On Monday night, the Chatham Borough Council unanimously deemed “excessive” and “unrealistic” the 181-unit affordable housing obligation the State has assigned to the Borough, but then the Council unanimously resolved to accept that number anyway. https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=332 Minute 1:33:44
The explanation residents managed to extract from the Mayor & Council was inadequate at best. https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php? view_id=1&clip_id=332 minute 1:50: 45 and fell far short of the one volunteered by the Chatham Township Committee the following night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPvZ8ODrCfQ minutes 1:33 and 30:09
The Borough’s flimsy explanation also came far too late, considering that they had known about this issue since last spring, https://chathamchoice.org/2024/06/deadlines/and had had the State’s “excessive” and “unrealistic” number since last October. https://chathamchoice.org/2024/10/this-just-in/
It didn’t have to be that way. A better explanation was available in the attached documents.
Also on Monday night, the Mayor was vague about the funds available to fulfill the Borough’s obligation to build a 15-unit, 100% affordable apartment house at Post Office Plaza, when in reality the numbers were readily available, showing that Borough taxpayers must pay more than $1 million to build the project.
Why are our Mayor & Council so reluctant to be candid with the public about such simple matters of fact?