Letters Affordable housing is good for the economy, community We’ve all seen large housing developments with a small number of affordable homes. And we’ve probably been told that the development was necessary to meet the town’s Mount Laurel obligation. But it wasn’t. Creative towns all over New Jersey are meeting their affordable housing obligations without large-scale development. Former schools and fire stations have been converted into affordable apartments. Infill development has helped towns meet their obligations without building beyond existing neighborhoods. One hundred percent affordable developments have provided affordable housing without any market-rate housing at all. Citizens should encourage local elected officials to support environmentally appropriate affordable housing. Why? Affordable housing is good for the economy. Businesses need employees at every income level, and affordable housing helps build an inviting business climate. Affordable housing is good for the community. New Jersey neighborhoods are stronger when they include our teachers, police officers, municipal workers and young adults who grew up there. Today, these New Jerseyans are priced out of many towns. Well-planned affordable housing is good for the environment. By helping workers live closer to their jobs, affordable housing can reduce the air pollution created by long commutes. To create affordable housing without large-scale market-rate development, some towns have partnered with nonprofit developers who can access state and federal funding. Others have worked with for-profit companies that have different financing options available. And some towns have created their own nonprofits to develop and manage affordable housing, financed with development fees. Municipalities also ensure local control when they proactively meet their housing obligations. Planning lets a town create the affordable housing that best meets its unique circumstances. Failing to plan allows other stakeholders — including developers using builder’s remedy litigation — to create an outcome that the town does not like. Submitting an affordable housing plan to the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) is therefore critical for every New Jersey municipality. And as your town develops its plan, get involved. Ask your municipal officials if they’ve considered alternatives to inclusionary development. Ask if they’ve looked into partnering with an experienced nonprofit. If they already have a plan but it could be better, they are allowed to change it; ask them to do so. If they haven’t started, urge them to start now. For more ideas, see the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the Environment Web site, www.cahenj.org. There, you can find ways that towns can provide affordable housing and protect the environment, including questions to ask to ensure well-considered COAH compliance, examples of creative, environmentally sensitive projects, and financial and technical resources. New Jersey towns can provide affordable housing, protect the environment and determine how they will grow. It takes a little effort and some ingenuity, but it is worth the effort. Marie A. Curtis Oakhurst board member Council on Affordable Housing and the Environment Appeal of MU approval protects quality of life On Jan. 18, five of our council members cast a vote to protect our town and its master plan. On that day, the West Long Branch Borough Council announced that it will challenge the decision by the West Long Branch Zoning Board to allow Monmouth University to commercially develop and effectively destroy an historical farm called Kilkare Farm. Their decision to appeal challenges only the approvals given to build on the farm. By doing this, five of our council members have shown us that they are committed to protecting the residents and the residential quality of our town. But this decision was not only important from the standpoint of this specific appeal but it also has more far reaching implications. The message our council has sent is that they will aggressively defend our properties, our quality of life and our property values. During the course of the MU hearings, a real estate expert testified that if this project is built, the homes in the area would be discounted in value to the tune of 10 to 15 percent. During the hearings, a planner stated that if this project is built, there will definitely be a substantial detriment to the neighbors in terms of light, noise, traffic and congestion. During the hearings, it was revealed that the university’s own engineering projected an increase in flooding for the more frequently occurring one- and two-year storms and the possibility that some basements would flood. Although I disagree with their expansion plans, I know that deep down the university cares about our town. And I know that we care about the university even though many of us disagree with their decision to continue to expand in our town and pave over historical properties. And as the university continues to buy properties in town we expect that they will continue to increase their contributions so that the residents don’t have to pick up the tab for them. We hope that Ms. Munson will stay on point with regard to this issue and convey this to the university in her meetings with the school. That would be a lot more constructive than threatening the residents with things that have not and should not happen. The bottom line is that we owe a great debt of thanks to our mayor and five council members who, like many of us, only want to preserve the master plan and enforce the law so that our town stays beautiful and its residents don’t lose value in their properties. I want to thank all my fellow residents, many of whom live outside the immediate area of the application, who have given tremendous support and encouragement to our coalition. The good people of West Long Branch who have supported us recognize that if our master plan continues to be eroded then the next 200-person hotel or public restroom could be across the street from their home. They don’t want to see happen in our beautiful town what has happened in so many towns in Monmouth County; the loss of our precious natural resources, the paving over of our open spaces, and the commercialization and congestion of our residential areas. Like us, they don’t think it’s fair that we lose precious value in our homes which we work our whole lives to pay for. We thank all our good neighbors and the five council members who stood up for the town and we promise that our coalition will continue to fight to protect the residents and the quality of life of West Long Branch. Joseph G. Hughes West Long Branch Coalition of Neighbors