Housing Authority of Plainfield celebrates opening of $19.3 million apartments

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PLAINFIELD, NJ — On Thursday, Oct. 28, the Housing Authority of Plainfield was joined by community leaders for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Elmwood Square Apartments. The celebration took place in partnership with Plainfield, the Premier Community Development Corporation, Union County, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Alpert Group.

Elmwood Square Apartments is a 58-unit complex on 3.68 acres comprising 43 two-bedroom and 15 three-bedroom townhouses. The design includes individual entrances and incorporates defensible space, new urbanism features, eyes-on-the-street concepts, open space, passive recreation and a free-standing community building, which has a community room, office space and maintenance space. There is also supportive housing in the design, and 5 percent of the units meet Section 504 requirements. All ground floor units are handicapped adaptable. All units have Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance.

The city welcomed Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who participated in the celebration.

“The Elmwood Square Apartments are yet another example of the city of Plainfield leveraging public and private partnerships to create more vibrant, equitable, and inclusive neighborhoods,” said Oliver, who serves as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and as board chairperson of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency. “Gov. Murphy and I are committed to advancing housing and economic development opportunities throughout the state to help ensure that safe, affordable and desirable housing is available to everyone.”

Since the groundbreaking last year, construction on the new apartments managed to stay on track despite the COVID-19 pandemic. When Elmwood Gardens was deemed unsafe for its residents, the housing authority and its partners were determined to create a new housing opportunity for residents.

“This project has been years in the making,” said Plainfield Mayor Adrian O. Mapp. “I remain dedicated to improving the quality of life for all Plainfield residents, and today’s ceremony is yet another milestone on the path to quality, affordable housing. I’m grateful for HAP and our city’s partners for their vision and collaborative partnership, as they worked to bring this to reality. They have provided a fresh new start for many of our residents.”

Randall M. Wood, executive director of the Housing Authority of Plainfield, said, “We are all here today to welcome residents to Elmwood Square Apartments, which will be a significant part of our community. By rebuilding better housing that is affordable yet accommodating to our residents, we can provide our community with a higher quality of life. I would also like to acknowledge our partner and HAP’s qualified nonprofit arm, Premier Community Development Corporation, for their dedication and work to making this possible.”

Elmwood Square Urban Renewal — an equal partnership between two limited-liability companies formed by Premier Community Development Corporation and the developer, the Alpert Group — received a 9-percent tax credit designation from the NJHMFA to develop Elmwood Square Apartments on the Elmwood Gardens site.

“Our company’s goal was to redevelop urban areas for the residents of Plainfield. I’m truly honored to be part of this project and to be able to give tenants peace of mind with a new sustainable housing complex.” said Joe Alpert, president of the Alpert Group.

For more information on Elmwood Square Apartments, visit www.hapnj.org or call 908-769-6335, ext. 600.

Photos Courtesy of Brian Branch