Insignia/ESG

Real Estate Weekly, March 15, 2000

Insignia/ESG has been retained as exclusive leasing agent for the Center at Montclair in the metro-New York suburb of Montclair, NJ. David Sherman, Richard Charles and Charles Laginestra of Insignia/ESG's Saddle Brook office and Richard Bernstein and Hank Walker of Insignia's New York City operation will head up the leasing campaign.

The Center at Montclair is a multimillion-dollar renovation of the landmark Habne's department store at 56 Church Street, located a mere 12 miles from NYC and directly in the heart of Montclair's upscale shopping district. The building will bring 105,000 square feet of state-of-the-art office and telecom space to the market, representing a one-of-a-kind opportunity for any tenant looking to move their business into the 21st century.

"It's difficult to find a comparable place in Northern New Jersey that offers the locational advantages to Manhattan with the sensibilities of a very attractive suburban community," said James Wurm, development manager of York Hunter Inc., which serves as the program manager and construction manager for Center at Montclair. "We are creating a state-of-the-art office facility with 21st century horsepower. The wonderful combination of high-tech amenities and the flavor of Montclair's downtown atmosphere make the Center at Montclair attractive to telecom and other firms which today are seeking a vibrant urban landscape. We are going to be highly competitive with the cookie-cutter office properties in the marketplace."

The property's owner, Center Montclair Associates, L.P., along with York Hunter, is creating a unique Class A office experience, with every amenity that a high-tech, telecommunications company or cutting edge office firm could need. These amenities will include wide bandwidth cabling, redundant power and fiber feeds, cable TV, satellite dish transmission and generous 15-foot ceiling heights to allow for out-of-the-way placement of equipment, cabling, and other building systems. In addition to these business-enhancing amenities, Center at Montclair will provide tenants with card reader and video surveillance security systems, top-flight HVAC and lighting systems, on and off-site parking, as well as spectacular window wails with views of the Manhattan skyline.

Center at Montclair will be comprised of first-class retail stores and boutiques on the ground floor. Negotiations are underway for an in-house fitness center, and sophisticated turnkey operations are available for tenant build-out.