On Tuesday evening, the Brick Township Council unanimously voted to transfer control of a pair of properties in town to a local nonprofit developer, who plans on using the land to construct housing for citizens with special needs.

Through a partnership between Brick Township and the state of New Jersey, two properties are being provided to Homes Now, Inc., a nonprofit company, for use in providing affordable housing for eight local residents with special needs.

The properties in question are located at 425 Drum Point Road and 481 Herbertsville Road, and after completion, will be owned and operated by the ARC of Ocean County — which advocates for and assists special needs citizens in the area.

At the council meeting, a local representative from Homes Now commented prior to the vote approval and offered his gratitude to the governing body for considering the measure.

Resident George Scott gave his opinion that perhaps Homes Now could have used some of their own funds to buy private properties, instead of receiving this pair of lots from the township. However, Mayor Stephen Acropolis disagreed.

“When we can provide special needs housing, we should. I think it’s the right thing to do,” the mayor said. The council agreed, as they unanimously approved the land transfer.

Homes Now CEO Carole Wolfe recently explained more about the purpose of the special needs housing to be constructed, and was very appreciative to both the municipality and the state for their key support in this matter. The CEO explained that housing units at both locations are expected to be completed by the end of the year.