The Bayonne Bridge in Bayonne
By Joshua Burd
A new UPS distribution center is coming to Lincoln Equities Group’s sprawling new industrial park in Bayonne, where officials say the carrier would lease nearly 900,000 square feet.
According to the city, the developer this week sought a site plan amendment to allow it to build the facility just north of Port Terminal Boulevard. The 880,000-square-foot structure would house UPS as a tenant, local officials said, while bringing more than 1,000 jobs to a 153-acre stretch of the former Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne, or MOTBY.
City leaders hailed the project earlier this week ahead of what was slated to be a Feb. 9 planning board meeting.
“When I first became mayor in 2014, the development of MOTBY and bringing jobs back to Bayonne were my top priorities,” Mayor James Davis said in a prepared statement. “This project with UPS helps me accomplish both, and is not only good for Bayonne but for the entire region.”
Dubbed Lincoln Logistics Bayonne, the massive waterfront project is several years in the making. Lincoln Equities Group joined local officials in early 2018 to unveil its plans, which would repurpose a former U.S. Navy repair base, before razing the site’s existing structures and preparing it for new construction.
In a statement Wednesday, the developer did not reference a tenant by name, but said it was “thrilled to announce substantial progress” at the Lincoln Logistics Bayonne site.
“At nearly 153 acres, this is one of the largest industrial projects in New Jersey in the past year, and is strategically located just eight miles from the Holland Tunnel,” said Joel Bergstein, president of Lincoln Equities Group. “Operation at the site will bring new jobs to the city and will be an economic boon for the region.”
Prior to redevelopment, the site sat dormant for more than a decade, but will likely capitalize on its proximity to Newark Liberty International Airport, New York City and the Global Container Terminal to the north. The East Rutherford-based developer and its brokers have said they envision 1 million square feet of new industrial space at the property, which has direct water and wharf access with roll-on and roll-off capabilities.
“This is a welcomed addition to the revitalization of the former MOTBY site and great news for Bayonne’s families,” U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez said in the city’s announcement. “I applaud Mayor Davis and his council for their continued leadership in attracting new, good-paying jobs and economic opportunities to the city.”
Demolition marks another step forward for massive Bayonne logistics park (VIDEO)
