ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.
–The Department of Community Affairs and the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency today honored 10 local organizations with the Governor’s Excellence in Housing Awards.  The award ceremony was held at the 2007 Governor’s Conference on Housing and Community Development at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

This year, the awards were presented to projects that demonstrated outstanding housing development in the areas of affordable housing, green/sustainable development and community revitalization.

Excellence in Housing awardees included the Madison Affordable Housing Corporation, The Ingerman Group, the Pleasantville Housing Authority, RPM Development, the City of Newark, the Affordable Housing Alliance, Trenton Prospect House LLC, DMR Architects, Hunter Roberts Construction Group and Millstone Township.

In the Affordable Housing Development category, The Madison Affordable Housing Corporation, The Ingerman Group and Pleasantville Housing Authority each received an award. 

The Madison Affordable Housing Corporation received its award for the Madison Affordable Housing Corporation Joint Venture (Morris County), a partnership formed between The Madison Housing Authority and two local nonprofits to develop housing for very low-income families.  The housing authority worked with the Madison Affordable Housing Corporation, the Church of God in Christ Community Development Corporation and the Morristown Housing Authority.  As a result of the partnership, two three-bedroom homes were created for two local public housing families.

The Ingerman Group and Pleasantville Housing Authority were honored for the 57-unit Pleasantville New HOPE Community Phase I housing project (Atlantic County).  This is the second affordable housing development award presented to The Ingerman Group and the Pleasantville Housing Authority for the development, which is part of a two-phased revitalization plan that will replace the 104-unit Woodland Terrace public housing development located in the heart of Pleasantville.  When completed, the development will include 153 units of mixed-income housing designed with the historic context of the area in mind.  All of the homes meet the standards required by the New Jersey Green Homes program. 

In the Green/Sustainable Development category, RPM Development and the City of Newark each received an award for Springfield Commons, for its use of solar photovoltaics for a multifamily housing project.  Solar panels provide virtually 100 percent of the common electric energy at Springfield Commons, including lights in the hallways, parking garages, and community room.  This 72-unit affordable housing development was completed with support from HMFA’s SUNLIT Program, which works to make the cost of solar energy affordable through rebates and renewable energy certificates.  Springfield Commons is the first property built under HMFA's SUNLIT program, which supports solar installations for multifamily affordable housing - the first program of its kind in the country.

Trenton Prospect House LLC, DMR Architects and Hunter Roberts Construction Group each received an award in the category of Community Revitalization for the 110-unit housing project known as Trenton Prospect House (Independence Gardens) (Mercer County).  The development is part of a multi-phased project that includes a 57,000 square foot shopping center.  The developer set-aside close to 25 percent of the housing units for residents with special needs.  This redevelopment effort has transformed a once vacant 10-acre site into a viable community that provides quality goods and services and housing opportunities. 

Millstone Township and the Affordable Housing Alliance received the Special Achievement Award for Millstone House, an affordable, accessible, 10-unit rooming  home (Monmouth County).  The site, formerly an abandoned homestead that was originally built in the early 1800’s, once served as a congregate group home.  It is now a beautiful facility serving residents referred from Easter Seals, the Department of Social Services, municipal offices and other social service agencies.

The Governor’s Conference on Housing and Community Development is cosponsored by DCA and the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, a DCA affiliate.  For more information about the conference call 609-278-7400, or visit us online at www.nj.gov/dca/hmfa/.