Although the price is still being negotiated, the Secaucus Housing Authority is moving ahead with plans to purchase a house on the corner of Fifth Street and Centre Avenue. The SHA will seek to hire an architect to work on the designs for what will likely become a parking lot.
“We’re looking for a purchase agreement and approval from HUD,” said Bill Snyder, SHA executive director, during a telephone interview. “We will have to seek a variance from the Board of Adjustment.”
Last year, Snyder proposed a plan that would temporarily transform the property into a parking lot, with the possible eventual goal of building affordable housing on the lot. “It looks now that we will be looking only to put parking there,” Snyder said.
The building, which once housed a bakery, has fallen into disrepair. Along with its associated garages, it is located on a large piece of property about 100 by 75 feet, which could have accommodated the construction of two, possibly three townhouse-style homes. But Snyder said installing residential units there may be more hassle than its worth and said the Elms senior building – across the street – is in need of added parking.
“This will provide more parking for residents of the Elms and their guests, and will help the neighborhood as well,” Snyder said. “This will get cars off the street so that local residents will have more parking.”
Snyder said that the SHA would be working up preliminary designs and would consult the neighbors. The area will likely be fenced off.
Funding for the purchase and the reconstruction will come from the SHA reserve. Snyder said that they have built up funds from low-cost (Section 8) funds, which Snyder said may be taken back by the federal government if the town doesn’t find a way to use them. While he had received no formal notice of this, he said other federal programs have been targeted and excess money taken back elsewhere in the state.
”HUD may seek to recaptured reserve money,” Snyder said. “Since we have a substantial reserve (about $2 million), it would be in our best interest to use it before we lose it.”
Snyder noted that the money could only be used for public housing programs such as modernizing or in this case, providing additional accommodations for parking.
Snyder said this project would not use up the entire reserve, and so the SHA is looking toward a possible purchase of the Nutrition Center further up the street at 101 Centre Ave. from the town.
“We have had some discussion with the mayor,” Snyder said, “Although that project is still in the preliminary stages.”
Not only would the purchase provide the town with additional revenue to keep taxes stable, but it would also allow the SHA to move some of its offices into the building from their current location in the Kroll Heights senior building on County Avenue.
“This could allow us to take over the Meals on Wheels program for the town’s senior population and possibly expand on existing social service,” Snyder said. “It would save the town money in that it would not have to pay the cost of operating the facility.”
Plank project will continue by end of the year
The SHA’s other major affordable housing project will see a temporary halt in its upgrade, said Snyder.
In July 2001, the town purchased a deteriorating five-building apartment complex at 1170-78 Paterson Plank Road from a private developer to provide low-income families with affordable housing. They used a combination of funds garnered from local developers and county affordable housing money.
Over the last year and a half, the SHA and the town’s Affordable Housing Board oversaw the replacement of roofing and gutters in the first phase of the project. The second phase – done primarily over last summer – involved the replacing of porches and sections of concrete walkways, as well as repairs to the parking lot, replacing of windows and doors, and relocation of wires that had plagued the development for years. The project was partly delayed because some of the older paint contained lead and had to be removed, using a special contractor.
“The abatement was paid for by the county,” Snyder said.
The next phase – which includes kitchen and bathroom replacement – will be delayed until the end of the year. “Those buildings have been under construction for a long time,” Snyder said. “We thought we should give the residents there a break.”