To avoid the state’s collection of money from the township’s affordable housing trust fund, Council unanimously approved five methods of allocating the $1.6 million currently in the account at its meeting on Monday, June 11. The deadline for municipalities to commit to spending plans and submit them to the state is coming up on Monday, July 16. Before Council cast its votes, Township Planning Board and Affordable Housing Attorney Jerry Muller made a presentation on the steps ahead with respect to affordable housing in West Windsor.
The largest portion of the $1.6 million is $782,500 designated to improve HVAC and hot water heating equipment for affordable housing units at the Windsor Haven, Windsor Pond, and Village Grande developments. The Hamlet Bear Creek LLC also received a contract of $482,500 to implement the Hamlet Energy Efficiency Program in its affordable housing units. In addition:
– The national program by Project Freedom Inc. receives a $262,000 contract.
– A new affordable housing escrow account will be opened.
– The township entered into a $110,000 contract with Piazza & Associates Inc. to implement an affordable housing foreclosure and bankruptcy revolving fund program.
Muller said that on Tuesday, May 22, COAH approved the spending plan. Business Administrator Robert Hary said the administration was waiting for the spending plan to be approved by the state agency before having a formal presentation to Council. Hary says the township took initiative to devise a plan as soon as word came from the state about possible collection of the funds.
Project Freedom appears to be a key strategy for West Windsor. Council questioned Muller about a potential influx of children into the schools, coming “from families we would expect to not contribute much in terms of taxes,” as Councilman Bryan Maher stated. But Muller and Hary said that Project Freedom is primarily for households with developmentally-disabled individuals.
“Our biggest concern with Project Freedom would be the increased stress put on our public safety personnel because the people it serves have very limited physical capabilities and the first aid squads and fire departments must answer calls there a lot,” Hary said.
While the township was not obligated to contribute funds for energy-efficiency upgrades at local developments, the administration’s strategy may stand on its merits. According to Muller, the Hamlet owner will have an energy assessment done for the property, and an RFP (request for proposals) needs to be advertised to secure design engineering services.
Business Administrator Robert Hary says the plan to make affordable housing more energy efficient is a “win-win” for all.
“One of the biggest concerns people have these days, aside from rent, is the cost of utilities. By making changes to the HVAC and cutting energy costs we are able to make homes more efficient, thereby saving affordable housing residents money as well,” Hary said.
Hary credits Piazza, township staff, and the Affordable Housing Committee with coming up with an economical and environmentally-conscious plan. At the June 11 meeting Jean Jacobsohn, chairperson of West Windsor’s Affordable Housing Committee, attempted to clarify that the $1.6 million trust fund was not related to taxpayer money.
“That is money that had been collected from people who were developing projects. It was collected by us for a use by us,” she said.
Jacobsohn said the affordable housing committee has worked for a decade to get Project Freedom to build units in West Windsor. “We do not want to drop the ball at this point,” she said.
But Councilman Maher took her to task for stating that the money in the trust fund was not from taxes. He contended that indirectly, West Windsor residents contributed that money through builder’s fees that they may have paid.
“When my house was being built on Penn Lyle Road six years ago, my builder had to write a check to the town to cover the cost associated with developing housing. That was a cost directly paid by me through the purchase price of the house, just like everybody in this town whether that is through commercial real estate, retail real estate, or home real estate — they have to pay the fee for the town. The money didn’t just come from nowhere,” he said.
“I’d like to make sure what’s paid for by West Windsor residents, retailers, or developers stays within our town, but it is money that in one way or another did emanate from this town,” Maher said.
Muller and Mayor Hsueh took up Maher’s specific example as an unusual project that needed to come before the planning board. Jacobsohn also responded, telling the crowd at the Council meeting that she knew the subject well as she was the tax collector in Plainsboro for three decades.
“I didn’t say that you don’t pay a fee, I said this wasn’t tax money. This was not a property tax — this was a fee that a developer had to pay,” she said.
However, Maher had the final word. “You can call it a fee, I can call it a tax, but when I have to write a check for something it’s money out of my pocket,” he said.
