Beck, O'Scanlon & Casagrande: Take Monmouth Battlefield Off COAH's Affordable Housing List

Beck, O'Scanlon & Casagrande: Take Monmouth Battlefield Off COAH's Affordable Housing List

Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande all (R-12), today wrote to the Council On Affordable Housing (COAH) to challenge the fact that Monmouth Battlefield is listed as buildable land in a study commissioned by the COAH to determine round three housing obligations. The letter is attached.

"That COAH would list Monmouth Battle State Park as buildable land and thereby count toward Manalapan's housing obligation would be laughable, if it weren't so utterly offensive. This is why Declan, Caroline and I are working legislation that would address how the obligations were determined. It is obvious that the Council on Affordable Housing and the state Department of Community Affairs made significant errors when it certified these regulations.

"Molly Pitcher must be rolling over in her grave at the thought of the crossroads of the Revolution being turned into tract housing. It is clear that COAH's new housing obligations are a total failure. The new COAH rules need to be scrapped and the Legislature should revisit both the law and the regulations."

October 6, 2008

Honorable Joseph V. Doria Jr.

Commissioner,

Department of Community Affairs

William M. Ashby Community Affairs Building

101 South Broad Street

Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0088

Dear Commissioner Doria:

We are deeply concerned that Monmouth Battlefield State Park is listed as one of the areas identified as available for development under a study commissioned by the Council On Affordable Housing (COAH). Many other areas of Monmouth and Mercer Counties that common-sense would tell you are not developable are also listed as buildable by COAH.

It is clear that the study conducted by Rutgers Professor Henry J. Mayer and the University of Pennsylvania is deeply flawed and must be reworked. To do otherwise would be a grave disservice to municipalities across the State who have labored in good faith, for years, to comply with the arbitrary and unpredictable dictates of the council.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to speaking with you about this issue.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Beck   Declan O'Scanlon   Caroline Casagrande

For more information visit www.senatenj.com