South Brunswick discusses affordable housing option

By JENNIFER AMATO

Staff Writer

SOUTH BRUNSWICK – A property on New Road may be the future site of affordable housing in South Brunswick.

“Due to recent court rulings by the New Jersey Superior Court, the township will be compelled to accept various sites throughout the township for development of housing, even if township officials believe the sites are not suitable for such development,” said Ron Schmalz, public information officer for South Brunswick.

One of the sites that may be included by the court is located on New Road, across from Woodlot Park.

The owner of the property has proposed to build 120 rental units on the site, with a 20 percent affordable housing set-aside.

“The project anticipates constructing flats on the ground floor with a two-level townhouse over each flat. Each flat and townhome would have a private, street level entrance. The buildings would not exceed three stories and would house a mix of two- and three-bedroom units ranging in size from 700 to 1,350 square feet. The units will not be age-restricted. The focus will be on renting to the local working families that often struggle to find affordable housing,” Schmalz said.

As part of the project, the developer is also proposing to work with Republic Services, the owner of the adjacent property, to develop a solar field on the former landfill on New Road. It is anticipated that electricity generated by the solar field would be used to power the proposed 120 units, Schmalz said.

“No final decisions have been made as to this or any other properties proposed for development. The court is expected to make some decisions on individual properties sometime this fall,” Schmalz said.

Contact Jennifer Amato at [email protected].