The Grandview Apartments 

Grandview Residents Meeting Recap

February 15, 2023

On February 15, 2023, the Affordable Housing Alliance (AHA) held a meeting with residents of Grandview Apartments, at the nearby Bayshore Senior Center.  This meeting is intended to be an initial step. We will have regular dialogue with and continue to inform residents of the exciting future for the site.  Presenters included Randi Moore (AHA – CEO), Chris Pugliese (AHA – Director of Housing Development), and Steve Schoch (Thriven Design – Principal/Architect).

The aging infrastructure of the site was the leading portion of the discussion.   The buildings at Grandview Apartments were built in 1968, over 50 years ago.   They already underwent one major rehabilitation/renovation in the mid-1990s.  This site has particular struggles, given its proximity to the Raritan Bay.   Building One on Beachway Avenue is around 14 feet below the flood line while building 9 is about 6 feet below the flood line.   If this were a new site, you could not have apartments at those elevations.  This has created a consistent issue of water infiltration across the property, which has continued to damage these buildings, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.   This has led to extensive physical issues at the site, which many residents have dealt with firsthand.

As an Agency, we have determined that we need to explore New Construction options for the site.  We have assembled a team of experts to assist us with this.  But it has become clear we need to ensure affordable housing remains on this property, while also having a Grandview Apartments that meet modern standards, is built to sustain the future climate and can provide a better living experience for all residents, present and future.   It’s also become apparent to us that there are currently funding mechanisms that can potentially allow us to see a greater vision for the future at the site.

The team put together by AHA includes The Alpert Group (https://www.thealpertgroup.com/), MidAtlantic Engineering (http://midatlanticeng.com/), and Thriven Design (https://thriven.design/).  The Developer, Engineer, and Architect each have an extensive background working with various forms of affordable and mixed-income housing in the State of New Jersey.  AHA previously worked with the team on 48 and 98-unit projects, in Ocean Township and Neptune Township respectively.  

Steve Schoch of Thriven design described numerous projects he has worked on.  These included a site in Newark he is currently working on, which had very similar flooding parameters as Grandview Apartments.  He described the necessity of elevator buildings in new construction for this site, based on the flood line issues. He also described the potential of a Mixed Income building, where there are both affordable and market-rate units seamlessly interspersed.  

We wanted to reiterate that we understand that all of this information can be a lot to process. We are currently still in the early design phase and do not know what construction phasing looks like at this time.  There may be some degree of offsite relocation required in the future, however, we are working to mitigate that.  We have a consultant on board who specializes in that field.  Any person or family who may be affected in this manner will have a team working with them on an individual basis to assist in finding alternative housing.  They will also have the right to return to the site.  

As we learn more, we will continue to keep you informed.  Continue to check this website for periodic updates.  You may also call the phone line at 848-217-4345 and leave a message with questions regarding the future of Grandview Apartments.   We will check the line periodically and respond.  This line is only for future plans, maintenance issues should continue to be reported through the Grandview management office.