Event provides networking opportunites, education on housing options
BY ANDREW DAVISON Staff Writer

RED BANK – Local officials, real estate agents, developers and other stakeholders visited affordable housing sites throughout Monmouth County on the 2011 Monmouth County Housing Choices Bus Tour.

The tour visited two sites on the west side of Red Bank: River Street Commons, a converted public school, and Cedar Crossing, which is under construction, as successful examples of reuse and rehabilitation of affordable housing options.

“You need to appreciate the fact that this is a creative reuse, a beneficial reuse of the school converted into affordable housing,” said tour co-chair Phil Welch Jr., of the Monmouth A Team, a housing advocacy agency.

Helen Moran, property manager for Pennrose Properties, said that prior to the rehabilitation, the vacant site attracted vagrants.

“When Pennrose came in and developed this property, needless to say, the homeowners around here benefited greatly from this,” she said. “They were very enthusiastic about it.”

According to Moran, River Street Commons lifted the property values of the area.

“Affordable housing does not have to be negative; River Street is proof of this.”

Red Bank Mayor Pasquale Menna said that the rehabilitation of the site encouraged the improvement of the surrounding area.

“As soon as we converted this particular structure, this was the anchor that was needed for the west side,” he said.

“It just goes to show that a seed planted can germinate into a positive experience for a community.”

Now, Moran said, River Street Commons acts as a hub for community activity.

“Many other places in the community have come here because of our stage and the community room,” she said.

“The [Red Bank] charter school, Count Basie [Theatre], they all ask to use this to hold performances, holiday events, school events, and that involves everyone in the community.”

The tour also visited the currently underconstruction Cedar Crossing site.

When completed, the site will feature 18 three-bedroom units at 1,200 square feet each and two two-bedroom units at 1,000 square feet, said the Rev. Terrence Porter, president of the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp.

“This could not have happened if we didn’t have some really wonderful community partners,” Menna said.

Menna said the land was purchased with state funding,

“No local taxpayer money was spent,” Menna said.

“Red Bank saw the opportunity [for these funds], and it was a wonderful opportunity for people and families to grow.”

According to Porter, the project features a unique partnership between the borough of Red Bank, Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp. and the Red Bank Housing Authority

The physical appearance will differ slightly between units, Porter said, as a way to enhance the character of the community.

“Each of these particular units, based on our architectural design, every one will have a different façade color,” he said.

“All the homes are guaranteed to have a little uniqueness at least on the exterior façade, and I’m proud of that.”

The units will only be sold and are not available to rent, Porter said.

“That’s what makes this project so unique. We wanted the homeowners to have a vested interest in the community, and to do that, we wanted to ensure that they put stock into it as well,” he said.

Porter said that 80 people attended a recent orientation for prospective homebuyers.

“We’re moving along quite swiftly,” he said.

“We think what we have here in Red Bank is the best thing in the state of New Jersey.”

The tour was organized by the MonmouthAdvocacy Team, part of a statewide association of some 250 affordable housing and community development corporations, individuals and other entities that support the creation of affordable housing and economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents, according to a press release.

Held in conjunction with the Monmouth County Association of Realtors and United Way of Monmouth County, the theme of the 2011 tour was “Solving the Housing Puzzle Together” and was designed to be educational and to facilitate networking opportunities for municipalities and potential development partners.

Tour participants visited a variety of housing choices, including rental and forsale units, single-family detached homes, multi-unit complexes, family and senior developments, new construction, as well as renovation/conversion sites.

Speakers with experience in affordable housing initiatives from towns, faith-based and nonprofit organizations and commercial entities like mortgage companies shared insights during the tour.

FreeholderAmy Mallet voiced her support for the mission during the event’s closing remarks.

“This is about a community coming together,” she said, “It’s really what we need to do; it’s about collaboration and coming together to do what we need for the people of Monmouth County.”

Mallet emphasized the importance of affordable housing.

“There are some really serious needs in this community, and affordable housing is vital to this picture,” she said.

“If we don’t have affordable housing, what have we got? It’s one of our basic needs.”

Welch said the goal of the tour was to unite different stakeholders and discuss the pieces of the housing puzzle, which include partnerships between public and private organizations, financing, green initiatives, and affordability.

“We were trying to look at a variety of sites’ different housing styles, just to show that affordable housing isn’t limited to one particular type of housing,” he said.

Different communities are more comfortable with different types, he said.

“We wanted to show that regardless of the type of community and the type of housing you’re comfortable with, there is affordable housing out there that would apply to your town.”

Welch said he hopes officials will be more receptive to affordable housing.

“I hope that the result of this is that decision makers around the county will understand that it is possible to have affordable housing in their communities without all of the misconceptions that go along with affordable housing,” he said.

Other stops on the housing tour included Springwood Avenue Neighborhood Stabilization Project in Asbury Park, Schoolhouse Square in Neptune Township, and The Grande at Colts Neck.

Officials from municipalities throughout the county attended, including Eatontown Mayor Gerald Tarantolo.

“I’m curious to see what other people are doing,” Eatontown Mayor Gerald Tarantolo said. “That’s why I’m here.”

For more information about the tour and affordable housing, contact Linda Zucaro, tour co-chair, at 732-922-3708 or [email protected]; or Welch at 732- 747-5032 or [email protected].