Middletown's Annual HUD Funding Doled Out

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — As part of the usual funding it gets every year from the federal government, Middletown was given $267,762 in Community Development Block Grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

This is the usual amount of HUD funding Middletown is allotted from the federal government every year.

This money will be used for the rehabilitation of existing affordable housing, not new construction, said Middletown administrator Tony Mercantante.

"Middletown has been doing this program annually for more than 40 years," said Mercantante. "We primarily use the funds to do housing rehabilitation for low- and moderate-income homeowners in the Township. Middletown, along with Asbury Park and Long Branch are funded directly from HUD, whereas most municipalities run these programs through (Monmouth) County."

There are many affordable housing units dotted throughout Middletown, including in new developments like Regency Park, Wedgewood and Cottage Gate on Hwy. 36, plus the Village at Chapel Hill on Hwy. 35 and Harmony Glen off Harmony Road. There's senior affordable housing such as Bayshore Village in Port Monmouth and Conifer Village on Hwy. 36.

Middletown also announced last January it is building affordable housing for low-income veterans at 37-45 Leonardville Road in Belford, across from the Carvel ice cream shop (the site of what used to be a tool rental business).

In the summer of 2019, Middletown raised eyebrows when the town announced it was withdrawing from its state-mandated affordable housing obligation.

"Middletown has built more affordable housing in the past 20-30 years than most municipalities in the state," said Mercantante this week. "So although we have removed ourselves from the current bottomless pit of court proceedings, we will always consider projects that make sense to the Township and represent good sound planning."

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