A rendering of a new 400,000-square-foot distribution center at 65 Baekeland Ave. in Middlesex Borough — Courtesy: Rockefeller Group
By Joshua Burd
Rockefeller Group has started construction on a new 400,000-square-foot distribution center, as it expands upon its recently built, 2.1 million-square-foot logistics campus in Piscataway.
The developer said the project, located at 65 Baekeland Ave. in Middlesex Borough, will bring additional supply to the growing Interstate 287 corridor after the success of what’s known as the Rockefeller Group Logistics Center. The newest site comprises 30 acres off River Road and is adjacent to the existing 228-acre industrial park, with completion slated for spring 2021.
“We are thrilled to identify additional industrial development opportunities west of I-95 along the I-287 corridor,” said Heath Abramsohn, vice president and regional director for Rockefeller Group. “Following the strong demand for all 2.1 million square feet we developed nearby, this property is the perfect complement to our previous project in a market that is highly valued for its proximity to one of the nation’s largest population centers.”
The firm, whose New Jersey team is based in Morristown, acquired the Middlesex parcel last year from a joint venture of Lincoln Equities Group and Real Capital Solutions. The deal came two years after Rockefeller purchased the neighboring Piscataway site, a former Union Carbide Corp. manufacturing complex, also from Lincoln Equities and Real Capital.
The developer now expects to draw interest from the logistics and e-commerce sectors, private users and general warehouse and distribution companies, as it did within two years of developing the five-building Piscataway campus. The complex today includes buildings that are leased to the likes of Best Buy, Kuehne + Nagel, Humanscale, and Fujitsu America, which Rockefeller has since sold to institutional investors.
The park is also home to SHI International Corp. and KISS Products, which both purchased their facilities directly from the developer.
“There is strong demand among users within the I-287 corridor where quality industrial space throughout the market is difficult to find,” Abramsohn said. “The location of the project and this size plus a strong labor market within the region makes the site particularly attractive to users.”
Rockefeller marks opening of five-building, 2.1 million sq. ft. logistics park in Piscataway