Gov. Mikie Sherrill was on hand April 10 for a groundbreaking ceremony in Woodbridge, where Pennrose is developing a new 60-unit affordable senior housing community. — Photo by Tim Larsen / Courtesy: Governor’s Office
By Joshua Burd
Gov. Mikie Sherrill is making a push to accelerate housing production in the state, announcing plans for a new multiagency council and several other steps to reduce barriers to development.
The effort, launched by an executive order signed Monday, includes three deadlines in the next five months that the administration aims to meet as part of a so-called whole-of-government approach. First among them is the launch by June 11 of a Housing Governing Council chaired by the state’s chief operating officer and co-chaired by the state Department of Community Affairs, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, Economic Development Authority and NJ Transit, with participation from several other agencies.
Within 60 days, by June 27, Executive Order No. 17 directs those agencies to conduct a process, budgetary, regulatory and land review ahead of a required housing affordability report to Sherrill’s office, according to the announcement. That will pave the way for the third deadline, Sept. 24, by which the council must issue recommendations in five key areas:
- Defining housing goals for the administration
- Tracking and accelerating housing production
- Developing unutilized and surplus state property into housing
- Coordinating funding and financing processes for housing development
- Inventorying and increasing access to affordable housing opportunities
“We can’t make New Jersey more affordable without making housing more affordable,” Sherrill said. “With this Executive Order, we are aligning every tool at our disposal to accelerate housing production and make it easier for families to put down roots in the communities they love. Signed within our first 100 days, this action underscores our commitment to lowering costs, strengthening communities and delivering real results for New Jerseyans. Because when we build more housing, we open the door to opportunity for everyone.”
Sherrill signed the order alongside a bevy of lawmakers and other government officials, including Jamie Ding, the 31-game Jeopardy! champion who also happens to be a multifamily and tax credit program administrator at HMFA. That drew additional attention to a program that seemingly has the support of the commercial real estate industry, housing advocates and other stakeholders.
Among them is the New Jersey Builders Association, which lauded Sherrill for signing EO17 “and recognizing the need for a whole-of-government approach to housing.”
“This is an important step forward in addressing New Jersey’s affordability crisis,” said Jeff Kolakowski, the association’s CEO. “Our challenges are driven by a shortage of housing supply, and aligning agencies to remove barriers and accelerate production is exactly the kind of leadership this moment demands. New Jersey can build its way toward greater affordability, a greener and more energy-efficient housing stock and more modern, resilient communities but only if we make it easier to build and identify where a full range of diverse housing options should be encouraged.
“We look forward to working with the Administration to ensure this effort delivers meaningful regulatory reform, faster approvals and real housing production on the ground.”
Notably, the executive order requires each report by the Housing Governing Council members to highlight immediate actions state government could take to:
- Accelerate housing production
- Cut red tape
- Build on state-owned land
- Increase coordination among agencies
- Remove unnecessary regulatory barriers and
- Increase transparency for state processes
The submissions will also highlight existing innovative initiatives dedicated to accelerating production of affordable and workforce housing units, increasing access to affordable units, lowering costs and increasing access to housing opportunities, Sherrill’s office said.
“I’ve been in this fight for a long time, right here in LD-35 and in Trenton, because I see every day how housing costs and instability impact our families,” state Sen. Benjie E. Wimberly said. “That’s why I’m glad to stand with Governor Sherrill as she pushes forward a real, coordinated effort to make housing more affordable, more accessible, and safer for the people we serve. This executive order speaks to our communities.
“We can build using state land to create opportunity and make sure folks can get into affordable housing. In districts like ours, where working families, seniors and veterans are feeling the pressure the most, this is necessary. My work has always been about protecting people and expanding opportunities, and this effort by the Governor helps move that mission forward.”
Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald added: “While it’s a credit to our state that so many people want to build their lives here, our housing supply has simply not kept pace with demand, and the crisis is being felt in every community. The Governor and I share a commitment to meeting this moment with urgency and using every tool at our disposal to accelerate housing production, including leveraging underutilized state-owned land to expand housing opportunities. By focusing development near transit and adhering to smart-growth principles, we can ensure that our children can put down roots here, our workers can live closer to their jobs, our businesses can attract and retain talent and our communities can evolve strategically and sustainably.”
Two Hudson County Democrats were also among the lawmakers to voice their support for the move.
“The housing market is broken in New Jersey, and this new executive order is an important step toward fixing it,” Assemblywoman Katie Brennan said. “We have a severe housing shortage across the state, and there are a lot of well-intentioned rules that make it impossible to build homes that regular people can actually afford. If you live in an older building in Jersey City or Hoboken, chances are it would be illegal to build today, and that’s a big problem. We need real zoning, building code and permitting reforms so it’s cheaper to build housing near jobs and transit. Governor Sherrill is right to treat this like the crisis it is, and I’m ready to fight for the legislation we need to get these changes across the finish line.”
Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla of Hoboken added: “I’m grateful for Governor Sherrill’s leadership on this critical issue. We need the full weight of state government focused on making housing more affordable. That includes making it faster and cheaper to build new homes. A big reason why housing is so expensive is that we’re building far fewer homes than we did a generation ago even though the population keeps growing. It’s not sustainable, and we have to do something about it. I look forward to reviewing the Council’s recommendations in September and working with the administration to turn them into results.”
