U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Community Planning and Development

CITIZEN'S SUMMARY

Middletown Township in New Jersey is a predominantly middle class community with a full spectrum of housing choices, including the coast of Sandy Hook Bay, rural areas, scenic corridors, and historic districts. Its business environment has attracted major corporate employers, such as Bell Labs and Bellcore. It also has an outstanding school system. Between 1980 and 1990, Middletown Township experienced a 9-percent population increase, which is twice the current pace of New Jersey's growth, but which is modest compared to Middletown's growth surges during the past 20 years.

Action Plan

Although free from crushing housing problems that plague New Jersey's urban centers, Middletown has identified a significant number of households that struggle to maintain their property and a sizable elderly population that needs rental assistance. To address these needs while fulfilling its obligation to provide 1,000 housing units for lower-income households, Middletown will use nearly $1.5 million in public funds, including: $381,000 in 1995 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds; $850,000 in State funds; and $200,000 from a township revolving account for new construction and rehabilitation.

Citizen Participation

To maximize input in data collection and strategy selection, a series of meetings and telephone conferences were held involving the Planning Department, the Departments of Community Development and Welfare, Middletown Housing Corporation, and the management agency responsible for public and private housing. These discussions identified resources and developed the Township's housing priorities. The Township also solicited comments from local organizations responsible for housing and supportive services. Public hearings, advertised in newspapers and widely-circulated flyers, were open to public comments. Before the Township Committee formally adopted the proposed plan, copies of it were distributed in accessible places throughout the township.

COMMUNITY PROFILE

Middletown, in northeastern Monmouth County, was one of the county's first townships. Established in 1693, the township evolved as a series of farming and fishing villages. Merchants used the area's Navesink River and Sandy Hook Bay to conduct trade between New York and nearby settlements. After the Civil War, Middletown's growth occurred when family farms were sold for development. Communities along the bay became shoreside resorts, while sites further inland developed as estates for the wealthy.

The post-World War II era brought uncontrolled growth and migration from the cities to outlying rural areas. Between 1940 and 1950, the population of Middletown grew by 47 percent, versus the State's overall growth rate of only 16 percent. Completion of the Garden State Parkway in 1954 generated another population surge, and improvement of two major State highways in the 1960s spurred a third wave of residential development. Between 1950 and 1970, the population more than tripled, reaching 54,623. During the next two decades, township growth slowed, climbing to 68,183 by 1990.

Middletown's land uses include: marinas, a commercial fishing fleet, major corporate headquarters, a community college, a naval military installation, historic districts, and Sandy Hook National Park. Township plans permit housing types that accommodate all income levels, including: seven types of single-family districts, duplexes, garden apartments, and two mid-rise apartment districts. The plans propose construction of 316 affordable housing units and rehabilitation of 219 units. In addition, Middletown will rehabilitate 500 dwelling units in nearby communities.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT NEEDS

Conditions

Middletown Township contains 22,630 households. Non-Hispanic whites comprise nearly 94 percent of the households; African Americans comprise 2 percent; Hispanics comprise 2 percent; Asian Americans comprise another 2 percent; and Native Americans comprise less than 1 percent.

Middletown's median family income (MFI) of $54,053 is 50 percent higher than the national MFI and 15 percent higher than its metropolitan area, which includes Monmouth and Ocean counties. Of the township's 21,355 white households, 71 percent have incomes greater than 95 percent of MFI. The remaining 29 percent are classified as very low- to moderate-income households.

Most minority households also have incomes above median. Of African American households, 52 percent have incomes greater than 95 percent of MFI. The remaining 48 percent are classified in very low- to moderate-income households. Of Asian American households, 82 percent had incomes greater than 95 percent of MFI.

Housing Needs

Nearly 10,000 owner-occupant households, who experience housing cost burdens that exceed 30 to 50 percent of their gross income, require the most assistance in Middletown Township. An estimated 1,250 elderly renter households rank second, while small and large families who rent rank third and fourth.

The 1990 census reported that 7,241 units had physical defects. These defects resulted from deterioration and deferred maintenance. In less than 1 percent of the units, occupants were forced to share plumbing or kitchen facilities.

Housing Market Conditions

The median price of a housing unit in the township is $187,000, which is 3.4 times higher than the township's MFI. Although that ratio increased by more than 40 percent between 1980 and 1990, it is below the overall 4.2 ratio for New Jersey, which is characterized by high housing prices.

