Housing Policy in the 2025 NJ Gubernatorial Race

Baraka

• Incentivize inclusionary zoning changes and create statewide zoning floors or allowances
• Establish inter-industry task force for affordable housing development
• Offer communities expert assistance in creating development plans
• Promote housing development near transit hubs

Barbera

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Bramnick

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Ciattarelli

• Concentrate development in urban areas and around transit options and job opportunities
• Increase provision of urban renewal grants
• Acquire and demolishing distressed properties for redevelopment, using eminent domain if necessary
• Redevelop distressed office or retail into mixed use

Fulop

• Fast track development around transit and require 20% affordable setasides for land transferred from NJTRANSIT
• Award funds to municipalities that choose to adopt ADU policies
• Convert obsolete commercial spaces into mixed-use developments, especially through creation of designated “Areas in Need of Redevelopment”

Gottheimer

• Increase density around mass transit
• Redevelop obsolete office parks
• Incentivize smaller lot sizes at municipal level
• Repurpose state and municipal land for housing
• Accelerate zoning reform, noting strain of carrying costs on smaller developers

Kranjac

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sherrill

• Redevelop obsolete commercial and industrial properties into mixed-use and transit-oriented housing
• Aid municipalities to implement zoning reform for lower-cost housing options

Spadea

• End high-density development in suburban and rural areas
• Redirect affordable development to cities
• Redevelop vacant properties

Spiller

• Promote higher proportions of affordable units in developments instead of relying on inclusionary projects that overdevelop communities

Sweeney

• Promote denser development
• Demolish abandoned properties
• Create Housing Incentive Zones, leveraging state or municipal funds to prioritize development in these areas

Baraka

• Create a two to one First Loss Capital Fund for Affordable Housing held in the NJ Public Bank
• Expand realty transfer fee, impose progressive rates, increasing AHTF funding

Barbera

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Bramnick

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Ciattarelli

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Fulop

• Streamline & expedite EDA incentive programs, restructuring as a hybrid tax credit and cash subsidy model
• Restructure EDA programs so incentives are driven by census tract
• Expand Aspire credit eligibility to entities besides corporate business taxpayers to increase trading pool
• Encourage greater proportion of larger mixed-income developments among LIHTC awardees as compared to smaller 100%-affordable developments
• Expand once-annual LIHTC application to bi-annual timeline
  Change LIHTC tie-breaker to prioritize low-income units, diversity, integration, and sustainability
• Ensure AHTF is dedicated to initiatives supporting <80% AMI households, especially those below 50% AMI
• Double funding for NRTC program

Gottheimer

• Expand and modernize LIHTC program: promoting mixed income developments and floating tax-exempt bonds only on low-income portion of mixed developments
• Create state-run development finance program, leveraging private capital for below-market interest rate gap financing with government holding majority ownership (based on Montgomery County, MD program)

Kranjac

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sherrill

• Increase access to loans and tax credits
• Oppose diversions from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund

Spadea

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spiller

• Fully use the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) to build affordable, workforce, and senior housing

Sweeney

• Unlock reserves of local housing trust funds
• Allow more tax credits for building housing units

Baraka

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Barbera

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Bramnick

• Overturn housing obligation legislation and return to regional affordable housing goals

Ciattarelli

• Reintroduce Regional Contribution Agreements and encourage siting affordable projects in urban areas
• If necessary, amend the constitutional process for determining housing development

Fulop

• Reclaim administrative process with the proper staff resources to review plans and enforce compliance
• Publicize data on Fair Share compliance by municipality
• Tie state aid to obligation fulfillment and limit access to state money for municipalities not meeting Fair Share requirements
• Impose obligations on urban municipalities

Gottheimer

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Kranjac

• End high density housing mandates & recover damages for targeted communities

Sherrill

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spadea

• End Mount Laurel obligations

Spiller

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sweeney

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Baraka

• Cap rent increases statewide to cost-of-living adjustments for two years
• Raise eviction filing fee
• Expand right to counsel in eviction proceedings

Barbera

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Bramnick

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Ciattarelli

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Fulop

• Re-establish Office of the Public Advocate to support tenants with code violations and informing them of their rights
• Enact clear guidelines governing rent increases
• Enact statewide Right to Counsel and support municipalities to provide counsel

Gottheimer

• Issue annual tax rebates of $500 to renters

Kranjac

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sherrill

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spadea

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spiller

• Establish statewide benchmarks for rent increases
• Invest in foreclosure and eviction prevention programs

Sweeney

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Baraka

• Create opportunities for workforce housing (up to 120% AMI)
• Create program for preventing foreclosures via tax relief
• Invest in Community Wealth Preservation Program
• Create more land banks and land trusts
• Regulate investment firms speculating with housing
• Impose fee on for-profit luxury developments that can be forgiven if landlord sets aside affordable units or limits rent increases

Barbera

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Bramnick

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Ciattarelli

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Fulop

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Gottheimer

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Kranjac

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sherrill

• Regulate investors, negligent landlords, and predatory lenders: prevent price fixing, neglect, and speculation

Spadea

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spiller

• Work with banks and municipalities to move foreclosed and abandoned properties back on the market
• Limit corporate property acquisition that results in rising rents and house prices

Sweeney

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Baraka

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Barbera

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Bramnick

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Ciattarelli

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Fulop

• Mandate that affordable unit quality matches market-rate unit quality
• Rework UHAC percentages to account for social service support within the same cost construct for development
• Extend affordability controls (deed restrictions) to perpetuity

Gottheimer

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Kranjac

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sherrill

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spadea

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spiller

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sweeney

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Baraka

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Barbera

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Bramnick

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Ciattarelli

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Fulop

• Financially support municipalities meeting housing obligations to create infrastructure for growth (schools, etc.)

