The Connell Co. joined its project team on July 10 for a topping out ceremony at RT500, a planned 179-unit luxury apartment building at The Park in Berkeley Heights. — Courtesy: Connell
By Joshua Burd
The Connell Co. has hit another construction milestone at The Park, its flagship campus in Berkeley Heights, where the site’s first luxury apartment building is quickly taking shape.
The developer on July 10 hosted a topping out ceremony for RT500, an 11-story tower that will have 179 rental homes and a series of high-end amenities. With the steel frame now complete, the project remains on track for a summer 2026 opening alongside The Park’s 1.5 million square feet of office space and a growing list of retail, dining and hospitality phases just south of Interstate 78 and 22 miles from Manhattan.
“We’re thrilled to take steps closer to bringing our vision of what The Park could be to reality, and we are truly excited for the momentum that we’re continuing to build here,” said Shane Connell, executive vice president of The Connell Co. “Our RT Residence towers are an important piece of the larger community we are building at The Park, and I’m immensely proud of our dedicated team and the progress we’re making.”
Designed by Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners in collaboration with David M. Sullivan Inc., RT500 will have what Connell described as modern finishes and neutral, calming tones with floor-to-ceiling windows, contemporary quartz countertops and wood plank flooring. The tower will also have a fitness center and a game room with a multisport simulator and pool and ping pong tables, plus coworking and outdoor lounges.
Residents, meantime, will have access to the broader community that is emerging at The Park, which will include new restaurants, entertainment and lifestyle spaces. Connell is also planning a second apartment building that will add 149 units across the street.
“RT Residences is truly something special and it is exciting to reach this step within The Park’s redevelopment project,” said John Dionis, managing director of real estate and development at Connell. “There’s strong demand for hospitality-driven residential buildings like this — especially supported by a thoughtful mix of culinary experiences, green space and retail, all within a vibrant, walkable community that is coming together at The Park.”
The campus, long known as Connell Corporate Park, is home to companies such as Samsung, L’Oreal and Aon alongside a 176-room Embassy Suites hotel and an upscale fitness and wellness concept known as FIELDHOUSE. The site also has Grain & Cane Restaurant, Starbucks, Lifetime Fitness, outdoor walking and jogging trails and an in-house coworking social club called Round Table Studios.
The new phases are part of a $500 million redevelopment of what was a traditional office campus, as Connell seeks to create a destination neighborhood. Recent milestones at The Park include the renovation of the original office spaces to a modern hospitality-centric work resort and the start of construction for an entertainment building in The District at The Park, which will include a brewery, a steakhouse, duckpin bowling and other offerings.
