Topping out the waterfront

International homebuilding company Landsea Holdings Corp. held a ceremony marking the topping off of one of its latest developments in Weehawken May 19. Located on the waterfront at Port Imperial, Avora, a collection of luxury, for-sale condominiums set to open in early 2018, recently reached a construction milestone — its 11th story.
The ceremony featured Landsea executives and over 150 tradespeople, led by Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner. Officials raised the American flag to begin the event, a tradition signifying when a construction project has reached its apogee.
When Avora opens, it will feature 184 residential units and 6,000 square feet of street-level retail space, with potentially three different retail operators. It is located near the NY Waterway Ferry Terminal and Port Imperial light rail station.
The building will be a collection of one, two, and three-bedroom residences, along with a limited amount of duplex penthouses overseeing the Manhattan skyline. They will be priced from the $800,000s to slightly over $4 million. The Bank of The Ozarks and Powerlong Real Estate Holdings are providing construction financing for the project.
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Weehawken is such a place, and we feel very fortunate to be here.” – John Ho
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According to Gabe Pasquale, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Landsea, Avora is one of the last remaining for-sale condominium parcels on the waterfront, as most have already been completed.
“I do want to underscore all the hard work and efforts that all of the key leaders and members of the various boards, building department, and all the government officials have done,” Pasquale said. “You really have helped us bring Avora to this reality.”
“We’re very grateful for your support,” said Landsea CEO John Ho, who flew in from California for the topping.
“Very excited about this project. This has been an exciting development for us—it has been over three years in the making. We really believe it will transform the gateway to this community and the city of Weehawken. Weehawken is such a place, and we feel very fortunate to be here.”
“This waterfront development has transformed the township of Weehawken,” Turner said. “It’s hard to believe that 40 years ago, the township was on the verge of bankruptcy. The Weehawken-Hudson waterfront was completely vacant land. Not a tree, nothing green. If there were buildings, they were old, industrial buildings and contaminated soil.” Turner added that “It’s been a great partnership. The waterfront is 43 percent open space. We have changed the economic structure of the town. It’s a great day for Weehawken.”
“Belle is proud, and I’m proud to be part of the development of a true landmark here in the city of Weehawken,” said Jack Pross, vice president for Belle Associates, the construction manager for Avora. ‘We truly thank Landsea for taking us into this as a teammate in this venture. As you can see, this is a truly unique structure.”
Pross also thanked 120 skilled men and women-at the height of construction–who worked on the site and completed the topping “safely, without incident.” He also thanked “the hundreds of additional men and women from other construction trades who also made this milestone possible, who we will continue to work with to completion.”
After the speakers finished, Turner and Avora executives visited the building’s unfinished third-floor outdoor plaza, which will feature a swimming pool, sun deck, lounges, and a grilling area once finished next year.
Hannington Dia can be reached at hd@hudsonreporter.com