By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN – A 55-and-over community and affordable housing can be built on a 100-acre tract on Route 33, Manalapan, following the adoption of an ordinance by the Township Committee.
At its Aug. 10 meeting, the committee voted to create a senior housing overlay zone on the Skeba property in Manalapan’s Special Economic Development (SED) zone on Route 33. The tract is just west of the Knob Hill residential development and golf course. Officials said K. Hovnanian Enterprises is the contract purchaser of the property.
Mayor Mary Ann Musich, Committeeman Jack McNaboe, Committeeman David Kane and Committeeman Jordan Maskowitz voted to adopt the ordinance. Deputy Mayor Susan Cohen recused herself from the discussion and the vote.
The adoption of the Skeba ordinance followed recent discussion about properties in Manalapan that could accommodate the development of affordable housing, which is defined as housing that is sold or rented at below market rates to individuals and families whose income meets state guidelines.
Township Attorney Roger McLaughlin said the ordinance was authored by his office and by the township’s planner, Jennifer Beahm, and the township’s affordable housing attorney, Andrew Bayer. With the adoption of the ordinance the Skeba parcel will be included in Manalapan’s affordable housing plan.
The ordinance gives a developer the option of building an age-restricted community that includes affordable housing units on the entire parcel or subdividing a 14-acre tract from the 100-acre property and donating the smaller lot to the township so affordable housing may be constructed on that parcel, according to McLaughlin.
The attorney said the preferred alternative is for a developer to donate the 14-acre lot at the front of the property to the municipality. Should that happen, Manalapan officials will engage the services of an entity which will build a 100 percent affordable housing development on that parcel.
The developer (i.e., Hovnanian) would then seek municipal approval to build about 165 single-family market rate homes for individuals age 55 and over on the rear of the property (80 acres). The ordinance requires each home to have a two-car garage and permits the age-restricted community to include amenities such as a clubhouse, tennis courts, swimming pools, walking trails, passive open space and a putting green.
The site will be served by public water and sewer. The age-restricted community would be governed by a homeowners association, according to the ordinance.
Prior to the adoption of the senior housing overlay ordinance, McLaughlin said the Planning Board found the ordinance to be substantially consistent with Manalapan’s master plan and informed the governing body of its findings.
McLaughlin said the inclusion of the Skeba property in Manalapan’s affordable housing plan will allow officials to remove a property from the plan that has long been discussed as a possible location for affordable housing.
The tract that is expected to be removed from the affordable housing plan is known as the “panhandle” and lies along the rear of a property at Route 33 and Millhurst Road, near the Four Seasons adult community and Cannonero Boulevard.
McLaughlin said committee members do not believe the “panhandle” tract is appropriate for affordable housing.
