While we at the Mr. Local History Project prefer to write about history and not try to make it, sometimes history and perspective from other areas serve as indicators of what not to do, or at least give perspective to those who live in town who have to make decisions that impact the residents and the history of a town.
MLH researchers have been studying housing developments in nearby Bernards Township for almost a decade. So we took a first pass to see what we could find by gathering some simple data and mapping it to provide a visual image.
Data Analysis
It seems that affordable housing development in Bernardsville has been concentrated in less than one square mile (actually 0.65 of a square mile) straddling Bernardsville’s downtown area. If we have this wrong, please let us know.
If Bernardsville is approximately 13 square miles based on our estimates and the concentration of affordable housing developments is on just 0.65 square miles, that means 95% of Bernardsville’s land area is outside this concentration zone. In contrast, the majority of new affordable housing is being directed into just 5% of the Borough.
Summary:
Bernardsville’s Affordable Housing
Bernardsville’s approach to affordable housing has not been to challenge its legal obligation, but rather to shape how that obligation is fulfilled. Faced with New Jersey’s Fourth Round affordable housing requirements, the Borough chose to work through the state’s mediation process, adopt a Housing Element and Fair Share Plan, and pursue court certification to preserve local control over future development. Borough officials have consistently stated that this strategy is intended to satisfy state mandates while reducing the risk of costly builder’s remedy lawsuits that could allow developments with far less local oversight.
A central element of the Borough’s strategy has been to concentrate much of the new affordable housing in areas already served by infrastructure and where redevelopment opportunities exist. Through inclusionary zoning and negotiated redevelopment proposals, Bernardsville seeks to create affordable housing as part of larger mixed-income developments rather than relying solely on stand-alone affordable housing projects. The Borough has also counted the preservation of existing deed-restricted affordable units as part of its overall compliance strategy, reducing the number of entirely new units that must be constructed.
Whether this approach represents smart planning or an uneven distribution of growth has become a subject of public discussion. Based on our geographic analysis, many of the proposed developments are located within an estimated 0.65-square-mile area, roughly five percent of Bernardsville’s approximately 13 square miles. While concentrating development can allow the Borough to leverage existing roads, utilities, and public services, it also means that the impacts of new housing, including increased traffic, infrastructure demands, and changes to neighborhood character, may be experienced most acutely within a relatively small section of the community.
Ultimately, Bernardsville’s affordable housing strategy reflects a balancing act familiar to many New Jersey municipalities: complying with constitutional housing obligations while attempting to retain local planning authority over where and how new development occurs. As individual projects continue through the Planning Board approval process, the broader question facing residents is not whether affordable housing should be built, but how its location, scale, and design will shape the Borough’s future character for decades to come.
Our location Data is under review……. please let us know as we wanted to list what we’ve gathered so far.
| Development | Location | Total Units | Affordable Units | Type | Amenities | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 210 North Finley Avenue | 210 N. Finley Ave. | 46 + manager | 46 | 100% Affordable Senior | Community room, elevator, parking | Under construction (Bernardsville Borough) |
| 63 Bernards Development | Bernards Avenue | 22 | 22 | 100% Affordable Family | Parking, landscaped open space | Planned/Under construction (Bernardsville Borough) |
| Mine Brook Development | Mine Brook Road | 25 + manager | 25 | 100% Affordable Family | Parking, family apartments | Under construction (Bernardsville Borough) |
| Mt. Airy Development | 18 Mt. Airy Road | 12 | 12 | 100% Affordable Family | Two- & three-bedroom apartments | Planned (Bernardsville Borough) |
| 24–26 Claremont Road | Claremont Road | 28 | 5 | Mixed-Income Apartments | Apartment building with parking | Approved (Bernardsville Borough) |
| Quimby Lane Redevelopment | Quimby Lane | TBD | Up to 13 | Mixed-Use / Inclusionary | Redevelopment area for residential and commercial uses | Planning phase (Bernardsville Borough) |
| Palmer Redevelopment (Downtown) | 35–39 Olcott Square / 5 Morristown Rd. | TBD | Included through downtown set-aside requirements | Mixed-Use Downtown | Retail, restaurants, apartments, streetscape improvements, parking | Approved redevelopment plan (Bernardsville Borough) |
| Downtown Inclusionary Districts | Downtown Bernardsville | Varies | Estimated 23 | Mixed-Use | Retail with apartments above, walkable downtown | Future redevelopment potential (Bernardsville Borough) |
| Quarry Affordable Housing Overlay | Old Quarry Road / Rip Rap Road | Up to 51 | Up to 51 | Affordable Housing Overlay | Future residential development | Future opportunity; not yet built (Bernardsville Borough) |
| Pine Ridge Condominiums | Pine Street | 26 | 26 | Affordable Ownership | Townhomes/condominiums | Existing (controls extended) (Bernardsville Borough) |
| Rolling Hills Condominiums | Rolling Hills | 15 | 15 | Affordable Ownership | Condominium community | Existing (controls extended) (Bernardsville Borough) |
| Habitat for Humanity | Mine Brook Road | 4 | 4 | Affordable Ownership | Single-family homes | Existing (Bernardsville Borough) |
| North Finley Condominiums | North Finley Avenue | 2 | 2 | Affordable Ownership | Condominiums | Existing (Bernardsville Borough) |
| Conti Group Home | 88 & 108 Claremont Road | 4 residents | 4 credits | Supportive Housing | Residential care | Existing (Bernardsville Borough) |
Thoughts?
Post in the comments section below.
