COURT HOUSE – In June, the Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC) filed litigation against Middle Township for failure to develop an approved Fair Share Housing Plan that addressed the municipality’s affordable housing obligations.
The dispute extends back to a temporary judgment by the Superior Court in 2019 that provided the municipality with immunity against certain affordable housing lawsuits in return for a promise by the municipality to develop its plan.
In its filing with the court, in June, the FSHC argued that Middle has made no substantial progress toward such a plan in over two years. They seek to void the temporary judgment the municipality obtained in 2019 and remove any form of immunity it has from lawsuits by affordable housing developers.
In July, the court-ordered mediation set a goal of late September for successful negotiation of a plan by FSHC and Middle Township. The court then extended the deadline to late November. Neither deadline saw a finished plan.
As of now, the parties are continuing to mediate under the supervision of a court-appointed special master, retired Judge Steven Perskie. Superior Court Judge John Porto has scheduled a conference on the negotiation for Jan. 21.
