Page 7 - RE-NJ

EDITOR ’S
NOTE
BUSY TIMES
AHEAD
We’re always eager to highlight
those towns that have taken a
proactive, thoughtful approach to
local land use, especially those that
are lesser known. One such example
is Dunellen,
a borough in
northwest
Middlesex
County that is
by no means
remote but
perhaps
overlooked due
to its size and
proximity to larger municipalities
like Piscataway. As you’ll read
in this month’s cover story, the
1.1-square-mile community is
benefi ting from a fl urry of activity
in recent years, including the
completion of three projects with
a combined 450 housing units
and new retail space as part of a
coordinated plan to revitalize its
downtown. That effort is more than
two decades in the making, meaning
offi cials there are eager to continue
that momentum with the balanced
but collaborative strategy that
has attracted new investment and
outside recognition.
“Dunellen is open for business, and
we invite everyone to experience
the energy and excitement of
our revitalized downtown,”
Mayor Jason Cilento said in early
November, as he announced that
the borough had won the esteemed
“Great Downtown” designation
by the American Planning
Association’s New Jersey Chapter.
“This is just the beginning, and
we are excited to see what the
future holds as we strive to make
downtown Dunellen an even more
inclusive, sustainable and thriving
place for all.”
Our January issue also includes a
timely Q&A with developer David
Greek, the inaugural chair of the
new industry coalition known as
Circulate NJ. We spoke to the Greek
Real Estate Partners executive
in late November, soon after the
organization launched with what
figures to be an important mission
for our readers — promoting
the vast economic benefits of
™ 5
New Jersey’s logistics sector and
defusing the increasingly hostile,
often misleading rhetoric that
has derailed many warehouse
projects in the state. Importantly,
the alliance of some three
dozen members includes not
just prominent developers but
stakeholders ranging from dock
workers and truckers to the likes of
Amazon. That diversity is critical,
Greek said, giving the group added
credibility and multiple ways to
reach New Jersey residents and
consumers.
“I think one of the benefi ts of
having such a broad member base
within so many industries is that
our members are really our primary
communicators on this,” Greek
said, noting that tenants, trades
and developers “each have our
own touchpoints within different
communities that we believe will
help spread this message pretty far
and wide pretty quickly.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be January
without our annual Market Forecast
section. We’re thrilled to once
again have a top group of owners,
builders and service providers as
participants, who offered varying
levels of optimism about the
year ahead for an industry that is
balancing strong fundamentals with
some headwinds, including lingering
uncertainty about when lower
interest rates will truly impact real
estate. Thanks to our participants
for helping us kick off another year,
which should have no shortage of
important New Jersey commercial
real estate news. We’ll be there to
cover it all. Until then, thanks for
reading, enjoy the issue and best of
luck in 2025!
Joshua Burd
Editor
[email protected]
Cutting-edge strategic thinking and innovative execution are
the hallmarks of the CSG Law Real Estate Team.
We work shoulder-to-shoulder with our clients, calling upon our
extensive private and public sector experience to forge
creative solutions that achieve and exceed their real estate goals.
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