MILLSTONE – A settlement agreement regarding Millstone Township’s affordable housing obligation has been approved in New Jersey Superior Court.
During a Nov. 13 meeting of the Millstone Township Planning Board, municipal officials acknowledged the settlement agreement had received approval from the court on Oct. 22.
The focus of the board’s meeting that evening was an application for Allen House II, which is an affordable housing project for individuals age 62 and over that will be constructed on Stagecoach Road. Allen House II will consist of 10 apartments.
Affordable housing is defined as housing that is sold or rented at below market rates to individuals and families whose income meets certain guidelines. According to township officials, Millstone’s obligation is 231 affordable housing units, which will be met under the approved settlement agreement.
Municipal officials said that following the court’s approval, they have 120 days to put the mechanisms of the settlement agreement, including Millstone’s housing element and fair share plan, into effect.
According to a resolution, the settlement agreement is between Millstone Township, Fair Share Housing Center and Showplace Farms, LLC.
Fair Share Housing Center, Cherry Hill, advocates for the construction of affordable housing throughout New Jersey.
Showplace Farms is an intervenor in Millstone’s affordable housing litigation and Showplace Farms owner Howard Schoor previously sought to have Toll Brothers develop market rate units and affordable housing units on Route 33.
Following negotiations among Millstone representatives, Showplace Farms and Fair Share Housing Center, municipal officials said Schoor no longer intends to develop homes on Route 33 and is instead pursuing a warehouse project on the state highway.
In place of the Toll Brothers residential development, Millstone Township is working with Baldachino Properties on a proposed residential development that would consist of 242 units, 48 of which would be designated as affordable housing. The location for that project is 711 Perrineville Road (Route 1), near Etra-Perrineville Road (Route 571) and the border of East Windsor.
The Baldachino development is expected to be presented to the Planning Board at a future date. Residents will have the opportunity to comment on the plan and to ask questions about the project during a public hearing.
Township officials have said Millstone will meet its obligation to provide 231 affordable housing units. They have noted that with the exception of the Baldachino development, which will be a mix of market rate and affordable housing, Millstone’s affordable housing projects, including Allen House II, consist solely of affordable housing units.
