Pier Village II set to open at end of 2008
BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer

A rendering of the Pier Village II redevelopment project on the oceanfront in Long Branch.

LONG BRANCH - Construction of a second phase at Pier Village started along the city's oceanfront and plans call for the residential and retail project to be complete by the end of next year.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Pier Village Phase II site on Oct. 19 to mark the beginning of construction of the luxury mixed-use redevelopment project.

Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider called the project "a continuation of the hard work" that the city has been doing for the past 15 years.

"The true culmination of our efforts were on display this summer when the traffic was backed up to get into Pier Village, when there were lines to get into the new restaurant and when people were once again enjoying our beaches," said Schneider in a press release.

"Fifteen years ago, Long Branch was a great place to live, raise a family and do business.

"But we knew we could do better and we put together a plan to get it done," he said.

That plan includes the Pier Village II project, which calls for 216 rental residence, a 24-unit condo/hotel building and 3,800 square feet of retail space to be constructed on 6 acres of oceanfront land between Morris Avenue and Laird Street.

According to Applied Development Co., the designated developer of the project, the second phase is expected to be complete by the end of 2008.

Pier Village II will feature four buildings constructed in a Victorian-inspired architecture to complement the existing buildings located in the first phase of Pier Village project.

Applied has already completed an estimated $100 million mixed-use project in Pier Village I on a 10-acre tract of land from Laird Street to Melrose Terrace.

For more information on Pier Village, visit www.piervillage.com.