Hathaway Proposes Federal Relief for Communities Facing High-Density Housing Mandates

RANDOLPH — Joe Hathaway, Republican nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, has proposed providing federal relief to municipalities facing large population growth resulting from state-mandated high-density housing development.

Hathaway’s proposed High-Density Housing Relief Act would make federal funding available to qualifying municipalities to help offset three major costs associated with rapid population growth:

1. School expansion needed to accommodate increased enrollment;
2. Police, fire and emergency medical services personnel and equipment, including equipment needed to respond to new multi-story construction; and
3. Infrastructure improvements to roads, water systems and sewer capacity.

“I know these local issues because I’ve had to deal with them firsthand as Mayor,” said Hathaway. “When hundreds of new housing units are coming into a community, somebody has to figure out what that means for the schools, the fire department, the roads, and the water and sewer systems, and who is going to pay for it. This is the kind of practical problem I want to solve in Congress because representing a district should be about understanding what your communities actually need, not fighting over political ideology all day. I want to bring that local perspective to Washington and focus on getting things done for NJ-11.”

As Mayor of Randolph, Hathaway helped lead the township through its Fourth Round affordable housing planning process, reducing the township’s anticipated high-density housing requirement from 355 units to 28 units while saving taxpayers more than $1.1 million.

Under Hathaway’s proposal, eligibility would be determined using a data-driven formula that examines a municipality’s historical population growth and the projected population impact of new housing obligations. The legislation would use those factors to establish a growth threshold identifying communities facing unusually significant new demands on schools, emergency services and infrastructure.

Hathaway serves on the Randolph Township Council and is the immediate past Mayor. He lives in Randolph with his wife, Whitney, and their three young children. For more information, visit joehathawayforcongress.com.