Roseland Turns Dirt, Cuts Ribbon on MA, NJ Projects

Municipal officials joined Roseland Residential Trust executives at the groundbreaking for the 145 Front St. project.

WORCESTER, MA—Roseland Residential Trust, a wholly owned subsidiary of Edison, NJ-based REIT Mack-Cali Realty Corp., has broken ground on the first phase of a major residential project here and also cut the ceremonial ribbon at a high-rise apartment project in Jersey City, NJ. Roseland held a groundbreaking ceremony with public officials for 145 Front St. at City Square in Worcester earlier this week. The project is the first of two phases, which when completed, will consist of 365 apartments. Phase one includes 237 units. Roseland anticipates a third quarter 2017 completion of the first phase of the project. The company believes the project will be attractive to the young professionals flocking to the revitalized Worcester, New England’s second largest city. The property will feature studio, one-, and two-bedroom units, with amenities such as an outdoor swimming pool with a sundeck, a courtyard with fire pit, barbecue grills, and a dog run. The building will also offer a full-time concierge, a fitness center with on-demand yoga and spinning services, and a clubroom with billiards, computers, a lounge area, and a game room. The development will also feature 10,000 square feet of retail space. The fully built-out  mixed-use project calls for a new hotel, public parking garage, and significant additional retail space. No development cost for the project was released by Roseland. “Creating a vibrant downtown residential community gives our growing workforce the high-quality homes they need, and today marks a major milestone in Worcester’s continuing renaissance,” said Worcester Mayor Joseph M. Petty. Roseland’s portfolio in Massachusetts includes a number of downtown development projects, For example, the company is building Portside at East Pier in East Boston where it is redeveloping a stretch of waterfront property on Boston Harbor. Portside at East Pier is comprised of 181 apartment homes that are fully occupied, 296 that are currently under construction, and an additional future phase which will likely include a mix of apartment homes, condos, a hotel, and multiple public amenities, Roseland officials note.  The firm is also constructing the 292-unit The Chase II at Overlook Ridge five miles north of Boston. Chase II is part of a master-planned community, currently comprised of 1,400 apartment homes, and approved for a total of approximately 2,800 apartment homes. Roseland has also been very active on a host of New Jersey waterfront properties, including its M2 at Marbella development . On Thursday, the development firm was joined by a host of city officials to cut the ribbon on its high-rise residential project in Jersey City. The 39-story luxury community, located at 401 Washington Blvd., features 311 studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment homes, and is adjacent to Roseland’s existing Marbella community. “Mack-Cali and its Roseland subsidiary have invested tremendous resources in both commercial and residential properties throughout Jersey City, including Mack-Cali’s own corporate headquarters, and we are grateful for that,” said Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fulop at the grand opening for the M2 development. “But more importantly, their investment in our neighborhoods and our communities speaks volumes about Mack-Cali’s faith that Jersey City can look forward to continued prosperity, continued development, and continued growth.” The building features a host of amenities, including a 1,200-square-foot event room, as well as a sky lounge on the top floor of the building, a 1,700-square-foot club room with a lounge and billiard table, a conference room, two fitness centers with a yoga studio, a children’s playroom, an on-site concierge, an on-site dog run, and bike storage. M2 is connected to Roseland’s existing residential community, Marbella, by a 16,000-square-foot landscaped roof deck with a pool, fireplace, fire pit, and outdoor grilling stations.