FRANKLIN LAKES — The borough's mayor and members of the council and Planning Board will hold a special joint public hearing on June 19 to hear residents' comments and vote on adoption of its Fourth-Round Housing Element and Fair Share Plan.
After the hearing, the group will consider two resolutions: a Planning Board resolution to approve the fourth-round proposal and a Mayor and Council resolution to endorse the fourth-round proposal.
The resolutions have to be filed by the borough before June 30 to preserve its immunity from "builder's remedy" lawsuits.
The 63-page fourth-round plan was announced in the June 12 edition of the borough's Latest Buzz newsletter and can be found through a link in a press release about the meeting on the borough's website, franklinlakes.org. It is also available for inspection at Borough Hall during office hours.
The plan describes how the borough will meet its fourth-round affordable housing obligation through various compliance mechanisms. Its obligation is described as a present need or rehabilitation component of 65 units, and a prospective need or new construction obligation of 480 units through 2035.
The borough was originally assigned 498 new affordable units by the state, the fourth-highest among Bergen County municipalities behind Paramus's 1,000 units, Mahwah's 629 units and Ramsey's 503 units.
The borough countered that 463 units was a more accurate number. After an April mediation agreement, however, Judge Gregg Padovano issued an order establishing the borough's fourth-round new construction obligation at 480 units.
Affordable housing fourth-round changing provisions
The hearing follows a June 11 ruling by Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy that denied a bid by the 29-member Local Leaders for Responsible Planning coalition to block a number of provisions of the fourth-round directive. Franklin Lakes is a member of that coalition, led by Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali.
However, the ruling reversed the original requirement that municipalities had to have their plans reviewed by the Fair Share Housing Center as a condition of filing by June 30. Instead, a municipality can submit its plan "when it is already publicly available."
Lougy also ruled that municipalities only need to submit drafts of ordinances and resolutions proposed for compliance. They do not have to be officially adopted, as originally required.
The ruling "ensures that our communities are not required to adopt any zoning changes at this time, and that such actions are only required in 2026," according to a June 11 coalition press release.
It is unclear what impact the June 11 ruling will have on the Franklin Lakes hearing on June 19.
The hearing will start at 6 p.m. on June 19 at Borough Hall, 480 DeKorte Drive.