At its most recent meeting, Cherry Hill Township Council unanimously passed both a resolution and an ordinance geared toward the purchase of units to be used for affordable-housing on a tract south of Route 70 and west of Grove Street.
Due to a state mandate, every municipality in New Jersey must set aside a certain amount of property for low- and moderate-income housing.
The resolution authorized a contract of sale and the deposit of $1,000 apiece for the properties located at 110 Park Place Drive and 506 Park Place Drive. Those properties are intended to be included in the Affordable Rental Housing at Tavistock program. ARHAT is funded by the Home Investment Partnership Program.
Per a memorandum attached to the township’s ARHAT page, it is a program solely designed to help those with moderate incomes find rent-based housing in Cherry Hill.
Individuals will be eligible for the ARHAT program only if they are making between the 2013 Council on Affordable Housing-established low-maximum and moderate-maximum incomes for Region 5, New Jersey, according to number of persons residing in the unit.
Per the site, the income parameters for a single-occupancy residence are between $28,526 and $45,640, while six-person occupancy limits are between $47,271 and $75,632.
Bedroom size for each dwelling will be determined by the number of members residing in the unit. If there are same-sex children in the unit, two same-sex children will share the same bedroom. For example, if there is a single mother and two sons, this household would only be eligible for a two-bedroom unit, but not a three-bedroom unit, per ARHAT rules.
Related to the above resolution, council also unanimously passed, on first reading and ordinance that authorized the purchase of 110 and 506 Park Place for inclusion into ARHAT. A second reading and public comment will take place at council’s next meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, April 8.
For more information on ARHAT, visit: https://www.cherryhill-nj.com/198/Affordable-Rental-Housing-at-Tavistock. For a comprehensive look at ARHAT rules, visit: https://www.cherryhill-nj.com/DocumentCenter/View/3806/ARHAT-Rules–Regs?bidId=.
Councilwoman Melinda Kane did not attend the meeting, and in an unusual move, her seat was not left vacant and her nameplate did not appear on the dais, as per usual absences by other council members.
Mayor’s Chief of Staff Erin Patterson Gill confirmed to The Sun on Friday, March 28, via text, that Kane resigned from council the previous evening. Kane was required to do so before being sworn in as a Camden County freeholder. She will take the spot vacated by Bill Moen, who resigned his freeholder seat to run for the Assembly seat in New Jersey’s 5th District.
The Cherry Hill Democratic Committee is required to present three nominees to succeed Kane to township council to fill the void left by Kane’s resignation. Council will then appoint one of the three to take the open seat.
In other news:
•Girls from both the Cherry Hill High School West and East wrestling teams were honored, along with their coaches, for their performance in the first season since New Jersey sanctioned the sport for women. Councilwoman Carole Roskoph praised all who attended as “trailblazers,” while Mayor Chuck Cahn presented each wrestler with individual certificates of appreciation.
•Council appointed three members to the township Recreation Commission: Robert Kempf, Scott Mooney and Eugenie Pentimalli.
