Volunteers, elected officials and local professionals braved damp and dreary conditions Oct. 3 and 4 in the Monmouth Mall parking lot at Habitat for Humanity’s annual mall build event, launching the construction of an affordable home in Atlantic Highlands.
With a deejay providing the soundtrack, volunteers collaborated with the Monmouth County branch of the international, nonprofit housing network to build panels that will serve as the skeletal frames of a two-family duplex.
According to Diane Kinnane, Habitat for Humanity in Monmouth County executive director, the foundation for this two-family construction is expected to be set before the end of October.
“It’s because of the community’s support, from our sponsors to the volunteers who came out here with us, that these mall builds are really able to kick off each new project and move them forward so quickly,” she said.
Kinnane said the mall build event inspired Pella Windows & Doors, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and a number of other professional groups to commit resources and manpower to the project.
Atlantic Highlands Mayor Rhonda C. Le Grice said Habitat for Humanity and the skilled volunteers it attracts to each of its projects ensures the work will be completed in a professional and timely manner and designed in a way that will blend well with the aesthetics of the neighborhood.
“The project will get underway this year and we’re excited about it,” Le Grice said. “I’m urging all members of our community, especially those living on that street, to lend a hand when the time comes. We can play a role in this new addition to our community.”
However, not all residents living near the 21 Leonard Ave. location were as excited about the future development of the project in April 2018, when it was disclosed that the borough-owned property was to be included in the municipality’s affordable housing plan.
In 2006 the property was zoned for a two-family affordable dwelling and an ordinance was adopted to ensure that. But last year the borough’s proposed affordable housing plan included a four-unit project on the parcel and, pending a court ruling, would have superseded that 12-year-old piece of legislation.
Le Grice said the borough was able to pivot away from that initial proposal to the alternative that was court-approved this summer, which included a single duplex on the site.
“We have some new parcels coming up for development that were not originally included in the plan, but do have affordable housing components that will make up for the loss of units,” Le Grice said. “I’m thankful we were able to work with our residents and a great community partner like Habitat for Humanity to come up with a suitable plan.”
Once completed, this will be the second Habitat for Humanity construction in Atlantic Highlands; another duplex at 84 Memorial Parkway was built about two years ago.
Monmouth County freeholder and state Assembly candidate Gerry P. Scharfenberger was in attendance at the mall build with fellow freeholders Thomas A. Arnone, Patrick Impreveduto and Susan M. Kiley.
Scharfenberger also sits on the Habitat for Humanity board and said he is an advocate for the organization to play a larger role in New Jersey’s affordable housing affairs.
“This is the model for the entire state,” Scharfenberger said. “The beauty of it is it doesn’t impact local budgets. There’s no taxpayer money involved. It’s all volunteer. And it’s also happening in areas that are already developed.”
Scharfenberger said New Jersey’s current affordable housing quotas are “one of the biggest threats to the environment we’re facing. You’re talking about some towns that are completely built out. So you’re clearing woods or building on open space to accommodate these huge developments to meet these mandated quotas.”
“The way Habitat for Humanity does it, they’re rehabilitating existing buildings or doing in-fill development on a vacant lot, the area is already developed. So there isn’t such a strain on local services,” Scharfenberger added.
Kinnane said if the work of all New Jersey’s Habitat for Humanity affiliates was viewed collectively, the non-profit would rank as one of the state’s largest developers of single-family affordable housing.
“We may only build for our five developments a year, but very few private developers do what we do. Many of them specialize in high-density rental units. We come in and try to complete projects that integrate well with the surrounding community,” Kinnane said. “And afterward, we make a commitment to our partner families and stay with them for the term of their mortgage. We don’t disappear. We don’t leave them hanging. It’s one of the reasons we’ve never had a foreclosure and one of the many reasons incredible volunteers are willing to come out, even when the weather isn’t so great, to support us.”
Kinnane said the Atlantic Highlands site is the next scheduled project, but her chapter already has two more properties in nearby Long Branch lined up.
