Village applicant renews request for homes on site
BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

MANALAPAN - Although both sides are presently engaged in mediation with the state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), the members of the Township Committee last week listened to another proposal from representatives of The Village at Manalapan for the inclusion of 500 residential units in the project.

The Village at Manalapan received Planning Board approval in May for a 500,000-square-foot retail project to be built on a 135-acre parcel at the corner of Route 33 and Millhurst Road.

The board's approval was for a community shopping center that would include a supermarket and related stores; a lifestyle shopping center that has been compared to the Grove retail center in Shrewsbury; and professional office space.

The project approved by the municipality does not include any residential units at The Village at Manalapan site.

The applicant, Manalapan Retail Realty Partners, has filed an objection with COAH challenging Manalapan's right to COAH certification.

Under COAH guidelines, developing communities in New Jersey have an obligation to provide a certain number of affordable housing units.

The units are sold or rented at below market prices to people who have incomes that meet regional guidelines established by the state.

Municipal officials determine where in town the affordable housing units may be built.

The affordable housing requirements have been in place since the mid-1980s. New Jersey municipalities are presently working to meet their third round COAH obligation.

Representatives of The Village at Manalapan came before the committee on Jan. 10 with their latest request.

Attorney Craig Gianetti was joined in a presentation by a representative from the engineering and planning firm of Schoor, DePalma. They asked in person what has already been written in their brief which is the subject of the mediation with COAH.

They said their client would like the Township Committee to provide for the construction of residential units in The Village at Manalapan.

They said that by including residential units in a project which has already received preliminary site plan approval as a commercial complex, Man-alapan would be able to satisfy 87 percent of its affordable housing obligation "without having to do anything."

COAH permits a developing community to satisfy its affordable housing obligation in several ways, one of which is to pay another municipality to accept some of the affordable units.

In Manalapan's case, Gianetti said the township's option of making Lakewood a receiving town for part of its affordable housing obligation at an estimated $7.1 million cost to Manalapan has not yet been accepted and therefore is not yet definite.

He said that by accepting Manalapan Retail Realty Partners' proposal, the township could satisfy its COAH obligation and save money.

According to Gianetti, allowing Manalapan Retail Realty Partners to build 500 residential units on The Village site would mean that Manalapan would only have to transfer 41 rental units to Lakewood at a cost of $2.5 million.

He said the 500 units at The Village property would be built as 350 units to be offered as market rate homes and 150 units to be offered as COAH rentals.

According to Gianetti, the township and the state do not even have an agreement on the total number of affordable housing units Manalapan must provide. He said the township claims the number is 261 units and COAH projects it to be 358 units.

The members of the governing body listened to the presentation from the Manalapan Retail Realty Partners representatives but held no discussion on the matter.