Toms River Approves Affordable Housing Deal to Avoid Major New Development

Toms River has reached a major deal that settles how much affordable housing the township must provide over the next 10 years, avoiding the possibility of large, court-ordered developments.

The Township Council voted 6–1 on Wednesday to approve the agreement with the Fair Share Housing Center, a group that enforces New Jersey’s affordable housing rules. The deal allows 186 new affordable units to be built and extends long-term affordability guarantees on 518 existing homes and apartments.

Mayor Daniel Rodrick said the agreement prevents far larger development that the state originally pushed for. “This was about protecting our community from the overdevelopment that has plagued our town,” he said.

Under the plan, new affordable units will be spread across three locations: an expansion of the Jamestowne Village Apartments on James Street, a larger project near the Lakewood border on Route 70, and a small office-to-apartment conversion on Route 37. The controversial downtown Meridia project, which included 281 apartments in two six-story towers, will no longer count toward the town’s obligation.

A big part of the deal involves keeping existing affordable homes affordable for longer. The township will use some of its $9 million affordable housing trust fund to pay property owners to extend deed restrictions, which legally require certain homes to stay affordable for low- and moderate-income households. In some cases, market-rate rentals, such as 110 units at Hope’s Crossing, will be converted into affordable units.

Town officials say accepting the plan was necessary to avoid “builder’s remedy” lawsuits. If the township had lost in court, developers could have gained the right to build far more housing than local zoning normally allows. Rodrick warned that rejecting the deal could have opened the door to as many as 7,000 new units.

The vote drew mixed reactions. Some longtime critics of the mayor supported the settlement, while Councilman James Quinlisk voted no, saying his part of town has already seen most of the recent building. Some residents also raised concerns.

The dispute dates back to disagreements over how many affordable homes Toms River legally needed to allow. Fair Share argued the number could be more than 1,700 when accounting for past gaps in the state’s system. The township argued it had already approved more than 1,200 affordable units in 2016 and deserved credit for them.

Affordable housing in New Jersey is meant for low- and moderate-income residents. In Monmouth and Ocean counties, an individual earning up to $72,950 or a family of four earning up to $104,200 can qualify.