Townhomes are taking shape on the site of the former Lennington Tea House property, behind the Best Western off Routes 1/9 north. Several can be seen in the photo to the left, while the foundation for the remaining units can be seen below (which is to the left of the pictured units).
The project broke ground sometime last spring with an anticipation of 18 months for construction. The three-quarter acre site sold last May for $800,000, according to PropertyShark.com. Signs near Route 1 and East Milton Avenue advertising “custo
m waterfront townhouses” indicate a starting price of $390,000. Each unit will have two bedrooms, with a one-car garage and one parking space.
The builder, Colonia-based GMM Associates, also has constructed four new homes on Sterling Place and rehabbed several others in Rahway. The Planning Board gave initial approval for the redevelopment project at 1797 Lenington St. (Block 353, Lot 2) in late 2006 (.pdf).
Funny – the project broke ground last spring, yet it’s not far behind Park Square … maybe it will finish before Park Square does!
Is there any indication at all from anyone representing the town government that there is a plan to get ready for the amount of school age children that will come from these new developments being built? The school system is at capacity; one would think a plan should have been put in place yesterday.
Answer me this: Do you really think that all these properties(and any other recent development)will be sold/rented? If not, what happens then? What is the timeline for expected full capacity? What percentage is considered full capacity?
Dan I can tell you that as of 2 weeks ago there were no plans to build any more schools, I was present at the last school board meeting (in the public library).someone in the public asked the question and after an exchange of looks within members and to my amazement a brave soul responded in a few words that the the current schools are able to handle the upcoming generations, but I found it hard to believe and based on their initial response there was no specific document or report referenced to support this, I plan to press the issue on the next meeting scheduled in March I invite anyone interested in the school system to attend.there were a lot of other positive things discussed as well, it was the first time I attended and was glad I did, somehow dissapointed at the low turnout,I feel its our responsability as citizens to be involved demand and help improve our community, I have just recently discovered this as a parent and adopted son of Rahway
Dan, if you look at many of the new developments in Rahway, they are studio, 1 and 2-bedroom units, so the city doesn’t expect to attract families with lots of kids. Now if the city was promoting the construction of dozens of single-family homes as is being done in the state’s sprawl belt, you’d see the school enrollment – and property taxes – skyrocket.School enrollment is down markedly from the baby boom years of the 60s and 70s.
Mr. Rahway is right, that was the reason they planned to build 1 and 2 bedroom units: More tax revenue without more families.People like me might be a problem for that assumption: My wife and I have two small sons and are willing to raise them in a 2-bedroom downtown environment. I think a lot of 20-somethings are like us, willing to live in a smaller space for the comforts and conveniences of a downtown.
Anonymous, you’re a braver man than I. Living in a single-family house with kids can get a bit cramped at times, especially when we dodge an endless trail of toys and snack food wrappers 😉
I came across a NYT article that described the housing market of the future as one where the spacious home in the good suburban school district no longer rules the market:http://tiny.cc/GCtdiIn a few years most NJ homebuyers will be Baby Boomers with grown children or Gen Ys with no plans for kids. (I guess they forgot about Gen X – heck, we’re already entering our reproductive twilight.) The problem for now is that nobody seems to be buying anything anywhere, and that families in search of an authentic downtown experience can choose better options than Rahway or the other NJ cities trying to revive. In theory you’re leaving Skyview or Park Square on a sunny morning with in-vitro twins Connor and Casey in tow, stopping off at Cuppy’s for a drink and potty break before taking the NYC train to visit the dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History. In reality you never got approved for the mortgage and Cuppy’s isn’t exactly jostling. When the “new normal” emerges, I think Rahway will be in a good position to take advantage of it (assuming the schools get improved) however it’s going to be a long, long road to get there.