“Affirmative marketing” means a regional marketing strategy designed to attract buyers and/or renters of affordable units pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.16.

“Affirmative Marketing Plan” means the municipally adopted plan of strategies from which the administrative agent will choose to implement as part of the Affirmative Marketing requirements.

“Affirmative Marketing Process” or “Program” means the actual undertaking of Affirmative Marketing activities in furtherance of each project with very low- low- and moderate-income units.

“Affordability assistance” means the use of funds to render housing units more affordable to low- and moderate-income households and includes, but is not limited to, down payment assistance, security deposit assistance, low interest loans, rental assistance, assistance with homeowner’s association or condominium fees and special assessments, common maintenance expenses, and assistance with emergency repairs and rehabilitation to bring deed-restricted units up to code, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:99-2.5.

“Affordability average” means an average of the percentage of regional median income at which restricted units in an affordable development are affordable to low- and moderate-income households.

“Affordable” means, in the case of an ownership unit, that the sales price for the unit conforms to the standards set forth at N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.7 and, in the case of a rental unit, that the rent for the unit conforms to the standards set forth at N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.13.

“Affordable housing development” means a development included in a municipality’s housing element and fair share plan, and includes, but is not limited to, an inclusionary development, a municipally sponsored affordable housing project, or a 100 percent affordable development. This includes developments with affordable units on-site, off-site, or provided as a payment in-lieu of construction only if such a payment-in-lieu option has been previously approved by the Program or Superior Court as part of the HEFSP. Payments in lieu of construction were invalidated per P.L. 2024, c.2.

“Affordable Housing Dispute Resolution Program” or “the Program” refers to the dispute resolution program established pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:27D-313.2.

“Affordable Housing Monitoring System” or “AHMS” means the Department’s cloud-based software application, which shall be the central repository for municipalities to use for reporting detailed information regarding affordable housing developments, affordable housing unit completions, and the collection and expenditures of funds deposited into the municipal affordable housing trust fund.

“Affordable Housing Trust Fund” or “AHTF” means that non-lapsing, revolving trust fund established in DCA pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:27D-320 and N.J.A.C. 5:43 to be the repository of all State funds appropriated for affordable housing purposes. All references to the “Neighborhood Preservation Nonlapsing Revolving Fund” and “Balanced Housing” mean the AHTF.