Carteret, NJ – Mayor Daniel J. Reiman and developer Greg Matzel recently hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony welcoming the new “Bristol Station” community to Bristol Court Boulevard. This week the Mayor joined with Matzel to announce that the first of the buildings has been completed, with additional units under construction.
Located in the town’s Hill District, Bristol Station will eventually host 288 units of luxury housing featuring one and two-bedroom condominiums in eight different floor plans. On site amenities will include a community clubhouse with a fitness center, outdoor pool, and a business center to serve residents. Each apartment will include a full appliance package, pre-wiring for cable TV and phones, as well as an on-site maintenance staff available 24/7. This gated community will also feature elevator service for each building and on-site parking.
The Bristol Station project has allowed the Borough to reclaim nearly 10 acres of underutilized Brownfields as part of a Borough initiated redevelopment area. Previously vacant and overgrown, the property formerly hosted a junkyard, and was sold to Matzel Development, who received board approval for residential development in 2005. The complex represents a recent trend in Carteret’s residential developments that targets young professionals and commuters – a demographic that in the past was under-accommodated, according to recent studies. Such developments are intended to complement other enhancements being made to Carteret’s infrastructure, with mixed-use transit areas, shuttle bus services, and a pending intermodal ferry terminal.
The project has also contributed to improvements to the Hill District’s storm water and sewer systems. In 1985, the NJDEP imposed a Sanitary Sewer Connection Ban on all new connections to the area’s Sanitary Sewer System, after it had been discovered that it was producing rain-induced overflows and storm water flooding. With the completion of $5.0 million in sanitary and storm water system improvements, the NJDEP agreed to lift the 22-year old sanitary sewer connection ban in June 2007. Funding for the 7 year project was provided through state and federal grants, and an impact fee of $1.4 million levied from Matzel Development.
“This project represents a new focus on Carteret’s future,” Mayor Reiman said, “which takes into consideration the interests of the young professional. Many of the changes we are making will greatly benefit those who rely on mass transit for metropolitan commutes. With residential projects such as this, the enormous range of upgrades to our roads, and the eventual introduction of our first ferry terminal, Carteret will be redefined as a welcome home to the commuter.”
