PALISADES PARK — At a special meeting, the Borough Council unanimously approved new zoning and permits for accessory dwelling units for one- and two-family homes.
The ordinance creates a new code for building and accessory units. An accessory dwelling unit can be within a proposed or existing primary dwelling, like a basement or attic; an extension; or constructed as a separate detached structure on the same lot as the existing or proposed primary dwelling.
It was introduced last month right after a judge ordered the borough to develop an affordable housing plan.
Palisades Park Borough Hall.
The dwelling unit must provide complete independent living facilities including provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation, according to state regulations.
The installation of accessory dwelling units was created to provide additional options for affordable housing to allow residents to remain in town, Borough Attorney Scott Krumholz of Ruderman & Roth previously said.
“Older residents for example may be living on a fixed income and are thereby especially at risk and face the possibility of having to leave the Borough, taking with them a lifetime of experiences that benefit the entire community,” the ordinance reads. “Also people with disabilities may face considerable challenges when finding adaptive housing and risk having to live away from family and trusted support networks in order to find appropriate living environments.”
The accessory dwelling units are a “partial but important solution” that requires no or little investment from the borough, the ordinance says.
Palisades Park affordable housing settlements
The ordinance was approved a month after a judge ruled against the borough in six builders’ remedy lawsuits from prospective developers.
A suit settlement agreement is scheduled to be on the agenda for the Dec. 16 council meeting.
Judge Christine Farrington also invalidated a borough zoning ordinance, saying it “failed to provide a realistic opportunity for the construction of the borough of Palisades Park’s fair share of the regional need for low- and moderate-cost housing.”
A court-appointed special adjudicator will now assist the borough in developing its fair share plan and new land use controls, the court order said. The borough will have 90 days to create a housing plan and new land use ordinance.
Accessory dwelling units bill
A bill to address concerns about the development and use of accessory dwelling units was introduced earlier this year on the state level by Assemblyman Louis D. Greenwald, of the 6th District, and Assemblyman Benjie E. Wimberly, of the 35th District. It was referred to the Assembly Housing Committee.
This bill would authorize owners of property zoned for single-family or two-family residential use to develop an accessory dwelling unit on their property consistent with statewide standards. The bill would permit each municipality to adopt or amend its land use regulations to be consistent with the bill’s statewide standards.
Some regulations include a minimum floor area requirement of 300 square feet and a maximum of 1,200 square feet with a maximum height requirement of 20 feet.
The bill would also amend the Fair Housing Act to require a municipality’s master plan housing element to include a plan to promote the creation of accessory dwelling units that will be offered “at affordable rent for low- and moderate-income households, and to clarify that amounts deposited in the New Jersey Affordable Housing Trust Fund may be applied for the purpose of creating ADUs to be occupied by low- and moderate-income households.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Palisades Park NJ dwellings to be used for affordable housing