Background

What’s all the buzz about Holy Family School?

In 2015, a developer approached township officials about the potential construction of a 150 unit apartment complex on the site of the closed Holy Family School. Sue Kiley, in her capacity as a member of the Township Committee, met privately with the developer over the course of several months. In November of that year, the developer filed a “builder’s remedy” lawsuit against the town and upped the number of units to 280.

Developers can bring a builder’s remedy lawsuit when a municipality fails to fill its quota of affordable housing units. The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court, alleges that Hazlet did just that in violation of New Jersey’s Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) guidelines.

In 2016, the developer was joined in the lawsuit by Holy Family Church. Starting in 2015, Sue Kiley was present at many meetings (no minutes exist to show us what was discussed). Of the five members of the Township Committee, she was the most involved in negotiations and subsequent litigation. On October 3, 2017, Mrs. Kiley announced she had taken a job with the Diocese of Trenton. Now having a clear conflict of interest, she recused herself from further involvement in the suit. The case is ongoing.