Kaplan Cos. got started on La Mer back in the 1980s. No easy task, according to the family-owned business, which described the 100-acre tract of land as a spot with wetlands that was used to drop sand that had been stripped away to build an extension of the New Jersey Turnpike the decade before.

On July 19, the Highland Park-based developer introduced the final piece of the development: 102 rental units in the community’s latest component, Camelot at La Mer.

Available for immediate move-in, each townhome is three stories tall and offers two or three bedrooms (Camelot is the only section of La Mer with a three-bedroom option). Units offer the same features as new, for-sale home construction, Kaplan Cos. said, including white kitchen cabinets with matte black finishes, plank flooring in main living areas and recessed lighting. Additionally, community amenities offer access to clubhouses with pools, tot lots, fire pits, fitness rooms and barbecues.

Rents start at just over $3,000 per month.

According to Kaplan Cos. President Jason Kaplan, Camelot is the “perfect visual explanation of how far La Mer has evolved.”

Situated on a bluff overlooking Cheesequake State Park in the Parlin section of Sayreville, “La Mer was originally constructed to offer quality, reliable housing to address the swell in population,” Jason Kaplan said in a statement. “It has become the easy and affordable solution for new residents, close to all commuting corridors, mass transit and the Jersey Shore.”

La Mer is visible from the Garden State Parkway – and now considered a local landmark, according to Kaplan Cos. – while also offering easy access to Routes 9 and 35, in addition to the Old Bridge park-and-ride and South Amboy’s NJ Transit station. The property also has a bus stop offering service into Manhattan.

On trend

In addition to transit appeal, Camelot at La Mer capitalizes on the national “build-to-rent” trend.

With BTR, instead of offering rental options in a more traditional garden-style community or multifamily building, townhomes or single-family homes – and community amenities – are constructed as a way to meet housing demands that also appeals to landlords. According to a June 2023 report from the Urban Institute, build to rent was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as emergent hybrid work arrangements.

“Although BTR homes may be more expensive up front, they are particularly enticing for SFR [single-family rental] investors because of the reduced capital expenditure burden relative to typical SFR homes,” authors Laurie Goodman and Amalie Zinn wrote. “The homes are new and require less maintenance, and there are efficiencies of scale in management, as the homes are often concentrated in one location.

“Moreover, the appliances and the air conditioning and heating systems are new and under warranty. And depending on the relationship between the builder and the SFR investor, most of the maintenance expenses may be covered,” the report continues. “As a result of the demand and the economics, the BTR sector, which has always been a part of the SFR landscape, has grown at an exponential pace over the past few years and added to the housing supply.”

Kaplan described how Camelot at La Mer embodies BTR.

“For example, each unit has direct access to its own connected garage, so it has more of feel of being in a home, as opposed to a rental,” he said. “Through this popular ‘build to rent’ product, we already see Camelot at La Mer residents display enormous pride in their homes, which we believe creates longer-term tenants and a stronger sense of community.”

Over 35 years, and tens of thousands of hours of manpower, Kaplan Cos. has built La Mer up to more than 1,500 units across single-family homes, townhouses and condos. Now, Kaplan said, its evolved into the “place to be.”

“The preferences of home buyers and renters drastically changed and we responded,” Kaplan said. “Camelot at La Mer now features all the latest amenities that renters expect, with all the quality finishes and energy efficiency. It really shows the amazing transformation of this housing development, as well as the Sayreville community as a whole.” 

La Mer also exhibits the legacy of Kaplan Cos. and its evolution in Sayreville. “We describe it as a carefully-curated laboratory of housing styles, from townhomes to single-family homes to condominiums,” Kaplan explained. “La Mer doesn’t look monotonous when you drive through it. There’s lot of innovative designs that we’ve been able to capture from other parts of the country.  

 “We’re very proud of what we have been able to create for the Sayreville community as it prepares for the next generation,” he added.

A family’s 70 years of home building in NJ

When it became apparent that Nathan Kaplan’s calling in life wasn’t to be a chicken farmer in Lakewood, he turned to building small single-family homes. The year was 1952, and the very first Kaplan homes were 940-square-foot ranches, with no garages, selling for $6,900. Seventy years and three generations later, family-owned Kaplan Cos. is still selling homes. Read more here.