History Of

Cranbury Housing Associates

Welcome to Cranbury Housing Associates, Inc.

Cranbury Housing Associates, Inc. – or CHA as it is commonly called – was founded in 1964 and re-organized in 1965 as a volunteer, not-for-profit corporation.  None of its members are paid for any work or services that they provide. 
CHA’s work provides a benefit to all Cranbury residents and especially those with low and moderate incomes.  For over 35 years, they have worked in partnership with the Township helping to meet our original and continuing affordable housing obligations.
When it was originally founded, CHA’s purpose was to help solve the problem of a lack of decent housing for migrant workers’ families, several of whom found themselves homeless as a result of a fire.  It was a very hands-on group of approximately 25 Cranbury residents.  One of its early projects was the purchase and rehabilitation of a building on Old Cranbury Road into six apartments which became known as the “Pin Oaks” property.  Over the next two decades CHA continued its mission of helping disadvantaged families by completing several projects while relying on the numerous talents of its volunteers. 
The NJ Supreme Court’s Mt. Laurel Decision in 1983 radically changed affordable housing requirements in New Jersey.  After the “Mount Laurel II” court decisions in 1984, the NJ State legislature enacted The Fair Housing Act of 1985, creating C.O.A.H. – the Council on Affordable Housing.  Cranbury requested the jurisdiction of the court mandated affordable housing requirements be changed from the court to COAH.  
At that time, CHA was asked by concerned citizens to help the township in meeting its “Mt. Laurel” obligations and avoid a “Builder’s Remedy”, which is the construction of 4 market price houses for each affordable unit built.  At that time, that would have meant almost 1,000 new housing units to be built – more than double the number of houses existing in Cranbury at the time.
CHA agreed to become the project’s developer.  With CHA’s past history of 25 years in developing affordable housing, its credentials convinced COAH that Cranbury could develop its own housing without the need for the “Builder’s Remedy”. 
CHA signed a Memo of Understanding or MOU with the Township to develop 60 units of housing for the Round 1 COAH requirements. The format of the MOU has been repeated for Rounds 2 and 3.  Cranbury was one of the first communities in New Jersey to not rely on outside developers for construction of its affordable housing.
There were major concepts that were used by CHA and approved by the Township Committee in developing the required affordable housing.  
These concepts have been re-adopted by subsequent Township Committees and remain the tenets CHA utilizes today.
  • Develop the housing ourselves.
  • Scatter the sites throughout the town.
  • Select sites in residential neighborhoods.
  • Select sites walkable to the Village.
  • Design buildings compatible to their neighbors. 

 

