Hamilton council advances multiple senior affordable housing projects, moves redevelopment plans forward

Hamilton Township Council on July 15 approved resolutions and introduced ordinances to advance several senior affordable and affordable housing projects, including a payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes (PILOT) financial agreement for a Pine Street Ventures project and a redevelopment plan for Our Lady of Sorrows.

The moves clear preliminary municipal steps that council and staff said are needed so applicants can meet state funding deadlines and count the units toward Hamilton’s affordable‑housing obligations. Director Fred Dumont told the council the projects are part of the township’s affordable housing plan and several applications must be filed with the state by Sept. 2.

Council approved the consent agenda containing dozens of grant and housing items (consent agenda items CA‑1 through CA‑42), with one abstention recorded on CA‑17. The consent agenda included a resolution authorizing a PILOT agreement with Pine Street Ventures LLC for a housing project at 3500 South Broad Street (Block 2542, Lots 29–30). The council also introduced and advanced several ordinances: a second‑reading ordinance authorizing a long‑term financial agreement for Hamilton Senior Apartments and a first‑reading ordinance adopting the Our Lady of Sorrows study‑area non‑condemnation redevelopment plan.

Director Dumont described two linked efforts: a senior rental project affiliated with Saint Raphael’s Parish and a separate Our Lady of Sorrows project. “So 68 affordable living units, affiliated with the church … Rents will be in the $1,300 range, so extremely affordable,” Dumont said, adding that the developer must submit state funding applications by Sept. 2. He also said the Our Lady of Sorrows project would preserve the existing structure and add an L‑shaped addition of roughly 50 units; the planning board will consider a redevelopment plan on or about June 26 and then return a recommendation to council.

The council repeatedly recorded unanimous votes on several ordinance readings (announced in the record as “5‑0”) to move matters forward; many housing‑related items were included on the consent agenda that the council approved after discussion. The meeting record shows multiple grant‑related items added to the consent agenda that staff said totaled approximately $2,400,000 in grant requests and awards; the council and staff framed those grants as supporting road and infrastructure work tied to broader planning and redevelopment efforts.

What happens next: planning‑board review and state funding applications. Projects that require redevelopment plans are scheduled for review before the planning board; if the planning board returns a recommendation, the council will vote on accepting that recommendation and on final redevelopment approvals. Staff and the applicant will pursue state funding and any municipal financial agreements needed to enable the projects.

For now, the council’s actions are procedural steps to enable developers to pursue state financing and to make the housing count toward Hamilton’s affordable‑housing obligations.