The Hoboken Girl Team 
A decade-long lawsuit between a housing advocacy group and the owners of four Hoboken apartment buildings has been resolved. The lawsuit alleged that the developers did not comply with Hoboken’s Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance, requiring 10% of a residential building’s units to be designated as affordable housing. A total of 56 units will now be set aside as affordable housing units across three Hoboken apartment buildings. Read on for more about the latest update in this lawsuit in Hoboken, New Jersey.
About the Lawsuit
The nonprofit housing advocacy group Fair Share Housing Center originally brought lawsuits against four Hoboken developers in 2012. Per the City’s Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance, 10% of the building’s units should have been designated as affordable housing. Fair Share alleged in its suits that these four buildings were not in compliance with the City’s regulations and had not designated any apartments as affordable housing. The four Hoboken buildings involved in these lawsuits were The Harlow (1330 Willow Avenue), The Artisan on Clinton (1408 Clinton Street), Park + Garden (1450 Garden Street), and Vine (900 Monroe Street).
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In 2024, the developer behind The Harlow reached a settlement with the City. In 2025, the three remaining buildings, The Artisan on Clinton, Park + Garden, and Vine, were ordered by a Hudson County judge to hold off on leasing any market-rate apartments until a set number of affordable housing units were designated in each building. These units will also be designated as affordable units for 40 years.
Each of the properties must demonstrate to the court that they have set aside the affordable units before leasing the market-rate units, effective September 1st, 2025. In total, there are 56 units spanning from studio to three-bedroom floor plans.
What Experts Say
While the legal team for the developers has promised to appeal the ruling, advocates for affordable housing are calling it a victory.
Josh Bauers, attorney for Fair Share Housing, shared the following statement. “Hoboken is one of the most expensive places to live in New Jersey. Adding affordable homes here is life-changing for families who want to stay rooted in their community. This ruling sends a clear message: developers must follow the law. For more than a decade, these developers tried to avoid providing the affordable homes required by Hoboken’s regulations. This ruling is a significant step toward ensuring that everyone — not just the wealthy — can afford to call Hoboken home.”
The Hoboken Girl has reached out to Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and Hoboken City Council members for their thoughts on the topic. The responses received as of this writing are included below, and we will update this piece as we get more responses.
“I welcome and support the recent court ruling, which affirms that developers must comply with Hoboken’s 10% inclusionary affordable housing requirement,” said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. “This is a victory for housing equity and for residents who have long called for more affordable options in our community. We must hold irresponsible developers accountable, and I thank Fair Share Housing for being such staunch watchdogs. I also want to thank the developers who are already working in good faith on settlements with the City to provide the required affordable housing.”
Paul Presinzano, 1st Ward Councilman: “Laws are made to be followed. Affordable housing requirements must be met. It’s that simple.”
Tiffanie Fisher, 2nd Ward Councilwoman: “Yet another ruling in Hoboken’s favor — when will these unnecessary delays end? They’ve cost taxpayers millions and kept families from the affordable housing they were promised.”
Ruben Ramos, 4th Ward Councilman: “With rents and housing prices continuing to rise, the middle class is being hollowed out in Hoboken, and the only way to stop that is to provide more affordable housing. This legal battle has gone on for over ten years, and enough is enough — it’s time for the developers to respect Hoboken’s inclusionary zoning ordinance and provide these affordable housing units now, with no more delays or legal games. I want to thank Fair Share Housing Center for their tremendous work in winning this case and our local housing advocates led by Cheryl Fallick and the Hoboken Fair Housing Association for staying on top of this case and always fighting to make Hoboken more affordable for middle- and lower-income residents.”
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Emily Jabbour, Councilwoman-at-Large: “This is great news for Hoboken residents: after a decade-long legal battle, a judge has ruled that several luxury buildings are in violation of Hoboken’s affordable housing ordinance that requires a 10% set aside for low- and medium-income people. Further, Judge Turula ruled that these building owners cannot rent any new market-rate units until they add a set number of affordable ones. As Mayor, I will continue my fight to keep Hoboken affordable.”
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