The living room inside a duplex at East Gate in Oceanport — Courtesy: RPM Development Group
By Joshua Burd
RPM Development Group has nearly completed its restoration of an officer housing complex at Fort Monmouth, preparing to deliver what will be the first residential project in the effort to reposition the historic military base.
The developer announced this week that it has launched sales at East Gate, a collection of 68 townhomes, duplexes and single-family homes within the fort’s Oceanport section. RPM is offering homes priced from the high $400,000s to the mid-$700,000s, with initial occupancy slated for August.
“East Gate is the first residential component brought to market in Fort Monmouth and there’s clearly a very high level of interest in living in the emerging neighborhood,” said Michael Hong, assistant vice president of development at RPM. “The community has already generated a strong response from a wide range of buyer types — from millennial first-time buyers and those moving up to larger homes to empty-nesters interested in scaling down from no-longer-needed single-family residences.
“They’ve all been highly intrigued by East Gate’s best-of-both-worlds scenario that combines old world charm with modern interior living spaces.”
The milestone comes amid a long list of other projects at the 1,126-acre former U.S. Army post, which also includes parts of Eatontown and Tinton Falls. Led by the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, or FMERA, the state has overseen efforts to reposition the property after it was closed by the military in 2011.
Recent projects include the opening of a new 275,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in Tinton Falls for Commvault, a data security giant, and the rebirth of the former Patterson Army Clinic as AcuteCare in Oceanport. And FMERA now has several other projects moving through its pipeline.
Parcel sale could allow tech firm’s expansion at Fort Monmouth
At East Gate, RPM says it has blended the complex’s original early 20th century architecture with modern interiors and high-end finishes. Homeowners will reside in an established neighborhood with completed sidewalks and mature trees.
“The interior redesign has resulted in spacious and chic homes that will captivate the marketplace by offering buyers a distinctive housing alternative to what is commonly found in the area,” Hong said. “The buildings’ former use has allowed us to create a very unique living experience that blends the nostalgia of simpler times with a modern Monmouth County lifestyle.”
Palermo Edwards Architecture has remodeled the buildings’ interiors to create new two- and three-story homes. RPM, meantime, touted the property’s location minutes from nearby beaches and the banks of the Shrewsbury River, along with its proximity to the entertainment, dining and culture of Red Bank and Asbury Park.
The complex is also two miles from NJ Transit’s Little Silver station, which provides direct train service to Manhattan, and accessible to routes 35, 36, 18 and the Garden State Parkway.
At full build-out, Fort Monmouth is slated to include additional housing, office space, retail, entertainment and dining, along with recreational and social amenities.
“There’s a wealth of leisure-time activities within the grounds of Fort Monmouth, including waterfront dining, picturesque nature trails and scenic common outdoor spaces,” Hong said. “The Fort Athletic Club, a state-of-the-art fitness and wellness facility, is expected to open this fall and future site plans call for other exciting new amenities and services such as a bowling center and microbrewery.”