PARSIPPANY — As early as 2018, the township has sought to work proactively with the Board of Education on the statewide issue of court-mandated affordable housing. Unfortunately, instead of being met with a collaborative approach towards tackling this complex issue, the township was met with open hostility, including one member of the Board of Education’s team storming out of the initial December 11, 2018 meeting.
Now, over two years later, the timing of the Board’s January 25 press release raises concerns about both their priorities and motivations amidst the ongoing pandemic. The Board’s top priority right now should be the top priority of every Parsippany family: providing clarity about the operations of the school district as COVID-19 continues to spread across the country. Parsippany’s parents deserve better communication on this issue. If the Board has found itself tied up by changing state health and education mandates, perhaps they should reflect on the township’s experience with changing state affordable housing mandates.
The fact is that the administration has cut Parsippany’s affordable housing requirement by over 60%, from 2,412 to 845 units. The State of New Jersey has undoubtedly failed in its implementation of affordable housing mandates, which have largely come down from unelected judges instead of elected legislators. This is the hand that every municipality in New Jersey has been dealt.
Given those difficult circumstances, the township’s bipartisan governing body unanimously passed an affordable housing plan that:
- Reduces substantially the overall number of developments that will be permitted in Parsippany from its prior peak.
- Produces a unit mix that favors studio and one-bedroom units, significantly decreasing the number of new students in the school system.
- Protects our township’s open spaces from development.
The three Democrats and three Republicans on the township’s governing body put politics aside to produce a plan that achieves the best possible results for Parsippany while staying within the bounds of what the township and Board agree are deeply flawed affordable housing mandates. We suggest the Board of Education do the same. The stakes for our community and our children are far too high for the Board to continue to put politics and grandstanding over dialogue and conversation. The township’s door remains open.
