Homeless housing out for Nike site
Government reverses
position because
of nearby propane tanks
By darlene diebold
Staff Writer

VERONICA YANKOWSKI Carly Villane and Erin Short, both 8, of Middletown frost their own gingerbread cookies at the St. James Elementary School’s Santaland Dec. 8 in Red Bank.

HOLMDEL — Opponents of a planned housing program for the homeless at a former Nike missile housing site on Telegraph Hill Road can rest easy. The property is no longer considered eligible for such a use.

The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) "has reversed its position on the suitability of the property," Brian Rooney of the federal Health and Human Services Department said Monday.

Rooney, who originally approved applications from the Monmouth Housing Alliance in Eatontown and the Barn for the Poorest of the Poor in Middletown to use the 12 surplus houses, said, "The applications are now null and void.

"If the properties were deemed unsuitable to begin with, we never would have approved the applications. We did not have all the information that we have now," said Rooney

In a reversal, the surplus housing at the site was deemed unsuitable for possible use to assist the homeless, according to the Title V, Federal Surplus Property Program Federal Register Report for Nov. 16 because it is within 2,000 feet of flammable or explosive material.

This is a redetermination based on additional information from the landholding agency, the General Services Administration, according to the Federal Register.

Under HUD Title 24, a property within 2,000 feet of flammable or explosive materials is not acceptable as a housing site.

Thirteen large propane tanks are located on an adjacent property owned by Shorelands Water Co. in Hazlet and used to deice Verestar satellite dishes. One of the 12 surplus houses is located 50 feet from a tank.

"We are still waiting for official word from the government," Mayor Art Davey said Monday, declining to comment further.

The Monmouth Housing Alliance, a nonprofit agency, applied for nine of the 12 houses there to be used for supervised housing under the Stewart B. McKinney Act.

The Barn for Poorest of the Poor wanted to use three of the houses for food storage.

The houses have been vacant for almost a decade and were once used to house military personnel who worked at the site.

Glenn Rotondo, the associate regional administrator of operations for the General Services Agency, said Monday that they will "now give the state and the local community the ability to acquire the property.

"It will no longer be available for homeless use under the McKinney Act," he said. The GSA oversees federal property disposals.

Rotondo said that the property will be made available for a variety of uses, including park and recreational uses.

The township has long said that the approximately 5-acre tract would make a perfect addition to adjacent Phillips Park. The township has discussed using it for additional parking and possibly refurbishing one or two of the homes for an educational center, meeting room. and rest room facilities.

Because of its prior military use, township officials also mentioned a possible link to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the PNC Bank Arts Center.

Kathy Burruss, who was in charge of reexamining the applications for HUD, was on vacation and unavailable for comment.

The issue has been a polarizing one in the community. Parents and residents who live near the site complained loudly about the unsuitability of the homes for homeless people and a task force was appointed to review the matter.

Township officials persuaded representatives from the GSA and HHS to visit the site at the end of August and presented a list of reasons that the site was unsuitable for housing and that the Alliance and Barn applications should be denied.

Planning Board Chairman Paul Kraus, Holmdel Youth Athletic Association Treasurer John Graziano and Township Engineer Ed Broberg cited a variety of issues, including land use, propane tanks, traffic and roadway problems, environmental hazards, noise problems, and the historical significance of the site.