Conifer Village at Rittenberg Breaks Ground
June 2nd, 2014
Egg Harbor City, New Jersey
On May 12, 2014 representatives from the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJ HMFA), the New Jersey State legislature, Egg Harbor City, and Conifer Realty celebrated the groundbreaking for Conifer Village at Rittenberg, a 100-unit affordable senior housing development in Egg Harbor City, Atlantic County. The project, a joint venture between Conifer Realty and MEND, Inc., includes 101 apartments in a mixture of one and two-bedroom units providing affordable housing opportunities for seniors 62 or older. Five units will be set aside for homeless individuals.
Funding for the project includes Federal Sandy Recovery funds and Disaster Recovery funds awarded by the HMFA, and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) provided through the Fund for Restoration of Multifamily Housing (FRM). The FRM program provides for-profit and non-profit housing developers zero-interest and low-interest loans to finance the development of affordable housing in the nine counties most impacted by Sandy as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in an effort to increase the supply of affordable housing stock in these areas. Atlantic County was one of the counties hardest hit by Sandy, with nearly 9,000 housing units affected by the storm.
The site, the location of the former Rittenberg School, is in the heart of downtown Egg Harbor City. Conifer Village at Rittenberg is close to restaurants, shopping, professional offices, banks, medical resources, a park, and cultural resources. There are also convenient public transportation links and a New Jersey Transit bus stop one-half mile from the site. Greater Egg Harbor Chamber of Commerce President Jim Schroeder said his grandparents met at the site when it was a high school, and he is pleased to see the site become home to senior citizens who will shop downtown and add to the community.
Each apartment will have Energy Star-rated appliances and heating and cooling systems that meet the Energy Star Program requirements. Project amenities include laundry facilities, an exercise room, computer room, library and a community room. Construction started in late March, and the site has been graded, some curbing installed and workers are now installing the foundation. The project will be open for residents by May 2015.
BartonPartners Architects Planners has been a participant in many affordable and work force housing projects funded with low income housing tax credits (LIHTCs) since our founding in 1990. We have partnered with developers and housing authorities in six states and seen over two dozen projects through to completion and occupancy. The Conifer Village at Rittenberg will be a valuable addition to the Egg Harbor community providing needed housing for an underserved portion of the population.
E-Mail Photo Caption
All Smiles, Egg Harbor Mayor Lisa Jiampetti surrounded by other city officials and representatives of the developer, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker’s office, the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency and housing advocates celebrate the start of construction on the Conifer Village at Rittenberg Project.