New homes will revitalize Orchard St. neighborhood
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer

An artist's rendering shows the type of single-family home to be built on Orchard Street, Freehold Borough, as part of the Liberty Crossing at Freehold project.

FREEHOLD - Freehold Borough will be adding a new neighborhood to its historic landscape - Liberty Crossing at Freehold.

Sofia Homes, of Neptune City, will build 11 single-family homes on Orchard Street. Until recently Orchard Street has been uninhabited and gated by municipal officials in order to keep loiterers out and illegal dumping from occurring, according to Charles Kelly, managing member of Sofia Homes.

A ground-breaking ceremony was held on March 22 to announce the Liberty Crossing project. In attendance were Borough Councilman Robert Crawford, James Guerin of Burgess Steel, Sofia Homes' controller Anthony DiAmore, Roger Pasarella of Bay Dock Holdings and representatives from a number of local real estate agencies.

Pasarella is also part of the renovation of Orchard Street, according to Kelly. His company, Bay Dock Holdings, is waiting for approval to build 30 age-restricted condominiums across from Liberty Crossing at Freehold.

Kelly said if and when the age-restricted condos are approved, Sofia Homes will build the 30 units for Pasarella.

Crawford said he believes the single-family homes and the age-restricted condos will benefit the neighborhood.

"This is a win-win situation," the councilman said. "It will bring us new ratables and can only be an improvement to the neighborhood."

Kelly said Sofia Homes originally purchased nine vacant parcels of land on the west side of Orchard Street. He said the site preparation is almost complete.

During that process, Kelly said, Sofia Homes formed a partnership with a neighboring property owner, John Warren, which will lead to the development of two additional homes as part of the project. Warren owns two parcels at the corner of Institute and Orchard streets that have already been approved for subdivision, so Liberty Crossing will be comprised of 11 new homes instead of nine.

Sofia Homes is also directed by principal Anthony P. DiAmore. He and Kelly have years of experience in real estate development and construction.

Kelly said prospective customers have already expressed interest in Liberty Crossing. The firm has built custom homes in Howell, Sea Girt, Long Branch, Highlands and Oceanport, among other towns.

"We are confident that throughout the course of this project, the borough community will witness the transformation and revitalization of Orchard Street from its previous overgrown and unsightly state into the borough's newest neighborhood," Kelly said.

The single-family homes will be between 2,100 and 2,300 square feet. They will have four bedrooms (including a master bedroom suite) and two-and-a-half-baths. The homes will contain a living room, a family room, a dining room and a laundry room on the first floor. All bedrooms are on the second floor. The new homes will have maple cabinetry, hardwood and ceramic tile floors and a Whirlpool appliance package. Homes will have a one- or two-car garage. Building lots range from 9,000 to 13,000 square-feet. Home prices are expected to start at $399,000.

For more information about Liberty Crossing, call Mark Strohoefer, (732) 977-1666, or Nicole Kelly, (7432) 245-9642, or visit www.sofiahomes.net.