In the latest steps towards waterfront development, Mayor Richard Turner, township officials, and home developers Lennar Urban held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of a 74-unit condo building on July 15, the first of five luxury condos called “The Avenue Collection” slated to be built in the area.
Located just south of the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal, 1000 Avenue is a seven-story residence designed by renowned Manhattan-based architect Handel Architects that took two years to construct. The ribbon cutting took place in the new building’s grand lobby, which is chicly decorated with abstract art, a fireplace along the back wall, and a spiral staircase that leads up to the building’s bar and lounge area.
The Avenue Collection is part of the $2 billion master plan by Lennar Urban that spans across three municipalities along the Hudson River waterfront. Turner believes that once the project is complete, it will offer a commercial area that will connect Weehawken’s low-lying residents with those above the Palisade cliffs.
“In order to tie the community together, since the Palisades separates the uplands from the lowlands, you have to have amenities down here,’ Turner said. “So people will come down here for our recreation sites, our walkway for passive activities, and there will be stores here eventually. And these people are the same that use our schools, our library and our City Hall, so it ties the community together.’
In August, residents of Avenue 1000 will begin moving in. Available residences are currently priced from $1.1 million to $2 million.
Community rising
During the ceremony’s opening speech, Lennar Urban Regional President Fred Rothman, who grew up in nearby Cliffside Park, said he takes great pride in his role in the project’s development.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what our government officials have done,” said Rothman. “Not for just the riverfront, but for many other parts of the community; and Weehawken has been a leader in that. The success that we’ve had is a direct result of the years of planning and execution by our township officials and associates who had the vision and foresight and then the gumption to make this happen.”
The construction has all glass facades that offers unobstructed panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline, an outdoor patio plaza, a fitness area and concierge services for all its residents. According to Lennar Urban Division President Craig Klingensmith, 60 percent of the units have already sold. It has attracted buyers from all over New Jersey, New York, and even internationally. Lennar Urban, who developed the Henley-on-the-Hudson building just south of the Chart House, looks to have the same success with The Avenue Collection.
“We sold the Henley-on-the-Hudson building very well and it really gave us confidence to start this building. As we’ve seen the interest continue to build, it’s given us the confidence to go on to the next building, and so on,” said Klingensmith.
More to come
As part of a master planned community, each building of The Avenue Collection will be erected in a two-year span and will offer commercial space. The next building that is being constructed is 1200 Avenue, which will feature 103 luxury condos, a landscaped third-floor roof deck, and an outdoor pool that can be utilized by residents of The Avenue Collection.
When all five buildings are complete, The Avenue Collection will house a total of 669 condos ranging from 1,472 to 2,188 square feet of living space, and will offer a retail spa and fitness center for Weehawken residents. According to Turner, it has been a plan that has taken 25 years in the making but is now coming to fruition.
“The economic benefits are starting to accrue to the township and every day as these buildings come in line, we’re in a better state than we were before,” said Turner. “It all has to work in a programmed pattern in order to be successful.”