Patch Poll: Should There Be a Senior Complex on Church Street?

A developer recently presented plans for a senior complex in Aberdeen on Church Street to the Township Council and Planning Board.

The senior complex is proposed to be built on a 14-acre redevelopment site that formerly housed the South River Metals building. No action was taken at the special joint meeting.

The senior complex would consist of 80 one-bedroom independent senior living units, which are 675 square feet. The building would be three stories and would contain a senior center, which would be open to the entire senior community, regardless of whether or not they live in the complex. There are plans for between 8 and 12 two-bedroom units.

The building would also include a senior center and a wellness center.

There are additional plans for a later phase of construction that would include a second building with 80 assisted living units for seniors who require special care.

The units will serve as affordable housing for Aberdeen Township.

"I spoke with a woman who has been living here since 1963 and doesn't want to move but can't afford to stay," Tagliarini said. "This is an affordable way for residents who have been here for 30, 40, 50 years to stay here."

This is not the first time a senior complex has been proposed at the old South River Metals site. According to David Samuel, a managing partner at Consulting & Municipal Engineers (CME), this project has been a "long journey."

According to Samuel, the property on Church Street was first a manufacturing site, between 1908 and 1985. It then became a furniture warehouse until the warehouse caught fire in 1989. Aberdeen Township acquired the property through foreclosure during the 1990s.

In 2003, according to Samuel, the township authorized the planning board to investigating the property to see if it was suitable for redevelopment. Over the years, the old building on the property has been demolished and asbestos and large tanks have been removed. The board appointed a developer in 2004, according to Samuel, but the project was never finished.

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