By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
Months of uncertainty regarding the vacant Boston Way Village in Asbury Park are expected to end this week with the signing of an agreement between the city Housing Authority and Developers Alpert/Metro Homes.
“After a long and fruitful negotiation we have found common ground and we believe we will be signing the contract at a special board meeting Wednesday night (June 28),” Chairman of the Housing Authority Board, Gregory Hopson, said on Tuesday.
In March, Hopson said negotiations on the demolition of the housing village on Memorial Drive were stalled when Alpert/Metro Homes failed to provide its half of the $700,000 estimated cost of the demolition.
Residents of Boston Way Village have moved or been placed in alternate housing while the new, proposed townhouse style units are built at the site.
They will have first rights to the new housing when the project is completed, Hopson said.
In March Hopson said, although delayed, he expected demolition to begin no later than June.
“We are going back and forth, but we are not going to let Asbury Park be taken advantage of,” Hopson said in March.
Hopson said the authority learned that Alpert/Metro had used its dedicated funds for other budget concerns, thus causing the vote on the project to be tabled at a special Feb. 27 meeting of the board.
Minutes from the Feb. 27 meeting state, “The Chairman of the Board, Gregory Hopson and the other board members led a spirited two hour questioning of the developers, and ultimately decided that the board had not received sufficient answers to their questions to give the resolution further consideration at the meeting.
Hopson also said once construction on the project begins, local laborers will be hired whenever possible.
