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Resolution of the Mayor and Council of Princeton Adopting an Affordable Housing Affirmative Marketing Plan for the Municipality of Princeton
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WHEREAS, in accordance with P.L. 2024, Chapter 2 and the New Jersey Uniform Housing Affordability Controls (“UHAC”)(N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.1 et seq.), the Municipality of Princeton is required to adopt an Affirmative Marketing Plan to ensure that all affordable housing units created are affirmatively marketed to very low-, low- and moderate-income households, particularly those living and/or working within Housing Region 4, the Housing Region encompassing the Municipality of Princeton.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Council of Princeton, County of Mercer, State of New Jersey, on this 9th day of March, 2026, do hereby adopt the following Affirmative Marketing Plan:
Affirmative Marketing Plan
A. The Affirmative Marketing Plan is a regional marketing strategy designed to attract buyers and/or renters of all majority and minority groups, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, English-speaking ability, marital or familial status, gender, affectional or sexual orientation, disability, age or number of children, source of lawful income, or any other characteristic described in the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, to housing units which are being marketed by a developer or sponsor of affordable housing. The Affirmative Marketing Plan is also intended to target those potentially eligible persons who are least likely to apply for affordable units in that region. It is a continuing program that directs all marketing activities toward the Housing Region in which the municipality is located and covers the entire period of the deed restriction for each restricted housing unit. The Municipality of Princeton is located in Housing Region 4, consisting Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties.
B. The Municipality of Princeton has a plan to address both its Prior Round Obligation (1987-2025) and its Fourth Round Obligation (2025-2035). This Affirmative Marketing Plan shall apply to all developments that contain or will contain very low-, low- and moderate-income units intended to meet statutory affordable housing obligations, including those that are part of the municipality’s Housing Element and Fair Share Plan, and those that may be constructed in future developments not yet anticipated by the Housing Element and Fair Share Plan but to be credited to future round obligations.
C. The Affirmative Marketing Plan shall be implemented by the Administrative Agent under contract to the Municipality of Princeton, or the Administrative Agent of any specific developer approved by the Municipality.
D. All of the costs of advertising and affirmatively marketing affordable housing units shall be borne by the developers/sellers/owners of affordable unit(s), with the exception that the cost to affirmatively market any restricted accessory apartments shall be the responsibility of the Municipality. All such advertising and affirmative marketing shall be subject to approval and oversight by the designated Administrative Agent.
E. The implementation of the Affirmative Marketing Plan for a development that includes affordable housing shall commence at least 120 days prior to expected occupancy. The implementation of the Affirmative Marketing Plan shall continue until all very low-, low- and moderate-income housing units are initially occupied and for as long as the affordable units remain deed restricted such that qualifying new tenants and/or purchasers continues to be necessary.
F. The Affirmative Marketing Plan is a continuing program that shall be followed throughout the entire period of affordability restrictions. In implementing the Affirmative Marketing Plan, the Administrative Agent, whether acting on behalf of the Municipality of Princeton or on behalf of a specific developer, shall meet the following requirements at a minimum:
1. The primary marketing and advertising must be employed at the start of the marketing program and continue until all units are leased or sold or until the number of applications received is at least three times the number of units. Additional advertising and publicity shall be on an "as needed" basis. The developer/owner shall disseminate all public service announcements and pay for display advertisements. The developer/owner shall provide proof of all publications to the Administrative Agent. All press releases and advertisements shall be approved in advance by the Administrative Agent.
2. The advertisements shall, at a minimum, include:
a. The name and location of the housing project;
b. An address sufficient to find directions to the housing units;
c. A range of prices or rents for the affordable housing units;
d. The sizes, as measured in number of bedrooms of the affordable housing units;
e. The types (that is, family, age-restricted, or supportive) and number of affordable units available;
f. The number of units available to very low-, low-, and moderate-income households;
g. The accessibility features, if any, of the affordable housing units;
h. The maximum income permitted to qualify for the affordable housing units;
i. The population(s), if any, given preference in the selection process pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.17(k)2;
j. Where applications (paper and online) for the affordable housing units may be found;
k. The expected lease-up/closing date(s) for the affordable housing units;
l. The expected date of the random selection;
m. The business hours when interested households may obtain paper applications for the affordable housing units;
n. Contact information, including an email address and phone number that are regularly monitored by the administrative agent;
o. The name of the sales agent and/or rental manager; and
p. Application fees, if any.
