As you’ll read in this month’s cover story, the large, high-profile office deal is alive and well in the pandemic’s aftermath, as blue-chip employers make major investments in their physical footprint. That’s evident by several outsized leases in New Jersey this year of 100,000 square feet or greater, and market experts say there are likely more to come, as corporations look to support their growth while creating a “commute-worthy” environment for its distributed workforce.
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Environmental justice: Restoring livability or Pandora’s box?
Enactment of the groundbreaking New Jersey Environmental Justice Law and the recently proposed rules to implement it are commendable efforts to improve conditions in communities burdened by decades of industrial pollution from Title V-covered facilities, notably solid waste facilities and power generation facilities. Although the proposed regulations appear not to currently impact the small-scale commercial and warehouse industry sectors, there is growing concern there will be a proliferation of municipalities adopting ordinances under the guise of environmental justice that are actually aimed at thwarting smart development and critical redevelopment and that broaden the types of regulated facilities.
Bolstering the ranks
As you’ll read in this month’s cover story, Prologis’ growing team is supporting a portfolio that now spans 44 million square feet across 200 properties in New Jersey and New York. Growing that footprint will come in a number of ways, Harty said, including the types of creative, value-add projects that involve redeveloping former office campuses. That, in turn, requires additional development and construction personnel like the kind that Prologis has added in recent months. And it comes as the company also hires for what’s known as its Essentials platform, which provides services to tenants such as helping them source materials for their building fit-outs, in a bid to engage them “beyond the four walls and the real estate.”
Out of the shadows
In this month’s cover story we highlights the plan to restore and reactivate the property’s long-dormant and long-vacant ferry terminal. The master development team at LCOR envisions it as a unique destination for commuters, city residents and visitors — and as the centerpiece of the plan called Hoboken Connect — which became clearer after I recently toured the space with the firm’s Brian Barry. The building’s second floor, with its 21-foot ceiling heights and a large, column-less floorplate stretching nearly 500 feet, has all the makings of such a destination and the potential to achieve one of LCOR and NJ Transit’s top objectives: opening the terminal to the public while enhancing the commuter experience.
