At the latest Township Council meeting on February 26, members discussed A-4, a state Assembly bill that recently passed and could affect Livingston’s future affordable housing plans.
Specifically, A-4 is a planned overhaul of the current affordable housing system. It would abolish the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) and give its regulatory power to state-run agencies. If towns follow the guidance of the state, they would be immune to the builder’s remedy lawsuits that have threatened towns - including Livingston- during previous affordable housing rounds. Governor Phil Murphy has previously stated his approval of the bill, which will now move to the Senate, under bill S50 Sca(lR).
The specific requirements of the legislation, however, could result in Livingston having to build more housing, even after the Council has spent much of the past few years working to satisfy its current and future housing obligations, at times, to the dismay of residents living nearby proposed developments. The new law states that people would be permitted to challenge a town’s affordable housing plan if they believe it does not meet the requirements set forth in the legislation. Township attorney Jarrid Kantor has plainly stated that the proposed legislation would be “bad for the town.”
As a result, Council members said that they have been actively talking with Livingston’s state Assembly and Senate representatives about their concerns with affordable housing and how it will be affected by the bill.
We must state, as we always do when discussing this topic, that while every implementation of it is not perfect, affordable housing, in and of itself, is certainly not bad. When it is being used not to force unwanted development, but rather for its basic purpose of helping those in need afford the living spaces they deserve, it is an example of good governance at work. But despite the good intentions at the root of affordable housing, a very flawed system has been created to support it in New Jersey, and the Council is indicating that the one poised to take its place will not be much better for Livingston.
We were pleased to hear that the Council is fighting for the residents of this town in regard to this bill. Over the past few years, to satisfy the requirements mandated on the town by Fair Share Housing Center, the Council has approved several housing projects that have been unpopular with residents. In certain cases, Council members have expressed their displeasure with some of the ordinances that they were voting in favor of as they were doing so. The reasoning, they generally said, was that their hands were tied; should they have not chosen to negotiate with developers and eventually approve these proj ects, they would still get built (as a result of builder’s remedy lawsuits), only larger and with even less town control.
But even after years of playing nice, through closed session negotiations with lawyers, developers, and Fair Share Housing, and forward thinking decisions to satisfy Livingston’s housing requirements, the game has apparently changed. We hope our state representatives take what Livingston’s Council members shared with them into account before the final bill passes in the Senate.
We all know about the numerous housing proj ects that have been approved in recent years to satisfy the third and upcoming fourth round housing obligations. The former Bottle King property, Northfield Center, and now the Westminster Hotel property are a few that come to mind. We cannot even imagine where Livingston can be expected to find room for more apartment complexes; and we hope, with continued persistence, we never will.
On a related note, we know that there are certain areas of Livingston already expected to broadly be a part of the town’s fourth round housing obligations, including the mall. We wonder how creative the town will be in exploring what specifically can be done with that space, in particular.
A New York Times article last month discussed a growing trend in America: malls that are vacant or have large unoccupied sections are being used as schools. As populations rise, there will be a growing need for more space in schools. In Livingston, there have been discussions about reopening Monmouth Court for use as a school, which we believe is a good idea.
But as more and more housing is built in town - including, almost certainly, at the current site of the Livingston Mall - it is well worth investigating if a section of the mall could be renovated into a school, if it is needed within the next decade.
While we are unaware of the specifics, we know that there have been active discussions about the mall, the most recent of which occurred in a closed executive session during that February 26 Council meeting. It is highly likely that the Livingston Mall area will be home to housing units by the end of the 2020s. Whether they are owned or rental units, age restricted or open to all, and how many bedrooms each unit holds are discussions for another time. But part of those conversations, we hope, will be about utilizing some of the existing space for things other than housing. Surely, anything that will get approved will include some sort of retail aspect, but it is certainly worth exploring whether or not it is worth leaving some of the square footage for schools, be them public, private or charters.
Schools we got to hear about as well. We heard the Livingston High School Class of 2023 Report on Graduates and the counseling department’s study of the college outcomes, the support they offer for students, and the developments in their program based on stakeholder input. We heard about the important budget priorities for curriculum, instruction, and technology, and based on their careful study of student growth, the math department updated us on plans to roll out Math in Focus to sixth-grade students. We heard Dr. Block’s reflections on his trip to Israel, including his experience with Hand in Hand School, an institution that is “dedicated to the proposition that Israelis and Palestinians can learn and live together in peace.”
A respectful, meaningful dialogue among stakeholders is a critical ingredient to enabling a strong school community where students see themselves in their learning and discover their own academic success and personal growth. In collaboration, the Board’s Equity Committee and the District’s administrators, teachers, and staff are continuing to take stock of the Equity Audit, which was the culmination of the consultant’s collection and analysis of data.
While we address the pressing challenge of how best to combat anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and hatred based on national origin or ethnicity in Livingston Public Schools, we need to talk honestly about practical ways to advance community, civility, and mutual respect in our schools; and find ways, person to person, to foster respectful, informed dialogue.
We appreciate:
• Each professional who maintains our facilities so students can learn, supports our students in the classroom, and provides an environment that welcomes each student as they walk through our doors each morning.
• Each teacher who educates each student, by seeing who they are, understanding what they carry, and helping them grow as students and people, while they create a community in their classroom.
• Each administrator and supervisor, guiding curriculum design and instructional practice; managing facilities and grounds; and building a community of connection.
• Central office leaders who advocate, enact, and communicate a shared mission, vision, and core values of a high quality education that promotes each student’s academic success and well-being.
In school, our goal should never be to teach children what to think, but how to think. Before the October 7 survivors were introduced at last week’s event, they met with the students and told them they only wanted to share their stories – not to tell them what to think. With support from educators who teach, nurture, and guide them, students will ask thoughtful questions, engage in respectful dialogue, and reach their own well-considered conclusions.
As we continue to navigate the experience of the Israel-Hamas War in the US, I hope we can do so with empathy and generosity, and hold that our common goal is to create an environment where all our students can learn safely. Let’s trust that our kids have the skills to engage in conversation together with the support of their teachers. The war is bigger than our own community, but our community is also bigger than any one of us.
