Luxury’s price tag

Anyone looking to rent a high rise apartment in Middlesex or Bound Brook has a lot to sort through. Along with the desired unit model, monthly rent and amenities, there’s the occasional online review.

More units are on the way, thanks to Bound Brook’s aggressive redevelopment effort. When all projects there are complete, more than 2,000 additional apartments will have been constructed. Toss in 400+ units more from Middlesex’s two Lincoln Boulevard complexes. That’s a lot of apartments.

Inside – Middlesex looked at the websites of six high rises – The Lofts and The View in Middiesex; plus Citizen Bound Brook, Meridia Main Station, Mosaic on Main and 127 The View all located in Bound Brook.

Those projects are all considered “luxury” apartments, but they don’t provide any comfort to the wallet. The rental rates listed below were obtained from the complexes’ respective websites and/or from apartments.com, a national rental site.

The rates don’t include any fees or added charges for parking or other items considered extras.

According to apartments.com, luxury apartments provide “high-end features and amenities that are designed to make a renter feel pampered. These are the touches that make life more pleasurable, such as a resort-style swimming pool, an on-site spa or fitness center, valet trash, and even laundry service. Luxury apartments usually have high-end appliances and finishes throughout, and the spaces are often larger than in traditional apartments.”

Luxury apartments also place an emphasis on resident safety. But there is a downside to poshness.

“The biggest con to choosing a luxury apartment is price,” according to apartments.com. “All those features, from the opulent fitness center to your spa-like bathroom, come at a high cost. Overall, luxury apartments can cost up to 40 percent more than a traditional apartment.”

The View (Middlesex) – lists five one-bed, one-bath models and three two-bed, two-bath apartment designs.

The one-beds range from 732 to 912 square feet in size. Costs range from $2,050 monthly to $2,315. The two-beds go from 1,153 square feet up to 1,200. Rent for those units starts at $2,600 and goes to $3,000.

The Lofts – lists specific info for three different units, a one-bed, 1.5-bath unit and two different two-bed, two-bath designs. The 983-square-foot one-bed model is priced at $2,216 to $3,326. The two-bed units are 1,246 square feet with the rent range $2,724 to $3,951.

Meridia Main Station – two different one-bed, one-bath units and two different two-bed, two-baths are listed. The one-beds are 554 square feet at $1,795 and 656 square feet at $1,925. The two-beds are 836 square feet at $2,195 and 900 square feet at $2,325.

Mosaic on Main – offers three one-bed, one-bath options and three two-bed, two-bath models. The one-bed units start at 595 square feet and go up to 821 square feet. Rent for the smallest one-bed unit is $1,875 with $2,225 the cost for the largest. The two-bed models go from 807 square feet up up to 1,219 square feet. Rent for those units starts at $2,000 and goes to $2,425.

Citizen Bound Brook – This building on the roundabout currently lists only one-bed, one-bath units. Models that range from 768 to 783 square feet in size vary in price from $1,938 to $2,215. A slightly larger one-bed, one-bath design with den that is 922 square feet in size goes for $2,285.

127 The View – This Talmage Avenue building has a sister property, Mohring Place, which is located adjacent to the Bound Brook Post Office. Apartments.com lists 127 The View’s one- and two-bed units ranging in size from 562 to 1,067 square feet and in cost from $1,900 to $2,500. Info on the building’s website showed only one, two-bed model among its 49 apartments.

There are few reviews to be found online for the newer Bound Brook high rises, likely due their age. Meridia Station is the exception with tenants expressing parking concerns.

The Lofts website throws shade at Meridia in testimony it posts from supposed residents. One claims The Lofts is a “major upgrade” from Meridia.

In January 2022, one tenant at The View in Middlesex called his unit “very nice, bright and spacious” in a review posted on apartments.com. He questioned, however, why a redeveloper was allowed to construct housing at that location.

“I moved in a month ago and didn’t realize when I was touring the apartment that it is about 50 yards from the train-tracks,” that tenant wrote. “All hours of the day and night there are commuter trains and freight trains running on multiple tracks. No idea how the city zoned this area for a residential building. No amount of white noise will hide the trains if you are in a unit facing the tracks.”

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