Tag Archives: Central Jersey

Industrial Sector Will Continue to be Driving Force in NJ Construction Next Year

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Industrial development is going to continue to be a driving force in New Jersey’s construction industry in the near future but land supply will likely fall short of the demand, according to CBRE, a commercial real estate and investment firm, which released its third quarter industrial market report for the state and looked at 2020 and 2021 as well.

“The demand is there,” said Mindy Lissner, CBRE industrial broker and executive vice president told RealEstateNJ. “It’s justifying the pipeline and what’s getting built, so I don’t think we’re overbuilding—I think we need more buildings right now to satisfy requirements.”

Projected deliveries through 2020 will add roughly 22 million square feet to New Jersey’s stock of industrial space, Lissner said. About a third of that space is “already leased or spoken for,” she said, adding that the firm is tracking between 40 million and 50 million square feet of current demand overall. That would be nearly two-thirds of the state’s overall construction pipeline that CBRE is tracking over a five-year horizon, which comprises about 150 projects spanning 65 million to 70 million square feet, according to the article.

E-commerce companies looking for warehouses to store their products are a primary factor for the quest for more space. But it’s not just about space. These corporations are also looking for more modern, better functioning facilities that have higher ceilings, technology, and better, more efficient layouts than the buildings of the past, Lissner said.

Some of the biggest industrial projects in the state include: the 4.1 million square foot Linden Logistics Center; the Opus Warehouses 975,000 square-foot distribution center in Phillipsburg; and Kingsland Meadowlands three million square-feet of warehouse space on more than 700 acres spanning parts of North Arlington, Lyndhurst and Rutherford.

Industrial construction won’t be the only area to see growth in the near future. The CBRE third quarter office market report released last week predicts that office construction in South Jersey’s Philadelphia suburbs will improve as well with space more than doubling in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, the report said.

New Jersey’s Biggest, Boldest Mixed-Use Project: Riverton Redevelopment in Sayreville

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Riverton, mixed-use redevelopment along two miles of the Raritan River in Sayreville, is one of New Jersey boldest projects. It’s also one of the biggest. The $2.5 billion project on 418 acres is the largest mixed-use development in NJ history and believed to be the largest mixed-use project in development in the U.S. right now, according to NJ.com.

Don’t blame locals if they adopt a “I’ll believe it when I see it” attitude to the dreams of creating “America’s Next Great Hometown.” Attempts to redevelop the area have been ongoing for more than a decade. The previous developer never began construction after attempts to clean-up the contaminated site.

The current plan calls for a marina, two hotels, 1 million square feet of retail space and 1 million square feet of office space, 10 restaurants, and 2,000 residential units of single-family homes and apartments. It is expected to be built in phases and take 10 years to complete once they start construction.

But it won’t be easy—to build or win over the public. The developer, North American Properties (NAP), and Sayreville Economic & Redevelopment Agency (SERA) have faced some pushback, including a poll sent to area residents at the end of 2018 that town officials say was from an outside organization trying to mislead the public about the project with questions that “appear created to incite fear and spread rumor.” And while NAP boasts access to highways and the number of people within 20 miles, some are concerned about the amount of traffic and congestion in the area. Part of the plan, however, is to create its own Riverton exit on the Garden State Parkway, according to a story from News12 New Jersey, which toured the site.

If all goes as the developers plan, Riverton residents won’t have to leave the area very often. They can work, live, dine out, and meet all of their entertainment and recreation needs right there.