By Stephen Appezzato
RUMSON – A plan to construct 12 affordable housing rental units for seniors moved forward this month after nonprofit affordable housing developers Bergen County’s United Way (BCUW) and Madeline Housing Partners (MHP) received site plan approval from the Rumson Planning Board.
According to the application, the project involves demolishing an existing two-story commercial building at 62 Carton St. to construct a two-and-a-half story, 12-unit affordable rental building for seniors, with parking, lighting, landscaping and other site improvements.
In an interview with The Two River Times, BCUW president Tom Toronto said the new building would largely keep to the commercial building’s existing footprint, offering six one-bedroom units on each floor, an elevator and two stairwells. The previous building, which was donated to the nonprofit partnership by the borough, was vacant for at least two years, Toronto said.
He said the new building will have “a mix of brownstone-looking facades” to break up the square features since it resides on a “streetscape that’s very residential in character with a mix of materials.” Future residents will enter the building from the rear, where the parking lot is located.
“I think it’s a very attractive project,” Toronto said.
According to the borough’s website, the project will consist of two very-low-, five low- and five moderately-priced individual rental units, with construction expected to begin in 2025.
Toronto said the plan, which will contribute to the borough’s affordable housing obligation, has been in the works with Rumson officials for nearly three years. Now that BCUW and MHP have site plan approval, Toronto said they will begin the underwriting process for various funding sources they utilize at the state level.
“Once you have your site plan approval then you’re a real project, so to speak, and now you can talk in earnest with funding sources and make applications,” he said. “We’ve already had some provisional discussions about that project; it tees up very nicely for financing.”
According to their website, BCUW and MHP are both nonprofit organizations that partnered in 2004 to address the housing crisis in New Jersey. They provide safe and affordable housing for families, seniors and individuals with special needs. The partnership manages all aspects of project development, including site acquisition, financing, construction, revitalization and renovation, property management and more.
In recent years, the group has partnered with the borough on a handful of affordable housing projects, including two single-family homes on Maplewood Avenue. Two affordable family rentals are in the predevelopment phase on Ward Avenue, as well as a four-bedroom home on Maplewood Avenue. In each case, the borough donated land to the partnership.
“Carton Street, approved at the November 11th Planning Board Meeting, is the Borough’s eighth Affordable Housing Project. We are excited to once again work with Bergen County United Way on this latest project composed of 12, one-bedroom units for senior citizens,” a statement from the borough read.
Toronto also mentioned BCUW and MHP will appear at the borough’s Dec. 2 planning board meeting regarding housing plans for the former Bank of America building at 49 West River Road, a parcel previously purchased by the borough.
The article originally appeared in the November 28 – December 4, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
