A rendering of Lincoln Equities Group’s planned 360,000-square-foot distribution center in Rutherford known as Highland Cross — Courtesy: Ford & Associates
By Joshua Burd
Lincoln Equities Group has attracted Amazon to a planned industrial complex in the Meadowlands, inking a 360,000-square-foot lease with the e-commerce giant.
Slated for completion early next year, the project will sit at the crossroads of routes 3 and 17 in Rutherford, just west of the Meadowlands Sports Complex and minutes from the New Jersey Turnpike. The developer announced the deal Thursday, noting that it recently secured $115 million in construction financing and approvals for what will be known as Highland Cross.
“We’re thrilled that Amazon has selected our Rutherford facility for its latest delivery center,” LEG President Joel Bergstein said. “We have been working with Rutherford for 20 years and are excited to see this project come to fruition and create a ratable for the borough. It was this administration that supported the vision for industrial.”
The firm, which is based in East Rutherford, said Highland Cross will be among fewer than 20 existing properties in the Meadowlands offering clear ceiling heights of more than 36 feet. The property will feature cross-docked loading, more than 70 dock-high doors and more than 80 trailer stalls.
It will also be among the latest in a growing list of Amazon fulfillment and so-called last-mile delivery centers in the state, creating hundreds of jobs.
“We are excited to continue to invest in New Jersey with a new delivery station in Rutherford that will provide efficient delivery for customers and create hundreds of great job opportunities for the talented local workforce,” said Jenna Hilzenrath, an Amazon spokeswoman. “This new delivery station represents Amazon’s unwavering commitment to safety, technological innovations and skilled teams who are obsessed with delivering for our customers.”
The announcement comes more than 20 years after the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the borough of Rutherford tapped LEG as the redeveloper of the 30-acre former brownfield site, according to a news release. Working with the state Department of Environmental Protection, the firm developed and implemented a remediation plan and completed a wetlands mitigation program to help pave the way for its redevelopment.
“Highland Cross is optimally positioned to capitalize on the sustained growth in demand for ‘last-mile’ industrial product proximate to consumers, labor and infrastructure,” said Lance Bergstein, LEG’s acquisitions and development officer, who also pointed to the firm’s recent momentum at a sprawling redevelopment site in Bayonne.
“The lease is a continuation of the success LEG has felt in the industrial space of late, including our Bayonne site — which will be occupied by UPS.”
LEG announced earlier this year that UPS will lease 880,000 square feet at its Lincoln Logistics Bayonne facility. The waterfront hub and distribution center is being built just north of Port Terminal Boulevard, on the site of the former Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne.
Ford & Associates designed LEG’s Highland Cross project, which will be built by RC Andersen LLC.
