The revitalization of Orange and West Orange is picking up steam, as construction on the Harvard Printing rental community broke ground this week at 550 Central Avenue in the City of Orange, adjacent to the West Orange border. With 128 residences within easy walking distance of NJ Transit’s Highland Avenue train station, Harvard Printing will build on the progress of Central Valley Redevelopment Plan projects like the beautification of the Rahway River’s East Branch and the Valley’s burgeoning mixed-use residential neighborhood and arts district.
Here’s the skinny: four stories on 2.5 acres, with 99 one-bedroom apartments, 21 units with two bedrooms, and eight three-bedroom residences. 70 of the residences will be affordable housing, starting at $818, the other 58 will be rented at market rates, starting at $1,215. Units will include modern kitchens with Energy Star appliances; each also includes one parking space in the adjacent Art Deco building, which will undergo an adaptive reuse as a 160-car parking deck.
Thanks to its location just steps away from the Highland Avenue station, residents can enjoy the convenience of just a 15-minute commute to Newark or 40 minutes to Manhattan.
The development partner on the project, Ironstate Development Company boasts an ambitious vision for the Valley, Orange and West Orange. “It reminds us a lot of Morristown and Long Branch,” said president David Barry. “(They) had a history of some disinvestment in the downtown area… Now those two communities are thriving, and we see some of that same potential here. We have a train station and a core of stores and shops, and walkability, so we are really excited to be a part of this project going forward.”
“(Harvard Printing) is going to spur a lot of economic development and bring in a new group of residents,” added West Orange Mayor Robert Parisi.
