From left: Hackensack Director of Economic Development and Redevelopment Albert Dib, The Hampshire Cos. Chairman Jon F. Hanson and CEO and President James E. Hanson II and Hackensack Mayor John Labrosse and Deputy Mayor Kathleen Canestrino were among those on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Ora at 321 Main St. — Photos by Aaron Houston/Courtesy: The Hampshire Cos.
By Joshua Burd
The Hampshire Cos. has opened the doors to a new 271-unit luxury apartment building in Hackensack, marking the latest addition to its fast-growing rental portfolio in the city.
Known as Ora, the project at 321 Main St. has redeveloped what was a series of surface parking lots and aging commercial buildings within the rehabilitation area that has been a focal point for local officials since 2012. That was a key theme for both the developer and city leaders on Thursday as they gathered at the seven-story building for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting.
“It’s a labor of love, always, to try to bring something to fruition,” said James E. Hanson II, Hampshire’s CEO and president, citing his family’s deep ties to Hackensack going back more than a century. “And this is just another example of what we’ve done.”
Designed by MVMK, Ora is a collection of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with amenities such as a seventh-floor club room, a fitness center, a dog walking area and several terraces, along with structured parking and street-level retail space near the Berry Street intersection. It also follows other major developments in the city by Morristown-based Hampshire, including a new 82-unit building at 389 Main St. and the sprawling, recently completed project known as Print House that has brought nearly 700 rentals to the former Bergen Record headquarters site on River Street.
SLIDESHOW: Ora in Hackensack
Hampshire has tapped Russo Development, its partner in the Print House development, to lease and manage Ora. The latter was among several firms that Hanson credited on Thursday as part of a project team that also included lenders Fulton Bank and Valley Bank, engineers with JT Engineering, KEA Engineers and L2A Land Design LLC and general contractor Sharp Management LLC.
Hackensack officials, meantime, touted the success of the now-12-year-old Downtown Rehabilitation Zone that aims to revitalize the onetime commercial center of Bergen County, which fell into decline with the opening of malls along the region’s highways. The recent planning has spurred the delivery of or proposals for thousands of new residential units, thousands of square feet of new retail space and a range of new community-oriented public spaces with the 163-acre district.
“It’s not every day you can say you changed the skyline of the city, but thanks to partnerships like we have here, we’ve been able to do that,” Mayor John Labrosse said. “Hackensack doesn’t look anything like it did 10 years ago, so we’re very proud of that.”
Hampshire snags $62 million construction loan for 270-unit Hackensack rental project
