Dear Governor Murphy,
As a broad coalition of age-friendly and housing advocates, nonprofits, trade associations, urban planners and more, we write to request that you prioritize creating more housing options in our communities through Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
New Jersey is in a housing crisis. Our state has the 3rd highest housing burden in the nation, with 30% of homeowners paying a third or more of their income towards housing. Last year, average rent increased by 33% in New Jersey, 10% more than the national average. Those numbers only tell part of the story, though - time and time again, we hear from our partners and constituents about aging parents unable to afford to stay in the communities that they raised their families in, of young people unable to find places to rent in their hometowns, and of homeowners unable to repurpose existing spaces in and around their properties to best fit their needs.
ADUs are not a new idea. Also known as mother-in-law suites, granny flats, backyard apartments, or casitas, ADUs are smaller, independent living units that are either attached to or detached from a single-family home. They create new housing options within the context of existing neighborhoods and present an unobtrusive, homeowner-driven approach to increasing housing supply. ADUs can give homeowners a new source of income, create more housing options to help ease our overburdened rental market, and enable multigenerational living. Senior citizens and young adults especially stand to benefit from ADUs. They create more affordable housing units and allow seniors to age in place by giving elderly homeowners the ability to have a live-in caretaker or more income to pay expenses.
Across the country, states and municipalities are increasingly looking to ADUs as one tool in the toolbox to help boost naturally affordable housing, and the Biden administration has also been a vocal proponent of ADUs as part of its larger housing strategy. Eight states have laws that legalize and encourage ADUs, and they are already seeing clear benefits from this commonsense policy. The idea is gaining steam in New Jersey as well. There are bills in both houses of the legislature and several municipalities, including Jersey City, Maplewood, Montclair, Newark, Princeton, and South Orange, recently passed individual municipal ordinances.
As a Governor dedicated to making New Jersey more affordable for families, we hope that you will consider lending your support to the legalization of ADUs statewide.
Sincerely,
Organizations
AARP New Jersey
Housing & Community Development Network of New Jersey
The Grotta Fund for Older Adults
Montclair Gateway to Aging in Place
New Jersey Advocates for Aging Well
New Jersey American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disability
New Jersey Builders Association
New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association
New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness
New Jersey Future
Princeton Progressive Action Group
Princeton GROWS
Princeton Future
Princeton Home Connections
Regional Plan Association
Supportive Housing Association of New Jersey
Individuals
Dawne Belfon, Director of Social Services, Transitional Housing Services, Inc. dba People First!
Jean Ellis
Aileen Grossberg
Elizabeth Kaplan
Ann Lippel, President, Montclair Gateway to Aging in Place
Matt Mleczko, Princeton University Doctoral Candidate
Kent R. Pipes, President, The Salt and Light Company, Inc.
Carlos Rodrigues, PP / FAICP
Marina Rubina, Architect
Carol Schlein
Ira Smith, Design Principal, Smith Maran Architecture + Interiors
Harold Simon, former Executive Director of the National Housing Institute
Paul Sionas, Architect
Sonya T. Stackpole, Director of Property Management, Delta Real Estate and ALLY, Inc.
Julia Stoumbos
Sheldon Sturges
CC:
Senator Nicholas Scutari
Assemblyman Craig Coughlin
