BY JOHN DUNPHY
Staff Writer
SAYREVILLE — Some 200 luxury apartments have been approved in the form of an adult community that will become part of the Towne Lake developments.
Heritage at Towne Lake, a component of the Kaplan Cos.’ Towne Lake West development, was unanimously approved by the Planning Board on March 16.
The age-restricted apartment units will be located in three buildings and will range in size from 1,150 to 1,700 square feet. They will be priced between $250,000 and $350,000 and will be for sale only.
The development is intended primarily for residents ages 55 and over. Provided that at least one resident is 55 or over, someone who is 19 or older could also live in the unit.
The final housing component of the Towne Lake communities to receive board approval, the Heritage community will be built alongside Towne Lake West, which received Planning Board approval in August. That development will include 92 single-family homes, located between Main Street and Washington Road, due west of the existing Towne Lake development.
The Towne Lake West tract was purchased by Kaplan Cos. from ESK Builders in 2003. It was once the site of a clay mining operation owned by the Sayre & Fisher Co.
Parking for the active adult community would be provided on-site, with a total of 427 spaces located over various parts of the property.
The apartments will be within three L-shaped, four-story buildings with a brick base, traditional siding and shutters that will give it a more “residential feel,” said architect William Feinberg, president of Feinberg Associates, of Voorhees. Heritage at Towne Lake will also include a 3,500-square-foot clubhouse and is slated to have amenities such as tennis courts, a swimming pool, billiards, a card room and a meeting hall.
Michael Kaplan, president of the development firm, said he would eventually like to add more amenities to make the community more enticing.
“I think we can do a little bit better,” he said.
The plan approved last week does not include the additional amenities, which will be presented to the board at a future date for approval.
Kaplan will be responsible for a traffic light at Sayreville Boulevard and Main Street in order to help accommodate traffic from the community. Kaplan said the light would be installed during construction of the property, at a point when residents have begun to move into the complex, thus creating the additional traffic that warrants the light.
Several board members said they would want the light up and running before the adult community is even built. However, Borough Engineer Jay Cornell said it can take between six months to a year to get approvals for the traffic light.
Both the board and Kaplan ultimately agreed on a phasing in of the traffic light during construction of the community, with the light expected to be in operation by the time the first building has been completed.
Kaplan told the board he was pleased with their decision to approve the active adult community.
“We’re happy you concur with this product,” he said.
Kaplan said construction would occur over four phases and could begin in late summer, with the earliest occupancy expected by 2006.