A rendering of The Residences at Reuten Park at 231 and 239 Herbert Ave. in Closter — Courtesy: Reuten Associates
By Joshua Burd
A development team has unveiled plans for a new 195-unit senior housing community in Closter, where it will look to replace a business park that dates back to the end of World War II.
Reuten Associates, the owner of the Reuten Corporate Park on Herbert Avenue, is partnering with Metropolis Property Group to build the luxury homes at the site of the five-building campus. Plans call for studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments that will provide independent living, assisted living and memory care facilities along with a mix of indoor and outdoor amenity spaces, with construction slated to take 14 to 16 months.
“We believe that transforming the oldest portion of Reuten Corporate Park from a manufacturing center to a beautiful luxury senior housing community is the ‘highest and best use’ of our land,” said Mike Reuten, owner and managing partner of Reuten Associates. “It will beautify the neighborhood and add a significant asset to our community — benefitting seniors, families, neighbors and local businesses.”
In a news release, the developers said The Residences at Reuten Park will occupy roughly six acres at 231 and 239 Herbert Ave. The property is within walking distance of downtown retailers and restaurants including Closter Plaza, as well as the Closter Nature Center, and some 10 miles north of the George Washington Bridge.
It will mark the latest chapter for a site that has been in the Reuten family for nearly 80 years, the news release said. In 1945, Michael “Fred” Reuten purchased the property for his gutter manufacturing business and grew the company into a national maker of doors and windows, while his son Fred Reuten later turned the site into the multitenant Reuten Corporate Park.
The family said that the new development will also fill an unmet need for senior housing in Closter. What’s more, it will reduce cars and commercial trucks on Herbert Avenue.
“Often times, seniors like me have to move outside of their communities because of the lack of senior housing options,” said Pat Reuten, co-owner of Reuten Associates and spouse of Fred Reuten. “This new development will be a wonderful way to allow seniors to stay close to their families in Closter while still giving them the opportunity to embrace their independence.”
The construction timeline is contingent on approval of a zoning change by the borough, the news release said. The Reuten family said the development will add an estimated $1 million to the local tax rolls, including $700,000 for the Closter Public Schools, nearly 10 times the amount the district currently receives in tax revenues from the property.
