New hope for affordable housing

We've leaned on Gov. Corzine and Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, D-Camden, pretty hard for their failure to convert their words expressing opposition to Regional Contribution Agreements into action. Well, it looks like they may be following through.
The Assembly Democrats today unveiled a 12-point affordable housing plan that includes eliminating RCAs, which allow wealthier communities that don't want to build affordable housing to satisfy their obligations by making cash payments to other towns - typically cities - that are used to build or rehabilitate affordable housing there. The practice has helped contribute to racial and economic segregation in the state, which in turn has helped make New Jersey's schools among the most segregated in the nation.
The plan includes a number of other excellent recommendations, including a mandate that towns give density bonuses to developers who provide affordable housing in their projects, and a 20 percent set-aside for affordable housing in all state-assisted development projects, including those in Smart Growth areas and transit villages. It also recommends directing all state agencies with land-use authority, including the Pinelands Commission, to require mixed-income housing in their master plans.