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The Boston Way Village housing complex will be demolished soon, as the city council has agreed to write a letter of approval supporting its razing.

The Asbury Park Housing Authority [APHA] has met the requirements for demolition, which include holding resident meetings and having a resolution approved by the APHA’s board of commissioners, said Dan Gibson of the Long Branch Housing Authority at the May 1 council meeting. The Long Branch Housing Authority is overseeing the APHA on an interim basis.

Currently, the Boston Way Village complex contains about 123 units. The new complex would have about 80 units, Gibson said.

Rehabilitaion of the site would cost about 71 percent of full redevelopment of the site, Gibson said.

After the city council submits its letter of support, the APHA will await approval from the Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] office in Chicago, Gibson said. The APHA will also apply to HUD’s Newark office for Section Eight vouchers to remove the remaining families from the site, he said.

After the residents move, demolition can begin. The APHA estimates that they will be able to construct 80 units in a new town-home-like development, Gibson said. The units will have one to three bedrooms, with central air conditioning, he said. It will be “completely opposite of what exists there now.”

City resident Werner Baumgartner spoke during public comment about the plans for Boston Way Village.

“I’m a bit concerned about the deposition of this property,” he said. “There’s probably a missed opportunity here.”

Baumgartner suggested the city instead develop a corporate office park at the site.

Deputy Mayor John M. Loffredo said this was not possible. Boston Way Village is owned by the Housing Authority, he said.

“We cannot just re-zone it and tell them how they can use the property,” he said.

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