Features

Real Estate NJ goes in depth on the latest trends, success stories and critical issues facing the commercial real estate industry. Hear what is on the mind of the industry’s power players and get expert analysis as we give you the deepest look inside the market.

Retail
The next step for Bell Works: With office space nearly full, retail takes center stage at landmark project

With at least 6,000 daily office workers set to occupy the building by next year, the effort to bring a distinctive mix of retailers, services and dining options to Bell Works is now well underway. That mix includes everything from a florist and a beauty salon to a 24-hour health club and an urgent care center, offerings that will serve both office tenants at the building and residents from the surrounding communities.

Residential & Mixed Use
Planting the seed: Developer pitching concept plan for redeveloping 653-acre former research complex

There was a time when the sprawling former American Cyanamid complex in West Windsor bustled with more than 1,000 employees and agricultural researchers. A developer hopes to see the property bustling once again — but in a much different way.

Residential & Mixed Use
Getting on track: Successful rental project, flood control measures spur new interest in Bound Brook

A successful rental project is one of two driving forces that now have Bound Brook ready to move ahead with a long-overdue revitalization of its downtown. The borough, whose Main Street has a history of being pummeled by surges from major storms, marked the completion last year of a $143 million flood control project — meaning downtown business and property owners no longer need to spend thousands of dollars on flood insurance.

Professional Services
Family values: NAI Mertz has staked its claim in South Jersey, while keeping its nimble, ‘mom-and-pop’ feel over more than 35 years

NAI Mertz might be the largest independent commercial real estate brokerage in southern New Jersey, but Barry Mertz will never forget the company’s humble beginnings.

After all, working with his wife Faye is a daily reminder of how it all started.

Government & Public Policy
New EDA programs seek to promote street-level leasing, upgrades

The state Economic Development Authority last month unveiled two new funding tools aimed at helping street-level retail and downtown businesses in Passaic, Trenton, Paterson, Camden and Atlantic City.

Office
The case for the suburbs: Despite vacancy, owners stand out with dynamic spaces and strategies

Experts say the struggles of New Jersey’s suburban office market are not as clear-cut as many still believe. Those challenges are in fact real, but there are still plenty of opportunities for owners and developers to make a splash.

Office
JLL team provides a cure for New Jersey’s vacant pharma sites

Several of New Jersey’s largest, most prominent life sciences complexes are now on the path toward redevelopment, with new anchor tenants in place or new owners that can reclaim the value of what was left behind.

In the most high-profile cases, a team at JLL has been right in the thick of it.

Industrial
Amid supply constraints, developers look down the Turnpike for new opportunities

It was New Jersey’s largest industrial lease of the fourth quarter — and it was a fitting end to the year for a market that has been fueled by e-commerce tenants and big box construction. But the commitment by Modway Furniture was every bit as notable for its location as it was for its size.

Current Issue
After 20 years and three sales, a site finally finds its calling

It was a 27-acre land sale last September that gave way to one of East Windsor’s newest industrial projects, but it wasn’t the first time the property had changed hands.

Health Care & Education
From the ground up: Leaders of Rutgers CRE program eager to build on early progress

Leaders of the Rutgers Center for Real Estate aim to make it the top academic and research program of its kind, one that helps improve the industry and provides a link between the state’s top real estate firms and the next generation of professionals.