'Collings at the LumberYard' Turning Heads, Winning Hearts

As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

So maybe when life—or rather, the banks that run it—gives you a mostly finished building project that's also a credit-ruining you make The Collings at The Lumberyard.

That's what developers at the Ingerman Group did, at least. .

'We're not just building something and walking away'

The town home at 588 North Atlantic Avenue doubles as the current leasing office for The Collings at the LumberYard. 

Its 1640-square-foot presence spills out over a two-story loft design. A second-floor master suite and nook-ish lounge overlook a combined living/dining space below, which is in turn divided from the stainless-steel, gourmet kitchen by a granite countertop bar.

After a V.I.P. soft launch on Monday, only two townhomes remained available Tuesday morning; their footprints range from 930 to 1990 square feet.

The public grand opening is Saturday, and 29 of the 34 apartments in the building are still up for grabs, however. They range in price from $1,525 to $1,775 for a one-bedroom, $1,795 to 2,350 for a two-bedroom and $2,450 a month for a three-bedroom unit.

Renters and lessees will enjoy 24-hour maintenance service among other planned ameneties. A small community room with complimentary WiFi is coming by the end of the year or the beginning of the next, as is a community room, fitness area and courtyard with seating and barbecue.

Even the proposed first-floor retail unit in the four-story apartment building that has yet to be constructed has brought "a couple of restaurants, florists [and] different businesses" nosing around, said Lara Schwager, Development Principal for Ingerman.

"Even people who may have had some negative opinions [about the LumberYard itself] have been supportive," Schwager said.

"It’s our goal to be a part of the community," she said, citing Ingerman's financial commitment to events like the May Fair and Fourth of July celebration.

"We’re not just building something and walking away."

'A breath of fresh air'

One LumberYard resident who's warmed to Ingerman's handling of the project is Harry Carman.

A retired boilermaker and construction professional, Carman spent several months wondering if the luxury condominium he'd purchased was going to have a vacant lot for a neighbor.

"For us to leave that unfinished half of the building would have been an eyesore," Carman said. "I was absolutely afraid that it was going to affect [the project being eventually completed]."  

Carman's apprehensions about the workmanship of its prior builders, Costanza, led him to pore over the building documents, noting several instances where he says the finished product fell short of expectations.

(Want a prominent example? Take a look at the narrow sliver of daylight between the LumberYard and Martin's Cleaners, where rainwater pools, he said.)

Carman also says he walked the buliding with representatives from Ingerman when the company was performing its due diligence of the property. That walk-through convinced Carman that the developer was committed to quality.

"I watched them put together a list that was three legal yellow sheets long of things that needed to be questioned," he said. "It’s all stuff that’s easy to do when you’re building [and] difficult [to identify] forensically."

Carman said that Ingerman's handling of the project has been "a breath of fresh air," not least of which because "It’ll take some of the burden off us."

"They’ve done a lot of work on the building that was purchased, [and] the finish work that I’ve seen from Ingerman is better than anything I’ve seen from Costanza," he said. 

"Most of the people here are relatively satisfied that we’re moving in the right direction."

From "absolutely afraid" to "relatively satisfied."

Lemons to lemonade.