A piece of Bergen County that went from apple orchard to corporate headquarters is about to become a neighborhood.
Russo Development and Woodmont Properties broke ground on Orchard House by Vermella, a 21-acre mixed-use community at 300 Chestnut Ridge Road in Woodcliff Lake, the companies announced Thursday, Oct. 8, Daily Voice reported. The project is being developed by RW Woodcliff Lake Urban Renewal LLC, a joint venture between the two firms.
The plan calls for 370 homes: 297 apartments, 47 townhomes and 26 supportive housing units. Seventy-four of the 370 will be designated as affordable.
The name nods to the property's history. It was once the apple orchard at Tice Farms, and more recently it served as BMW's North American headquarters.
What's going up
Along with the homes, the developers plan more than 9,000 square feet of retail space, with restaurants, medical offices, service businesses and other tenants expected. Amenities will include rooftop pools, fitness facilities, resident lounges and terrace gardens, and residents will have access to the Vermella Social Club, which runs social, culinary, wellness and recreation programs throughout the year.
About half of the property will stay open space, including a new public park and a walking trail around the perimeter of the community. The plans also include bicycle parking, electric vehicle charging stations and new infrastructure.
According to Russo Development's project page, the idea is to turn an underused corporate campus into a walkable, connected neighborhood with housing, retail and public gathering spaces, in line with the borough's long-term plans for growth.
"Woodcliff Lake has always been a community that values thoughtful growth and careful planning," Mayor Carlos A. Rendo said. "Orchard House reflects the kind of progress we want to see — development that respects the character of our Borough while positioning us well for the future."
Russo said in a social media post that state Sen. Holly Schepisi, Mayor Rendo and his administration joined the groundbreaking and presented proclamations from the state and the borough. For a project this size, it's a clear sign that both the borough and the state are behind it from the start.
Location, location
The site sits close to some of the busiest roads in North Jersey. Residents will be near the Garden State Parkway, Route 17, Interstate 287 and the New York State Thruway, and Woodcliff Lake is served by NJ Transit's Pascack Valley Line.
That access cuts both ways for a construction job. It makes it easier to move materials and crews in and out, but it also means working next to heavy traffic, which takes careful planning for deliveries, staging and site access.
For towns across New Jersey, projects like this one are also about affordable housing obligations. The state requires municipalities to provide their fair share of homes for low- and moderate-income families, and big redevelopments with set-aside units are one of the main ways suburbs meet those numbers. Putting 74 affordable homes, including the supportive housing units, into a single project is a significant step for a borough the size of Woodcliff Lake.
Turning an old office campus into housing is also becoming a familiar story in North Jersey. Many suburban corporate headquarters built for a different era of work now sit underused, and towns are looking at them as places where housing can go without disturbing existing neighborhoods. Keeping half the land as open space is part of how this project is meant to fit in.
The developers didn't name a general contractor, and they haven't released a construction schedule or project cost.
Why it matters for Contractors
A 370-home, 21-acre job with apartments, townhomes, supportive housing, retail and a public park is a long, varied run of work. Site contractors will see grading, utilities, stormwater, roads, paving and landscaping, including the park and the perimeter trail. Then come the buildings: concrete, framing, roofing, MEP, elevators, fire protection, rooftop pool work and a lot of interior finishes, plus EV charging and bike parking. The townhomes add a separate, residential-scale package. No builder has been named yet, so subcontractors in Bergen County and the surrounding area should keep an eye out for bid announcements from the Russo and Woodmont team. With 74 affordable homes in the mix, expect affordable-housing compliance requirements to show up in the paperwork too.