Millstone to purchase land on Pine Drive for affordable housing.
By: Scott Morgan
MILLSTONE The Township Committee recently re-introduced an ordinance first moved last year designed to satisfy state requirements to provide land for affordable housing.
In September 2001, the committee formally announced plans to purchase an aging Pine Drive house and the property on which it sits from Andrew and Sandra Anselmo. The purchase, which would go toward satisfying requirements set by the state Council on Affordable Housing, involved a $505,000 bond.
But according to Committeeman Cory Wingerter, the ordinance needed to be re-introduced at the request of the township bond counsel. Mr. Wingerter said the bond counsel reviewed the ordinances and found "technical deficiencies."
Committeeman John Pfefferkorn said the "technical deficiencies" were a failure to post the announcement in a newspaper.
The committee re-introduced the ordinance as a second reading and the measure was adopted 4-1 with Mr. Pfefferkorn voting against the plan.
Mr. Pfefferkorn has questioned the need to bond the half-million dollars, because the township has more than $700,000 in its COAH reserves.
Mr. Wingerter said there is plenty of money in the COAH reserves, but defended the bond issuance by saying the committee decided it wanted future residents to help pay down the debt.
Through the Fair Housing Act of 1985, each municipality in the state is required to provide space for affordable housing. Mayor Evan Maltz said the properties need not be occupied, but must be available to the state upon demand. The mayor said that though no one so far has shown interest in renovating the properties, the township will provide the state with land that satisfies COAH requirements.
Under the Fair Housing Act, certified municipalities may transfer up to 50 percent of their fair share obligations to other municipalities within the applicable housing region. In 2000, Millstone passed a resolution to pay Asbury Park $980,000 to build 49 affordable housing units in the city, fulfilling 50 percent of the township’s obligation.