Council members at the Nov. 6 workshop questioned whether to provide the requested letters of municipal support for a proposed 194‑unit, age‑restricted (55+) affordable housing project at 24½ Van Houten being advanced by Hudson Blue 24 Owner LLC.

Economic development staff described the project as 100% affordable and age‑restricted, seeking both NJHMFA low‑income housing tax credit support (~$31.9M reported) and NJEDA support (staff cited an approximate $54M NJEDA component). Staff outlined a project pro‑forma showing roughly $111 million in total development cost with private lenders providing the remaining capital. “The total project is a 194 units. All units will be affordable,” the director said.

Council demands for presentation and detail: Multiple council members said the council should not supply a letter of support without the developer appearing to answer specific questions about tenant income targeting, unit rents tied to HUD AMI bands, developer fees, management commitments and any proposed PILOTs or tax‑credit terms. Councilman Velez said past letters of support had yielded projects that provided fewer affordable units than promised and urged the developer to present renderings and enforceable commitments. “I would recommend to go back to committee, do a presentation from the owner, or have them come here in a workshop and present their plan,” he said.

Funding and pro‑forma details: Economic development staff said the financing plan includes NJHMFA 4% tax‑credit funding (~$31.9M), NJEDA funding (~$54M), and roughly $25M in private financing. The developer fee was described as below 10% in staff remarks. Council members asked for the project pro‑forma and for answers about projected per‑unit costs, retail components, developer fee, contractor identity and long‑term management commitments.

Next steps: The council voted to move the resolutions to the regular agenda but several members asked that the owner appear at a workshop or return to committee with full project materials before the council issues a formal letter of support for state funding applications.