The collaboration among Lakewood Township officials, NJ HAND, NJ STEPS/Homes for All, the Lakewood Affordable Housing Corporation, and New Jersey American Water Company to build affordable housing is entering a new phase of development with a sewer groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the growth of Lakewood and the installation of a sewer line. The public is invited to the ceremony on Spruce Street at the intersection of Vine Street on Tuesday, March 13 at 10:00 a.m.
The installation of the sewer line, which begins at Spruce Street, continues south to Vine Street, then to Oak will allow the completion of the NJ Hand property, which could result in a couple of hundred more affordable housing units and the construction projects of the other developers, the Affordable Housing Corporation, STEPS/ Homes for All.
In Phase I, 72 NJ Hand units of the affordable housing were built. In Phase II, now in construction, about 58 units are being built; however, after the construction of phases I and II, no more units will be able to be built unless a sewer line is installed.
Committeeman Steven Langert as former mayor and Steve Reinman, director of economic development, have been working closely with New Jersey American Water Company to move the project forward into a new phase of development. They established a planning committee to study the infrastructure and to work closely with New Jersey American Water to overcome obstacles keeping the project from moving forward.
Reinman says, “The point of the committee was to lay out long range plans that would determine where growth would mostly likely occur in this town and to see if the infrastructure could handle it. The committee convened all the utilities and we looked at several areas of the town. We decided to attack first what was in the Smart Growth Plan, called the Oak Street core. Because that is a largely unbuilt but growing area in need of infrastructure, we started to plan how we could bring a sewer there. What came out of those planning discussions was the realization that we could lay in an infrastructure for the future growth of this area and unblock a stumbling block—the sewer—that was holding up all this affordable housing growth for close to five years.”
Without the sewer, the only option would be the construction of a $3 million pump station, for which affordable housing did not have the money. Putting in the sewer line, without a pump station, means affordable housing needs only a fraction of the money a pumping station would have cost AND they are able to move ahead with their project.
In addition, consumers will not have to pay as much as in the case of most residential development where the developer puts in the sewer and then the water company reimburses them for the cost, which is then passed on to rate payers or all consumers. In this instance, affordable housing officials and the township are contributing a portion of the cost of this project. Because the water company is not paying for that portion, they will not be able to build it into the rate case. This means the consumer will never pay for the portion paid for by the town and affordable housing.
Committeeman Ray Coles says, “Township officials have been working with New Jersey American Water for several years to get to this point. It is the spirit of cooperation and collaboration that is allowing something that will bring so much benefit to so many people.” TLS-PR.
what about albert area?
I will forever be grateful to Lakewood Township for my place of residency.
Why is lakewood township (the taxpayers) paying for someone else’s infrastructure? I don’t get it.
housing for all..all who..!!
i thought the township doesnt have money as they are laying off !
us ethe money and time for more traffic lights,more roads etc… in this town
Why don’t we GET RID of this sick company NJ American Water?! Dig wells, not sewer systems.
Where does all this township money come from. Why is lakewood the only place that seems to build affordable housing?
Why is this first happening now after all the schools on oak have put in private pump stations. Where will they put hundreds of homes there is not that uch forest left between spruce and oak
Is it really affordable housing FOR ALL? There should be an investigation into the afforadable housing situation in this town.. and I know this comment will be moderated although it is the truth and not slanderous or hateful
To anonymous @ 10:22, it actually was investigated by third party people and ironically it was through that that I learned firsthand some of the behind the scenes of the affordable housing the last time around. Maybe surprising, they actually did extra to make it available to ‘all’- like giving people ‘outside’ the community extra time to get their stuff in order and get a mortgage. But some people still couldn’t get it together. Some folks think they’re free houses and don’t realize they need to work on their credit and save up for a down payment and get a mortgage.
it’s been well publicized, it’s a lottery system for the units available. There are (if you read the article and/or pay attention) multiple groups building affordable housing – some of which will be rental housing. The money is existing infrastructure bond money and it will come back to the township in fees paid by those who build in this area. These types of fees will also fund future traffic lights and similar needs, so in the end it’s the ones who create the need paying for it, not everybody else. On a per unit (house) level, it will be a negligible part of the cost of the unit.
Kudos to the committee for moving forward in a prudent manner and not standing by the sideline while development runs amok. And kudos to all the participants for creative partnering that pays off for all of Lakewood.
People want to end Tent City. However, where are they to live? To meet the needs of this vulnerable population, what is needed is low income housing. It is a mistaken notion that the “affordable housing” meets their needs, but it doesn’t. So, some are being cared for, while the township neglects the very low, no income, person, the person who can only afford to live in the woods, or on the streets of Lakewood.
#7 The money comes from other area towns. The other towns don’t build low income neighborhoods to keep the crime rate low and neighborhoods don’t need to put up servailance cameras.
To #13- anonymous @12:41 am- it’s nice to talk about the need for “low income housing” for tent city folks but where will the money come from to subsidize the building or renovation of these homes? You can’t build houses and then sell them (or even rent them) for a fraction of what it cost to build and put in utilities, etc without subsidies from somewhere. But the state is broke, the federal gov’t is too wrapped up spending billions on companies that aren’t properly checked out and then go bankrupt (Solyndra), and a law that was passed a few years ago stopped other towns from being able to give money to places like Lakewood to build low income homes like Toms River did the last time around with Lakewood’s affordable housing. And to make rentals, someone or some town agency still needs to get the money to build those too and again, without subsidies how can they rent it out at low prices and still pay the cost of construction?
I know firsthand how these homes were made available to ALL. In fact seminars were given, people were counseled one on one on what they need to make it happen. These people simply never came back with their paperwork, either because they simply couldn’t come up with the necessary documentation or because it’s still easier to live on welfare….
On the other hand, the people in the Orthdox community are “doer’s” and get their act together. They got the paperwork and that’s why you are now complaining that it isn’t “housing for all”. You are 100% wrong.
where is Phase 1- 72 houses located? is it apartments? houses? who built it?