A rendering of The Hub @ New Brunswick Station — Courtesy: New Brunswick Development Corp.
By Joshua Burd
New Brunswick Development Corp. expects to begin site construction next month at a planned 1.7 million-square-foot redevelopment project in the heart of the Middlesex County seat.
Real estate services firm JLL, the exclusive marketing agent for the project, said Thursday that the proposed office, research, residential and retail campus is slated for completion in spring 2019. But brokers noted that prospective tenants have the opportunity to provide input ahead of vertical construction for what will be known as The Hub @ New Brunswick Station.
“Since we are in the early stages of development at The Hub, a prospective tenant can participate in the design and specifications of the buildings,” said Dan Loughlin, international director with JLL and New Jersey brokerage lead. “This is a unique branding opportunity for a company to make a statement and locate within a true live/work/play environment, clustered around an established community that includes businesses, medical institutions and higher education.”
Loughlin is heading the assignment with fellow JLL brokers Scott Lesh, managing director; Peter Ladas, senior vice president; and Scott Stange, vice president.
The Hub will rise at the longtime site of the Ferren Mall and parking deck, an aging concrete structure that had spanned nearly four acres in downtown New Brunswick. The site is across the street from a train station that services both NJ Transit and Amtrak, creating a long-awaited opportunity for new mixed-use development in the city.
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The property will encompass multiple buildings with a flexible design to meet any office or lab requirement, including technology, office or research use, JLL said Thursday. The development is slated to include high-rise residential buildings and a retail promenade at street level, as well as ample parking, technology connectivity and state-of-the art amenities.
“Decision-makers around the world are gravitating toward centers of excellence like The Hub,” said Christopher J. Paladino, president of New Brunswick Development Corp., or Devco. “The Hub will become the region’s most exciting 24/7 mixed-use neighborhood, right in the heart of downtown New Brunswick. It will be New Jersey’s center for innovation and collaboration — a space where patent-pending technology is a daily occurrence.”
The marketing team hopes the integration of new office and R&D space with modern apartments, high-end retail and attractive public spaces will “enhance quality of life and promote further economic progress for New Brunswick.”
The city is home to Rutgers University, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, RWJ Barnabas Health’s Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the global headquarters of Johnson & Johnson.
