FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jersey City’s “Newest Oldest Neighborhood” Sees Conversion of 100-Year-Old School Building
DCA Commissioner Constable And State Senator Cunningham to Join Celebration of $1 Million CHOICE Award on 6/22
(Jersey City, NJ) June 19, 2012 – Next summer, the vacant school building on the southeast corner of Whiton Street and Lafayette Street will open its doors again. But although the historic structure that housed All Saints School for nearly a century will bear the same name and exterior appearance as before, the interior will now be occupied by 25 homeowners. It will mark the first adaptive reuse of an abandoned property in Jersey City’s Lafayette neighborhood in over a decade.
The All Saints condominium project is a creative collaboration of New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC), Community Asset Preservation Corporation (CAPC), and Alliance Construction Group, LLC. At 10:15 AM on June 22, the developers, local and state officials, and community members will gather at the 305 Whiton Street site to formally announce a $1 million CHOICE Award for the project from the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency and to celebrate another step forward in the revitalization of the historic Lafayette neighborhood.
The All Saints School project will include four affordable housing units and 21 “emerging markets” units that target new, middle-income homebuyers. Thanks to the CHOICE Award, each unit will be available with favorable low-interest, low-down payment mortgages and will have affordable prices. “The All Saints redevelopment has so many assets,” said NJCC President Wayne Meyer, “from its preservation of a beautiful historic building to its proximity to public transit. And the HMFA CHOICE funds ensure that the homes will serve a wide range of homebuyers for a long time.”
Among the attendees at the June 22 event will be New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Acting Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III, New Jersey State Senator Sandra B. Cunningham, and Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. “Community revitalization requires creative solutions,” said Acting Commissioner Constable, citing the All Saints project. “This effort is an excellent example of finding a way to move a community forward in tough economic times.”
“The All Saints project is an essential component of a great community redevelopment plan,” added Senator Cunningham. “I believe we will be gathering to celebrate a number of strong community-based developments in this area in the coming years, and they will signify more jobs, more homes, and more opportunities for Lafayette residents.” Mayor Healy noted, “As we begin to see the arrival of more quality homes and businesses and other investments in Lafayette, we will be able to look back at this project as one of the catalysts.”
For Ed Fowlkes, head of Alliance Construction Group, All Saints has personal significance. “Being a second generation Jersey City builder, a graduate of All Saints, and a resident with family roots in Lafayette,” said Fowlkes, “having the opportunity to be part of a development team that is committed to positive projects that benefit Jersey City and its residents is especially rewarding.”
About New Jersey Community Capital and Community Asset Preservation Corporation
NJCC is a 501(c)3 community development lending institution that transforms at-risk communities through financial and technical support of affordable housing, community facilities, and economic development projects that strengthen neighborhoods, improve education, and provide jobs. CAPC, which in 2009 became NJCC’s real estate subsidiary, is a unique organization that completes complex acquisitions of vacant and distressed properties and works with local partners to return them to productive use. For more information, visit: www.newjerseycommunitycapital.org.
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