■ Real Estate
Continued From Page 22 ground improvements , importing in fill , resolving issues with pilings , easements and pipelines .
Three years ago , construction began and today 75 percent of the Linden Logistics Center is complete and three of the eight buildings are fully leased . The tenants include Peloton and World Diffusion Services .
Schlindwein ’ s firm also recently completed more than 2 million-square-feet of warehouse development at the Logan North Industrial Park in Logan . It is a 415-acre park and three-quarters of it has been finished and fully leased . The firm reported that Phase 3 construction will be completed next year , adding 749,200 square feet to the project . The current tenants include : Target , SEKO Logistics , Lineage Logistics and Lasership .
As developers continue to acquire land and increase their pipeline of business , however , there are indications the state is eying regulations that could tap the brakes on the run-away market . Attorney John-Basta said the state recently issued guidelines urging municipalities to examine their land use ordinances and zoning laws to make certain they are updated , especially concerning their definition of warehouses . Traditionally , a warehouse was a building that held goods for an extended period . The definition has expanded , however , to include fulfillment centers and last-mile distribution facilities which have different impacts on a community .
Machemer said it would benefit towns to have comprehensive zoning plans . For instance , he pointed to Cranbury as an example of a town which had a very thoughtful approach . The turnpike divides the town and in its master plan Cranbury carefully delineated its industrial zone on one side and preserved the quaint downtown with its residential neighborhoods on the other .
Towns should be forward-thinking . “ It ’ s incumbent on them to recognize what ’ s being planned and get ahead of it ,” the Crow executive said .
488 Trailer Lots in the Linden Logistics Center
Municipalities depend on ratables for their tax dollars . In Machemer ’ s estimation “ towns are in the real estate business ” and should be maximizing the revenues or tax dollars from development . Developments also create jobs in the construction phase and permanent positions when the spaces are leased , he emphasized .
It ’ s often the developer that must educate town on the benefits of an industrial complex or distribution center because many officials have never even been inside a warehouse , he said . A savvy development firm appreciates the needs to school a town on projects ’ benefits and opportunities . When multi-family residential construction was booming , many towns believed “ kids was a four-letter word ,” Machemer said . Developers were pressed to show that multi-family complexes would not flood the community with children and strain the school systems .
The proliferation of warehouse development is requiring the same sort of community outreach to quell residents ’ concerns . In some areas , Machemer said , its neighboring towns that have the harshest criticism . If neighbors can impact a town ’ s decision “ it ’ s going to get ugly ,” he said .
State regulations can be another hurdle for developers . Schlindwein is concerned about the new changes in storm water regulations that “ blind-sighted ” developers . He said the changes are implemented as “ emergency ” provisions without the usual process and public comment . During the height of the pandemic , he said there was emergency rule making to protect the public ’ s health and safety . He does not understand why the traditional process is being circumvented now .
Despite challenges that can be imposed by state regulations , John-Basta noted a state incentive program is responsible for development of a film studio in Newark ’ s South Ward . Her firm is working on converting the old abandoned Seth Boyden housing complex into the Lionsgate Film Studios .
The 11-acre tract was the first federally-subsidized housing project in Newark . It dates back more than 80 years and provided 530 apartments spread over 12 buildings . The complex is owned by the Newark Housing Authority but it has been abandoned since 2015 . The proposal calls for building six film studios on the site which would create 300 jobs .
Linden Logistics Center during construction 600 Linden Way
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