Local officials joined Cheung Development Group LLC on May 25 to break ground on a 357-unit luxury apartment complex at 308 West 2nd St. in Plainfield. — Courtesy: Taylor Architecture & Design
By Joshua Burd
A developer has broken ground on what will be nearly 360 apartments in downtown Plainfield, in a project valued at more than $100 million that is among the city’s largest to date.
The four-building complex, designed by Taylor Architecture & Design, will reshape an area less than two blocks from NJ Transit’s Plainfield station, with plans calling for 357 units, retail and commercial space and two rooftop restaurants with panoramic views, according to a news release. Cheung Development Group LLC, which is spearheading the project at 308 West 2nd St., joined local officials this week to mark the start of construction.
“Much of the recent development in the city has been along its eastern South Avenue (and) North Avenue corridors,” Taylor Architecture, which is based in nearby North Plainfield, wrote last summer in a description of the project. “This development serves at a gateway to Plainfield on its western end along West Front Street, essentially the entrance to the heart of downtown.”
Those on hand for the May 25 groundbreaking included Plainfield Mayor Adrian O. Mapp, Director of Economic Development Valerie Jackson, City Council President Barry Goode and Steven Cheung, managing member of Cheung Development Group LLC. In a news release, Taylor noted that Cheung is a longtime owner and operator of Chinese restaurants who has moved into development over the past 25 years, starting with rehabilitations of boarded-up one- and two-family homes in Plainfield and then expanding into new construction.
Amenities at Cheung’s newest property, known as Bella Plainfield, will include a fitness facility, a conference room, co-working stations and covered parking and bicycle storage. The developer expects to have Plainfield businesses bid for work on the project, while local residents will be invited to special job fairs and information sessions.
Plainfield planning board OKs project with 357 apartments, rooftop restaurant space
