LCOR hosted the grand opening event for Valley & Bloom in Montclair this past Saturday, October 10. Some 200 visitors came by to check out the new apartments for rent and to enjoy some local food purveyors, including Tia’s Food of Love, stationed in the lobby, Villalobos, serving food in the outside courtyard by the firepit, and Montclair Bread Company, with coffee, doughnuts and other goodies, set up on the rooftop deck. The Montclair Art Museum truck was parked out front, offering an artful encounter.
James Driscoll, senior vice president of LCOR, said that the building was attracting young professionals, including singles, couples and new parents with infants or young children. The second building, which runs along Bloomfield Ave. and is slated to open Winter 2016, will have a play space for young children available to both buildings.
Other amenities available or shared by the buildings include a fitness center, resident lounge, library cafe, indoor bike storage as well as 24-hour maintenance and concierge service.
Driscoll said that as far as retail tenants, the goal was to find stores and services residents would use on a regular basis, such as a bank or dry cleaner, rather than a retailer they might only shop at once a month.
The first building is 30% leased (available units are listed here). On view were decorated model apartments. A two bedroom on the second floor was said to rent for $3550. The building offers studios, 1 bedroom and 2 bedrooms. There are three bedroom units but these are only being offered as part of the affordable housing units available.
A bank isn’t a retail tenant. I thought the idea was to extend downtown. Why not just throw up a blank wall along bloomfield avenue. Banks are just deadspots on a main street. Urban Planning 101. A dry cleaners? I lived in a building like this before. You do conceirge dry cleaning drop off and pick up at the front desk.