TOMS RIVER – A local property owner has offered the town government a new affordable housing option involving nearly eight acres behind the veterans clinic on Hooper Avenue, but Mayor Daniel Rodrick questioned whether the proposal is viable as an October 1 court deadline approaches.
Joseph Tardibuono presented the proposal during the August 12 Township Council meeting, saying he and his wife control approximately 6.8 acres in the Caudina redevelopment area through Equity Management Group LLC and 560 Roosevelt MMB LLC. According to Tardibuono, Toms River owns the remaining approximately 1.2 acres, consisting of 26 small lots.
The project would require the township to cooperate by selling, conveying or otherwise addressing its parcels and act on requests to vacate mapped but unopened streets. Parcel maps provided by Tardibuono were prepared in 2025 for his earlier commercial proposal. They show ownership but not a concept or site plan of the newly proposed housing development.
Mayor Questions Ownership And Timing
Rodrick was not present at the August 12 meeting. In a statement afterward, he said Tardibuono had approached the township about commercial development, not affordable housing, and did not control the entire site.
“That gentleman never approached us about affordable housing,” Rodrick said. “He came to us 2 1/2 years ago looking to do something commercial, but he doesn’t own all of the property and he is landlocked. He would need the township to eminent domain property for him.”
Rodrick also questioned Tardibuono’s financial ability to construct the project and said the township was “well beyond the stage of exploring new projects.”
“As per his own statements to us, he doesn’t have the money and would need another company to build it,” Rodrick said. “It’s not a real option at this point. If he were a real developer with a real plan, he would’ve filed as an objector.”
Tardibuono acknowledged that two other private landowners still held parcels when he first met with Rodrick and township administrators in early 2024 about a medical office complex. He said he and his wife have since acquired those properties and now control all privately held land within the approximately eight-acre area. The remaining land within the site is owned by Toms River.
“I own all the private land in that area,” Tardibuono said. “The township owns approximately 1.2 acres, which consists of 26, 20-by-100-foot lots, two which have road frontage, and 24 which are in the back of the property, which will mainly be used as a buffer.”
Affordable Housing Idea Developed Recently
Tardibuono originally intended to build a low-rise medical office complex supporting the neighboring VA clinic. He said he began considering affordable housing after attending township meetings and hearing disputes over where the required units should go.
He also said Rodrick raised the possibility of affordable housing on the property during a November 2025 telephone conversation. Tardibuono contacted a developer but determined the project was not a good fit at the time.
The current proposal began taking shape in late July after Conifer Realty LLC expressed interest. Tardibuono said he subsequently told Rodrick he might have an affordable housing solution, but the mayor indicated he preferred commercial development at the location.
Tardibuono identified Conifer during a follow-up interview after declining to name the company at the council meeting. Another news outlet incorrectly speculated that the developer was National Church Residences. Tardibuono said the company has provided a letter of intent and is preparing a concept plan, but no binding development agreement with the township has been reached.
Conifer’s company profile says it has developed more than 21,000 affordable apartments in more than 300 residential communities. Tardibuono said the company would bring its own architects, engineers, planners and other professionals to the project.
He suggested the site could serve seniors and possibly provide a preference for veterans because of its proximity to the VA clinic. Residents would also have access to medical care, stores, restaurants and transportation, he said.
“This isn’t simply just about satisfying that affordable housing requirement,” Tardibuono told the council. “This is about creating housing in the right location, not stuck somewhere it shouldn’t be, where people may not want it to be.”
No affordable housing concept plan was available at the meeting. Tardibuono said Conifer was preparing one and that the number of apartments would depend on engineering, planning and government approvals.
He compared the property to nearby Camelot, which he said occupies approximately eight acres and contains 128 apartments. Based on that comparison, he estimated the site might accommodate between 128 and 140 units. The final number would depend on engineering, planning and government approvals, Tardibuono said.
Council Members Say Proposal Deserves Review
Council members expressed interest but questioned whether enough time remained to evaluate the site, negotiate with Conifer and prepare the necessary ordinances. “I wish you would’ve come here three or four months ago,” Councilman Robert Bianchini told Tardibuono. “This probably would’ve been a done deal.”
Still, Bianchini said the township should consider the possibility. “Our backs are up against the wall, and I’m a firm believer no stone should be left unturned,” he said.
Bianchini said the proposal could reduce development elsewhere while relying primarily on private land instead of one of the larger township properties under consideration.
Council President David Ciccozzi said the council would pursue the proposal and asked Tardibuono to leave his contact information. Township Attorney Peter Pascarella reiterated concerns about the timing of the proposal.
“I think the reality is, as the council has pointed out, we’re really up against the deadline,” Pascarella said.
Judge Sets October 1 Hearing
In an August 10 consent order, Superior Court Judge Sean D. Gertner found that Toms River “has continued to proceed in good faith in pursuit of amendments to its Fourth Round affordable housing compliance plan.”
The order continued the township’s temporary immunity from builder’s remedy lawsuits and scheduled a fairness and compliance hearing for October 1. By then, the township is expected to complete the ordinances, agreements and other measures needed to implement a compliance plan that can be presented to the court.
If the protection ends, developers could pursue builder’s remedy lawsuits seeking permission to construct housing at densities greater than local zoning ordinarily allows, provided affordable units are included.
The latest extension followed the council’s rejection of legislation intended to implement portions of the plan already under consideration. Pascarella said the judge was frustrated that the legislation did not pass.
“The judge was pretty fed up that the legislation that was on for the last meeting was voted down,” Pascarella said. “Understandably so, because we’re so close to the goal line.”
Pascarella confirmed that the township still does not yet have a finalized plan that Fair Share Housing Center has agreed to and the court can approve. Officials must now determine whether Tardibuono’s newly proposed site can be evaluated and incorporated into the township’s compliance strategy before the October 1 hearing.
