The Village Council amended its affordable housing ordinance and paved the way for future development on Valley Street this week when it adopted an additional ordinance amending the Village code to establish the “Valley Street Affordable Housing Overlay zone district.”
The Village Council cited its obligation to provide a “realistic opportunity for the creation of housing affordable to very low-, low-, and moderate income households pursuant to the New Jersey Fair Housing Act,” in adopting the ordinance establishing the overlay for 164-168 Valley Street between 3rd and 4th streets.
“This is the All Star Motors site that we’ve been working on with the residents there and with all of our advisory committees,” Mayor Sheena Collum said when describing the ordinance on Monday, March 9. “This will contribute to our Housing Element and Fair Share Plan.”
The Village Council also updated and amended its ordinance for its affordable housing plan and Fourth Round Obligations (2025-2035) ahead of the state’s March 15, 2026 deadline.
Last May, South Orange was the first municipality in the state to turn its plan, which exceeds the Village’s Fourth Round obligation of 163 units between 2025 and 2035.
Unlike a lot of municipalities in New Jersey, South Orange has enthusiastically committed to creating more affordable housing, working to exceed the state-mandated Fair Share Housing obligations, because, as Collum said when creating the plan, municipal leaders see it as “a moral obligation.”
“We’re going to achieve our goals because it’s the right thing to do,” Collum told the The Village Green last fall. “If we didn’t, what a bad look that would be for a community that prides itself on progressive values.”
The All Star Motors site now has the designation of the Valley Street affordable housing overlay zone district. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
The Planning Board has adopted the Village’s Fourth Round Housing Element and Fair Share Plan as part of the Village’s Master Plan, “identifying the strategies, mechanisms, and implementation measures by which the Village will address its Fourth Round affordable housing obligations,” the ordinance states.
The conceptual plan for the All Star Motors site is for a mixed-use multifamily project of 50 units, 10 of which would be considered affordable housing, as well an art gallery, an outdoor rooftop deck, and a suite to be used by Village first responders “for rest, relaxation and recovery.”
The ordinance provides for a maximum building height of four stories, with a maximum density of 60 units, all on upper floors, saving the first floor for a lobby, entrance, the art gallery and retail.
“Getting this done ahead of the March 15 deadline gives us the flexibility to continue with the proactive and thoughtful redevelopment planning for the Valley Street corridor that the Village has been conducting for some time now,” Board Planner Marc Lincer with Topology, told the Council when the ordinance was introduced in February.
