February 9, 2010
Contact: Bill Murray / (609) 292-5199
Senator Christopher Bateman (R-16)
Third Round Rules to Be Suspended for 90 Days
Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman, a prime sponsor of legislation that would dismantle the Council On Affordable Housing (COAH), applauded Governor Christie’s Executive Order suspending COAH’s third round rules.
“Governor Christie should be commended for his quick, decisive action suspending the third round rules,” Bateman stated. “For too long COAH’s arbitrary and unpredictable rules and regulations have destroyed open space and stifled job growth without helping build adequate affordable housing.”
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February 8, 2010
Contact: Andy Pratt / (609) 292-5199
Senator Christopher Bateman (R-16)
Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman said that he will continue to push for passage of legislation that reforms the state’s failed rules governing so-called “affordable” housing.
“I’m part of a law firm that represents clients on both sides of the current debate over affordable housing,” Senator Bateman said. “However, as a senator, I have to take a clear stand for policies that best represent the interests of my constituents.
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January 20, 2010
Contact: Andy Pratt / (609) 292-5199
Senator Sean T. Kean (R-11)
Senator Sean Kean, R-Monmouth, said he was glad to see that Senators Raymond Lesniak and Kip Bateman are moving forward with hearings on Senate Bill 1, which seeks to abolish the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) and create a fair plan to meet affordable housing goals. Kean noted the move comes after New Jersey’s unemployment rose to 10.1 percent in December – higher than the national average and the highest level in 33 years.
“So-called ‘affordable’ housing rules are blocking development at a time when New Jersey desperately needs the jobs these projects should create,” Senator Kean said. “These rules also will force towns to raise property taxes to pay for housing that may not be needed at a time when New Jersey property taxes are already the highest in the nation.”
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November 5, 2009
Contact: John Gorman / (609) 292-5199
Senator Christopher Bateman (R-16)
Data to be Used for State Planning Purposes Kept Secret
Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R-Somerset) continued to call on Governor Jon Corzine today to release the results of a Rutgers study provided to the State Planning Commission that projects future population, employment and housing numbers in New Jersey. The numbers from the Rutgers Study apparently indicate that job growth for the period encompassing the years 2008 to 2028 will only amount to 6,550 annually, compared with the administration’s previous projection of 54,000 over the same period.
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October 15, 2009
Contact: Tara Fantini / (732) 974-0400
Senator Sean T. Kean (R-11)
The following is an editorial by Senator Sean T. Kean of New Jersey’s 11th legislative district:
Last month’s appeals court decision forcing a community to build affordable housing units beyond their legal obligation is the latest in a long line of grievances suffered by localities in dealing with the state’s affordable housing regulations.
The latest drama in the tortured history of the state’s onerous Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) rules came when a developer sued Eastampton Township in Burlington County to build affordable housing, even though the town already submitted an affordable housing plan that was approved by COAH itself.
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September 29, 2009
Contact: Bill Murray / (609) 292-5199
Senator Christopher Bateman (R-16)
Fully Staffed Commission Will Release the Secret Rutgers Housing Study
Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman, a member of the Senate Environment Committee, today called on Governor Jon Corzine to fulfill his obligations and fill the five longstanding vacancies on the State Planning Commission. The Commission is supposed to consist of seventeen members. Currently, twelve members serve on the board and three of the members are holdovers whose terms have expired.
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September 23, 2009
Contact: Andy Pratt / (609) 292-5199
Senator Steve Oroho (R-24)
Senator Files Appeal to State Records Council
Senator Steve Oroho, R-Sussex, Morris and Hunterdon, said he has appealed the Corzine administration’s refusal to release a report on housing growth that was presented to the State Planning Commission in March. The study reportedly shows that the Council on Affordable Housing grossly overestimated how much so-called “affordable” housing is needed in New Jersey. Oroho filed his appeal with the New Jersey Government Records Council.
“It’s impossible for our democracy to function when public and elected officials are denied the facts needed to make informed decisions,” Oroho said. “Billions of dollars of taxpayer and economic development money are at stake. The public deserves to see all the data, not just the highly suspect numbers the Corzine administration uses to support its housing policies.”
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Senators Philip Haines (R- Burlington) and Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R-Somerset) have drafted legislation that would address the ill-advised Appellate Division court decision, Homes Of Hope, Inc. vs. Eastampton Township Land Use Planning Board , which trumps local zoning regulations, mandating more government housing in local towns.
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September 14, 2009
Contact: Brad Schnure / (609) 292-5199
Senator Philip E. Haines (R-8)
Committee Formed in 2007 to Provide Oversight of Housing Affordability Has Never Met
Senator Phil Haines (R-8), an appointed member of the Joint Committee on Housing Affordability, cited ongoing turmoil with New Jersey’s affordable housing laws in his call for the first meeting of the committee. The committee, created by law on March 15, 2007, has yet to meet.
Haines noted that a number of issues, including a controversial vacant land use analysis and an appellate court ruling that appears to undermine the provisions of the state’s affordable housing laws, need to be addressed.
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September 1, 2009
Contact: Brad Schnure / (609) 292-5199
Senator Steve Oroho (R-24)
COAH Proposes New Regulations to Create “RCA-Lite” for Favored Towns
Senator Steven Oroho (R-24) said that new regulations set to be adopted by the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) prove once again that the Corzine Administration lacks both direction and a coherent plan for managing development in New Jersey.
Under proposed regulations set to be adopted at its upcoming September 9 meeting, COAH will reincarnate a scaled-down version of the Regional Contribution Agreements (RCAs) that were banned when Governor Corzine signed A-500 into law. The proposed regulations allow for the creation of Regional Affordable Housing Development Planning Programs (RAHDPPs), essentially “RCA-lite,” which have guidelines that closely mirror those that governed RCAs.
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