DCA Selects Five Housing Development Projects for Smart Move Program

• Posted on: 10/22/2025

Funding to Support Construction of Affordable, Resilient Homes in Safer Locations for Hurricane Ida-Impacted Families

TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) today announced the selection of five housing development projects under its Smart Move Program, a Hurricane Ida recovery initiative that funds the construction of quality, energy-efficient, resilient, and affordable single-family homes in lower risk areas within or near disaster-impacted communities. The program is designed to provide safe housing options for families displaced by Hurricane Ida, including participants in State property buyout programs, as well as first-time homebuyers.

“Rebuilding the communities devastated by Hurricane Ida and protecting New Jerseyans from future disasters remain a top priority of this Administration,” said Governor Murphy. “The Smart Move Program is allowing developers to build affordable and resilient housing, benefiting vulnerable residents and ensuring we are prepared as weather events in coastal states become more frequent. I am proud to see this program working to advance our goal of expanding housing supply while building a stronger, safer Garden State.”

“One of the greatest challenges for lower income households living in areas at high risk of flooding is the availability of affordable, quality housing in lower risk areas,” said DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez. “The Smart Move Program seeks to expand affordable housing choice and to rebuild financial equity for residents who have experienced repetitive losses as a result of floods, housing instability, and property devaluation.”

“DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation has been developing innovative programs to better protect people from flooding and to be proactive in climate resiliency efforts. The Smart Move program is one such initiative that is helping communities meet the changing needs of their residents,” said DCA Deputy Commissioner Sam Viavattine, who oversees the Division. “We are confident the projects selected will help advance housing resiliency endeavors in New Jersey.”

The awards are administered by DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation and are funded with Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Hurricane Ida recovery initiatives.

Developers were eligible to apply for up to $15 million per project for developments located near communities participating in voluntary buyout programs in which the State purchases residential properties located in areas at risk of flooding and provides assistance to help property owners relocate to safer locations. To be eligible, projects must also be located within the following counties that HUD and the State designated as most impacted and distressed (MID) by Hurricane Ida: Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union, and Warren.

 Applications were evaluated based on their ability to:

• Incorporate resilient and innovative design features that strengthen housing against future disasters.
• Align with the target percentage of 70 percent of homes sold to low-moderate income (LMI) homebuyers, which are households making 80 percent or less of the area median income (AMI), and 30 percent sold to urgent need (UN) homebuyers, which are households that make between 81 percent and 120 percent of AMI.
• Demonstrate experience constructing new housing developments similar in scale to what is being proposed.
• Utilize the funding to produce the most square footage at the lowest CDBG-DR cost.
• Address community housing needs in disaster-impacted areas while reducing flood risks and future losses.

The following developers were selected for Smart Move Program funding:

Developer	Project Location
Lake Tappan Village LLC	River Vale Township, Bergen County
Affordable Housing Alliance, Inc.	Robbinsville Township, Mercer County
Beacon Development Partners	Newark, Essex County
Sackett St Redevelopment LLC	Jersey City, Hudson County
Noire Homes LLC	Newark, Essex County

 

DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation promotes the long-term resilience of New Jersey’s communities by supporting initiatives to fortify housing, businesses, and infrastructure against severe weather events and flooding damage. 

DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including local government management and finance, affordable housing production, rental assistance, fire safety, building safety, community planning and development, disaster recovery and mitigation, and privacy protection.

For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media: