Gov. Phil Murphy was among those on hand Friday, March 8, to break ground on Hackensack Meridian Health’s new 244,524-square-foot corporate and medical office facility at NJ Transit’s Metropark station in Woodbridge. — Courtesy: Governor’s Office (via X)
By Joshua Burd
Construction is set to begin on nearly 250,000 square feet of new corporate and medical office space in Woodbridge, the future home of a Hackensack Meridian Health facility and the first piece of a distinctive mixed-use project at the Metropark train station.
Its developers — Russo Development, Onyx Equities and Dinallo Development — joined the health care network, Gov. Phil Murphy and other public officials on Friday to break ground on the project, which sits directly adjacent to the Northeast Corridor rail line. Plans call for a health and wellness center spanning more than 60,000 square feet and offering a host of primary and specialty care services, as well as Hackensack Meridian’s new headquarters, in a facility that was touted as a first of its kind for a suburban transit hub.
Slated to open around fall 2025, the building near Route 27 and Wood Avenue South will give way to a second phase with 235 apartments and retail space.
“This is truly going to be a unique environment,” Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Robert C. Garrett said, citing the presence of both a health facility and apartments at a station that serves 1.5 million passengers annually. That will make for “a tremendous access point, a tremendous health care facility for patients, for physicians and for all of our team members.
“With this kind of a project, it brings to us more care options for the communities that we serve, it creates seamless connections between providers and patients,” Garrett added. “It’s certainly very innovative and we certainly hope that we provide the latest and the most innovative care at a facility like this. And it also makes health care more affordable because, let’s face it, health care is more expensive when it’s provided within the four walls of a hospital, so we really need more of these health and wellness centers.”
The event came a day after the state Economic Development Authority approved a 10-year, $113.65 million tax credit award for the project, which will transform NJ Transit’s second-busiest station. That was a key focus for Murphy and NJ Transit when they announced in fall 2022 that the state had picked the DOR Woodbridge LLC team of Russo, Onyx and Dinallo to redevelop the 12.4-acre surface parking lot, following a solicitation.
“I think we’re all a little surprised we’re back this quickly announcing a very exciting groundbreaking, which would not be possible without Bob Garrett and HMH — an incredible organization that is really the anchor of this project,” Russo Development CEO Ed Russo said.
“We also know that the real vision and the drive behind redevelopment here didn’t come from the DOR team — Dinallo, Russo and Onyx Equities. We’re fortunate to be a small part of this project, but New Jersey Transit under Governor Murphy’s leadership and the town of Woodbridge started the gears in motion for redevelopment here years in advance of our involvement. And their forward-looking vision and the planning efforts that they took are really what laid the groundwork for HMH to be a part of this project going forward.”
Murphy, for his part, said he was “honored that the state can play a role here” by way of the Aspire tax credit and through its push to better utilize the Metropark site.
“This is a station that I’ve known well forever,” the second-term governor said. “And I’ve always thought of it, if you’ll forgive the phrase, as an uncut gem with an enormous amount of upside and opportunity that has felt for decades like it was just out of our reach. And that is changing and changing happily for the better.”
Murphy echoed Garrett’s belief that the health and wellness hub will be pioneering.
“I agree with him that it will set a model that you’re going to see replicated throughout the country, never mind throughout the state, where you’re going to have transit connected with health care in a way that will revolutionize access — and probably affordability — and change people’s lives for the better,” he said.
JLL’s Dan Loughlin, Ron Simoncini, Joe Messina, Jonathan Ortiz, Tom Stanton and Matt Loughlin brokered the lease for HMH’s new facility, which will consolidate three corporate offices from nearby buildings into 142,916 square feet of professional office space. Meantime, the medical space will include primary care, medical specialties, surgical specialties, a sports and spine center of excellence, advanced imaging, phlebotomy, rehabilitation services, a retail pharmacy, occupational health services and an urgent care.
The six-story, 235-unit residential building will break ground after completion of the HMH building, featuring 188 market-rate and 47 affordable units, plus nearly 12,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Tenants will have access to a pool, a modern fitness facility, a café and coffee station, a club room with a movie and media wall and other amenities, as well as 449 covered garage parking spaces.
“From the outset, the DOR team and the Hackensack Meridian Health team recognized the tremendous opportunity to create a new future for the Metropark station,” said Dan Loughlin, a vice chairman with JLL. “This might have been New Jersey’s most complex recent development, but it will also be the most rewarding.”
Officials also noted Friday that, with the residential growth in the immediate area surrounding Metropark and the surrounding communities, there will be a greater need for accessible health care that the HMH health and wellness center will be able to accommodate.
“The Aspire Program focuses on supporting Governor Murphy’s vision to expand transit-oriented development and revitalize communities across the state,” Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan said. “This Aspire award will support the ‘Metropark at Woodbridge’ development, which will include Hackensack Meridian Health’s world class health care facility that will lead to new jobs, spurred economic activity, and greater access to health care services for local residents.”
Woodbridge Mayor John E. McCormac added: “Hackensack Meridian Health is making a major investment in Woodbridge Township. In doing so, it is bringing hundreds of high0paying jobs to our economy while delivering a shot in the arm to the Metropark train station and improving our local traffic flow throughout the area.”
Terminal Construction, which is owned by the Dinallo family, is the project’s general contractor.
“Metropark offers Hackensack Meridian Health the amazing opportunity to expand access to quality care by meeting patients in a convenient location they pass through daily,” said Jose Lozano, executive vice president and chief growth officer for Hackensack Meridian Health. “It also allows HMH to offer an energetic, sustainable and accessible workspace for our team members in a great location, complete with mass transit, retail and health care, allowing HMH to continue to attract top talent from across the Northeast. We are thrilled to partner with JLL and DOR on this innovative project.”
NJ Transit CEO and President Kevin S. Corbett added: “In addition to providing unparalleled access to a wide spectrum of health services, this project is a perfect example of our broader TOD strategy in both generating additional non-farebox revenues as well as driving sustainable growth through enhanced public transportation access throughout New Jersey.”
EDA approves $114 million tax credit for major HMH health care hub, apartments at Metropark
