Parsippany Council, School Board At Odds Over Affordable Housing

PARSIPPANY, NJ - The Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education released a memo Monday which stokes the fear of proposed affordable housing units coming to the community and the Parsippany governing body was not having it.

"As early as 2018, the township has sought to work proactively with the Board of Education on the statewide issue of court-mandated affordable housing," officials said. "Unfortunately, instead of being met with a collaborative approach towards tackling this complex issue, the township was met with open hostility, including one member of the Board of Education’s team storming out of the initial December 11, 2018 meeting."

In the message released by the school board, they highlight a series of negative talking points surrounding the issue including:

• Tax Increases
• Need for Referendum
• Increased Class Sizes
• Facility upgrades Postponed
• Redistricting

"The Parsippany-Troy Hills Township School District is proud to be a diverse learning community. There is a difference, however, between being a robust, welcoming, and diverse community and permitting unfettered growth which does not account for the impact on our children. The proposed residential developments will have an adverse effect on the current taxpayers, students, staff members, and overall school district," the school board wrote. "There are many potential solutions that can and should be considered in order to mitigate these adverse effects while accommodating development and associated affordable housing which conforms to the Township’s new Master Plan."

The Board of Education said they welcome shared and proactive communication with the Township so that they may properly plan for additional enrollment in the schools without negatively impacting current taxpayers, residents and students.

But the governing body said that two years after their refusal to work with them, the school board releasing this statement calls into question their priorities and motivations amidst the ongoing pandemic.

"The Board’s top priority right now should be the top priority of every Parsippany family: providing clarity about the operations of the school district as COVID-19 continues to spread across the country," the council wrote. "Parsippany’s parents deserve better communication on this issue."

The council also noted that if the Board has found itself tied up by changing state health and education mandates, they should reflect on the township’s experience with changing state affordable housing mandates.

"The fact is that the administration has cut Parsippany’s affordable housing requirement by over 60 percent, from 2,412 to 845 units," the council said. "The State of New Jersey has undoubtedly failed in its implementation of affordable housing mandates, which have largely come down from unelected judges instead of elected legislators. This is the hand that every municipality in New Jersey has been dealt."

The council noted that despite those difficult circumstances, the township’s bipartisan governing body unanimously passed an affordable housing plan that:

• Reduces substantially the overall number of developments that will be permitted in Parsippany from its prior peak.
• Produces a unit mix that favors studio and one-bedroom units, significantly decreasing the number of new students in the school system.
• Protects our township’s open spaces from development.

"The three Democrats and three Republicans on the township’s governing body put politics aside to produce a plan that achieves the best possible results for Parsippany, while staying within the bounds of what the township and Board agree are deeply flawed affordable housing mandates," the council said. "We suggest the Board of Education do the same. The stakes for our community and our children are far too high for the Board to continue to put politics and grandstanding over dialogue and conversation."

Both parties are claiming the door is open for the other. Whether anyone walks through remains to be seen.

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