JACKSON – The Township Council approved three ordinances related to newly approved master plan recommendations which adds 1,000 residential units across 17 sites during the latest council meeting.
The three ordinances introduced earlier this month followed the adoption of a master plan and a new affordable housing plan by the Township Planning Board.
Every 10 years a municipality has to adopt a master plan. Planning Board Attorney Robert Shea said Jackson’s last adopted master plan was 16 years ago.
During public comment sessions, residents have brought up multiple issues, including seeking further details about affordable housing negotiations and efforts to reduce state-mandated units. Also discussed was the ongoing issue of illegal rentals and zoning and code enforcement of RLUIPA (Religious Land Use And Institutionalized Persons Act).
Council President Jennifer Kuhn previously explained that “the master plan team worked on this for 18 months” and that it included recreation improvement goals and smart development.
The ordinances, 2025-29, 2025-30 and 2025-31 amend regulations pertaining to the “RG3-Regional Growth Zone” and land use and development regulations that establish an inclusionary zone district providing affordable housing units to be developed that will be subject to certain conditions and requirements.
The ordinances include stipulations and conditions which call for sufficient parking within the developments, a requirement for 10% of a development to be open space and a requirement mandating that every development have multiple entrances in order for emergency apparatus to respond to those areas.
Sheldon Hofstein provided comment on the ordinances noting he wasn’t speaking as a member of the township’s Zoning Board but as a concerned citizen. “I am going to ask you not to vote on this ordinance today but to delay it to give the public time to learn how their lives will be permanently affected.”
He added that the timeline for passing these ordinances “happens to be March 15, 2026. There is plenty of time to discuss all of this.” He provided locations for areas of the township involving the first ordinance which included areas of Hope Chapel Road and Whitesville Road. “It runs from White Street to the Toms River border and consists of almost 361 lots, most of which are vacant though some have residential homes on there and most of the lots are owned by LLCs.”
Hofstein went on to say that the Affordable Housing plan only lists two lots “and these two lots alone will have 438 housing units.” He urged the council to allow residents to question the impact the change would have regarding water runoff, sewer, parking and infrastructure to those areas.
He also wanted to see Affordable Housing representatives, the town attorney for Affordable Housing plus the three Planning Board members who worked on the new plan to be invited to a council meeting where residents could ask questions about the ordinances.
Councilman Nino Borelli opposed all three ordinances during their introduction, citing the short three-day review period and concerns over spot zoning during the ordinances’ introduction. He also expressed concern about taxpayer burden, and changes to the town’s suburban character.
Borrelli said 1,000 housing units was still too high and “the town can’t handle at this time. It will be burdensome to taxpayers. That is on top of existing projects that have been approved in Jackson already. I have some reservations about it. I’m still going to exercise a no vote on these ordinances.”
Councilman Giuseppe Palmeri clarified the 1,000 housing units’ number had been voted on in December 2024 “with the previous council and unanimously approved. This is happening regardless. We are not voting against that today. This is just restrictions in the development of what the developers can and cannot do. These are some of the toughest restrictions I’ve seen within Ocean County. I vote yes.”
Councilman Ken Bressi, Council President Kuhn and Council Vice President Mordechai Burnstein also voted for the passage of the ordinances.
Burnstein previously noted the planning board had held multiple hearings “where residents had many opportunities to give their comments and thoughts. The affordable housing plan was signed by Mayor (Michael) Reina “after tough negotiations with the state. He got a lower number (over 350 units of required housing units) than Jackson has historically ever gotten.”
The township’s last Affordable Housing plan required 1,250 affordable units which at 20% of the market meant the township had to provide almost 6,000 housing units according to Hofstein.
“There should have been more open government on this,” Hofstein maintained when he went back up to the podium.
Resident Elenor Hannum warned there would “be major traffic in these areas. The bulk standards are ridiculous, a 9,000-foot lot, 100-foot depth of the actual lot which provides major high density again. These developers are not being forced to improve the infrastructure of these roadways that they are about to affect.” She added that the ordinances would result in creating spot zoning.
Robin La Bue, who serves as the affordable housing attorney for Jackson and was in the audience disagreed that spot zoning was occurring through the ordinances. She said the Planning Board adopted a master plan “recommended rezoning of various areas of the township and these are implementing ordinances that are consistent with the master plan so this is not spot zoning.”
