To the moan of bulldozers and the stench of oil, Bayonne Crossing Mall is taking shape, rising out of the once-contaminated property where some remember playing baseball decades ago. These days, however, few can remember a time when the property north of West 22nd Street and south New Hook Road served as a site for anything other than storage or weeds.
“I can’t remember a time when this property was properly utilized,” said Bayonne Business Administrator Steve Gallo, during a tour of the site with state Senate President Stephen Sweeney.
Construction of the mall located along the Eastern side of Route 440 is ahead of schedule, with a Sonic hamburger restaurant due to open in early November, and a Loews’ home improvement store slated to open before Thanksgiving.
“I can’t remember a time when this property was properly utilized.” – said Bayonne Business Administrator Steve Gallo.
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Sweeney said he was interested in the mall because of the jobs it will create.
Mayor Mark Smith said kids used to play ball on the site until officials realized that the site was contaminated, and the area was fenced off.
Project overcame several hurdles
The project has taken five years since its inception, and has overcome significant environmental and fiscal hurtles, including a contamination cleanup and a major downturn in the economy.
It represents one of only five or six retail construction loans closed in the nation in 2009 and the only mall – until recently – actually under construction in New Jersey.
He said without the loans from the state and the city’s UEZ, the mall would not have been possible.
The idea for the mall began in about 2003 to 2004. Alderman came to the project in 2005 with the hope that the mall would be completed within 18 months. Five years later, and many reams of bureaucratic paperwork later, the mall will open its doors at the end of this year when Loews Home Improvement Center is complete.
The 365,500 square foot mall, which is situated on the eastern side of Route 440 between East 22nd Street and New Hook Road in Bayonne, will feature a Wal-Mart Super Store, T.G.I. Fridays, N.Y. Sports Club, and other national stores.
While Loews is on schedule to open its doors this year, and so are a number of smaller stores, Wal-Mart and N.Y. Sports Club will likely open in spring 2011, Alderman said.
The cost of construction is estimated at $82 million and is expected to generate more than 1,000 (mostly union) construction jobs and about 875 full time jobs once the mall is fully built.
Oil company helped with the cleanup
Alderman credited ExxonMobil as being extremely cooperative for the environmental cleanup of the site.
The acreage was cobbled together through a number of land deals over the last three years, but faced some serious environmental cleanup hurdles, including removal of underground petroleum contaminants from the site, which once served as a storage area for the Standard Oil Company.
Bayonne Crossing will generate millions of dollars in personal income and tax revenue for Bayonne and the region.
He said 94 percent of the mall is already leased, but that the mall is being selective in choosing those to fill the remaining six percent, looking for high quality tenants.
There have been some changes, he noted. T.G.I. Fridays will replace Chili’s, and the Starbucks originally planned fell out when Starbucks cut back on new development. On the other hand, the mall will have a GNC and a Sonic restaurant.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.