Decades of Change: Berkeley Heights Looks to Finalize New Affordable Housing Framework

BERKELEY HEIGHTS – John covered the Multi Use ordinance, and I was gifted with the task of covering the remaining resolutions and ordinances for tonight’s Town Council Meeting- not really a lighter load in another packed agenda.

First to the financials.

Resolution 2026-121 – a bill list totaling $420,923.09 with no break down included in the packet for residents to track how this money was spent.

Then to the Contracts

Resolution 2026-127 amends a previous agreement with Messercola Excavating Co. for snow removal services and Resolution 2026-122 awards another contract Neglia for engineering services (Hampton Drive Pumping Station). It’s important to point out that this is yet another Professional Service Contract, which means it was awarded without the standard competitive public bidding process.

And for everyone’s favorite resolution (2026-126): Bulk Pick Up is back! The Township accepted a $167,000 bid from Regional Industries for the spring clean-up program.

Then the other two ordinances….

Ordinance 2026-03 increases the affordable housing set-aside from 15% to 20% for rental units and includes a density bonus: residential use can jump from 15 to 20 units per acre if a developer provides a public space or plaza that takes up at least 10% of the total lot area. While the ordinance includes descriptive language for these plazas, this “bonus” remains a major incentive for increased density in the downtown area.

Ordinance 2026-04 (slated to be finalized), includes the role of a Municipal Housing Liaison to oversee the administration of affordable units and formalizes how the Affordable Housing Trust Fund will manage revenue including provisions that connect to development fee revenues and previously approved payment-in-lieu mechanisms under NJ law. These two ordinances will shape Berkeley Heights for decades to come.

Below is a table of terms broken down in English so that residents can better understand what is being discussed during tonight’s meeting.

Key Terms Residents Will See in Tonight’s Agenda

Term	Plain-English Meaning
Zoning and the Connell Mixed Use Ordinance
Mixed Use (MU) Zone	A zoning district that allows a mix of uses (for example, residential, retail, office, and other uses) under one set of rules, instead of limiting the area to just one use.
MU Overlay Zone	A separate set of zoning rules added on top of (or alongside) the MU Zone for a specific portion of the site. In this case, the ordinance creates an “MU Overlay Zone” with its own bulk rules.
Maximum Buildable Area (GFA Cap)	The total amount of building floor space the ordinance allows on the site, measured in square feet. It is the “Maximum Buildable Area” cap in the ordinance.
Setback	The minimum distance buildings must be kept back from a boundary line.
Principal Height	The maximum building height allowed for main buildings, stated in feet and sometimes also by number of stories.
Permitted Principal Uses	The main uses that zoning allows to be built.
Financials, Contracts, and Council Actions
Resolution	A formal Council action used for approving payments, accepting bids, awarding contracts, or amending agreements.
Bill List	The list of bills/invoices the Township is paying.
Professional Service Contract	A contract category that is awarded without the standard competitive public bidding process.
Affordable Housing (Ordinances 2026-03 and 2026-04)
Affordable Housing Set-Aside	The share of units in a development that must be reserved as affordable units. Ordinance 2026-03 increases this from 15% to 20% for rental units.
Density Bonus	An incentive allowing residential use to increase from 15 to 20 units per acre if a developer provides a public plaza covering at least 10% of the lot.
Municipal Housing Liaison	The local role responsible for overseeing administration of affordable housing units.
Affordable Housing Trust Fund	The municipal fund that manages affordable-housing-related revenue.

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