Design Approval For Chatham Affordable Housing Project On Docket

CHATHAM, NJ — After years of planning and uncertainty, the Post Office Plaza redevelopment plan has almost reached the finish line.

At its meeting on Monday night, the Chatham Borough Council will vote on the plans for the Bowers Lane Affordable Housing Project, which is scheduled to be built at Post Office Plaza.

The proposed resolution states that the proposed development plan must be consistent with the restated Post Office Plaza Redevelopment Plan before receiving full council approval and future Chatham Borough Planning Board review and approval.

The proposed housing development would be two and a half stories tall, with 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.

The structure will be constructed on .55 acres at Post Office Plaza, with both frontage and access to Bowers Lane, according to Chatham Borough Planner Kendra Lelie.

The Chatham Historic Commission, according to Lelie, will review the plans and make recommendations to the Chatham Borough Planning Board, which will give final approval to the site plans.

Late last year, residents of Chatham Borough were given an overview of the project and provided with answers to questions from the public by Tom Toronto, the president of the developer Bergen County United Way, and architect Mike Scro.

The project is anticipated to be put on the agenda by the planning board this spring, with construction set to start in 2024 and last for one year. Following site plan approval, funding for the project will be discussed and decided upon later in 2023.

"This is a long process. It's not extremely long, but it takes some time to go through approvals, financing and then construction," Lelie said.