During a Thursday event in South Orange, Jersey City Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steven Fulop laid out his plan to try to solve the state’s housing crisis.

The policy presentation and discussion come on the heels of last month’s rollout of his transportation and infrastructure plan. It is the second part of Fulop’s proposed #FixNJ agenda, which the candidate says builds on his commitment to run the most substantive, policy-oriented campaign in state history.

Fulop was joined Oct. 12 by South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum and Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer, D-16th District — two key members of his campaign policy team with extensive experience in housing policy.

“No other issue affects people more right now in New Jersey than housing affordability,” said Fulop. “As governor, I will make solving New Jersey’s housing crisis my top priority by doubling the current rate of affordable housing production, modernizing the state’s affordable housing system, reforming the tax credit programs and much more.”

In his presentation, Fulop noted that that lack of inventory and other obstacles prevent prospective minority homeowners and young people from building wealth through homeownership, challenge the middle class to live beyond their means, keeps renters from accessing available apartments, and hinders economic development by limiting the available local workforce for potential employers.

He also touted his administration’s efforts in the space during his tenure as Jersey City’s mayor – saying that as a governor, he would use that experience and understanding of housing policy to fight for New Jersey families.

“The goal is to make life affordable for families who want to build their futures in New Jersey,” the plan states. “Since housing is a major cost driver, the solution is to provide more housing opportunities for all New Jersey residents, and, in particular, the most vulnerable.”

Some other toplines from the plan include:

• Meeting and exceeding the obligations of New Jersey’s Fair Housing Act;
• Taking the lead in coordinating a regional approach to mixed-income housing around mass transit;
• Reforming the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls (UHAC);
• Reforming long-term tax abatement policy;
• Reworking the New Jersey Economic Development Authority incentive program;
• Incentivizing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC);
• Re-establishing the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA);
• Ensuring dedicated funding for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) to develop housing for residents at or below 80% Area Median Income (AMI);
• Working to cut red tape and improving response times at the state and local levels;
• Repurposing stranded assets; and much more.

“Every New Jersey family deserves to be able to live securely knowing that their most basic needs like housing are within reach, and I believe that it is our state government’s moral responsibility to make that happen,” said Fulop.