2 Berkeley Homes Slated For Demolition Will Be Repurposed

BERKELEY, NJ — Two houses located on Good Luck Point in Berkeley Township will be repurposed for affordable housing through a new partnership, officials announced.

The two single-family ranch houses on Beach Avenue and Dorrance Drive came into Ocean County ownership as part of a hazard mitigation plan and were initially scheduled for demolition in the flood-prone area, though the structures were in good condition.

Through a new partnership, Berkeley Township will work with a nonprofit to have the structures moved and transported to their Manitou Park affordable housing project.

“I am happy to announce a partnership with Berkeley Township to save these homes and be able to use them in other areas for families,” said Ocean County Commissioner Virginia E. Haines. “We are planning to enter into an agreement with Berkeley Township where we donate the structures and the township is responsible for relocating them.

“Working with Berkeley Township, we have identified two single-family ranch homes that are in good condition and could be repurposed,” Haines said.

After Superstorm Sandy on Oct. 29, 2012, Good Luck Point was one of the areas in Ocean County that suffered catastrophic damage, according to Haines. Ocean County has been working to acquire properties there under the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s Hazard Mitigation Grant program. So far, 15 properties have been acquired.

“By purchasing these flood prone (repetitive loss) areas will not only make that area more resilient but will improve our standing in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) with our Community Rating System (CRS),” Mayor Carmen Amato told Patch.

Under the program, Berkeley homeowners can purchase flood insurance at a discounted rate. Prior to January 2012, Berkeley Township was a class 7 community which offered a 15% discount.

“Since then, we have been very aggressive in updating our ordinances and working with other entities to purchase flood prone areas. Because of our efforts we improved our CRS rating twice and are now a class 5 which entitles our flood insurance homeowners a 25% discount,” Amato said.

The two properties that were purchased had two structures that were in good shape and could easily be moved to a different location, Amato said.

In addition to those properties, the County has sought to expand the Good Luck Point project area through direct acquisition of properties using funds from the County open space preservation program.

The property located on Beach Avenue is surrounded by existing county Natural Lands Trust property and the other on Dorrance Drive is adjacent to a lot acquired by the County under the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant.

“The purchase is helping in our land preservation efforts and also to help with hazard mitigation in the future should we ever see another major storm,” Haines said. “It makes far more sense to save these homes if they are in good condition and allow for a future use, than to demolish them, when they have a value for someone.”

The Ocean County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to pass a resolution at its Dec. 15 public meeting authorizing the agreement of the donation of the structures to Berkeley Township.

The details of the transfer however are still being worked out.

Upon removal of the homes any remaining improvements on the properties will be demolished and the sites will be returned to natural states. Bulkheading at the Dorrance Drive property will be maintained until it can be safely restored to a natural shoreline.

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