OLD BRIDGE — The state has begun the process of acquiring 29 storm-damaged homes in the Laurence Harbor section, where flooding caused heavy damage during superstorm Sandy in 2012.
The Old Bridge Township Council adopted a memorandum of understanding with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on Sept. 29, allowing the DEP to acquire homes in the township through the Blue Acres program.
The DEP is planning to purchase 1,300 homes statewide, including approximately 1,000 damaged by Sandy and 300 by previous storms.
DEP spokesman Joseph Seldner said his agency recently held a kickoff meeting with Old Bridge residents whose homes are eligible for the program.
“There was a DEP official there to answer any questions, and we assigned each homeowner a case manager,” Seldner said. “They will help with appraisals for the homes, answer any questions the homeowners might have and help out with things like finding a real estate lawyer if there needs to be one.”
Many homes in Laurence Harbor have been uninhabitable since Sandy.
The homes being considered for the buyout program are on Cliffwood Way, Bayshore Avenue, Shoreline Avenue, Raritan Boulevard, Pomona Boulevard and Appleby Street.
They will be appraised at their October 2012 values, according to the DEP. Seldner said offers are made after the prices are adjusted to reflect any funds homeowners have received from other sources, such as insurance. Homeowners may also hire their own appraisers to counter the state’s offers.
Seldner said the average price at which homes are being acquired as part of the Blue Acres program is around $225,000.
Homes purchased through the program are demolished and the properties are deed-restricted as open space.
Funding for the program is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through Community Development Block Grants to the DEP.
The DEP identifies properties that qualify within certain communities, Seldner said. Some criteria the Blue Acres program uses to decide if homes qualify for the program include: flood damage from superstorm Sandy or repeated flood damage from previous storms; willing sellers; support from the local government; clusters of flood-prone homes or entire neighborhoods; cost-effectiveness of the buyout according to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines; and opportunity for significant environmental impact or improvement to public health, safety and welfare.
“We like to find homes that are in clusters,” Seldner said. “If there are 10 homes in five locations, it’s less likely that they will qualify. The owners have to be willing sellers. We have been identifying towns for the better part of a year and a half now, but the program started in May 2013. This program was a response to the storm.”