Affordable Housing 1…2…3...

The Asbury Park City Council held its latest meeting on June 11, 2025, at 6 pm in the Municipal Building Council Chambers. Present on the council bench were Mayor John Moor, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, Councilmembers Angela Ahbez-Anderson, Eileen Chapman, and Yvonne Clayton. They were joined by newly appointed City Manager Adam Cruz and Deputy City Manager John Hayes, and several other city officials.

During the meeting, they shared a presentation of the fourth round of the Affordable Housing Plan in Asbury Park, they reviewed consent agenda resolutions – including the 2025-2026 Alcoholic Beverage Control Licenses for different locations in the city, and discussed the amendment to the Main Street Redevelopment Plan (which was tabled).

Council Member Angela Ahnez-Anderson shared a few announcements before the presentation including details about the city’s Summer Camp Day Program. The program is open to current kindergartens through 7th graders and will run from June 30 to August 8, Monday through Friday, from noon to 4:30 p.m. She also announced the city would be hosting a “Stay in New Jersey Workshop” on June 13th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers . The event was designed to help residents stay rooted in the community they love, offering information on essential resources, financial assistance programs, housing support, and more.

Councilmember Yvonne Clayton announced the “North to Shore Festival” will return to Asbury Park from June 14th to 29th, featuring a wide range of events across the city– including music, art, dance and more. For full event details, visit the North to Shore website (https://northtoshore.com/). She also shared the return of the “Juneteenth Festival” which will take place on June 21st from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Springwood Park.

Beth McManus, the City’s Planning Consultant, delivered a presentation on affordable housing, offering an overview of what residents can expect. She emphasized the importance of affordable housing in promoting housing quality, affordability, and overall quality of life. The presentation also broke down the 2025 income limits for Region 4 – which include Monmouth, Mercer, and Ocean counties – categorized by household size (1 to 5 individuals) and income levels: median, moderate, and very low.

Ms. McManus also shared some citywide requirements and development limitations tied to affordable housing. She outlined the required next steps in the affordable housing process: declare affordable housing obligation, and submit the adopted housing plan and all supporting documentation to the court by the deadline June 30th.

Before getting into the city’s development plans, it’s helpful to know that there are three types of affordable housing requirements: Rehabilitation, New Construction, and Regional Contribution Agreements (RCAs). They each address different aspects of housing need, and municipalities are required to meet targets based on local conditions and state regulations.

As for the city of Asbury Park, they need to fix up or improve 214 existing units between 2025 and 2035. This is called the Rehabilitation Obligation and it represents the estimated low – and moderate – income households living in poor or overcrowded housing that need repair or improvement.

The second category is an “Outstanding RCA Obligation” of 206 units which stems from past agreements to satisfy affordable housing mandates through development in other towns. Some of these RCAs are incomplete or have alleged defects.

Most notable about the presentation is the third category: “New Construction” and the fact that the city doesn’t have any requirements (zero new construction obligations) during this time period because it’s qualified as an Urban Aid town and is exempt from new construction requirements.

To satisfy the RCA requirement, the city plans to collaborate with the Housing Authority on a new development project that includes 132 new units. The proposal focuses on redeveloping the Home Plate site (at the corner of Memorial and Springwood Avenues) and facilitating the replacement of 63 existing units at Lincoln Village, Memorial Avenue. While the Lincoln Village is slated for demolition, the city emphasized its commitment to ensuring continuous affordable housing for current residents through HUD support.

The public stepped forward to address a few of their issues and reached out to the council for help. A resident from 6th Avenue raised concerns about infrastructure on Kinsley, 6th and 7th avenues. While she commended the city’s efforts to provide bike lanes and ensure safety, she pointed out the narrowing roadway leading to the beach makes it difficult for cars to safely pass cyclists. She asked if there was anyone she could talk to regarding the issue. Deputy City Manager John Hayes said what he referred to as a simple answer and State Law, “If there’s no designated bike lane, the bike has the full lane.” she replied, “Do you realize that I am going to find that to be extremely dangerous the way it’s set up.”

A city employee, James Bonanno – Transportation Director stepped in and added that they are going to add signage to warn drivers about cyclists having the right to use a full travel line in the absence of a bike lane.

A First Avenue resident for 37 years addressed the council about concerns about her sewer billing. She explained she received a bill two years ago for $2,400 and she was told it was “back billing” due to changes that impacted her current charges. She said, “We have not made any changes to our water meter nor did we add any other water meter.” Despite contacting various officials at the City Hall, she has yet to receive a clear explanation.

She acknowledged the city’s costs of maintaining the sewer system but expressed feeling penalized for her longtime residency. “We’re retired and were hoping to enjoy a changing town in our retirement,” she said. Lastly, she requested the removal of the back billing and an end to additional $160 quarterly charges. There was not a resolution to this matter at the meeting.

The council approved a number of liquor licenses for the upcoming year, including well-known venues such as Watermark, The Stone Pony, The Wonder Bar, and McLoones. Notably, Portas’s license was approved with special conditions aimed at enhancing public safety and crowd control. The conditions include:

• Hiring four off- duty police officers every Friday from 10:00 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. year round.
• Expanding the facility’s security camera system to cover all building entrances and exits with at least exterior views, as well as camera angles along the street both toward and away from the venue.
• Clearly stating on Porta’s website, social media, flyers, and other promotional materials that two forms of identification may be required for entry.
• Eliminating 16 oz mixed drinks from the menu and limiting mixed drink sizes to no more than 12 oz glasses.

The council meeting covered important community updates – from affordable housing plans and summer programs to festival announcements and liquor license approvals. These steps reflect Asbury Park’s ongoing efforts to support residents’ quality of life and vibrant culture.