Corzine Global Warming Plan Adds to COAH Confusion

New Report Further Demonstrates Need to Delay December 31 COAH Deadline

A new report on global warming issued by the Corzine Administration this month has only added to the mass confusion caused by a number of conflicting policies affecting development and growth that have been simultaneously championed and enacted by Governor Jon Corzine in recent years. The Draft Global Warming Response Act Recommendation Report, issued on December 15, 2008, represents the Administration's long-term plan to address global warming. The report includes recommendations for smart growth and housing development.

"Municipalities across New Jersey have struggled to reconcile the many conflicting mandates that seem to forbid new development, yet require them to plan for the construction of thousands of units of affordable housing," said Senator Andy Ciesla (R-10), a member of the Senate Environment Committee. "As towns rush to meet the December 31 deadline to submit their affordable housing plans, this new global warming report only serves as a reminder that the Corzine Administration remains unable to provide New Jersey with a single unified plan that resolves conflicts between required development under COAH, restricted development in the Highlands and Pinelands and plans for smart growth to address global warming."

Under the recently approved Highlands Act, new development is severely restricted in large portions of the state. Yet, in its determination of affordable housing obligations, the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) factored into calculations the total amount of undeveloped land in each municipality, often including backyards, school fields and highway medians, without factoring in restrictions such as those that exist in the Highlands. COAH has mandated that all towns submit plans by December 31 detailing zoning changes that would allow their affordable housing obligations to be satisfied.

The global warming report issued by the Corzine Administration on December 15 apparently ignores COAH's mandated development by suggesting on Page 7 that "90 percent of development in New Jersey will occur in areas already served by public infrastructure and 99 percent of that development will be in the form of redevelopment."

"The Corzine Administration has based new affordable housing requirements on available open space, which often can't be developed, and now suggests that affordable housing should be located near mass transit in higher-density developments," said Assemblyman Scott Rumana (R-40). "Without any unified direction from the Corzine Administration, rural and suburban towns are rushing to rezone cornfields and woodlands for affordable housing to meet the December 31 COAH deadline."

The report states that one of its goals (Page 64) is to "ensure that local governments adopt plans and zoning regulations that guide development in areas and ways consistent with statewide GHG (greenhouse gas) limits."

"How can we reasonably expect local governments to factor zoning recommendations issued by the Corzine Administration on December 15 into COAH plans that are due on December 31?" asked Ciesla. "This new report on global warming only makes clear the absolute lack of consistency or direction within the Corzine Administration with regards to development and affordable housing."

Rumana added, "Governor Corzine must abolish the December 31st COAH deadline and reconcile the fundamental conflicts that exist between the Highlands Act, COAH and his global warming initiative before issuing any more mandates to municipalities. Let me make this clear, our state's affordable housing policy is wrong and needs to be scrapped."

The Draft Global Warming Response Act Recommendation Report is available online at http://www.state.nj.us/globalwarming/home/stakeholder.html.

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