Gottheimer

• Maximize federal tax subsidies for infrastructure

Kranjac

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sherrill

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spadea

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spiller

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sweeney

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Baraka

• Allow municipalities to be creative in subsidizing affordable homeownership
• Leverage AHTF for first time or generation homebuyers and others addressing the racial wealth gap

Barbera

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Bramnick

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Ciattarelli

• Cap property taxes to 1% of assessed value for first time homebuyers’ first five years

Fulop

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Gottheimer

• Find new, innovative models of homeownership and financing to help younger families and seniors

Kranjac

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sherrill

• Expand first time homebuyer program

Spadea

• Promote job security as solution for affording a first home

Spiller

• Focus state homeowner assistance programs on communities of color

Sweeney

• Increase down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers to $25,000 and optimize process

Baraka

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Barbera

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Bramnick

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Ciattarelli

• Mandate shorter permit review periods at state and local level (90 day limit for variance free before approval is automatic)
• Establishing council to review development-related regulations for cost and timeframe impacts
• Pre-approved permits for state-acquired formerly distressed land
• Expedite approval for developments meeting high job creation and investment thresholds
• Reform development regulation and administration so decisions lie with one level of government (local, county, or state)

Fulop

• Mandate strong coordination among all state agencies to streamline approvals
• Mandate that agencies give applicants response deadlines which, if not followed, would result in application fee refund
• Expedite DEP permits for affordable housing
• Consider permitting construction to commence prior to awards of LIHTCs

Gottheimer

• De-bureaucratize approval process
• Improve coordination between local and state agencies in approval process
• Impose deadline and provide funding to bring municipalities into compliance with streamlined construction permitting process
• Require “one-shot” collaborative processes for development reviews and impose 60-day deadline for responding to requests (similar to Texas “shot clock” system)
• Develop and provide standard pre-approved designs for housing that is more affordable

Kranjac

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sherrill

• Expedite permitting process, reduce redundancies
• Promote coordination across state agencies
• Offer technical assistance support to municipal zoning and engineering departments in approval process
• Aligning and coordinating local, state, and federal approval processes

Spadea

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spiller

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sweeney

• Eliminate barriers to development & red tape
• Expediting permitting, i.e. “Fast Tracking”

Baraka

• Reform mansion tax with second bracket of 2% on sales over $3 million

Barbera

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Bramnick

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Ciattarelli

• Repeal mansion tax
• Eliminating taxes on gains from sale of home never used for commercial purposes

Fulop

• Reform and standardize long-term tax abatement policies, procedures, and standards to reduce bureaucracy
• Develop preferred provider list for municipal services to lower costs
• Transition to point-of-sale property revaluation

Gottheimer

• Cut property taxes by 15%
• Promote shared services among municipalities for cost savings
• Make NJ property tax neutral by leveling initial property tax rates to the rate new residents paid in their previous state, increasing the rate incrementally to match NJ property tax rate over five years

Kranjac

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sherrill

• Increase ratables through increased development
• Encourage shared services among municipalities

Spadea

• Reduce property taxes by reducing school spending
• Increasing PILOT and tax incentives for developers
• Create economic opportunity zones with 5-year corporate business tax exemptions to make housing more affordable

Spiller

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sweeney

• Ease property taxes via shared services and school district consolidation
• Maintain senior property tax credits after moves in-state or downsizing to apartment

Baraka

• Create procurement equity officer to oversee equity goals in state contracting
• Use performance indicators to ensure state resources are distributed equitably

Barbera

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Bramnick

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Ciattarelli

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Fulop

• Restructure LIHTC criteria requiring past development experience

Gottheimer

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Kranjac

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sherrill

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spadea

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Spiller

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

Sweeney

This candidate does not cover this policy area.

General Sources For All Candidates

• Where Do the Candidates for New Jersey Governor Stand on the Issues? – The New York Times
• NJ primary 2025: Candidates for governor on housing issues – NJ Spotlight News
• Where do the Gubernatorial Candidates Stand on housing? – NJ Builders Association

• Housing Policy Document
• Economic Policy Document

No website or policy platform found

• Campaign Website Issues Page

• Housing Policy Document

• Housing Policy Document
• Affordability Initiatives Document

• Housing Policy Document
• Tax Plan Document

• Campaign Website Issues Page

• Affordability Agenda Document

• Campaign Website Issues Page

• Housing Policy Document
• Tax Policy Document