The supply of housing in Middletown Township increased by 21 percent between 1980 and 1990, rising to 23,814 units. This gain cannot be attributed entirely to new construction, because conversion of summer bungalows into year-round dwellings has also added to the housing supply. Of the total housing stock, 80 percent is owner-occupied, reflecting a 14-percent since 1980.

Supply appears to be keeping pace with demand, which helps to maintain affordable housing prices and rents. Although population growth during the 1980s generated the need for an estimated 1,870 housing units, the housing stock actually grew by 4,973 units.

Affordable Housing Needs

In general, the township has given priority to rehabilitating existing housing, increasing the supply of available affordable housing, and providing financial assistance to the elderly and small family renters. Owner-occupied homes with physical defects also were assigned a high priority.

Homeless Needs

Unlike central cities or oceanfront resort communities, Middletown Township does not attract the homeless. Therefore the township has not developed shelters, transitional housing, or permanent housing for the homeless. The township Department of Welfare assisted 14 homeless clients in 1994, placing them at the Monmouth County shelter in Fort Monmouth, or placing them in rooming houses as temporary rent-subsidy cases. The department's homeless clients increasingly include recently unemployed persons, who have no benefits, or who have exhausted their life savings. The homeless population previously consisted of the mentally ill, substance abusers, and young adults evicted by their parents.

Facilities and services for homeless subpopulations are limited. There is a waiting list for housing for the developmentally disabled. There are no facilities for active substance abusers. A shelter for runaway children needs to be opened in Monmouth County. Shelters for victims of domestic violence do not need to be expanded because court liaison services have become more effective in obtaining restraining orders that enable victims to remain safely in their homes.

The director of welfare estimates that 1,000 elderly households (20 percent) have special needs. Of these 250 may require housing assistance, and as many as 500 may need some type of social support. Of an estimated 5,000 disabled residents, about 500 have disabilities that require supportive housing.

Public and Assisted Housing Needs

The Middletown Public Housing Authority administers 537 units in 4 developments. All are in good condition, and none are expected to be lost through conversion or demolition. More than 10 percent of the units in each of these developments comply with accessibility requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Two of the four developments were built with Section 8 new construction funds. The Housing Authority also administers 150 Section 8 certificates, which are not tied to public housing units, and which can be used outside the area if a cooperating landlord cannot be found in Middletown.

Barriers to Affordable Housing

Middletown Township has impediments to affordable housing as well as opportunities that expand accessibility to housing. A major impediment is a lending reversal, which has substantially curtailed homebuying opportunities. Following numerous foreclosures during the mid-1980s, banks have enacted more stringent credit requirements for mortgages.

Ironically, those foreclosures created opportunities for some low- and moderate-income homebuyers. The township housing plan permits vacant foreclosed properties to be listed on the scattered site inventory and sold as affordable housing.

In 1993 adoption of a new master plan eliminated zoning practices that had impeded provision of affordable housing. The plan includes measures for conformance zoning, which reverses previous practices of upgrading zoning in developed neighborhoods. Each established neighborhood's density has been analyzed, and the proposed land-use map recommends zone requirements that conform to the character of each neighborhood. The plan also recommends expansion of townhouses, garden apartments, and two-family zones, promoting mixed-use developments.

Fair Housing

Among its efforts to remove barriers to affordable housing, Middletown monitors the effectiveness of the inclusionary zoning and conformance zoning policies established in the 1994 zoning ordinance. In addition, the township will continue to explore mixed-use developments.

Lead-Based Paint

Neither the Township School Board, the Township Health and Welfare departments, nor the County Health Department have been reported any confirmed cases of elevated blood-lead levels. However, none of these agencies has a coordinated testing program. Data supplied by the National Center for Lead-Safe Housing suggest that about 1,000 rental units and 700 owner-occupied units in Middletown contain lead-based paint.

Community Development Needs

The township estimates that $1.1 million is needed to improve streets and sidewalks. Another $90,000 is needed for historic preservation, commercial-industrial rehabilitation, and planning activities.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Housing and Community Development Objectives and Priorities

High priority has been assigned to helping struggling homeowners to maintain their dwellings. This goal can be achieved by rehabilitating existing homes, increasing the supply of affordable housing through both rehabilitation and new construction, and providing financial assistance to elderly and small-family renters.

