Livingston’s affordable housing compliance hearing with the state, scheduled for May 31 after being pushed back several previous times, was again adjourned. It is now scheduled for August 17.
The adjournment was requested by the special master of the affordable housing proceedings in negotiations with Fair Share Housing Corporation. Fair Share Housing is a group focused on finding affordable housing in New Jersey municipalities by enforcing the Mount Laurel Doctrine.
The adjournment was done, according to township attorney Jarrid Kantor, “to allow the township to continue to negotiate with Fair Share Housing Corporation regarding the Livingston Mall property and the Esplanade Group regarding the Westminster Hotel property; in an attempt to reach an amended global settlement resolving all outstanding issues prior to the hearing.”
In January of 2021, a settlement was reached withFair Share Housing to satisfy Livingston’s requirements for New Jersey’s third round of affordable housing. However, separate issues regarding the Livingston Mall and Westminster Hotel, and whether or not they should be included within the settlement, have since become a topic of debate among the township and representatives of the mall and the hotel.
