A rendering of The Ridge at Readington, a planned 254-unit apartment community at 460 Route 22 in Readington — Courtesy: Larken Associates
By Joshua Burd
Larken Associates has secured a local approval to build 254 luxury apartments along Route 22 in Readington, the site of what was once slated to be a professional office campus.
The developer said the project, known as The Ridge at Readington, will span 10 buildings across 17.2 acres at 460 Route 22. Plans call for 21 different unit types within a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, along with a series of upscale tenant amenities.
The approval comes a decade after Larken, which is based in nearby Branchburg, broke ground on what was to be an eight-building professional office campus at the site. But the company pivoted from its Readington Commons project after recognizing the significant demand for housing in the market and the site’s location along Route 22.
The property is also just under two miles from the planned UNICOM Global Science and Technology Park project, a massive project announced in 2018 at the 1.24 million-square-foot former Merck campus in the town’s Whitehouse Station section.
“While the locations and designs of residential projects vary considerably, our residential development platform remains singularly focused on understanding the demands of today’s tenants and developing unique residential communities in highly sought after locations,” said David Gardner, CEO and president of Larken Associates. “We look forward to transforming the site and bringing great spaces to live to Hunterdon County with The Ridge at Readington.”
In a news release, Larken touted the site’s location between Philadelphia and New York City, its heralded school systems and Hunterdon County’s blend of rural communities and growing downtowns. Other offerings include family activities such as Northlandz, the world’s largest indoor model train facility, along with the county’s 8,000 acres of parks and trails and festivals in towns such as Clinton, Flemington and Lambertville.
Once completed, The Ridge at Readington will feature 168 one- and two-bedroom garden apartments spread across seven buildings and 86 one- and two-bedroom units in two elevator buildings, the news release said. The project, which is part of Larken’s growing multifamily pipeline, will also include a high-end clubhouse with a pool, a gym and a spacious outdoor lounge area as well as parks for children and dogs.