Housing Priorities

One housing priority is rehabilitation. Middletown contains 5,770 very low- to middle-income housing units that have physical defects or need repairs. The maintenance and preservation of these dwellings will help to stabilize deteriorating areas and to encourage other owners to improve their properties.

Another priority is expansion of affordable housing. Middletown's current fair share allocation, as mandated by the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), is 1,000 units. Because COAH prohibits jurisdictions from reaching this goal solely through rehabilitation, new affordable housing, both rental and owner-occupied, must be built.

Over the next 5 years, the Middletown Township Housing Corporation and the Middletown Department of Community Development will rehabilitate 180 dwelling units and build 25 single-family dwellings on isolated lots, complying with the township's affordable housing plan. Private developers are expected to complete five affordable housing projects that have been encouraged through inclusionary zoning. These projects will include 154 senior rental units and 63 new affordable homes.

New housing will be targeted to low- and moderate-income households who have the financial resources to qualify for mortgages. New rental housing will be targeted to extremely low- and low-income households.

Additional activities during the next 5 years will include: removal of physical barriers for persons with disabilities, and advocacy for facilities that serve persons with special needs, such as the elderly, who comprise 15 percent of the township's low-income population.

Township authorities will support pending State legislation, which streamlines approval of affordable housing proposals, and will support measures grounded in sound planning practices. At the local level, Middletown will monitor the effectiveness of its own inclusionary zoning policies and will encourage mixed-used developments.

Non-housing Community Development Priorities

Revitalization and streetscape beautification will be directed toward the township's four neighborhood commercial districts that have been designated as villages in the New Jersey Development and Redevelopment Plan. The 5-year goals include: mobilizing and uniting business owners in each of these centers; completing planning for at least three districts; and ensuring that construction and visual improvements are evident in at least one district. Anti-poverty Strategy The Middletown Welfare Department provides homeless persons with general assistance and shelter placement, and counsels and assists eligible households in gaining benefits from the Monmouth County social service programs. On the Federal, State, and county levels, the township is interested in developing programs that combine social and economic actions.

Coordination of Strategic Plan

The Middletown Township Department of Planning is the lead agency that oversees the delivery of affordable housing. To implement the plan, the department coordinates with the Departments of Community Development and Welfare, the Housing Authority, and the Housing Corporation. Throughout the year, various issues, such as resources and program accomplishments and shortcomings, are discussed at routinely scheduled meetings.

ONE-YEAR ACTION PLAN

Description of Key Projects

For the current year, the Township Department of Community Development expects to receive $381,000 in CDBG funding. A private, nonprofit corporation that provides housing for senior citizens expects to receive $850,000 in "balance housing" funds from the State and $1 million from low-income housing tax credits to finance a 58-unit project. The Middletown Township Housing Corporation will have access to $200,000 from a township revolving account for construction of affordable single-family dwellings.

These resources will allow Middletown to enact the following four projects in 1995:

A group of single-family dwellings that will be built by the nonprofit Middletown Township Housing Corporation. These homes, partially financed through a township revolving account, will be sold to very low- to moderate-income families in order to reach the township's affordable housing obligation, as set by the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing.

Construction of a 58-unit expansion of Luftman Towers, which the nonprofit Lincroft Senior Citizen Corporation will build to benefit extremely low- to moderate-income frail elderly households. The expansion will establish a new supportive service that will allow the frail elderly to live independently and to avoid institutionalization.

Rehabilitation of 25 housing units. Middletown will devote $284,800 in CDBG funds to make emergency repairs, correct building code violations, abate lead-based paint hazards, reduce barriers to accessibility, and make the dwellings more energy efficient.

A planned study of the Campbell's Junction Revitalization and Streetscape Beautification project. The township will allocate $20,000 in CDBG funds for the plan, which will review the business composition, street patterns, and economic composition, and which will recommend specific improvements to roadways, sidewalks, and parking facilities.

Locations

New construction and rehabilitation will be spread throughout the township. The complex for seniors will be an annex to Luftman Towers in the Lincroft community. Campbell's Junction, site of the commercial revitalization, is in the township's Belford section.

Maps

MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.

MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.

MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.

MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.

MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.

MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.

MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.

MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point.

To comment on Middletown Township's Consolidated Plan, please contact Ruth Christenberry, Community Development Director, at 908-615-2280.

Return to New Jersey's Consolidated Plans.