Atrium Breaks Ground on Senior Mid Rise

Springpoint Senior Living broke ground on a new six-story, 60-unit addition to the senior-living community The Atrium at Navesink Harbor with officials in suits donning silly grins and hardhats and tossing lumps of soil with shovels at the site of the eventual $35 million expansion.

 Construction is expected to take 18 months and be complete, barring any unforeseen circumstances, by the end of 2012. Residents, all of whom have already secured spots in the sold-out expansion, will move in during the first few months following the New Year.

The process toward expansion has been a slow one. Though officials with Springpoint had nothing but glowing remarks about Red Bank and its involvement in the planning process, it’s been nearly a decade since design plans for the new facility were first drawn up.

Early in the process, the previous owners of the Atrium – Springpoint assumed control of the building following a merger some years ago – faced litigation from the residents of Riverview Towers located directly next door who worried that the expansion would negatively impact quality of life. Specifically they were concerned that their river views would be eliminated. The designs were changed and the planned high rise was cut in half.

Residents of the previous complex also objected to the plan where the expansion was to be located. Early in the 2000’s, American Baptist Estates, who operated the Atrium, then called the Navesink House, forced the eviction of remaining tenants at the Gables complex, long since torn down.

Lawsuits weren’t the biggest enemy of the expansion. The poor economy and housing recession, officials admitted, did slow the project down. With the housing market still stuttering, the decision was made to ensure that all of the units were accounted for before progressing to a construction phase.

With backhoes and tractors onsite leveling the site’s grading, it appears as though nothing is in the way of the new construction.

Bill Brottman, director of sales for the Atrium, said the response to the new site has been dramatic. The Atrium is a continuous care retirement community, meaning it’s capable of providing all levels of health care support and assisted living accommodations its residents require.

“There has been a clamor for this kind of facility,” Brottman said, also noting that the Atrium is the only waterfront CCRC site in the state. “The baby boomers have reached the point where more and more are turning 62 every day. Those who have lived in the area want to stay in the area and this is a perfect fit.”

Mayor Pat Menna, on hand for the groundbreaking, recalled the Atrium in its previous incarnation as the Navesink House. More than 20 years ago, when you walked into the place you just had a different, sinking feeling. There were nearly double the units – Springpoint completely renovated the building and decreased the number of units from 150 to 80 – and the feeling, as Menna described, of “upscale, urban living,” did not exist.

The Atrium and the expansion are attractive to seniors who want to maintain an active lifestyle and be part of the community, he said.

“They’re moving to Red Bank because it is a desirable place to live,” he said. “There’s are people who want to be close to the downtown and restaurants, want to volunteer their time, and are looking for a quality of life. The key is not to isolate seniors, but to bring them into the community.”