Willett Manor ‘sister’ project
kicks off on adjacent property
By jennifer dome
Staff Writer
SOUTH RIVER — Senior citizens will soon have a new place to live once the National Church Residences’ latest housing complex opens on Wojie Way.
Construction kicked off with a Nov. 4 ceremony for the 74-unit facility, which will serve as a "sister" housing development for Willett Manor, located off Whitehead Avenue.
The proposed opening date of the new facility, which is not yet named, is fall 2003, according to a statement from Janet Hartman, resident manager at Willett Manor.
Like Willett Manor, the new building is for people age 62 and over who are able to live independently. Willett Manor and the new building are neither assisted-living nor full-care residences.
The new residence will be approximately 56,000 square feet, according to the project’s engineer, Daren Phil. It will be a three-story building constructed with brick, with centralized lounge areas and two elevators.
The plans for the facility were approved by the borough’s Zoning Board of Adjustment in September 2001. The residence was designed by Berardi Associates and will be constructed by Allied Construction Services II Inc., of Edison.
Each of the 74 one-bedroom apartments will have its own kitchen, dining area and bathroom. Entrance will only be allowed through an electronic door entry system connected to the emergency response system, which will allow emergency personnel to enter the building.
The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated approximately $7.1 million for the senior residence, according to Donald Lubin, a consultant for National Church Residences. The total cost of the project is estimated at $7.9 million, with the balance of about $754,000 coming from Middlesex County, Lubin said.
The idea to build an additional residence on the site where Willett Manor is located has been considered since the development opened, Mayor Robert Szegeti said last year after the Zoning Board approved the plans. While he was running for mayor, Szegeti said he wrote a letter to National Church Residences requesting that they consider another building on the premises.
South River residents will not be given a priority to live in the new building.

