Boro to pay $250K for mobile home upgrades At least 100 units at Pine Tree to be considered affordable housing BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer EATONTOWN - The Borough Council was expected to vote on a measure last night that if approved, will support a preservation project at the Pine Tree Mobile Home Park. A resolution was planned to appear on the Dec. 19 council agenda that calls for the borough to commit $250,000 for upgrades at the Pine Tree Mobile Home Park affordable housing community. As part of the renovation project, at least 100 of the 130 homes at the Route 35 site will be considered affordable housing units as established by guidelines of the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH). "Pine Tree has not always been considered affordable housing," said Donna Blaze, CEO of the Affordable Housing Alliance (AHA), which is the landlord of Pine Tree. "Last year the township asked if we would consider [designating the park as affordable housing]," she said. "It was part of the condition in buying it. "One of the things we are trying to do is have manufactured housing recognized as affordable housing within the state. Now it is not, and yet thousands in New Jersey live in manufactured houses and meet the income requirements [for affordable housing] from COAH," Blaze said. She added that 87 percent of the residents at Pine Tree meet the income standards to qualify for affordable housing as set by COAH. The AHA plans to ask the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for the additional funds to support renovations at the mobile home park, according to the resolution, which states that a condition of the DCA awarding funds is that the borough makes a contribution of $250,000. "The borough will commit $250,000 to this venture from its affordable housing trust fund, or if necessary, from other sources subject to court approval or approval by courtappointed master and subject to borough amendment to its Housing and Fair Share Plan and Spending Plan and Master Plan," the resolution states. The AHA will also use grants from state and federal agencies, as well as private donations, to complete the renovations to the park, according to Mayor Gerald Tarantolo. Tarantolo explained that the acquisition of the park by the AHA last January benefits not only its residents and those in need of affordable housing, but the borough as well. "Pine Tree's recognition as affordable housing will add a total of 100 additional affordable units to the borough," Tarantolo said. "This addition will create a surplus of affordable housing within the borough, ensuring its compliance with COAH guidelines," he added. Plans for the renovation project call for upgrades to the park's infrastructure, such as utilities, as well as upgrades to the foundations that the mobile homes sit on. It is anticipated that 10 of the 100 or more affordable units at the mobile park will be rental units and 90 will be for-sale units, according to the resolution. "The rental units may well generate a rental bonus or at least will help satisfy the borough's rental requirement," according to the resolution. The resolution was expected to be voted on by council at the Dec. 5 municipal meeting, but was tabled after residents of Pine Tree voiced concerns over components of the lease agreement between the landlord and residents of the mobile homes. Dana Spencer, co-chair of the Pine Tree Homeowners Association, said at the Dec. 5 meeting that her main concern is that the lease agreement says that residents of Pine Tree are not allowed to replace or move their mobile homes during the lease period. "The statement actually reads that a tenant could not remove their mobile home from the lot nor replace said home," Spencer said after the meeting, adding that it was too restrictive. Council voted unanimously to table the resolution until the lease issue was resolved, according to Tarantolo. "There are issues with residents' leases that we were not aware of," Tarantolo said after the Dec. 5 meeting. "Out of fairness to the residents there, we will call in the [AHA] and get a clarification for these people," he said. Tarantolo held a meeting with the Pine Tree Homeowners Association and the AHA on Dec. 10. During the meeting, the AHA explained to the borough and homeowners that the disputed statement in the lease was printed incorrectly, according to Spencer. The full sentence should have said that tenants could not remove their mobile home from the lot, nor replace the home, without it meeting COAH standards and landlord approval, Spencer explained. "They are going to fix the problems with the lease," Spencer said. "We want and need the improvements here. The Homeowners Association is satisfied and is definitely in support of the borough's resolution." Blaze said she agrees with Spencer that the clause in the lease preventing residents from moving or replacing their units is "unnecessarily" restrictive and was carried over from the previous landlord's lease and not something added by the AHA. If a resident wants to replace their mobile home, they first have to make sure that any new mobile home is compliant with all COAH standards, Blaze said. New residents at Pine Tree are not allowed to bring in any units that are over five years old, and all new units must also have a proper foundation beneath them, Blaze explained. Borough Administrator George Jackson said that the contested clause in the lease was carried over from the previous lease as an incomplete sentence, and in the end both parties agreed that the clause was unnecessary and that it should be removed. The AHA is a nonprofit organization based out of Monmouth County that provides residents of Monmouth, Mercer and Ocean counties with the resources and information needed to better understand affordable housing. The AHA mission is to "expand affordable housing resources for Monmouth, Ocean and Mercer County residents who need it. "This task is accomplished through interagency cooperation and partnerships, and all facets of real estate development, from consultation and acquisition to construction or renovation and management," according to the AHA Web site.