ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Four organizations were today presented with the Excellence in Housing and Economic Development Awards in recognition of their outstanding work in these development arenas. The award ceremony took place at the 2011 Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

“Governor Christie and Commissioner Grifa join me in congratulating this year’s award winners and commending them on their creative projects to foster economic growth and provide more affordable housing opportunities to New Jersey families,” said New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) Executive Director Anthony Marchetta. “We’ve made progress in returning our state to prosperity and affordability because of the efforts of these award recipients and others like them.”

Representatives of the Department of Community Affairs, HMFA, New Jersey Economic Development Authority and Department of State selected the winners. This year’s award recipients were honored for excellence in housing revitalization, economic development, and green housing.

Best of Housing Revitalization – Recognizes projects directed toward revitalizing or redeveloping distressed or blighted neighborhoods. Projects had to include a substantial affordable or workforce housing component.

Best of Economic Development – Recognizes an innovative mixed-use (non-residential), adaptive reuse, rehab, brownfield, industrial or office park that encourages private investment and the development of regional partnerships. The project had to replenish vitality into the community, create jobs, and strengthen private investment.

Best of Green Housing – Recognizes affordable housing developments that demonstrate a high level of sustainable design and maintain the integrity of sustainable living through a sustainable operations and maintenance program.

Award Winners

The award for Best of Housing Revitalization was presented to two organizations:

Advance Housing, Inc. received the award for Demarest Farms of Lafayette in Lafayette, Sussex County. The project is unique in that in order to blend in with the existing rural community, the adaptive re-use of an existing barn structure was acquired and converted into 10 units of affordable supportive housing for individuals living with mental illness, victims of domestic violence, and veterans. All residents are provided with support services and linkages to community services in order to stay housed independently. The silo has also been converted in to an adjoining property management office.

RPM Development received the award for Market Fair in the City of Camden. The multi-site redevelopment project in Camden included the renovation of the formerly vacant Security Trust Building at 301 Market Street, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. RPM partnered with the Camden Redevelopment Agency to restore the endangered site. The Security Trust Building and a new addition now contain 35 units of affordable senior housing and 3,500 square feet of ground level retail space. The second part of the Market Fair project is in the Fairview neighborhood where RPM constructed a new building at 1250 Collings Road that includes 26 more units affordable senior housing, 10 of which have been set aside for special needs residents who are homeless persons, especially those that are veterans.

The Best of Economic Development award was presented to South Jersey Economic Development District (SJEDD) for its success in attracting large scale development projects that strengthen the economic base, while enhancing the quality of life for the residents. SJEDD is a four-county regional agency with a mission to promote well-planned, sustainable economic development projects throughout South Jersey. The partnership includes the Counties of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem, and the Federal Economic Development Administration. This regional collaboration is currently embarking on a 58-acre Aviation Research and Technology Park at the William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center.

The Best of Green Housing award was presented to Collaborative Support Programs of NJ Inc for Hamilton Supportive Housing in Neptune, Monmouth County. The project provides an innovative shared housing design that implements green supported living opportunities for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. The newly constructed two-story house incorporates a suite model maximizing the individual space of each tenant and still maintaining a communal environment ideal for peer support. Hamilton Supportive Housing is built as an Energy Star Home and integrates green building components and energy efficient systems such as a geothermal system for heating and cooling and tankless hotwater system.

The NJ Governor’s Conference for Housing and Economic Development is hosted by the DCA’s Division on Housing and Community Resources; the HMFA; and, for the first time in conference history, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and New Jersey Department of State. The conference is self-sustaining, funded entirely through sponsorship opportunities and registration fees.

For further information about the conference, please log on to http://www.state.nj.us/dca/hmfa/home/conference/index.htm.