Former department store to become Monclair commercial center

Real Estate Weekly, Sept 1, 1999

Center Montclair Associates, LP has announced plans for the conversion of the former Hahne's Department Store at 56 Church Street in Montclair, NJ into a "state-of-the-art" commercial center, with both office and retail uses.

The two-story property, built in 1950 as a regional department store for Hahne's, has been vacant since 1989, when the retail chain went out of business.

The redevelopment project involves the renovation of the existing building, as well as the construction of two additional floors, creating a total of 105,000 square feet of prime office space and 41,000 square feet of retail space. The existing facade will be replaced with an architecturally dynamic facade that will transform the building to new landmark style.

"This is a very exciting project," said Jim Wurm of Center Montclair Associates. "The closing of the Hahne's Department Store 10 years ago left a tremendous void in the center of Montclair. We believe our plans will acid to the already vibrant economic life in downtown Montclair and create a very enjoyable environment for those who visit, live and work in the community."

The street level of the property, which contains approximately 41,000 square feet of gross floor area, will house up to eight retail stores, each with signature storefronts. Individual storefront entrances will provide direct access to ground-level stores, and storefront windows will be incorporated for display merchandise. "Our design, which includes a plaza-type setting with street furniture and elaborate landscaping, is intended to create a sophisticated urban shopping and working experience different from the usual suburban mall or office park," explained Wurm. "The retail and entertainment market in the Montclair area is already thriving, with many local restaurants, shops and theaters attracting a multitude of patrons. We want to complement this very unique environment by incorporating attractive retailers that will enhance tile success of the shops already in Montclair Town Center."

The Boyle Group serves as the marketing and leasing agent for the retail portion of the Center at Montclair, and has received significant interest from several principal national retailers. "Our goal is to create a mix of upscale, national retailers that will appeal to the residents of the greater Montclair community," said Gregory Boyle, a principal of the firm. "The redevelopment of this property provides retailers with a terrific opportunity to partake in a dynamic, multi-cultural suburban market just 12 miles east of Manhattan."

Boyle pointed out that retailers recognize the very strong demographic profile of the three and five mile trade areas surrounding Montclair, which captures over half a million people. Boyle noted the retail sales potential of the trade area exceeds $2.5 billion.

The second level of the property, consisting of approximately 41,000 square feet, will be renovated and dedicated entirely to office use. A new third level will consist of 40,000 square feet of office space and a fourth level will add 25,000 square feet of office space. The office floors will have dedicated elevators from a new entry lobby at South Park Street. The Manhattan skyline will anchor the view to the east across the Meadowlands.

Insignia/ESG has been appointed the exclusive leasing agent for the office portion of the Center at Montclair. "This space will provide office users with Class A, state-of-the-art space in the heart of a thriving business community with easy access to Manhattan," said Jeff Babikian of Insignia/ESG. "Exceptionally large floorplates make this an excellent opportunity for single-tenant use." The building, which will be retrofitted with state-of-the-art building systems, offers 12-foot-high ceilings and window exposure on all four sides. "All of these features add to the property's appeal and will help us attract significant interest from quality office tenants. Interest is expected from businesses on both sides of the Hudson River," concluded Babikian.

Improvements to the existing building include sophisticated telephone switching for electronic communications and broad bandwidth cabling for advanced computer services. Other high-tech building operations will include dish transmission, fire safety controls, a building-wide security system, and energy management systems. Energy-efficient lighting and heating systems with individual controls will be incorporated, all with the intent of reducing the tenant's utilities expense. The public areas will include a newly renovated lobby, with signage and directories promoting building tenants as well as amenity services available to employees. Babikian compared the setting and the conveniences to Manhattan's Upper West Side.

York Hunter of Newark, NJ will serve as Construction Manager. Nadasky/Kopelson Architects of Morristown serves as the architect for the project.

The Center at Montclair has 130 dedicated on-site parking spaces and more than 700 off-street parking spaces within a two-block walk. A 500-car parking deck is in the planning stage for the Crescent Lot across the street from the site, which will serve as an added enticement for shoppers to patronize the downtown business district. The Montclair Economic Development Corporation is spearheading additional efforts for downtown development in Montclair Town Center through the addition of streetscape details and merchant programs.