E.B. adds 10 units of much-sought housing
Affordable rentals will be located in four condo complexes
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - The township will receive nearly $1 million to help create more affordable housing in town.

The township's rental housing units for low-income families is in great demand, and there is currently a waiting list of two to three years.

The grant for $915,000 from the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA) will be used to convert existing residential units into affordable housing. The township is buying the 10 market rate condominiums and turning them into rental units for low-income residents.

The condos will be converted into three one-bedroom units, four two-bedroom units and three that each have three bedrooms. The 10 units are located in the Society Hill, Kingswood Station, County Woods and Cross Pointe condominium complexes.

The rehabilitation work will be overseen by the nonprofit East Brunswick Community Housing Corp.

Township Council President Nancy Pinkin said the township has a number of residents in need of affordable housing, including senior citizens and young people just getting started.

"To be a three-generational town is really difficult," she said.

She said there are even township employees who live in other towns because they cannot afford to live in East Brunswick.

The township buys units and rents them out to people who qualify for low- or moderate-income housing.

Township Housing Specialist Linda Rubenstein said the new units will bring the township's housing stock up to 51 rental units.

There is currently a waiting list of up to three years depending on the number of bedrooms one applies for, Rubenstein said. Applications are available at the township's Department of Planning and Engineering.

The township's affordable housing, she said, is "designed for working families." Most have either two or three bedrooms.

Including utilities, the units rent for between $619 and $888 per month based on the number of bedrooms. To qualify, the maximum allowable income ranges from $33,530 for one occupant to $55,564 for six occupants. The minimum household income required ranges from $23,471 for a one-bedroom unit to $30,177 for a three-bedroom unit.

"East Brunswick has a long history of providing affordable housing for its residents," Mayor William Neary said in a press release. "We appreciate the assistance of DCA and Commissioner [Susan Bass] Levin on this worthy program."

The state's Balanced Housing Program is designed to create "housing opportunities in viable neighborhoods for low and moderate income families," according to the DCA's press release.

Pinkin noted that East Brunswick, unlike many other towns, does not "farm out" its required share of affordable housing units. Many other towns choose to meet its obligations by providing funding to other towns or cities so that affordable housing can be built on its behalf.

The process of transferring affordable housing to other towns not only increases the divide between social classes, but can hurt the business climate of the town transferring out its housing requirement, Pinkin said.

"It's a really crucial issue," she said.