By Joshua Burd
Nearly 200 new apartments are coming to Warren County, where a real estate firm is redeveloping the former site of a well-known farm and garden center.
Larken Associates announced that it has broken ground on Autumn Ridge at Lopatcong, a 198-unit project on Route 57 in the township. Slated for completion around year-end, the development calls for six buildings with a mix of market-rate apartments, affordable housing and age-restricted units.
The Branchburg-based firm acquired the 16.5 acre site last year from the former owners of Piazza Farms and Greenhouses, a local institution just off Route 22. The redevelopment will add to Larken’s portfolio, which includes more than 1,000 residential units that the firm has built over the past two decades.
Autumn Ridge will offer 148 luxury garden and garage apartments with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts, Larken Associates CEO and President David Gardner said. Twenty percent of the units will be reserved for low- and moderate-income renters.
The age-restricted portion, known as Horizons at Autumn Ridge, will serve residents age 55 and older in a four-story, 50-unit elevator building.
Plans also call for amenities including a fitness center, conference room, game room and lounge with dry bar, all of which will be featured within a recreation center, according to a news release. Autumn Ridge will also feature outdoor amenities such as a pool and lounge area, walking and biking trails, grill station and dog run.