A COAH Surprise

Back in June and again in August I wrote in some detail about Clinton Township's trials and tribulations over its COAH requirements and a Pulte Homes development of 911 homes in the township as the result of a builders remedy lawsuit. In Clinton the Republican primary for mayor centered entirely around this issue and at the time I wrote:

"How could a voter know what is the right position! The issue is in the courts now and will be for another 3-5 years. Both candidates, I believe, spoke and acted in good faith that their position was right. Corcodillos may have had personal reasons (he lives near the site and has spent years fighting it) to go for an all or nothing approach. But, the average voter could never become knowledgeable enough about all the aspects of this issue in order to cast an intelligent vote."

Well, Corcodillos went on to win the primary and because of that the town council refused to act on a deal with Pulte homes to limit the size of the development. Now the chickens have come home to roost. According to the Star ledger,

"Even before Mayor-elect Nick Corcodilos takes office in Clinton Township, the state Council on Affordable Housing may derail his agenda.

The day after Corcodilos was elected without opposition, COAH threatened to revoke the township's protection against affordable housing lawsuits.

As a reason, COAH cited the township council's reluctant early- morning vote on Oct. 27 not to sign a settlement agreement with Pulte Homes that would have allowed construction of the controversial Windy Acres development.

Under the agreement, Pulte was to build up to 90 units priced to meet the township's legal requirement to provide housing for low- and moderate-income people, plus land for up to 60 more. In all, the settlement would have allowed as many as 515 homes on the former farm off Main Street just east of Lebanon Borough.

At its Nov. 9 meeting, COAH dismissed a motion by Pulte to compel Clinton Township to join the developer's suit, so far unsuccessful, against the Readington- Lebanon Sewerage Authority to provide treatment capacity for the project.

But a few minutes later, COAH surprised friends and foes of Windy Acres. It demanded legal briefs by Monday and scheduled a Dec. 14 hearing on revoking its "substantive certification" of the township's affordable housing plan.

Without that protection, Clinton Township could be sued by developers who propose affordable units in their development plans."

The current Mayor Borkowski, had warned about this happening over and over again. There is a 700 home development waiting in the wings if the town's COAH certification gets revoked. The voters looked at this very complicated issue in black and white terms of "Open Space" vs. Development. Township Councils, with their part-time, less than qualified people, are no match for the full-time developers and bureaucrats in Trenton.