2.The Legislature finds that: a. The New Jersey Supreme Court, through its rulings in Southern Burlington County NAACP v. Mount Laurel, 67 N.J. 151 (1975) and Southern Burlington County NAACP v. Mount Laurel, 92 N.J. 158 (1983), has determined that every municipality in a growth area has a constitutional obligation to provide through its land use regulations a realistic opportunity for a fair share of its region's present and prospective needs for housing for low- and moderate-income families.
b.In the second Mount Laurel ruling, the Supreme Court stated that the determination of the methods for satisfying this constitutional obligation "is better left to the Legislature," that the court has "always preferred legislative to judicial action in their field," and that the judicial role in u
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2. The Legislature finds that: a. The New Jersey Supreme Court, through its rulings in Southern Burlington County NAACP v. Mount Laurel, 67 N.J. 151 (1975) and Southern Burlington County NAACP v. Mount Laurel, 92 N.J. 158 (1983), has determined that every municipality in a growth area has a constitutional obligation to provide through its land use regulations a realistic opportunity for a fair share of its region's present and prospective needs for housing for low- and moderate-income families. b. In the second Mount Laurel ruling, the Supreme Court stated that the determination of the methods for satisfying this constitutional obligation "is better left to the Legislature," that the court has "always preferred legislative to judicial action in their field," and that the judicial role in upholding the Mount Laurel doctrine "could decrease as a result of legislative and executive action." c. The interest of all citizens, including low- and moderate-income families in need of affordable housing, and the needs of the workforce, would be best served by a comprehensive planning and implementation response to this constitutional obligation. d. There are a number of essential ingredients to a comprehensive planning and implementation response, including the establishment of reasonable fair share housing guidelines and standards, the initial determination of fair share by officials at the municipal level and the preparation of a municipal housing element, State review of the local fair share study and housing element, and continuous State funding for low- and moderate-income housing to replace the federal housing subsidy programs which have been almost completely eliminated. e. The State can maximize the number of low- and moderate-income units provided in New Jersey by allowing its municipalities to adopt appropriate phasing schedules for meeting their fair share, so long as the municipalities permit a timely achievement of an appropriate fair share of the regional need for low- and moderate-income housing as required by the Mount Laurel I and II opinions and other relevant court decisions. f. The State can also maximize the number of low- and moderate-income units by creating new affordable housing and by rehabilitating existing, but substandard, housing in the State. Because the Legislature has determined, pursuant to P.L.2008, c.46 (C.52:27D-329.1 et al.), that it is no longer appropriate or in harmony with the Mount Laurel doctrine to permit the transfer of the fair share obligations among municipalities within a housing region, it is necessary and appropriate to create a new program to create new affordable housing and to foster the rehabilitation of existing, but substandard, housing. g. Since the urban areas are vitally important to the State, construction, conversion, and rehabilitation of housing in our urban centers should be encouraged. However, the provision of housing in urban areas must be balanced with the need to provide housing throughout the State for the free mobility of citizens. h. The Supreme Court of New Jersey in its Mount Laurel decisions demands that municipal land use regulations affirmatively afford a realistic opportunity for a variety and choice of housing including low- and moderate-cost housing, to meet the needs of people desiring to live there. While provision for the actual construction of that housing by municipalities is not required, they are encouraged but not mandated to expend their own resources to help provide low- and moderate-income housing. i. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2024, c.2) j. The Legislature finds that the use of regional contribution agreements, which permits municipalities to transfer a certain portion of their fair share housing obligation outside of the municipal borders, should no longer be utilized as a mechanism for the creation of affordable housing. k. The Legislature finds that the role of the Council on Affordable Housing, as intended in the original enactment of the "Fair Housing Act," has not developed in practice as was intended in the legislation. l. The council's inability to function ultimately led the Supreme Court in 2015 to order the temporary dissolution of the requirement that administrative remedies be exhausted prior to resolving affordable housing disputes before the court and allowed the courts to resume their role as the forum of first resort for evaluating municipal compliance with Mount Laurel obligations pursuant to guidelines laid out by the Supreme Court's order. m. The Legislature finds that the council's inability to function led to a "gap period" that frustrated the intent of the Legislature and compliance with constitutional and statutory obligations and that it is necessary to establish definitive deadlines for municipal action and any challenges to those actions to avoid such a "gap period" from being repeated in the future. n. The Legislature finds that although the court-led system that has developed since 2015 has resulted in a significant number of settlement agreements and increased production of affordable housing, the system could operate more expeditiously to produce affordable housing, and at a lower cost to all parties, if appropriate standards are established by the Legislature to be applied throughout the State, including more clarity on calculation on fair share affordable housing obligations using transparent and established data sources to eliminate the lengthy and costly processes of determining those obligations that have characterized both the Council on Affordable Housing and court-led system. o. The Legislature determines that, considering the unique history of the "Fair Housing Act," the Council on Affordable Housing shall be abolished and that, pursuant to the formulas and process established pursuant to sections 6 and 7 of P.L.2024, c.2 (C.52:27D-304.2 and C.52:27D-304.3), a municipality shall be authorized to seek approval of its fair share affordable housing obligation, adopted pursuant to binding resolution and then filed with the court, with the guidance of calculations published by the Department of Community Affairs, but that advocates for the low- and moderate-income households of the State shall be provided with an opportunity to contest the municipal determination. p. The Legislature declares that the "Fair Housing Act," P.L.1985, c.222 (C.52:27D-301 et al.), as amended and supplemented by P.L.2024, c.2 (C.52:27D-304.1 et al.), is intended to implement the Mount Laurel doctrine, and that municipalities in compliance with the "Fair Housing Act," P.L.1985, c.222 (C.52:27D-301 et al.) are also in compliance with the Mount Laurel doctrine. q. The Legislature finds that the population of persons aged 65 years and older in the State has grown from approximately 13 percent in 1990, to 17 percent in 2021, and that such growth, in conjunction with expected future growth, makes it appropriate for the Legislature to allow up to 30 percent of the units towards a municipality's prospective affordable housing obligation to be satisfied through the creation of age-restricted housing. r. The "Fair Housing Act," P.L.1985, c.222 (C.52:27D-301 et al.) and the "State Planning Act," P.L.1985, c.398 (C.52:18A-196 et al.) were enacted concurrently to address the ruling of the New Jersey Supreme Court in Southern Burlington County NAACP v. Mount Laurel, 92 N.J. 158 (1983) and associated land use planning concerns. s. The Legislature, in amending and supplementing the "Fair Housing Act," P.L.1985, c.222 (C.52:27D-301 et al.), intends to facilitate comprehensive planning in alignment with smart growth principles and the State Development and Redevelopment Plan. t. The Legislature declares that the changes made to affordable housing methodologies, obligations, and fair share plans, as determined to be a necessity by the Legislature, through the enactment of P.L.2024, c.2 (C.52:27D-304.1 et al.), are made with the intention of furthering consistency with the State Development and Redevelopment Plan. L.1985, c.222, s.2; amended 2008, c.46, s.4; 2024, c.2, s.1.