Paramount Assets officially opened Frontier Flats — a mixed-use development in Plainfield — with local leaders at a ribbon cutting on Monday.
Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp, council President Charles McRae and Director of Economic Development Zenobia Fields joined Paramount Assets Senior Vice President Richard Dunn and the senior leadership of Paramount Assets to cut the ribbon.
Frontier Flats is a redevelopment project that will add needed residential space to Downtown Plainfield.
The building, at 171 E. Front St., is at the site of the former Rosenbaum’s Department Store, which opened on Jan. 1, 1927, and closed in the mid-1980s. When Paramount Assets acquired the building, it completely gutted the interior of the 55,000-square-foot property and redeveloped the structure with 35 oversized, market-rate apartments and a large retail component. There is an interior courtyard with eight units facing it and four duplex units within the building, offering a unique living environment within a residential property.
To maintain the community’s shopping roots, the first floor consists of approximately 26,000 square feet of retail space, in which 18,000 square feet is available and can be used as one large box for a single retailer or divided into smaller individual units.
“Plainfield is in the midst of an incredible transformation, with new projects breathing life into our downtown district,” Mapp said. “The opening of the Frontier Flats community marks yet another milestone in our collective pursuit of a dynamic, thriving downtown. Paramount Assets, our steadfast partner in this revitalization journey, has again demonstrated its commitment to our community.”
“Frontier Flats is a perfect adaptive use project that benefits the city and the Central Business District of Plainfield,” Paramount’s Dunn said. “It promotes living downtown, which is essential in a city’s revitalization. When you add residential apartments above and along a shopping district, it causes an economic boom and benefit for the community. We must give credit to Mayor Mapp and his administration for promoting and supporting this redevelopment project, since it will not only benefit the small business owners, but enhance the quality of life and shopper experience along East Front Street.”
The Frontier Flats community includes numerous on-site amenities to enhance residents’ lifestyles, including a garden terrace, fitness center and tenant lounge. The property’s 12 studios, 18 one-bedroom units and five two-bedroom apartments all have top-of-the-line features and finishes.
Each residence is furnished with an in-unit high-efficiency washer and dryer, hardwood floors, high ceilings, porcelain terrazzo tiles in kitchens and bathrooms and high-efficiency stainless-steel appliances, giving them a timeless appeal.
Frontier Flats’ construction began in February 2022. The project opened for occupancy in June, and Frontier Flats is now more than 60% leased. Units range in size from 502 square feet to 1,357 square feet. The studio apartments are fully rented, and the one- and two-bedroom unit rents start at $1,900 per month.
The development is a one-block walk from Plainfield’s New Jersey Transit train station and offers its residents easy access to the Raritan Valley commuter rail line, traveling to Newark, Manhattan and beyond. Commuters can reach Manhattan in under an hour. Additionally, residents will be within walking distance of the supermarket, banks and international food franchises.
