Pier Village ground breaking years in the making

By Neil Schulman
Long Branch — Three years of planning and negotiations went into the third phase of Pier Village, which broke ground Wednesday morning.

The project, a joint venture between Kushner Companies and Extell Development, will include a new boardwalk, a boutique hotel with oceanfront views, and luxury condominiums.

In previous discussions, officials have said the project is expected to cost $283 million. It will feature 269 condos, 440,000 square feet of retail, a 72-room hotel, a parking garage which could fit up to 600 spaces with valet parking, a carousel, a kid’s play area, boardwalk improvements and other features.

The condos range from one to four bedrooms, and will start at $510,000, going up to $2 million.

The third phase is south of the existing two phases of retail stores, restaurants­ and apartments.
Ground has already been cleared for the work, and construction was underway during the official groundbreaking, with speakers raising their voices to be heard over the noise.

“We are so excited to be here today,” said Nicole Kushner of Kushner Companies, noting that the city holds an important place for her family, who has a house in Elberon.

“Spending my summers in Long Branch, memories were made, some of the fondest memories of my childhood,” Kushner said.

“This project is three years in design, negotiation and development, and to see it literally coming out of the ground is very gratifying for all who worked on it,” said Mayor Adam Schneider. The final plans for the project, since they were in a redevelopment area, needed the city’s approval.

Schneider thanked all the city staff who worked on it, calling them “the greatest group of public employees.”

He also thanked the residents of the city.

“When we built the boardwalk after Sandy, and this noise was 24/7 for months, nobody complained,” Schneider said over the loud pumps and bangs of the machinery. “They wanted to see it done.”

Schneider said he expects to see the new boardwalk open in a couple of months, and see, “a year from now, booking reservations in the new hotel.”

The first two phases of Pier Village have already transformed the city in a very positive way he said. That includes creating many new jobs, that 20 years ago would have been unimaginable.
“A couple of hundred people come (work) here and make a living here. It’s a big deal for all of us,” Schneider said.

The unfinished section of the boardwalk is being prepaged for completion.