Gov. Sherrill Outlines Ambitious Housing Agenda in Major Address and New Report
By Insider NJ |
September 29, 2026, 1:32 pm | in
Edward Edwards
Today, Governor Mikie Sherrill outlined her administration’s housing agenda in a major address at the Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development, announcing plans to accelerate housing production, expand access to housing opportunities, and make it easier for New Jersey families to find and keep homes they can afford.
Through Executive Order No. 17, Gov. Sherrill has brought state agencies together to form the Housing Governing Council, tasked with identifying ways to speed housing development, coordinating public resources, and expanding access to housing.
According to the Housing Strategy & Progress Report published today by the Housing Governing Council as part of the launch of the Council’s website, New Jersey would need to build between 350,500 and 406,500 new homes over the next 10 years to close the housing supply gap, accommodate new households, and support the state’s economic growth.
Gov. Sherrill emphasized the need to accelerate home construction in New Jersey, particularly near transit and through the redevelopment of vacant and under-utilized properties. Drawing on the legacy of the New Deal and Great Society programs that helped make homeownership attainable for millions of working families, she called for doubling housing production on state-owned land, increasing state investment in affordable and workforce housing, and streamlining permitting.
Gov. Sherrill’s agenda builds on New Jersey’s longstanding Mount Laurel framework, which requires every municipality to create its fair share of affordable housing. The landmark 2024 affordable housing law, A4/S50, strengthened that framework and successfully established a streamlined process for municipalities across the state to plan for new affordable homes.
“We’re encouraged by Governor Sherrill’s focus on addressing New Jersey’s housing needs and building on the state’s recent progress,” said Adam Gordon, executive director of Fair Share Housing Center. “New Jersey’s Mount Laurel framework provides a strong foundation for expanding housing opportunities in every community. Sustaining that progress means pairing efforts to build more homes with the investments and policies that make housing affordable and help residents stay in the communities they call home.”
The administration’s housing agenda is organized around five pillars:
· Pillar 1: Deliver more homes where New Jerseyans want to live, work, and stay, by accelerating development near transit, transforming struggling office buildings and strip malls into vibrant communities, revitalizing New Jersey’s historic main streets, building the affordable homes New Jersey needs across the state, and protecting the open spaces and environment that make New Jersey the Garden State.
· Pillar 2: Increase New Jersey’s speed to shovel by accelerating New Jersey’s state and local permitting and approval timelines, simplifying affordable housing finance application processes, streamlining housing regulations, and making it easier to navigate public sector tools and processes.
· Pillar 3: Partner with municipalities to build and preserve housing by providing incentives, shared services, and practical tools to help municipalities unlock housing opportunities, modernize and accelerate permitting and approval processes, meet their affordable housing responsibilities, and build the rental and for-sale housing their communities need.
· Pillar 4: Expand access to housing opportunities for New Jersey families by investing in programs to increase access to homeownership, working to close the racial wealth gap, preventing the loss of existing affordable housing, and making the process of finding and applying for affordable housing faster, easier, and more equitable.
· Pillar 5: Lower costs, fight unfair housing practices, and keep New Jerseyans housed by taking on junk fees and high costs, cracking down on predatory activity and unfair pricing, challenging federal program cuts, preventing displacement and homelessness before it occurs, and quickly and safely housing unhoused New Jerseyans.
Fair Share Housing Center will continue working with the administration, the legislature, municipalities, housing providers, and community partners to increase housing production, strengthen affordability, and expand housing opportunities throughout New Jersey. That includes protecting and expanding the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and other key funding streams, as well as updating outdated zoning laws that constrain housing production.
“The Governor’s announcement provides a much-needed, whole-of-government approach to addressing New Jersey’s housing crisis,” Gordon said. “We look forward to working with Governor Sherrill and her administration to turn that vision into lasting results: sustained investment in affordable housing, expanded access to housing opportunities, and stronger protections for renters and homeowners facing rising costs.”
