In our spotlight on Business Report tonight.

Housing is one of the greatest needs for residents in New Jersey and yet one of the hardest to figure out.

State lawmakers and the courts have battled it out to determine when and where to build affordable housing.

The Department of Community Affairs has now been tasked with determining each town's fair share for affordable units and just released its numbers on Friday.

Some towns call it shocking and they're suing the state.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan got reactions from all sides of this hot button issue.

Folks searching for an affordable place to live in New Jersey can tell you generally it's slim pickings, but the state just put a number on it.

New Jersey needs more than 146,000 units of affordable housing within the next decade.

That's according to new state calculations that are so controversial they already face a court challenge.

But advocates have long cited the critical lack of reasonably priced units.

We're happy that at least the first step is done and we can all sort of begin, you know, reviewing, reviewing the numbers.

And then we expect that the towns are all going to do the same.

Advocate Josh Bauer welcomed the latest affordable housing calculations released by New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs.

DCA figure The state right now needs more than 65,000 affordable units for current residents.

And over the next ten years should provide almost 81,000 more.

Total 146,000.

And it set specific goals for each town.

But 24 municipalities have joined up to sue the state.

Calling New Jersey's affordable housing obligations unconstitutional.

Well, I think, first of all, these towns were they filed this lawsuit before these numbers came out.

So they were already trying to delay the process.

And that's what that's what they said they were going to do, is they just wanted to delay the process because they don't want to do it.

DCA calculations follow a new law Governor Murphy signed in March that abolished New Jersey's old Council on Affordable Housing.

They use streamlined formulas reached after decades of litigation to figure each town's fair share.

It offers extra credits for building group homes for vets, seniors and the developmentally disabled.

Montvale mayor says he expected a much lower obligation.

Maybe 150 units.

Of numbers of 3048.

And then as I look at the rest of the towns, everyone is surprised.

It was a complete chaos over the weekend.

Do you see a step?

Mom feels obligation at 30 units now and 348 more over the next decade.

The mayor says his town's roads and schools can't handle it.

Mom among municipalities that have gone to court.

We want to work with it.

We want to build, but we want to build responsibly.

We don't just want to go up six stories where it doesn't belong.

Governor Murphy praised D.C. partnership in advancing our shared goal of expanding access to affordable housing.

We look forward to seeing this law implemented and benefiting families across the Garden State.

But Republicans call the numbers shocking.

This left certain towns with no choice other than to litigate this because it's just such an unrealistic and such an unreasonable ask of our communities.

The entire flavor of the communities has changed just within the past couple of years, trying to comply with round three obligations.

Bergen County Senator Holly Schepisi claims affordable housing need is highest in 47 so-called urban aid municipalities, cities like Newark, that state law exempts from future building obligations.

And if you.

Look at some of the communities that are getting a free pass, there are still qualified urban to be the municipalities.

And you compare demographics and you compare current rents and cost of living and income levels.

Some of the communities getting hit the worst in Bergen County actually have more diversity, have less income, and have had more obligations.

So there is diversity and a state is just segregated all over the state.

I just look at it as, you know, people trying to shirk their responsibility to take care of all of us.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka says cities like his can renovate old housing stock and build new units.

But the need for affordable housing extends into the suburbs, which haven't kept pace.

I mean, the DCA is not making these numbers up.

These are real numbers.

If you go by the report that they put out, you can see clearly that this has not happened and that they have not complied.

New Jersey towns have until January to come up with an acceptable housing plan.

But Montvale says it'll ask the court this week to state implementation of the new requirements.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ.

Spotlight News.