3. Affirmative fair marketing of affordable units must be completed in accordance with the requirements set forth in UHAC at N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.16 in all media and outlets required by the rules.
4. The Administrative Agent of the affordable housing development shall complete the Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plan, attached hereto as Attachment A, for review and approval by the Municipal Housing Liaison or the Municipality’s Administratrive Agent, as the case may be, prior to commencement of advertising to the public.
5. Affordable units must be listed on the New Jersey Housing Resource Center’s website (www.njhrc.gov <http://www.njhrc.gov>) in accordance with N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.16(f)1 at least 60 days before the random selection.
6. Applications, or notices thereof, used as part of the affirmative marketing program must be available in the following locations:
a. Mercer County/McDade Administration Building, 640 S. Broad St., Trenton, NJ 08611
b. Monmouth County Hall of Records, One East Main Street, P.O. Box 1255,
Freehold, NJ 07728
c. Ocean County Administration Building, 101 Hooper Ave., Toms River, NJ 08754
d. Mercer County Library, 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Township, NJ 08648
e. Monmouth County Library, 125 Symmes Drive, Manalapan, NJ 07726
f. Ocean County Library, 101 Washington Street, Toms River, NJ 08753
7. Pursuant to the Municipality’s Fourth Round Settlement Agreement with Fair Share Housing Center, the following organizations must be notified as part of the affirmative marketing plan when affordable units are available:
a. Fair Share Housing Center, 510 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
b. New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP, 4326 Harbor Beach Blvd., #775, Brigantine, NJ 08203
c. Trenton Branch of the NAACP; https://www.trentonbranchnaacp.org/
d. Greater Red Bank Branch of the NAACP, kerwin@kerwinebb.com <mailto:kerwin@kerwinebb.com>
e. Asbury Park/Neptune branch of the NAACP, AsburyParkNeptuneNAACP@gmail.com <mailto:AsburyParkNeptuneNAACP@gmail.com>
f. Bayshore branch of the NAACP, P.O. Box 865, Matawan, NJ 07747
g. Greater Freehold Branch of the NAACP, P.O. Box 246, Malboro Annex, NJ 07746
h. Greater Long Branch chapter of the NAACP¸ doublejay8@comcast.net <mailto:doublejay8@comcast.net>
i. Shiloh Baptist Church, 340 Rev. S. Howard Woodson, Jr. Way, Trenton, New Jersey 08618
j. Latino Action Network, c/o Cardenas Law Office, 71 West Main Street, Suite 202, Freehold, NJ 07728
k. Supportive Housing Association, 185 Valley Street, South Orange, NJ 07079
8. The Municipality’s Committee on Affordable Housing, Racial, Economic, Social Equity and Services (CARES Committee) must also be notified as part of the affirmative marketing plan when affordable units are available.
9. The Municipality’s Administrative Agent, or the Administrative Agent of a specific developer, shall comply with all requirements set forth in N.J.S.A. 52:27D-321.3 et seq. with regard to the affirmative marketing of affordable housing units.
G. The Municipality’s Administrative Agent shall develop, maintain and update a list of community contact person(s) and/or organizations(s) in Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties that will aid in the affirmative marketing program with particular emphasis on contacts that will reach out to groups that are least likely to apply for housing within the region.
H. The Municipality’s Administrative Agent shall develop, maintain and update a list of major employers in Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties that will aid in the affirmative marketing program.
I. A random selection method to select occupants of very low-, low- and moderate-income housing will be used by the municipality’s Administrative Agent, or the Administrative Agent of any specific developer, in conformance with N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.16(d). This Affirmative Marketing Plan provides a regional preference for very low-, low- and moderate-income households that live and/or work in Housing Region 4, which comprises Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties. Subordinate to the regional preference, this Affirmative Marketing Plan provides a preference for households that live and/or work in New Jersey. Pursuant to the New Jersey Fair Housing Act (C.52:27D-311), a preference for very low-, low- and moderate-income veterans duly qualified under N.J.A.C. 54:4-8.10 may also be exercised, provided an agreement to this effect has been executed between the developer or landlord and the Municipality prior to the affirmative marketing of the units.
J. All developers/owners of very low-, low- and moderate-income housing units shall be required to undertake and pay the costs of the marketing of the affordable units in their respective developments, subject to the direction and supervision of the municipality’s Administrative Agent, with the sole exception that the Municipality will undertake and pay the costs of the marketing of any restricted accessory apartments.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the appropriate municipal officials and professionals are authorized to take all actions required to implement the terms of this Resolution.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall take effect pursuant to law.