Council hears about affordable housing, medical & retail marijuana
Page 4 • Wednesday, September 5, 2018 • The Hammonton Gazette
COuNCIL, from Page 1
of The Fair Housing Act of 1985
and the Uniform Housing Afford-
ability Controls (UHAC) regarding
compliance with local affordable
housing obligations.
The ordinance’s intention is to
provide assurances that future af-
fordable housing units (low- and
moderate-income) are created with
controls on affordability over time,
and that they will be occupied by
low- and moderate-income house-
holds.
Earlier this month, the Ham-
monton Planning Board adopted a
Housing Element and Fair Share
Plan, which was endorsed by
council, and was implemented and
incorporated into Ordinance No.
031-2018. A motion to pass the
second reading was made by
Councilman Joseph Giralo, sec-
onded by Councilman Thomas
Gribbin and passed unanimously.
The Housing Element and Fair
Share Plan was developed by
housing and planning consultant
Shirley M. Bishop, of Shirley M.
Bishop P.P. LLC, and will grant the
town seven years of immunity
from any builder’s remedy law-
suits, which are lawsuits filed by
real estate developers in an attempt
to force municipalities to allow
construction of any multi-family
housing complexes that include
some affordable housing units
alongside standard apartments.
At the August 27 council meet-
ing, town conflict solicitor Brian
Howell commended Bishop for
her efforts in developing the plan,
and asked for council to adopt a
resolution (No. 121-2018) to for-
mally endorse Bishop’s work on
the Housing Element and Fair
Share Plan, which Howell said
should be the final step towards
settling the town’s affordable hous-
ing fate through 2025.
“Shirley deserves a lot of thanks
because we’re not the only town
that she handles. And it has been a
lot of time, pressure—and a lot of
paperwork, as you can see just
tonight,” Howell said.
A motion to adopt Resolution
No. 121-2018 was made by Coun-
cilman Steven Furgione, seconded
by Giralo and passed unanimously.
Bishop said the town’s new af-
fordable housing obligation of 41
units, which has to be met by 2025,
is a considerably favorab