THE WASHINGTON LOFTS

Carteret Borough, Middlesex County, New Jersey

Carteret has experienced significant redevelopment activity in recent years, with more planned for the future. Highlights of these developments, past and present, include the following:

• A newly completed 460,000-sq. ft. light industrial complex at the former Ball Glass site which will generate $42 million in revenue to the Borough over the next 30 years.
• Amazon’s construction of a new 900,000 sq. ft. fulfillment center in the Borough creating an additional 1,500+/- full-time jobs.
• The expansion of New Jersey Turnpike Interchange 12 and redesign and expansion of the Intersection at the base of the West Carteret Bridge.
• Planned construction on the first of 2 new facilities on vacant property owned by Federal Business Centers. When completed these facilities will total nearly 375,000 additional square feet of industrial space, creating new jobs while generating millions of dollars in added revenue to the Borough.
• The newly opened 82,000 sq. ft. 784-unit self-storage facility at the site of the former McGrudder Chemical property.

• R.J. Hospitality’s planned construction of a 125 Room 8 story Marriot Courtyard.
• The recently constructed Municipal Marina funded by a $19 million grant awarded by State agencies and Middlesex County. The marina contains approximately 185 boat slips, 38,000 Ft2 of floating docks, and fueling stations.
• Plans to redevelop an Arts District with a theatre for the performing arts and associated parking garage. Once completed in late 2020 – early 2021, the Carteret Performing Arts Center will include a 1,600 seat theater/auditorium and a 500 seat black box theater with performances that range from live music, Off-Broadway plays, comedy shows, Community Theater and cultural events, a 5,000 Ft2 art gallery and a rooftop restaurant.

Waterfront Park Ferry Terminal

Carteret has recently opened its municipal marina with boat slips. Additionally, the borough has proposed a walkway and ferry terminal at Waterfront Park along the Arthur Kill waterfront. Construction on the ferry terminal is expected to be completed by September 2021 – March 2022. It is anticipated that the ferry boat(s) will be purchased during construction of the terminal. The ferry service will be a direct trip to two stops in New York City, which would take 45 – 65 minutes. The two stops are anticipated to be at Wall Street and 39th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The Washington Lofts is approximately 0.6 miles to the proposed ferry terminal at Waterfront Park.

Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ)

The Washington Lofts is located within the Qualified Opportunity Zone by the State of New Jersey and approved by the US Department of Treasury on April 9, 2018. The Opportunity Zones program was enacted as part of the 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and is designed to drive long-term capital investments into low-income rural and urban communities. This federal program provides opportunities for private investors to support investments in distressed communities through participation in Qualified Opportunity Funds. Investors can defer paying federal taxes on capital gains reinvested in Qualified Opportunity Funds that invest in low-income communities, under rules released by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Reinvested capital gains are deferred from taxation until exit from a Qualified Opportunity Fund or December 31, 2026, whichever comes first. However, gains from Qualified Opportunity Fund investments held for the long term are taxed at reduced rates, with the rate reductions increasing at the 5, 7, and 10-year anniversaries. Any gains from Qualified Opportunity Fund investments held for at least 10 years will be permanently excluded from the capital gains tax.