The first site to be developed was an approximate 2-acre parcel, partially owned by the Township and partially by the School Board.  The project was developed for senior citizens and is now known as Village Senior Housing on Park Place West, behind Main Street and adjacent to the tennis courts at the Cranbury School and next to the new Library building.
It was developed for 20 senior rental units and was funded in part by a grant from the Department of Community Affairs for $220,000.  There is a 50-year 1% mortgage from the United States Department of Agriculture – formerly known as the Farmers Home Administration – that funded the balance of the project.  The 8 efficiency and 12 one-bedroom units have been rented since June of 1990 and continue to provide quality and inexpensive housing for many of Cranbury’s senior residents. 
In addition to the senior project, as part of Cranbury’s Round 1 obligation, CHA assisted in the rehabilitation of 9 housing units in town.  This work consisted of upgrading substandard housing to meet current codes for safety and health requirements.  CHA also renovated the “Pin Oaks” property on Old Cranbury Road and added 1 unit, creating a total of 7 units.
The third part of the Round 1 obligation was the development of 40 units of family housing on what was known as the Morris site.  This site is now the Cranbury Green development on South Main Street and Old Trenton Road.  While the Village Senior Housing site was planned and approved with relative ease with members of the community, the development of the Morris site was more difficult.
There were many opinions from residents in town and neighbors of the sites as to the location, density, and type of housing developed.  It was through good communications and much discussion that the sites were planned and approved and have met and exceeded all expectations of those involved in the projects.  There are now 24 units on Bergen Drive located in 5 buildings, consisting of one- and two-bedroom units. 
In order to disperse the location of affordable housing in Cranbury, the Township negotiated a settlement with a developer further south on South Main Street to provide CHA with a second site for the construction of a portion of the 40 units of housing.  On Danser Drive, another site was developed. There are 10 one- and two-bedroom units in 2 buildings.
On South Main Street are 3 duplex buildings consisting of 6 three-bedroom units.
Of the total of the 40 units, 10 have been retained by CHA and are part of its rental program. The additional 30 units have been sold to residents.
The COAH housing requirements for Round 2, were developed in 1996 and with a much lower number of housing units required.  CHA again accepted the challenge to develop this housing and signed a Memo of Understanding with the Township, describing their respective roles in the project development and management.
This project on Bennett Place adjacent to Village Park, consists of 16 units of housing, all rented.  It provided 9 units of new housing stock and 7 units to replace the old “Pin Oaks” project.  Cranbury was given full credit for all 16 units since the “Pin Oaks” rehabilitation project time restriction had elapsed.
For this site, similar building designs to the houses that were developed on the Bergen, Danser and South Main Street sites were utilized.  This project consists of 2 buildings with 5 units each (containing one- and two-bedroom units) and 3 duplex buildings (containing three-bedroom units.).  All of these are rented to qualified low- and moderate-income individuals and families. During the planning and development of this site, there was concern by residents and neighbors of the site, which is on Maplewood Avenue, directly adjacent or north of Cranbury Village Park.  Working with the neighbors and the various Boards and Committees, CHA designed and built a plan that meets the needs of the new residents as well as the existing neighbors.
The “Pin Oaks” project, one of the original affordable housing projects undertaken by CHA in the 1960’s and renovated twice since, was demolished and the residents moved to the “Parkside” project.  The original migrant farm workers camp had finally outlived its use as a viable site for housing. In 2004, COAH revised its rules for providing affordable housing.  Under that “Growth Share” concept, the Township submitted its Third Round Plan, in November of 2005, which outlined an anticipated 160-unit requirement. Credits of 20 units for providing rental units and very low-income units were also anticipated.  That plan was subsequently revised when jurisdiction shifted to the courts. The first site to be developed in that plan is located on Old Cranbury Road.  This site was given to the Township as part of the settlement of a zoning dispute.  The ultimate developer of the adjacent property was K. Hovnanian which built the Four Seasons project. They gave the property to the Town, and in turn, CHA. This project consists of a total of 20 units: 4 one-bedroom, 12 two-bedroom and 4 three-bedroom unit buildings.  This project also utilized the design concepts from Rounds 1 & 2. CHA also applied for and received a $300,000 grant from the County which allowed it to reduce the project’s cost.
The other site developed by CHA to meet Cranbury’s Third Round number is a four-acre site located on Route 130, which the Township purchased and transferred to CHA, known as Applewood Court. This site came with a building located on it, which was demolished, and the site restored.  
Funding for the demolition came from the County – through the Community Development Block Grant program. After meeting with neighbors in several focus groups, and receiving their input, the number of units to be developed was reduced to 32, and additional buffering and screening plus additional open space was provided. There are 4 one-bedroom, 20 two-bedroom and 8 three-bedroom units located in 4 buildings.  This project was completed in 2020. Jurisdiction of a town’s responsibility to provide affordable housing was transferred from COAH to the New Jersey Superior Courts. The court determined that Cranbury’s Third Round Need to be 260 units, but the Township received Credits from prior rounds of 66 units mostly from CHA’s previous efforts. In addition to CHA’s work, there are two projects built by two for-profit developers that satisfy the total court mandated requirements.
The process of developing affordable housing is a difficult one because everyone is concerned about their own property values and the impact on their neighborhood. CHA has communicated well with its neighbors for each project that has been developed.  Designs have been modified to respect and address neighbors’ concerns, yet satisfy the projects’ requirements, in a fiscally responsible manner. The reason CHA took on the not-so-easy task of developing these housing projects was three-fold:
  • To provide the affordable housing to meet the State mandate, be it from the courts or COAH
  • To take it out of government control and the politics that surround it and the added costs that a government project generates,
  • And to take it away from private developers, so that Cranbury could develop and maintain it to meet the true needs and interests of the residents of the town.
The guiding principles that CHA has used in project development have remained the same:
  • Integrate affordable housing throughout the community.
  • Design and construct quality buildings to be compatible with their neighbors.
  • Provide a high level of maintenance to maintain the quality of the developments.
 
With the changes to the Governor’s office and Court challenges, there have been changes to COAH – its make-up, methodology, policies and even its very existence. The Court has currently taken jurisdiction of affordable housing requirements in Cranbury.  The Third Round Plan was approved in 2010 and lasts for 15 years until 2025.  It is anticipated that Cranbury will have a new affordable housing obligation at that time. What will not change, however, is the need for affordable housing in Cranbury. What has occurred in the past, and should not change in the future, is that towns such as Cranbury that provide affordable housing in advance of the State mandate, will receive bonuses for their forward thinking.  
As the property Owner, CHA manages the project including the initial project rent-up and re-rentals.  CHA pays the mortgage and all expenses, including the cost of the real estate broker and property administrator, maintenance costs, insurance, and taxes.  CHA pays a PILOT to the Township – a Payment In Lieu of Taxes in the amount of 3% of the gross property rents.  CHA collects the rents and verifies tenants’ financial qualifications to be tenants.  
There is no ongoing cost or work by the Township for the rental properties.  While the financial pro forma is based on its status of a not-for-profit corporation, it does allow CHA to have a reserve for long-term property maintenance.  This includes annual exterior maintenance – landscape and snow removal as well as long term maintenance of exterior elements such as roof replacements – which are starting now as the properties age beyond 30 years. CHA also manages the income verification of tenants to satisfy COAH monitoring requirements. Grants and low interest mortgages have been applied for and received from the Federal, State and county governments in excess of $2,000,000.  CHA has saved the Township over 3 million dollars in developers’ fees and profit that would have been normally charged by builders other than a volunteer, not-for-profit corporation. 
The part-time property administrator, Piazza & Associates, Inc. manages the affordable housing for Cranbury as well as for several other communities.  Their role includes initial rent-up, maintaining the applicant lists, assisting in re-rentals, verification of incomes of tenants on an annual basis, collecting rents, and maintenance of the properties. CHA is a volunteer group – maybe not the same way when initially established, doing hands-on construction – but it is still unpaid and with volunteer time. The 12-person Board of Directors meets on a monthly basis and makes policy decisions in maintaining and developing affordable housing.   
In summary, The Township provides the land, establishes the project scope and assists with initial funding.  CHA then designs, builds and operates the completed project in accordance with Cranbury’s Affordable Housing Plan without any additional Township funds being expended. This partnership with the Township has worked well for the past 35 years, benefiting the residents and taxpayers of Cranbury and with the assistance of its residents, CHA will continue to meet its affordable housing goals.