NJ A3842

Municipalities would receive preservation bonus credits against their affordable housing obligations if their boundaries contain or sustain designated environmental, historical, or cultural resources and they enact regulations to protect those resources.

The Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection, would develop formulas to calculate bonus credits for eight resource categories: critical headwaters/drinking water, other water resources, land conservation, wildlife/habitat, climate resilience, historical/cultural sites, community engagement/education programs, and sustainable building practices.

Credit formulas would evaluate factors including ecological importance, habitat diversity, biodiversity, rarity or uniqueness, and societal, cultural, recreational, educational, and aesthetic value of each resource.

Preservation bonus credits count toward the existing 25 percent cap on bonus credits that can be applied to a municipality's prospective need affordable housing obligation in the fourth round and subsequent rounds.

Sponsored by Assemblywoman Aura K. Dunn (District 25, Morris and Passaic) and pre-filed for introduction in the 2026 legislative session.