Middletown To Build 12 Veterans' Apartments on Leonardville Road

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — This week, Middletown Twp. announced it has completed the purchase of a former tool rental property on Leonardville Road, and will be turning the site into rental affordable housing for U.S. veterans.

This is a property at 37-45 Leonardville Road, an area locals know as Campbell’s Junction.

The plan is to build 12 rental apartment units, all at affordable housing prices, for any man or woman who served in the U.S. armed forces. Rental amounts have not been determined yet, said Middletown administrator Tony Mercantante.

Also, it is too early to give an estimated date when construction will start, he said.

The property was formerly owned by EZ Quick Food Stores Inc. and Middletown paid $335,000 to purchase the land. That money came out of Middletown's Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which is funded by fees developers pay to build market-rate housing in Middletown, said Mercantante.

So he said the purchase was not made using taxpayer money.

"I am very excited to announce that after almost two years of negotiations, Middletown has acquired the old tool rental property," announced Mayor Tony Perry Tuesday on Facebook. "This property has sat neglected in Campbell’s Junction for a long time and construction will soon begin on an affordable housing project dedicated to the men and women who have honorably served our nation!"

This past September, construction began on a $23 million, 70-unit apartment community in Tinton Falls for veterans of the U.S. armed forces, including veterans transitioning from homelessness: Veterans' Housing Coming To Tinton Falls (Sept. 13, 2020)

That site will be called the Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Village. Veterans' Village is located on a wooded 12-acre site on Essex Road in the borough of Tinton Falls; the property was donated by Tinton Falls.

It will be a four-story building with 70 one-bedroom apartments available at a range of income levels: 18 units will be available to individuals earning up to 30 percent of Area Median Income (AMI); 24 will be designated at 50 percent of AMI; 10 at 60 percent of AMI, and 18 at 80 percent AMI.

Be the first to know. Sign up to get Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: [email protected]