Colleen Carelli feels lucky.
“Oh yes, my God, this is so wonderful. I feel like I truly won the lottery,” said the third-generation Secaucus resident last week.
She is one of the owners of 12 affordable housing units that were built in the new 212-unit Riverside Court development in the north end of town.
As a condition for building those units, the developer, Baker Residential, was required by the town to provide funding for affordable housingA veritable who’s who of the Hudson County affordable housing community showed up for the dedication ceremony of the Homeownership Program at Riverside Court on Wednesday. The event was sponsored by the Secaucus Affordable Housing Board (AHB) and hosted by Baker Residential. The AHB monitors the affordable housing requirements in the city. Homeowner Carelli is a third-generation Secaucus resident whose grandfather, William Zengel, was one of the founding fathers of the town in its pig farm days. Carelli has survived breast cancer, and she and her family have come through tough financial times. Carelli is a motivational speaker and hairdresser. Her husband is a kitchen designer. “These people are like angels, really,” she said last week. “The mayor is very altruistic. They helped us through all the red tape and criteria. Now my kids will have a great place to live.”
Getting in The 12 units were sold to families that met requirements through a selection process based on federal guidelines. Applicants were chosen randomly by drawing. After a 5 percent down payment, chosen households will only spend 28 percent of their gross income on principal interest, taxes, insurance, and homeowners’ fees.
Hudson County provided down payment and closing cost assistance ranging from $5,000 to $30,000. The state Council on Affordable Housing provided additional funds. The Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] also provided down payment assistance and Section 8 homeownership programs.
The cost of the units was fully funded and developed by Baker Residential, the largest real estate developer in the New York/New Jersey area. They also contributed an additional $250,000 to the AHB Trust Fund. To date, they have built 14,000 units in 106 communities.
“There are two things you need to make this kind of project work – the support of the municipal government, and the land to build on,” said Secaucus Housing Authority director Bill Snyder. “Because of Mayor Elwell’s bartering with Baker, we have 12 units included at no cost to the town. Because of the support of Hudson County programs, we made it work.”
Not a popular concept
Mayor Elwell said when the Town Council made public the plans for affordable housing in the Baker development, some residents were angry. He said more than 200 people showed up at the Huber Street School meeting held last year with misinformation and a resistance to the undertaking.
Some area websites depicted the project with pictures of shantytowns in Africa.
“The website showed picture of shacks and slums. I don’t see any slums here,” said Elwell. “If we are to survive as a society, we need to dispense with our prejudices.”
The mayor said the people of Secaucus eventually got past misconceptions and fear of the term “affordable housing” and came to see it as a unique opportunity to help those less fortunate. County Executive Tom DeGise said it was important to remember that the current market price for homes in the region are the highest nationwide, starting at $300,000 to $400,000. So the cost of the “affordable” units is still fairly high.
“I don’t know how young couples do it,” said DeGise. “I brought my first house 26 years ago for $25,000. I had $3,000 and borrowed $2,000 from my mother-in-law for the down payment.”
Zachary’s dream
Former Hoboken resident and new unit owner Zachary Naszimento, a teacher at Washington Elementary School in Union City, has two children with his wife, Dana, an ex-teacher. Naxzimento said it would take him “more than 20 years to save for a house” at current market prices on his salary.
“This is unbelievable – a once in a lifetime chance,” said the 26-year-old Naszimento. “My parents read about it in the paper, and here we are now.”