Park11 on Franklin Avenue in Belleville — Courtesy: Tulfra Real Estate
By Joshua Burd
A self-storage facility and a convenience store are breathing new life into a 20-acre site in Belleville, marking the first pieces of a plan to redevelop a former Roche Diagnostics property.
The developers of the property, Tulfra Real Estate and The Hampshire Cos., announced Tuesday that construction is complete on a 110,000-square-foot, 807-unit Extra Space Storage facility at 11 Franklin Ave. The operator has signed a 75-year ground lease agreement for the planned mixed-use campus known as Park11.
Meantime, Wawa is slated to open this month after signing a 25-year ground lease for two acres on the property in late 2018.
“Since Tulfra and The Hampshire Companies acquired this property in 2015, we have been hard at work transforming this once-empty property into a new hub for Belleville and surrounding towns,” said Sonny Jumani, CEO and president of Tulfra Real Estate.
Adjacent to the Clara Maass Medical Center and across the street from Belleville Park, Park11 is the former site of Roche Diagnostics, offering easy access to the Garden State Parkway, the New Jersey Turnpike and routes 21, 3 and 17. Tulfra said the completed work at the redevelopment site includes the construction of a retaining wall on the eastern side of the property, paving and striping access roadways throughout the development, the installation of a traffic light on Franklin Avenue at the main entrance and landscaping throughout.
The developers are marketing additional pad sites to quick service restaurants, pharmacy tenants and medical office users.
“At Tulfra, our mission is to transform vacant properties into thriving live, work, play communities offering real value to municipalities and residents, alike” Jumani said. “This mixed-use development brings jobs and resources to residents, and we are proud to see our vision turn into a success story for the township of Belleville.”
Tulfra, Hampshire tout start of construction at mixed-use project in Belleville
