"In 2024, Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law the framework for the latest round of requirements for low- and middle-income housing. The law stemmed from the state's 50-year-old Mount Laurel doctrine, a series of state Supreme Court decisions that have repeatedly determined that - under the state constitution - every municipality in the Garden State must contribute its "fair share" of affordable housing."
"In an 81-page ruling this week, Mercer County Judge Robert Lougy dismissed the lawsuit brought by officials representing 27 municipalities, including Ghassali. They argued the state's affordable housing development mandates overburdened their towns. Lougy ruled that the towns' claims were insufficient to merit legal action by the court. "Because all counts of plaintiffs' complaints fail to state a legal claim, the court grants defendants' application for an order dismissing both complaints with prejudice," Lougy wrote in his decision."
A Mercer County judge dismissed a lawsuit by officials from 27 municipalities that challenged New Jersey's latest affordable housing requirements, ruling the complaints failed to state a legal claim. The lawsuit sought to overturn mandates tied to a 2024 law that implements housing requirements derived from the Mount Laurel doctrine, which requires municipalities to provide a fair share of low- and middle-income housing. Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali, who led the coalition, called the decision disappointing and pledged to appeal. The state attorney general welcomed the dismissal and affirmed a commitment to protect fair and affordable housing rights, while advocates celebrated the ruling.
Read at Gothamist
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