[Ord. No. 2018-03, 10-29-2018]
a. The position of Municipal Housing Liaison for the Township of Greenwich
is hereby established. The Municipal Housing Liaison shall be appointed
by duly adopted resolution of the Township Committee and be subject
to the approval by the Superior Court.
b. The Municipal Housing Liaison must be either a full-time or part-time
employee of the Township of Greenwich.
c. The Municipal Housing Liaison must meet the requirements for qualifications,
including initial and periodic training, found in N.J.A.C. 5:93.
d. The Municipal Housing Liaison shall be responsible for oversight
and administration of the affordable housing program for the Township
of Greenwich, including the following responsibilities, which may
not be contracted out to the administrative agent:
1. Serving as the municipality's primary point of contact for all inquiries
from the state, affordable housing providers, administrative agents
and interested households;
2. The implementation of the affirmative marketing plan and affordability
controls;
3. When applicable, supervising any contracting administrative agent;
4. Monitoring the status of all restricted units in the Township of
Greenwich's Fair Share Plan;
5. Compiling, verifying and submitting annual reports as required by
the Superior Court;
6. Coordinating meetings with affordable housing providers and administrative
agents, as applicable; and
7. Attending continuing education opportunities on affordability controls,
compliance monitoring and affirmative marketing as offered or approved
by the Superior Court.
[Ord. No. 2018-03, 10-29-2018]
a. The Township shall designate by resolution of the Township Committee,
subject to the approval of the Superior Court, one or more administrative
agents to administer newly constructed affordable units in accordance
with N.J.A.C. 5:93 and UHAC.
b. An operating manual shall be provided by the administrative agent(s)
to be adopted by resolution of the governing body and subject to approval
of the Superior Court. The operating manuals shall be available for
public inspection in the office of the Municipal Clerk and in the
office(s) of the administrative agent(s).
c. The administrative agent shall perform the duties and responsibilities
of an administrative agent as are set forth in UHAC and which are
described in full detail in the operating manual, including those
set forth in N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.14, 5:80-26.16 and 5:80-26.18 thereof,
which includes:
1. Attending continuing education opportunities on affordability controls,
compliance monitoring, and affirmative marketing as offered or approved
by the Superior Court;
7. Processing requests from unit owners; and
8. Enforcement, although the ultimate responsibility for retaining controls
on the units rests with the municipality.
d. The administrative agent shall, as delegated by the Township Committee,
have the authority to take all actions necessary and appropriate to
carry out its responsibilities hereunder.
[Ord. No. 2018-03, 10-29-2018]
a. Upon the occurrence of a breach of any of the regulations governing
the affordable unit by an owner, developer or tenant, the municipality
shall have all remedies provided at law or equity, including but not
limited to foreclosure, tenant eviction, municipal fines, a requirement
for household recertification, acceleration of all sums due under
a mortgage, recoupment of any funds from a sale in the violation of
the regulations, injunctive relief to prevent further violation of
the regulations, entry on the premises, and specific performance.
b. After providing written notice of a violation to an owner, developer
or tenant of a low- or moderate-income unit and advising the owner,
developer or tenant of the penalties for such violations, the municipality
may take the following action against the owner, developer or tenant
for any violation that remains uncured for a period of 60 days after
service of the written notice:
1. The municipality may file a court action pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2A:58-11
alleging a violation, or violations, of the regulations governing
the affordable housing unit. If the owner, developer or tenant is
found by the court to have violated any provision of the regulations
governing affordable housing units, the owner, developer or tenant
shall be subject to one or more of the following penalties, at the
discretion of the court:
(a)
A fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for a period not
to exceed 90 days, or both. Each and every day that the violation
continues or exists shall be considered a separate and specific violation
of these provisions and not as a continuing offense;
(b)
In the case of an owner who has rented his or her low- or moderate-income
unit in violation of the regulations governing affordable housing
units, payment into the Township of Greenwich affordable housing trust
fund of the gross amount of rent illegally collected;
(c)
In the case of an owner who has rented his or her low- or moderate-income
unit in violation of the regulations governing affordable housing
units, payment of an innocent tenant's reasonable relocation costs,
as determined by the court.
