340 Apartments Proposed For Middletown's River Centre Office Park

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — First, luxury gym Life Time will open very soon in Middletown. And it may be followed by 340+ apartments across Newman Springs Road.

There are some very big things happening at the intersection of Half Mile and Newman Springs roads, right by the on-ramp to the Garden State Parkway north and just off Exit 109 on the Parkway south.

First, as everyone should know by now, luxury private gym Life Time plans to open there this spring. Construction is nearly complete, and Life Time said this winter they may open before the end of March. This is the new three-story private athletic club on Schulz Drive; it will have three indoor pools, two outdoor pools, indoor pickleball courts and a wine & liquor lounge.

And just reported today is that developer AvalonBay intends to build 340 apartments across Newman Springs, in the existing River Centre office complex. This was first reported in this Asbury Park Press article, but Mayor Tony Perry confirmed it Monday.

Perry said Avalon plans to build the apartments in the "back" of River Centre, and the units will back up to the Parkway North. He said the apartments will be built on what is currently mostly unused parking lots, but one small, 10,000-square-foot office building — currently used as the River Centre cafeteria — will have to be torn down.

Perry assured the public that no woods or trees will have to be torn down for the new apartments. The new apartments will be built on what is currently empty parking lots.

AvalonBay asked Middletown's permission to build multi-family there a few years ago, and Middletown Township approved it in this redevelopment plan in September 2023. Previously, multifamily housing was not allowed there.

Avalon wants residential housing because River Centre, which they built in the late 80s, is having a hard time obtaining commercial office tenants.

"As many office parks have seen over the years, it's difficult to keep such large facilities fully leased up," Middletown's business administrator Anthony Mercantante told the Asbury Park Press Monday. "Companies are shrinking and the demand for massive office spaces like that are not as in demand as they used to be."

AvalonBay still needs final approval from the Middletown Planning Board; they may apply this February.

River Centre is also where Life Time Work just opened a co-working space: You can rent just a desk or a whole office there on either a yearly or month-to-month basis. Life Time Work membership starts at $429/month. Gym membership is not always included; it depends which package you have. Learn more here: https://work.lifetime.life/loc...

Keep reading: New Gym Life Time Middletown Will Open Sometime Before April (Jan. 2024)