RIVER VALE, N.J.—The Township Council on June 23 adopted an affordable housing plan that reduces its state-mandated obligation from 179 new units to just 10, citing a lack of available land. The plan, which runs through 2035, also outlines zoning strategies for up to 42 additional affordable units to help meet the township’s “unmet need.”
The Housing Element and Fair Share Plan (HEFSP), prepared by H2M Associates and approved by the Joint Planning Board on June 18, is based on a court-sanctioned Vacant Land Adjustment (VLA) that found the township has little developable land left for affordable housing. The 10-unit “realistic development potential” (RDP) replaces the previously assigned 179-unit “prospective need” calculated by the state.
The full plan is available at rivervalenj.org under the Planning Board’s Master Plan section.
A centerpiece of the plan is the recently approved 75-unit townhouse development at the former Forcellati Brothers Nursery, 691–693 Rivervale Road. Fifteen of those units will be deed-restricted affordable housing, helping to satisfy the township’s RDP.
The project resolves litigation filed by the developer and, according to Mayor Mark Bromberg, was the better alternative to a larger, court-imposed high-density project.
“Faced with the choice of a 95-unit development under state-imposed conditions, and the legal threat of litigation that could lead to high-rise residential construction beyond our control, the Township is now forced to include in our affordable housing plan, which must be passed by June 30, and ordered by the Court, the development of 75 housing units on the Forcellati property, 15 of which (20%) will be affordable units,” he told us.
A previous 52-townhouse plan for the site had been denied by the Zoning Board in 2024.
The township’s 10-unit RDP will be addressed through a combination of new development and special needs housing:
- Five credits from the Forcellati site
- Three credits from a four-bedroom special needs group home
- Two bonus credits (capped at 25% of the RDP) for special needs housing
The township also has a 49-unit rehabilitation obligation for existing substandard housing, which it will fulfill through affordable housing trust funds in partnership with the Bergen County Housing Authority and Triad Associates.
To meet its 42-unit unmet need, the plan identifies several additional credits:
- 10 credits from the remaining Forcellati affordable units
- 2 units from Collignon Estates
- 5 unused credits from senior units at the Jewish Home for the Aged
- 5 credits from group homes at 860 Westwood Avenue and 100 Scully Way
Altogether, the plan addresses a combined 52-unit obligation: 10 RDP units and 42 unmet need units.
This HEFSP brings River Vale into compliance with the Fourth Round of affordable housing obligations (2025–2035), replacing the prior plan, 2015–2025.