New 40-unit Affordable Senior Housing Building Coming to Teaneck

Another affordable senior housing residence is coming to Teaneck, one that will include community space for wellness programs and other supportive services for older adults living in the building and in the surrounding community.

The 40-unit building will be constructed at 1425 Teaneck Road, on a lot that is currently the site of a former municipal public works building. 

In June, the Township Council approved a redevelopment agreement with The Bright Side Family, the non-profit that oversaw the development of The Brookdale, a 60-unit affordable senior community on Bergen Avenue.

The lot on Teaneck Road had previously been designated as an area in need of redevelopment, with the Township Council seeking a developer willing to construct senior housing on the land.

“Our organization remains one of very few that is focused on serving the needs of low- to middle- income older adults,” said Elizabeth Davis, executive director of The Bright Side Family. “The pandemic has challenged our limited resources but, at the same time, strengthened our commitment to our organization's mission.

“We’re very excited to be embarking on this new project, which like our other efforts, will seek to support the goal of ensuring older adults can live affordably in supportive community environments.”

Davis pointed to the struggle that many older adults in Teaneck and the surrounding area have in finding an affordable place to live on fixed incomes, with many buildings having wait lists of three to five years.

The agreement calls for the land to be leased at a nominal amount to the Bright Side Family, which also operates Bright Side Manor, an affordable assisted living residence in Teaneck, and spearheads several other older-adult support programs, including Age-Friendly Teaneck.

As it did with the development and construction of the Brookdale, Geriatric Services will partner with The Alpert Group, a Fort Lee-based affordable housing developer and property manager. An application is currently pending with the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency for the 
for Low Income Housing Tax Credits needed to finance construction.

The Bright Side Family has already begun to seek agreements with local providers to offer programs and services in the building, which will have community rooms on the ground floor with four stories of apartments above.

Ground isn’t likely to be broken on the project until January 2022.

“We’re confident this building, with its ground-floor community spaces, is going to be seen as a significant asset to the Township,” Davis said. “We also think it be another positive step forward on the path to becoming a truly age-friendly community.”