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Senator Bucco introduces bill to support responsible housing development

NEW JERSEY – Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco (R-25) introduced legislation that would adjust the way New Jersey determines municipalities’ state-mandated housing obligations, paving the way for more responsible growth and development.

“Republicans and local leaders have warned that in its present form, the fourth round of housing obligations are unrealistic and will lead to the destruction of open space and overcrowding, placing immense strain on local resources and infrastructure,” said Bucco.

“While we recognize the need to develop more affordable housing units in our communities, these unrealistic mandates drive up costs and place an undue burden on our municipalities. When Democrats passed legislation that ignored local planning, it left our towns unable to manage these costs without raising property taxes—a decision that would further diminish our residents’ quality of life,” Bucco said.

“By taking a step back and readjusting our housing calculations to consider quantifiable housing market data, we can more accurately forecast municipal demand. This bill offers municipalities a more practical approach to determine state-mandated housing obligations, giving them a realistic and achievable goal, rather than excessive arbitrary quotas handed down by bureaucrats who have never stepped foot in our communities.  If the State wants to have a realistic shot at truly increasing affordable housing in this state, this is the approach it should take,” Bucco said.

Instead of focusing on hypothetical trends like expected population growth, Senator Bucco’s legislation would adjust the state’s housing formula to prioritize actual housing market data—such as housing development over the last ten years—offering a more realistic estimate of a municipality’s capacity to build state-mandated housing units.

During his State of the State response, Senator Bucco outlined that mayors and town leaders have unanswered questions about how they’re going to afford certain upgrades that come along with the fourth round of state-mandated housing obligations. Local leaders have expressed concerns with installing new wells to supply houses with water, upgrading sewer plants to transport waste, and adding law enforcement to keep communities safe.

Jay Edwards

Born and raised in Northwest NJ, Jay has a degree in Communications and has had a life-long interest in local radio and various styles of music. Jay has held numerous jobs over the years such as stunt car driver, bartender, voice-over artist, traffic reporter (award winning), NY Yankee maintenance crewmember and peanut farm worker. His hobbies include mountain climbing, snowmobiling, cooking, performing stand-up comedy and he is an avid squirrel watcher. Jay has been a guest on America’s Morning Headquarters,program on The Weather Channel, and was interviewed by Sam Champion.

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