Construction of the Windsor Crescent affordable housing development on Solar Avenue in Jackson is expected to begin in the near future. The community may be ready to begin renting apartments by December 2011.
The project has been under discussion in Jackson for several years and was the subject of litigation after it was initially denied by the Jackson Planning Board.
Windsor Crescent is a community planned by municipal officials to help Jackson meet its state-mandated obligation to provide opportunities for the development of affordable housing.
Affordable housing is defined as housing that is sold or rented at below-market rates to individuals and families who have an income that meets regional guidelines established by the state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH).
Attorney Stephan R. Leone, who represented the applicant, Community Investment Strategies of Bordentown, said, “This is a municipally sponsored project. All of the approvals were made pursuant to municipal ordinances. There were no variances, and the court reversed the denial.”
He said the project is ready to go and confirmed there will be 112 apartments, including a mix of two- and three-bedroom units. A total of 14 buildings will be constructed.
Leone said all of the apartments to be built at Windsor Crescent will be rented in accordance with COAH guidelines.
Municipal officials have said Jackson will receive 222 affordable housing credits toward its second-round COAH obligation of 1,323 affordable housing units.
The apartment complex will front on Sally Street and Solar Avenue, off Cpl. Luigi Marciante Jr. Memorial Drive and West County Line Road.
Hearings on the application were conducted by the Planning Board in 2008. Various issues were discussed, and area residents stated their objections to the development. Board members noted that Windsor Crescent may add children to the Jackson School District. The board eventually voted to deny the application.
The applicant challenged the board’s denial, and in April 2009 state Superior Court Judge Vincent J. Grasso directed the board to approve Windsor Crescent, while requiring some changes to be made by the developer.