New Jersey’s fast-growing film and television industry has created a boom in studio construction and a new market for commercial spaces that can serve as set locations, as state officials take new steps to help more municipalities reap the benefits.
Current Issue
Go inside the latest monthly issue of Real Estate NJ, the only New Jersey-based magazine dedicated to commercial real estate in the Garden State.
Earth Day 2023: Leave it better than you found it (and how CRE is a driving force)
One of the things I learned when I was a Boy Scout was to always leave your campsite better than you found it. Clean up any trash and don’t disturb the area more than necessary for pitching your tent and building a fire for cooking and staying warm. It might also mean leaving some chopped firewood for the next camper. That concept has remained with me, and I’m reminded of it whenever I’m encouraged to “reduce, reuse and recycle.” What a great lesson and advice for all of us to help celebrate this year’s Earth Day on April 22.
Finding a spark
We all know that developing in New Jersey is not for the faint of heart. Just ask any of the countless builders who have endured delays or scrapped projects altogether in the face of pushback by residents and a litany of regulatory hurdles.
The flip side? A supportive local government can go a long way in sparking new investment, as we’ve seen in what appears to be a growing list of municipalities in our state. That group includes the city of Orange in eastern Essex County, where at least 1,000 luxury apartments have been planned near two train stations with Midtown Direct service. As you’ll read in this month’s cover story, the projects have the potential to breathe new life into the town of 30,000 residents in 2.2 square miles, following decades of struggles despite its prime location on Interstate 280 and just west of Newark.
