Stop the rollback of A500’s 2.5 percent
non-residential Developer Fee
Time is of the essence; Act Now!
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?
Help us convince the Governor and lawmakers to stand firm on A500. Call Gov. Corzine at 609/292-6000 and tell him to “STOP THE ROLLBACK OF THE DEVELOPER FEE.”
You should also tell your state legislators.
And you can send letters.
Click here to see a detailed fact sheet on the proposal, and a news article.
Every New Jersey resident deserves to live in a safe, decent home they can afford. With last year’s adoption of A500, the comprehensive housing reform package that has been called one of the most important housing efforts in the country, our state is now on the verge of providing the increased housing choices needed to make this happen. Building the homes that New Jersey needs will also create jobs and spur the economy.
After pressure from the Housing and Community Development Network, the Advocacy Network to End Homelessness and our allies, we successfully stopped Sen. Lesniak’s attempt to gut many of A500’s key elements a few months ago. Now, however, the Lesniak proposal is back, packaged as a part of the state’s economic stimulus effort. But the bill would actually hurt the economy, as it would force municipalities to return the nearly $20 million they have collected since A500 from office and shopping center developers – money that developers have already paid and that towns have already planned to use to build much-needed new homes, creating jobs in the process.
It would also place a two-year moratorium on A500’s 2.5 percent non-residential Developer Fee. This would not only directly delay the creation of new homes and increased housing choices for more New Jerseyans, but the uncertainty regarding the future of the fee will also further stall other municipal residential building projects.
Although the proposal allocates $15 million to reimburse towns forced to give back the money to developers, this provision involves a lengthy application process and falls $5 million short of the total $20 million collected with no indication where that money will come from. The bill will foster economic paralysis at the very time the state needs new development and the homes and jobs new development brings.
Our elected officials need to be fair to taxpayers and communities. We are disappointed that they are willing to use fee revenues collected legitimately for a critical public purpose to benefit private, nonresidential developers during this economic crisis. When the Governor and legislature are cutting critical social services – creating co-pays for low-income health care recipients, reducing disability support services and threatening family support centers – our leaders should be thinking of ways to balance New Jersey residents’ needs as fairly as possible.
Communities should not be forced to give back funds already collected. And, towns that have played by the rules and adopted local Developer Fee ordinances prior to A500’s passage last year should be allowed to continue to collect these important revenues. It is unfair for the state Legislature and the Governor to take away lawfully collected home-building and job-creating funds, especially at a time when there are so few resources for this purpose.
Our government is supposed to serve all of us, not just powerful special interests.
Time is of the essence, so please CALL TODAY, and ask your colleagues, friends and family to do the same, before the reforms we all fought for are compromised.
