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Council Okays Agreement For New 84-Unit Senior Housing
Longtime Affordable Housing Project Comes To Fruition In Whiting
By Keith Hagarty
Plans to construct a new senior housing project in Manchester could be good news for retired residents living on a tight budget and fixed income, according township officials.
On March 26, the township council unanimously approved two financial agreements with the Princeton-based non-profit organization, Presbyterian Homes and Services, Inc., to allow for the construction of an affordable housing apartment building in Whiting on Hilltop Road, near Route 70.
"They have been talking about coming here for years," township Business Administrator Connie Lauffer said of Presbyterian Homes' interest in Manchester. "This is a very complicated application."
The council's adoption of a first reading of a tax-abatement ordinance authorizes a 40-year agreement between the town and Presbyterian Homes, under which the developer would pay the township a fee based on an annual percentage of the rent paid to the facility. This fee would be in lieu of the standard assessed property taxes.
A second resolution grants Presbyterian Homes' request to the town for a 50 percent reduction in water and sewer connection fees for the project, resulting in an overall savings of $111,930.
With such agreements having been reached between the town and other developers previously resulting in positive results, such as with Manchester Village off Beckerville Road, Lauffer believes Presbyterian Homes could have similar benefits to both the town and seniors in need of housing and care that fits their needs.
"They're involved in the construction of and the management of low- and moderateincome for both families and for seniors," Lauffer said of Presbyterian Homes. "We've supported this type of project particularly because we are a town of many seniors, and we recognize that in many cases our seniors are in a financial position where they may be able to take advantage of these wonderful housing opportunities."
In addition to the positive financial benefits that could be felt by potential tenants of the community, Lauffer pointed to the town's affordable housing state obligations as well.
"It also supports our commitment to affordable housing, which we are both committed to and required to provide as a result of the Mt. Laurel agreement," she said.
Presbyterian Homes currently manages a similar affordable senior housing facility in Manchester at Crestwood Manor on Lacey Road, with 370 apartments.
The agreements recently reached between the town and Presbyterian Homes were a necessary step in procuring federal funding for the project, according to Lauffer.
"They would like to construct a lowand moderate-income housing building in Whiting, and in order to do that they will need to receive supported funding and almost complete funding from the
federal agency (Department of Housing
and Urban Development)," said Lauffer. "This document, along with others that
are on tonight's agenda and that will be on the next council meeting's agenda, are all of the documents that have to be in place to accompany their application to HUD so that this project might move forward."
Representatives from Presbyterian Homes were expected to meet with the council this week to further discuss the project.
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