RT500, a 179-unit apartment tower that will soon open, is one of two new residential projects that The Connell Co. is developing at The Park in Berkeley Heights. — Rendering by Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners/Courtesy: The Connell Co.
By Joshua Burd
Leasing is underway at the first luxury apartment building at The Park in Berkeley Heights, marking another milestone as The Connell Co. reshapes the 185-acre campus.
Known as RT500, the 11-story building has 179 units and a long list of common spaces aimed at drawing residents to what was long known as Connell Corporate Park along Interstate 78. The developer and its team now expect to welcome renters around Aug. 1, with plans to provide hard-hat tours of a model apartment and the amenity floor as they complete construction.
The building will be one of two at The Park under the Round Table or RT Residences brand, joining a 176-room Embassy Suites Hotel, a 112,000-square-foot Lifetime Fitness center and more than 1.5 million square feet of work resort offices, flexible workspaces and collaborative lounges alongside outdoor trail and parks.
“We’re incredibly excited to officially begin preleasing RT500 and start welcoming future residents into the RT Residences experience,” said Shane Connell, executive vice president of The Connell Co. “From the moment people step inside, they’ll be able to see how the residences, amenities and the surrounding community at The Park are coming together to create something truly special. RT500 offers beautiful living spaces and access to an energetic, thoughtfully curated lifestyle with dining, entertainment and social spaces that make this community unlike anything else in the area.”
Designed by Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners in collaboration with David M. Sullivan Inc., each apartment will have modern finishes and what Connell described as neutral, calming tones, according to a news release. Renters, meantime, will have access to amenities such as a fitness center, a game room with a multisport simulator, coworking spaces and a rooftop entertainment lounge and deck connected to a rooftop pool.
The RT500 leasing office, which is operating temporarily inside the Embassy Suites at 250 Connell Drive, opened June 1. The developer, which has tapped Greystar to manage its lease-up, noted that the project has already generated strong interest and a high volume of inquiries.
Beyond the building itself, residents will have direct access to the larger community taking shape at The Park, the news release said. The firm pointed to the site’s growing mix of restaurants, entertainment and lifestyle destinations, some of which will be accessible through the RT500 building, including the two-story social café known as Café Exchange, which will offer premium coffee, food and an evening wine bar with a focus on community, books and culture.
Renters will also be steps from Dogtopia, an award-winning provider of year-round overnight boarding, premium spa and grooming services, among other customized services for dogs.
The Park is currently adding offerings along District Drive, which will include another 160,000 square feet of dining, entertainment, wellness and lifestyle concepts such as Boschetto, Four Spoons Ice Cream Company, Doner Shack and Greatness Wins. Plans also call for spaces such as Wellness, Emberside Brewery, Rosa Azul, BASH and BASH’s MODO Hi-Fi Listening Bar.
