When Eli Cohen took an exclusive listing on a golf course and nursery in Lincoln Park, zoned for town houses, he fell in love with the site. How could he not? Imagine a 170 acre island of serenity, 26.5 minutes from the George Washington Bridge or the Lincoln Tunnel without a single traffic light. Then surround the site with a bowl of hills with two thousand acres of state forest. The buildable portion of the site sat thirty feet above flood grade. Eli was hooked.

He contacted thirty major builders, but struck out. He finally convinced Ara Hovnavian to come north from Florida and take a look. That did it. 344 units sold in one day and two hours. At the time, it was the most successful residential project in the history of New Jersey. Eli subsequently sold Hovnavian Company the adjacent parcel of land, bringing the total project size to 588 units.

At the end of the day, all it takes in one buyer who agrees with you.