WinnDevelopment has begun work on a $23 million apartment community for veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Village in Tinton Falls, NJ, will feature a four-story building with 70 one-bedroom apartments that will be available at a range of income levels.
Soldier On, a non-profit organization serving homeless veterans since 1994, will provide residents at The Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Village with services, including workforce assistance, benefits assessment and ancillary support programs.
“There are more than 400,000 veterans in New Jersey and thousands of them are disabled, homeless or in need of the support that will improve their quality of life,” said WinnCompanies CEO Gilbert Winn.
“We’re pleased to partner with Soldier On, with the support of state and local officials, to deliver this much deserved assistance and bring this important project to life.” “
The development is being built on a wooded 12-acre site donated by The Borough of Tinton Falls.
It is supported by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), which will provide construction and permanent financing from the Agency Revenue Bond Financing Program and a subsidy mortgage loan commitment from the NJHMFA’s Multifamily Rental Housing Production Fund; low-income housing tax credit equity provided by Bank of America; a subordinate mortgage from Federal Home Loan Bank New York Affordable Housing Program; HOME funds from Monmouth County, NJ; project-based rental assistance from the New Jersey Department of Housing Assistance; and, a deferred developer fee.
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has awarded 18 Housing Choice Project-Based Vouchers to the project to assist homeless veterans.
“We have a moral obligation to take care of our soldiers when they complete their service to our country, some of whom will have lifelong mental and physical health challenges as a result. Providing them accessible, decent, safe and clean housing with the supportive services they require is one of the ways we can help ensure they live the quality of life they deserve,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as Commissioner of DCA.
“This new apartment complex will provide New Jersey veterans and their families with a home in a community that understands and meets their unique needs. Governor Murphy and I are grateful to the public and private partners who have come together to move this project forward and we look forward to its completion.”
Expected to be ready for occupancy by October 2021, the community is named for the late Gordon H. Mansfield, a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran who served as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as well as Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equality Opportunity at the Department of Housing & Urban Development.
The project will be the Soldier On’s seventh housing facility for veterans and its first-ever supportive services housing development In New Jersey, where it already manages several programs for veterans. The non-profit also works with veteran communities in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania.
V.J. Scozzari & Sons, Inc., of Pennington, NJ, will serve as the general contractor; PS&S Architecture & Engineering, of Cherry Hill, NJ, will serve as the architect and civil engineer; Gibbons P.C. will serve as local counsel.
WinnResidential, the property management arm of WinnCompanies, will manage The Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Village in collaboration with Soldier On. WinnResidential currently manages 16 multifamily properties totaling 2,297 apartments in 11 New Jersey cities and towns. Its sister company, WinnResidential Military Housing Services, manages 41,000 homes for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families at military installations in 12 states.