2. The municipality may file a court action in the Superior Court seeking
a judgment, which would result in the termination of the owner's equity
or other interest in the unit, in the nature of a mortgage foreclosure.
Any judgment shall be enforceable as if the same were a judgment of
default of the first purchase money mortgage and shall constitute
a lien against the low- and moderate-income unit.
c. Such judgment shall be enforceable, at the option of the municipality,
by means of an execution sale by the Sheriff, at which time the low-
and moderate-income unit of the violating owner shall be sold at a
sale price which is not less than the amount necessary to fully satisfy
and pay off any first purchase money mortgage and prior liens and
the costs of the enforcement proceedings incurred by the municipality,
including attorney's fees. The violating owner shall have the right
to possession terminated as well as the title conveyed pursuant to
the Sheriff's sale.
d. The proceeds of the Sheriff's sale shall first be applied to satisfy
the first purchase money mortgage lien and any prior liens upon the
low- and moderate-income unit. The excess, if any, shall be applied
to reimburse the municipality for any and all costs and expenses incurred
in connection with either the court action resulting in the judgment
of violation or the Sheriff's sale. In the event that the proceeds
from the Sheriff's sale are insufficient to reimburse the municipality
in full as aforesaid, the violating owner shall be personally responsible
for and to the extent of such deficiency, in addition to any and all
costs incurred by the municipality in connection with collecting such
deficiency. In the event that a surplus remains after satisfying all
of the above, such surplus, if any, shall be placed in escrow by the
municipality for the owner and shall be held in such escrow for a
maximum period of two years or until such earlier time as the owner
shall make a claim with the municipality for such. Failure of the
owner to claim such balance within the two-year period shall automatically
result in a forfeiture of such balance to the municipality. Any interest
accrued or earned on such balance while being held in escrow shall
belong to and shall be paid to the municipality, whether such balance
shall be paid to the owner or forfeited to the municipality.
e. Foreclosure by the municipality due to violation of the regulations
governing affordable housing units shall not extinguish the restrictions
of the regulations governing affordable housing units as the same
apply to the low- and moderate-income unit. Title shall be conveyed
to the purchaser at the Sheriff's sale, subject to the restrictions
and provisions of the regulations governing the affordable housing
unit. The owner determined to be in violation of the provisions of
this plan and from whom title and possession were taken by means of
the Sheriff's sale shall not be entitled to any right of redemption.
f. If there are no bidders at the Sheriff's sale, or if insufficient
amounts are bid to satisfy the first purchase money mortgage and any
prior liens, the municipality may acquire title to the low- and moderate-income
unit by satisfying the first purchase money mortgage and any prior
liens and crediting the violating owner with an amount equal to the
difference between the first purchase money mortgage and any prior
liens and costs of the enforcement proceedings, including legal fees
and the maximum resale price for which the low- and moderate-income
unit could have been sold under the terms of the regulations governing
affordable housing units. This excess shall be treated in the same
manner as the excess which would have been realized from an actual
sale as previously described.
g. Failure of the low- and moderate-income unit to be either sold at
the Sheriff's sale or acquired by the municipality shall obligate
the owner to accept an offer to purchase from any qualified purchaser
which may be referred to the owner by the municipality, with such
offer to purchase being equal to the maximum resale price of the low-
and moderate-income unit as permitted by the regulations governing
affordable housing units.
h. The owner shall remain fully obligated, responsible and liable for
complying with the terms and restrictions of governing affordable
housing units until such time as title is conveyed from the owner.
[Ord. No. 2018-03, 10-29-2018]
Appeals from all decisions of an administrative agent designated
pursuant to this chapter shall be filed in writing with the Township.