BARNEGAT – Nearly three years have passed since the developer of a manufactured homes community on West Bay Avenue received approval for the project, and residents are curious about what is being built there.
Construction on the Cottages at Compass Point (“the Cottages”) continues as a work in progress brought to Barnegat by Chris Vernon of Mercer Management. The new age-restricted community sits on land previously occupied by Shoreline Sand and Gravel.
The first three purchasers in the Cottages development are expected to close on their homes in November. Approximately 35 units are already on the site, with more coming in weekly and a couple more contracts in place.
The new homebuyers won’t have to worry about paying property taxes as they don’t own the land on which their houses are built. Instead, a monthly fee covers their land lease agreement and an assortment of amenities within the community, projected to grow to 777 manufactured homes.
According to Meghan Jacobs, a Mercer Management spokesperson, the monthly cost stays at $995 – at least for now. She provided no further details about anticipated price increases once more construction is completed, and things like the clubhouse become available.
The Cottages feature five different models, all with some variation of a porch. All offer two bedrooms, two full baths, and a garage accessible through the rear of the home. In February of 2021, Vernon said he expected the Cottages to come with a starting price of $289,000. Four months later, the prices rose to $300,000.
The smallest model is 1,152 square feet and has an updated price tag of just under $414,000. The largest model for sale boasts 1,460 square feet with an asking price of almost $495,000.
All of the models come with appliances, and homebuyers can add different features such as outside awnings, triple crown molding or gas fireplaces. In addition, the upstairs portion of the homes can be used for storage space.
Garages can be accessed through the rear of the homes with an additional parking space for each unit. The main streets are wide enough to accommodate guest parking. However, some have questioned the logistics of entering and exiting the garages.
“It’s all been designed as part of an engineering study,” Jacobs shared. “They’ve done traffic studies on plans for rotation. The end units have the garages tucked in, so the turning radius is a little bit better.”
Those interested in buying one of the Cottages cannot seek out regular mortgages because they are buying manufactured houses. However, the developer works with a finance company that can point prospective owners to alternative lenders, including a bank.
“We have two options for people interested in moving here,” said Jacobs. “They can either purchase the home or do a lease to own that goes to the home’s purchase price.”
Jacobs said that a lot of people who expressed interest in the Cottages are in transition. They could be moving from other communities and not quite ready to leave their present homes.
“This allows them to rent and decide if they want to stay,” Jacobs explained further. “The lease to own acts as a commitment of their purchase rights.”
The lease-to-own option requires a minimum of a one-year contract, with a portion of the money allotted to the sales price. Mercer’s legal team is still working out the details; however, the monthly lease option would start at a minimum of over $3,000/month.
The focus now appears to be on finishing the clubhouse, which sits adjacent to Cloverdale Farm County Park. Vernon prides himself as somewhat of an icon in the hospitality business. Locally, his projects include Hotel LBI, The Mainland and Holiday Inn, and other popular venues. He plans on making the Cottages clubhouse the best in the area.
Jacobs provided a tour of the clubhouse from the bottom level up, pointing out the yoga studio and the crafts and activities area. A full bar on the lower level is readily available to anyone in the outdoor pool. Plans include building an indoor pool.
Elevators are in the clubhouse, although a grand staircase is also part of the structure. In addition, residents will have the opportunity to take advantage of a golf simulator room or use the fitness room with cardio equipment that connects to smartphones. A concierge will also be on the premises.
Other planned amenities include a putting green and trails that lead to Cloverdale Park. A bike path already has been put in place in front of the development.
“All of the landscaping will be handled by us,” said Meghan Jacobs. “This includes mowing and pruning; if trees die, we replace all of them.”
Cluster mailboxes will be set up at the clubhouse. The developer plans to equip everyone with garbage cans and privately handle garbage collection from each home. Snow removal and road maintenance are all part of the fee residents pay monthly.
Controversy
From the time Vernon first presented the project for approval, he’s received a tremendous amount of opposition from the community. Many expressed their disappointment that Vernon initially proposed to build an age in place development, where seniors could essentially move from an active lifestyle into a nursing home on the same site.
Prior to the developer appearing at the planning board, a petition circulated with a photograph of a beat-up trailer warning people that the developer planned to turn the site into a trailer park. Others expressed concerns that clearing the land meant removing too many trees and harming wildlife. Concerns about an influx of traffic and drainage issues continue to arise in discussions among local residents.
Now that progress has been made, some say the cottages are “adorable.” Others suggest they are an eyesore and entirely too close together.
Charles Cunliffe, a Democratic candidate for a seat on the township committee, has made overdevelopment in Barnegat one of his main talking points. Cunliffe said he understands that developers are allowed to build what is permitted by local zoning ordinances on their property.
“They (the governing body) turned the property into an ‘area in need of redevelopment,’” said Cunliffe. “They basically custom-tailored the zone for this project. It’s disturbing to me that everything was changed to accommodate the developer’s desire to build ultra-high density manufactured dwelling units.”
“A resort like age in place adult community, as originally proposed, is something I think the entire community could have embraced,” Cunliffe added.
Cunliffe is running against Republican incumbent Albert “Al” Bille, who was on the Township Committee when the zoning changes were made. Bille says Barnegat took the developer to court, and the judge ruled against the township. Court records show the township entered into a settlement agreement with Vernon. Such agreements are commonplace as part of the law referred to under the Mount Laurel decision.
Barnegat had not met its affordable housing requirements, and the parties agreed that Vernon could take them on in exchange for approving this project.
“The developer will have to pay over $20 million to build Barnegat’s affordable housing on Route 9,” reminded Bille. “This will save Barnegat taxpayers a large tax increase.”
According to the phasing schedule, Vernon won’t need to start the 100 affordable housing rentals next to the old Sweet Jenny’s site until 196 units are under contract at Compass Point.
Bille addressed issues regarding traffic concerns and pointed out that there are three entrances and exits from Compass Point. He said the township has been in touch with the county to address future issues.
“I was at court when all of this came about,” Township Business Administrator Martin Lisella said. “With builder’s remedy, if we didn’t do this, the developer could have built anything he wanted there. He could have built apartments for low income with no age restrictions. This was the least invasive effect on the west side of town.”
Vernon could have brought a builder’s remedy lawsuit claiming Barnegat was stopping the developer from building any amount of affordable housing units at the Compass Point site. It would not matter what the zoning ordinances were in such a case.
“If we had an option, I’d rather see 500 single-family homes there,” Lisella shared. “There was no option afforded to us by the judge.”
