Nation’s Largest LEED for Homes Multifamily Community Now Open

By Erika Schnitzer, Associate EditorBayonne, N.J.—Trammel Crow Residential’s 544-unit Alexan CityView, the largest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Homes multifamily community in the country, is officially open. Move-ins began in April and the community is 13 percent leased.“The key to being successful is making a commitment to the LEED program early on…

By Erika Schnitzer, Associate EditorBayonne, N.J.—Trammel Crow Residential’s 544-unit Alexan CityView, the largest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Homes multifamily community in the country, is officially open. Move-ins began in April and the community is 13 percent leased.“The key to being successful is making a commitment to the LEED program early on in the design process. Once your architecture gets too far along, it’s difficult to incorporate some of the LEED requirements,” Richard Murphy, managing director of Trammel Crow Residential, tells MHN.Trammel Crow worked with the NJ BPU (New Jersey Board of Public Utilities), the New Jersey Clean Energy Program and the USGBC to design and build Alexan CityView as a sustainable structure in accordance with LEED for Homes Silver certification.Alexan CityView, which is comprised of two buildings and was designed by Philadelphia-based Martin Architectural Group, is located on what is known as the MOTB (Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne), which juts out into New York Harbor, explains Murphy. The City of Bayonne took ownership of the facility when the federal government closed it and “has been moving forward with a fairly aggressive redevelopment program of the site,” which will eventually include between 8,000 and 10,000 residences, one million square feet of office space, several hotels and an entertainment district, as well as serve as a cruise port, Murphy says. Alexan CityView is the first development now on the peninsula. Green features of the transit-oriented development, which is located in close proximity to the light rail and bus—as well as a ferry in the near future—include a resident recycling program; exhaust systems in each apartment to remove humidity, dust and other airborne particles; Energy Star appliances, windows and lights; efficient heating and cooling systems; increased water management practices to reduce mold infiltration; 165 covered bike racks; drought-tolerant plants; a high-efficient sprinkler system; resident shuttle service to and from the light rail during rush hour; and discount Zipcar memberships for residents.The community offers studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom residences, ranging in size from 600 to 1600 square feet, with monthly rents ranging from $1,600 to $3,000. Murphy asserts that the target demographic for the community is mostly young singles or couples without children, as well as empty-nesters. He says that many units were also designed for roommates, with dual master bedrooms. Amenities include a 10,000-square-foot clubhouse that features a fitness studio, indoor basketball half court, demonstration kitchen, billiards room, game room with flat screen TVs, Xbox and Wii, and executive business center. In addition, the community offers a heated pool with sundeck and WiFi, controlled-entry enclosed garage parking, a neighborhood dog park and 24/7 concierge services.Kettler Property Management is providing property management services for Alexan CityView.  While Murphy acknowledges that the economy will most likely impact the new development, he adds, “people still need a place to live, and we were careful to set our prices at a level that we believe you get the best product on the market for the best product.”