Jonathan Rose Companies Developing Mixed-Use Community in South Orange, N.J.
Jonathan Rose Companies is developing Third & Valley, a 215-apartment, mixed-use community in New Jersey’s township of South Orange Village.
By Keith Loria, Contributing Editor
South Orange, N.J.—Jonathan Rose Companies LLC is developing Third & Valley, a 215-apartment, mixed-use community in New Jersey’s township of South Orange Village.
The community, which will also include 500+ parking spaces and 3,000 square feet of on-site retail, is a response to South Orange’s 2008-09 Vision Plan for growth near its Village Center along South Orange Avenue.
“What’s interesting is that it’s one of those fantastic 1920’s train station towns you see all near the New York area. It has great restaurants a great performing arts center, a great nature preserve and it’s a diverse town and comfortable town,” Jonathan Rose, president of Jonathan Rose Companies, tells MHN. “Since 1999 when it started doing a new master plan, the town has been very proactive in bringing more residential living downtown. This was their idea to take the train station parking lot and turn it into a residential community.”
The units will consist of 215 spacious studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments on five floors featuring large, double-paned windows to reduce noise while bathing each residence in natural light. Each home will be constructed with high-quality finishes built using local, recyclable and renewable materials, and feature interior lighting units with CFL and/or LED technology as well as Energy Star lighting and appliances. There will also be programmable thermostats in each unit, and 10 percent of the units will be designated for low- and moderate-income households.
Community amenities will include a state-of-the-art fitness center, a clubroom, a library and a beautifully landscaped courtyard featuring a private swimming pool.
Third & Valley will appeal to the environmentally conscious renter as the project is scheduled to be designed to a LEED Silver level of sustainability under the U.S. Green Building Council’s leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
According to Rose, the project will appeal to the city lover by being a short one block walk to the Mid-Town Direct train to NYC; the village dweller by being steps from South Orange’s vibrant downtown community; and the nature seeker, by incorporating vegetation and landscaping that reflects the native flora in the adjacent South Mountain Nature Conservancy.
“We are so pleased to have been selected by the Township of South Orange Village for the opportunity to be able to contribute to the development of such a thriving, walkable community that blends effortlessly with its natural surroundings,” Rose says. “It’s a perfect place for Third and Valley, which we hope will enhance the wellbeing of residents, and the larger community.”
This will be Jonathan Rose Companies’ first development in New Jersey. It currently has the ongoing projects Via Verde/The Green Way in the Bronx, N.Y., and Metro Green Apartments in Stamford, Conn.
The community is expected to be open in the fall of 2015.