“That is why 101 Roosevelt is getting so much attention,” Kaplan says. “Our residents will be living in newly-constructed apartments, with virtually every amenity possible, including an on-site parking deck, at a fraction of what a similar luxury community would cost elsewhere.”

The elevator building has the look and feel of a luxury hotel, with a 24-hour fitness center and a resident lounge with coffee service. There are concierge services in a lobby, units overlooking landscaped courtyards and 24-hour gated access from a built-in parking deck connected directly to the living floors. The building, with a signature clock tower, also includes a public plaza to accommodate street-side shops that help maximize the urban feel.

Each apartment in 101 Roosevelt has high-end design features. The chef-inspired kitchens include granite countertops, contemporary slab style cabinetry, soaring nine-foot-high ceilings, stainless steel appliances and all-wood floors. Rents for one-bedroom units start at $1,650; two-bedroom units begin at $1,950.

“We are attracting people from throughout New Jersey and metro New York, who want to experience what it is like living in an upscale Manhattan building, but at a price that most everyone can afford,” Kaplan said.

It was nearly a decade ago that Kaplan first visited the Chrome neighborhood for preliminary talks with borough officials about redevelopment opportunities along the lower section of Roosevelt Avenue.

It was an old, depressed area of Carteret, sitting in an industrial area with abandoned buildings and limited amenities for local residents. But Reiman and others shared a common vision for Chrome – a once-grand community that could become a haven for commuters, empty-nesters and others who wanted to be just minutes from major roads, rail and the airport.

Kaplan saw the logic and the potential of investing in the neighborhood. Two earlier Kaplan developments are nearly 100 percent occupied and 101 Roosevelt already has leases signed on more than a third of the 99 units.

101 Roosevelt is the third in a series of Kaplan Companies developments in Carteret within its Gateway community. Kaplan Companies broke ground nine years ago, following an extensive paving and streetscape improvement project. The first residential development that opened was “Brownstones at Gateway,” followed by “Camelot at Gateway.” Kaplan is now constructing “88 Roosevelt,” which is similar in design and features to 101 Roosevelt.

“The convenience factor is one of the main attractions to our Gateway communities,” says Kaplan. “It is a short drive to the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike, and just 12 minutes to the Newark airport. There is also nearby train stations, a bus station right on Roosevelt Avenue and talk of a Manhattan-bound ferry service coming to Carteret. You can really live, work and play right here.”