How much more taxes are residents willing to pay each month for more affordable housing? Survey asks.

Affordable housing proponents are more organized and now have a mayor who strongly supports raising the current mandated 20% affordable units for new development as well as rezoning some residential areas for multifamily housing. Some church leaders are supporting using church land solely affordable housing.  Town meetings are full of proponents speaking up who want to live here or help others live here who cannot otherwise afford to.

Its nice to be nice but how much more in taxes each month are residents willing to pay since they who are actually have to subsidize affordable housing units?  The town survey below will ask.

When residents pay less taxes or rent it does not mean they cost the town less. It means everyone else pays the difference.  Just as it works in rent control. Buildings assessments go down as rent incomes level off over the years and homeowners pay the difference in those taxes no longer paid by building owners. Our taxes already push most residents out of town when their children graduate from our schools. 

We all know housing all over the country has become very expensive and that national issue should be addressed.... but should Montclair tax payers carry an oversized burden because the town is more popular than neighboring towns? 

Lets consider basics.  Designated affordable housing sells or rents below market rates and is taxed accordingly so qualified applicants to can afford this housing.  Montclair  3 bedroom homes assessed between $600,000 and $900,000 typically pay between $15000 and $20000 in property taxes and have 2 children in schools. 

Town services such as police, fire, parks, utilities, roads, trash disposal cost about $5000 per year for any housing unit or single family home.   

AND...The State of New Jersey Department of Education calculated per pupil cost for public school year 2022-2023 to average $28,087 per pupil. See here at site https://www.nj.gov/education/guide/2024/ind.shtml.
Go to Total Spending Per Pupil 2022-2023 to Essex County to Montclair Township.  Consequently that school year, any apartment or home with only one school age child cost the town over $33,000 per year if that child does not need special services. For two school age children it cost over $61000. 

Below is one older but available example of the tax income from the town's planning site for affordable units...
http://www.savemontclair.org/uploads/7/5/7/8/75788479/screen_shot_2017-04-14_at_5.35.44_pm.png 

We hope our elected representatives keep in mind that their job is to represent current town residents. Montclair is popular because it has an exceptional stock of historic colonial and Victorian homes in parklike neighborhoods. These houses attract people with the incomes who can support a wide variety of services, businesses, restaurants and entertainment all residents and visitors enjoy.   Our higher income residents will be the first to flee Montclair if those parklike neighborhoods are rezoned to allow for buildings and more density.  "Senior only"  housing is the only housing which can lower taxes and/or support our schools since they don't use them.

Please forward this email to town residents. Refer to www.SaveMontclair.org for more history of development Montclair.  

Complete the town survey as an informed tax payer or renter ( property taxes in your rent) and not just because its nice to be nice....www.montclairnjusa.org/News-articles/News/Affordable-Housing-Opinion-Survey-2025