New Luxury Apartments A ‘Transformative Project’ For East Brunswick: Officials

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ —Demolition on the Route 18 location of the new luxury apartments began earlier this week.

At a gathering celebrating the beginning of the long-awaited venture, Mayor Brad Cohen said the project will be “second to none.”

“Vermella East Brunswick” is being developed by Russo Development and River Development on the Route 18 corridor.

The Township is on its way to converting the area into primarily an entertainment and service-based corridor, moving away from the retail establishments.

“It truly marks what I believe is one of those few times in a town's history where there's a generational shift in the way in which the town moves forward,” Cohen said.

With commercial spaces vacant for the last 20 years, the Township has had to adapt. “Part of that is just the cold realization that we are moving to a different type of economy,” Cohen said. “We need to be able to ride that curve and to take advantage of an opportunity that doesn't come that many times in a lifetime. And that's exactly what we have done.”

Phase I of the project is on the west side of Route 18 south, north of Lake Avenue and east of Renee Road. It includes one mixed-use building with around 306 residential units, retail shops and restaurants, along with indoor and outdoor amenities. More: New Luxury Apartments Coming To Route 18 Corridor In East Brunswick

Michael Hughes, executive director of the East Brunswick Redevelopment Agency said it was a “transformative project for route 18,” and a “milestone to be celebrated.”

“There really is a commitment not only from the Township to work to eliminate red tape, but there's a clear effort on the part of the redeveloper to move quickly to get to this point,” Hughes said.

According to Hughes, the project just isn’t about redevelopment but about transforming Route 18.

“You have Mayor Cohen, elected as a Democrat, you have myself who served for eight years on the Township council as a Republican. And you've got Jim who has been both that at different points in time. And we all agree that this is the right thing for East Brunswick. We all agree this is a net benefit and a positive thing for the town,” Hughes said.

The mayor said that many residents said the Township needs Whole Foods, Wegmans and other high-end retail stores.

“But they don't come there unless you provide the environment for them to want to be here. That's what this is about. That's how we get there,” Cohen said.

Landscape engineers are Melillo Bauer Carman, and DMR Architects were retained by the Redevelopment Agency in 2018 to create a plan to address high vacancy rates.

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