FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Municipal officials in Freehold Township are taking action to purchase a vacant parcel on Jackson Mills Road and to designate the land as a location for the construction of affordable housing.
During a meeting on March 23, Township Committee members voted to introduce an ordinance that will, if adopted, authorize the purchase of 55 Jackson Mills Road. The purchase price will be $1.2 million.
A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for April 27. The committee may adopt the ordinance that evening.
According to the ordinance, the parcel consists of 17.44 acres and will be used for affordable housing.
Township Administrator Peter Valesi said the vacant lot is part of Freehold Township’s affordable housing settlement.
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 municipal officials, Freehold Township’s obligation is 878 affordable housing units. The number was reached in a settlement agreement with the Fair Share Housing Center, Cherry Hill, which advocates for affordable housing throughout New Jersey, and with developers who entered the township’s affordable housing litigation.
The Township Committee adopted legislation during 2020 that allows for the development of affordable housing projects that would meet the obligation and keep Freehold Township in compliance with the settlement agreement.
