With just days to go before the end of the lame-duck legislative session, Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Union) and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) announced a bill on affordable housing. The bill would streamline the process of creating affordable housing in towns and cities that have fought mandates from the Council on Affordable Housing, in court and that have resulted in huge affordable housing deficits across the state.
The measure would effectively abolish the Council on Affordable Housing.
“This bill will put in place a mechanism that is functional. The Council on Affordable Housing was challenged, didn’t seem to work. The courts have now been leading and I think we’re looking to marry those efforts into a process that’s going to work better for those involved — municipalities, builders and most importantly, the people that need places to live,” Scutari said.
The bill got its first hearing before the Assembly Housing Committee on Wednesday, where advocates lined up to show their support and local officials urged caution.
