while inflation may be to blame for a lot of the high prices we're seeing but that's not the only factor in New Jersey's Rising rent costs the state is short hundreds of thousands of affordable housing units a problem some Advocates worry will get worse if new legislation to delay construction gets approved by lawmakers senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan has that story I think everyone should get to experience you know something like living here Leslie Vargas has lived in Millburn for 20 years she praises the upscale Suburban Town's plans to add another couple hundred affordable housing units here her family wasn't affluent and an immigrant too like it's it's great you know like it gives so much opportunity for parents for kids I think it's absolutely wonderful I think that Milburn should be more inclusive I think as long as the schools can accommodate everybody and there's a place for everybody then I I don't have a problem with it personally affordable housing's tough to find in New Jersey studies show a shortage of 225 000 units for low end very low-income folks and rent soared 20 to 40 percent since the pandemic started housing Advocate Stacey Berger calls it a crisis we routinely every day all the time are getting phone calls from families residents people with disabilities we have a desperate desperate need for affordable places for people to live like Millburn every town in New Jersey must comply with state-ordered affordable housing mandates with new goals negotiated every 10 years the fourth building cycle starts in July 2025 but Senator Anthony bukos introduced a bill to delay that next round until 2028. these units will be built it's just a matter of how much and when and right now towns are struggling towns are struggling all over the state with trying to meet these obligations and once they do then they need to be given an opportunity to be able to develop these units before they get thrown into a next round bucco says planning more affordable housing burdens towns with expenses they can ill afford following the pandemic he wants to pause the process and study where new development makes sense but New Jersey's fair share housing center opposes any delay what does that mean for families I mean it means three more years of struggling to find an apartment paying too much in rent living in in homes that have mice running around them and other substandard housing and so I mean it has a really very direct real impact but millburn's business administrator argues a delay would let towns assess how well the current Cycles actually working and how those changes are impacting municipalities from a whether it's an infrastructure standpoint a school standpoint whatever it may be that way talents can better prepare for what may be uh or may come in the next round Melbourne's final fair share hearing is April 19th in Essex County Court there is some opposition a change.org petition against a proposed low-income housing project on Main Street has gathered more than 2 000 signatures it claims the project will also obviously segregate its residents from the rest of the Milburn community on the basis of income and other factors no feasibility studies have been done regarding this Project's effect on infrastructure schools flooding and traffic but the town councils approve the fair share housing plan and more passing an ordinance that requires that all future development of five or more units includes a 20 set aside we need to open our doors and we need to finally let people in it's a wonderful town in Millburn I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight news