Affordable Housing Application Process Explained In Chatham

CHATHAM, NJ — While the Post Office Plaza redevelopment plan had caused considerable concern among Chatham residents for several months, an open house held in December sought to dispel any remaining doubts and questions.

During the informal meeting, developers, Bergen County United Way (BCUW) President Tom Toronto and architect Mike Scro provided borough residents with an official overview of the project and addressed public concerns.

After seeing the proposed architecture plans and design elements, several residents questioned the pair about the future application and screening process.

The new structure will stand two and a half stories tall and will house ten two-bedroom apartments, three three-bedroom units and two one-bedroom units. The 15 units in the building will all have in-unit laundry and will all be for low- and moderate-income families and individuals.

According to Chatham Borough Planner Kendra Lelie, the structure will be built on.55 acres at Post Office Plaza, with frontage and access to Bowers Lane.

To be eligible for one of the Bowers Lane Affordable Housing Project units, all applicants must fall within a certain maximum household income bracket. A single person, for example, would need to earn between $24,190 and $64,507 in order to qualify for a unit.

"We will vet, of course, the due diligence around income eligibility to make sure that people are fit. We are going to look at creditworthiness, we're going to do other kinds of background checks, and we're going to do personal interviews with all of the residents as well. We want to make sure that we're filling the project with folks who fit all of the necessary regulatory requirements." Toronto said.

In terms of a timeline, Toronto stated that there is no waiting list that residents would need to join in order to be considered for a potential spot. Instead, he stated that there will be an open application period, during which anyone who qualifies is encouraged to apply.

"Whether they come in on the first day or the 45th day does not have any bearing on selection," Toronto said.

In the event of a large number of applications, BCUW would delegate the process to a third-party firm to handle the final selection of residents through a random selection process.

The planning board is expected to put the project on the agenda this spring, with construction beginning in 2024 and lasting one year. Following approval of the site plan, funding for the project will be discussed and selected later this year.

When the project is about half finished, applications will be available on the BCUW website.