60,000. Further, in addition to all other criteria, the applicants must demonstrate their ability to obtain permanent mortgage financing based upon standard underwriting procedures of the mortgagee.

Once having qualified under the above criteria, a purchaser was subject to resale restrictions contained in the master deed.

HDC, as sponsor for the condominium association, transferred the properties to the association subject to standard condominium association provisions as well as the provisions which are particularly applicable to the issue here involved.

The association was obliged to fix common expense assessments in an amount sufficient to maintain the exterior of the buildings and to maintain and operate other common elements. Insurance premiums were to be paid from such common assessments. Each assessment is a continuing lien on the unit [107]*107against which it was made and is also the personal obligation of the owner of such unit. However, any such common expense lien was subordinate to the lien of any first mortgagee, provided, however, that such subordination should apply only to the sale or transfer of any such unit, pursuant to a decree, or foreclosure, or any proceeding in lieu of foreclosure. Such sale or transfer would not relieve the owner from personal liability. Common expense assessments were to be used exclusively for promoting the health, safety, pleasure and welfare of the members of the association including, among various other items, payment of all taxes. All unit owners were required to perform and be responsible for the maintenance, repairs and replacements within their own units. Failure to perform such work, could result in the association performing the work and charging reasonable expenses to the unit owner.

The master deed also provided that the unit owner would reside in the unit for a period of three years, absent a change of circumstance. In the event of such change of circumstance, and in any future sale beyond the three-year period, HDC had an exclusive first option to purchase the unit at a price which would be computed by utilizing the unit owner’s purchase price, adjusted for any change in the consumer price index. In the event HDC declined to exercise said option, the unit owner could then sell the unit at the designated sales price to a family which met the eligibility criteria promulgated by HABC. The deed also states that if any of its provisions violate the rule against perpetuities, then such provision shall be deemed to remain in effect until the last survivor of the now living descendants of a former senator of the State of New York, plus twenty-one years thereafter.

The restrictions on sale and purchase price would not apply to a mortgagee who acquired title through a sheriff’s sale or otherwise, provided, however, that such mortgagee must notify the HDC, which would then have the exclusive first option to secure a purchaser during the next 80-day period. They further provide that each unit owner would have the right to mortgage or encumber his unit, provided that such mortgage or [108]*108encumbrance was made to a bank, mortgage banker, trust company, insurance company, savings and loan association, pension fund or other institutional lender, or as a purchase money mortgage made to the sponsor or to the immediate predecessor in title to a unit. Also, all property taxes imposed by any taxing authority were to be separately assessed against and collected on each unit as a single parcel, as provided in the New Jersey Condominium Act.

Once a family qualifies for ownership of the subject unit, its income, assets or other qualifying characteristics are no longer relevant to continued possession or ownership of the units.

Ridgefield Park cooperated with HDC in the approval and construction of the subject units.

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Related

Prowitz v. Ridgefield Park Village
568 A.2d 114 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1989)

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Bluebook (online)
10 N.J. Tax 103, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/prowitz-v-ridgefield-park-village-njtaxct-1988.