Hovnanian to redevelop NJ site

From the Trenton Times:

Ex-TV site to change over to townhouses
BY JULIE O’CONNOR

Township officials say they won’t miss the battered blue awning and sandy parking lot of the boarded-up former New Jersey Network building on Parkside Avenue.

“I’m happy this building is coming down,” said Township Administrator Jim McManimon. “It’s been an eyesore for a long time.”

The 3.6-acre property recently was bought by developer K. Hovnanian Homes, which plans to build 50 homes on the site. The company received approval from the township planning board and must get additional permits from the state and county to complete the project and finalize the deal.

When the homes have been built, it’s anticipated they will generate about $60,000 a year in property taxes for Ewing, about $100,000 for Mercer County and $130,000 for the Ewing schools, said Councilman Bert Steinmann.

The property will be renamed “Parkside Village” and turned into 50 townhouses much like the residential complexes of East Gate and Parkside Court, located nearby. Six of the 50 new townhouses are designated for low-in come housing.

Six units are reserved for low-in come housing — called “Mount Laurel” units, because of a ruling by the state Supreme Court. If communities accept a “fair” number of affordable homes within their borders, builders can’t use the courts to force unwanted development the community. That number is determined by the state Council on Affordable Housing.

The state’s goal is to create 100,000 units of affordable housing in the next 10 years, Gov. Jon S. Corzine announced in June. Ewing has met the required 116 affordable housing units it must supply by Feb. 1, 2007. The township is now looking to add about another 60 units by 2014.

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