Howell, NJ HOA Rules: Board Governance (2026)

The PRC District was added by Ord. No. O-02-7 on 3-18-2002 to enable a residential retirement community for active seniors, defined as adults of 55 years of age or older. The permitted principal use is age-restricted single-family detached dwellings for owner occupancy, together with required recreational uses, at least one of each: a clubhouse and physical fitness room, an Olympic size swimming pool, a tennis court and a shuffleboard court.

Under § 188-86J the applicant sets up the homeowners' association. Management of roadway, recreation facilities, security, internal transportation and open space is owned and maintained by an association consisting of all residents. The association owns and is responsible for the maintenance, repair and reconstruction of all buildings and lands owned by the residents of the community in common, and those lands include, at a minimum, all recreational areas, open space and drainage facilities required by the Township Planning Board. Section 188-86K(1)(d) repeats that all open space and recreation areas are owned in common by the residents of the PRC and managed by the association.

The legal arrangements must satisfy the Planning Board Attorney. Under § 188-86K(3), covenants or other legal arrangements, including homeowners' associations, shall specify ownership of the area, method of maintenance, responsibility for maintenance, maintenance taxes and insurance, compulsory membership and compulsory assessment provisions, and guarantees that any association formed to own and maintain the area will not be dissolved without the consent of the Township Planning Board.

Scale and timing are tied to the association's property. Projects over 200 acres reserve at least 50% of the overall tract for unimproved open space, and projects under 200 acres reserve at least 30%. The PRC center, which can include homeowners' association management offices, needs a minimum of 15 square feet per dwelling unit, and it must be constructed, issued a certificate of occupancy and functional before a certificate of occupancy issues for more than 25% of the dwelling units.