Permits municipalities to establish affordable housing preference for first responders.

S 864 (New Jersey Senate Bill) allows municipalities to create a preference for first responders (firefighters, police, EMTs) in affordable housing projects. Specifically, it permits municipalities to reserve up to 50% of affordable units in a development for qualifying first responders who apply within the first 90 days of marketing. After this period, remaining units are available to the general public, and qualified first responders join a special waiting list for future vacancies. The bill amends existing housing law to add this preference option without changing how municipalities count these units toward their affordable housing requirements. This directly affects eligible first responders seeking affordable housing in participating municipalities.