Seven Manville Homeowners Told State-Funded Elevations Will Not Proceed

Seven Manville homeowners have been told that planned state-funded elevation work on their homes will not proceed because construction would be too costly under Federal Emergency Management Agency policies.

The decision affects seven of the 69 New Jersey homes identified as ineligible for elevation assistance. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs notified homeowners by letter, according to reporting on the decision.

For the affected residents, the change removes an anticipated path for protecting their homes from future flood damage. They now face a choice between remaining in properties that are repeatedly exposed to flooding without the expected elevation assistance or pursuing a state-supported buyout through New Jersey’s Blue Acres program.

Why Manville is affected

Manville is exposed to flooding from the Raritan River, the Millstone River and Royce Brook. A New Jersey Office of Emergency Management mitigation document identifies the borough as a beneficiary community for flood-mitigation financing and lists the acquisition of substantially damaged residential structures as a Manville mitigation project.

The borough suffered major flooding during Hurricane Ida in 2021. That history, along with the community’s location across multiple river and creek floodplains, has made flood protection and property decisions a continuing concern for local homeowners.

The state’s explanation centers on cost. Elevating the homes would exceed the limits allowed under FEMA policies, making the properties ineligible for that planned construction assistance. The decision is not a boroughwide cancellation of elevation work; it identifies seven Manville homes among properties that will not receive the assistance.

Buyouts become the alternative

Blue Acres is New Jersey’s state-supported buyout program for flood-prone properties. The program offers an alternative to elevating homes that cannot qualify for cost-effective construction under federal rules, although the decision affecting these seven homeowners does not mean every resident has accepted a buyout.

For Manville, buyouts could reduce the number of homes exposed to repeated flooding, but they also raise direct questions about housing security and neighborhood continuity. Homeowners must consider whether to remain in place without the anticipated elevation work or pursue a path that could move them out of a flood-prone property.

The affected homes and the individual status of each homeowner have not been publicly identified in the information available about the decision. The state’s notices establish the immediate result: seven Manville properties will not proceed with the planned elevation assistance, while Blue Acres stands as the identified state-supported alternative.