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West Cape May City Zoning Code

§ 27-37.3

Affordable Housing Mandatory Set-Aside.

[Adopted October 10, 2018 by Ord. No. 549-2018]
a. 
Purpose.
This Ordinance is intended to ensure that any site that benefits from a rezoning, variance or redevelopment plan approved by the Borough or the Borough Planning/Zoning Board that results in multi-family residential development of five dwelling units or more produces affordable housing at a set-aside rate of 20% for for-sale affordable units and at a set-aside rate of 15% for rental affordable units. This Ordinance shall apply except where inconsistent with applicable law.
b. 
Mandatory Set-Aside Ordinance.
If the Borough or the Borough Planning/Zoning Board permits the construction of multi-family or single-family attached residential development that is "approvable" and "developable," as defined at N.J.A.C. 5:93-1.3, the Borough or the Borough's Planning/Zoning Board shall require that an appropriate percentage of the residential units be set aside for low and moderate income households. This requirement shall apply beginning with the effective date of this Ordinance to any multi-family or single-family attached residential development, including the residential portion of a mixed-use project, which consists of five or more new residential units, whether permitted by a zoning amendment, a variance granted by the Borough's Planning/Zoning Board, or adoption of a Redevelopment Plan or amended Redevelopment Plan in areas in need of redevelopment or rehabilitation. For any such development for which the Borough's land use ordinances (e.g. zoning or an adopted Redevelopment Plan) already permitted residential development as of the effective date of this Ordinance, this requirement shall only apply if the Borough or the Borough's Planning/Zoning Board permits an increase in approvable and developable gross residential density to at least twice the permitted approvable and developable gross residential density as of the effective date of this Ordinance. Nothing in this subsection precludes the Borough or the Borough's Planning/Zoning Board from imposing an affordable housing set-aside in a development not required to have a set-aside pursuant to this subsection consistent with N.J.S.A. 52:27D-311(h) and other applicable law. For inclusionary projects in which the low and moderate units are to be offered for sale, the appropriate set-aside percentage is 20%; for projects in which the low and moderate income units are to be offered for rent, the appropriate set-aside percentage is 15%. This requirement does not create any entitlement for a property owner or applicant for a zoning amendment, variance, or adoption of a Redevelopment Plan or amended Redevelopment Plan in areas in need of redevelopment or rehabilitation, or for approval of any particular proposed project. This requirement does not apply to any sites or specific zones otherwise identified in the Borough's Settlement Agreement with FSHC dated March 28, 2018, or in the Borough's Housing Element and Fair Share Plan, adopted by the Borough Planning/Zoning Board on July 10, 2018 and endorsed by the Borough Board of Commissioners on July 25, 2018, for which density and set-aside standards shall be governed by the specific standards set forth therein.
Furthermore, this section shall not apply to developments containing four or less dwelling units. All subdivision and site plan approvals of qualifying residential developments shall be conditioned upon compliance with the provisions of this section. Where a developer demolishes existing dwelling units and builds new dwelling units on the same site, the provisions of this section shall apply only if the net number of dwelling units is five or more.