Visitors to Secaucus’ Harmon Meadows outlets have been wondering about a large new parking garage located off of Enterprise Avenue North, near the Harmon Meadow outlets.
The four-level parking deck, which is not yet open, is being built by Secaucus-based developer Hartz Mountain Industries, and will be leased by a nationwide kids’ clothing retailer that is headquartered in Secaucus called The Children’s Place.
The garage will hold approximately 800 cars. The Children’s Place owns approximately 851 stores across the country, as well as 331 Disney Stores. For the last seven years, the company has been headquartered at 915 Secaucus Road. Children’s Place Vice President Steve Balasiano said last week that the garage should be completed in a couple of months, but will not be used until 2008, when The Children’s Place moves its corporate headquarters to a building adjacent to the garage. Developers said they do not expect the garage to affect traffic in the area once it is completed. 800 spots
According to Jeff Fucci, spokesperson for the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, the commission issued a zoning certificate of approval on July 31, 2006 to Hartz Mountain Industries for the construction of the garage, and to convert the adjacent warehouse into office and retail space for the Children’s Place corporate headquarters. Balasiano said that the company hopes to move into the new space during the second half of 2008. The children’s clothing retailer also has satellite offices in Lyndhurst and Rutherford. However, Balasiano said the new office space will eliminate the need for satellite locations, and also will allow for staff growth. “It’s very important for us as a company and culture to keep the whole team together in one space,” he said. Eight hundred people currently work in the Secaucus location. According to Balasiano, the new building will be a state-of-the-art facility with lots of open air and a walkway that will connect the parking deck to the offices. Hartz Mountain Industries Spokesman Ron Simoncini said that Hartz Mountain was enthusiastic to be participating in such a “creative” project. “Harmon Meadow was built 30 years ago,” said Simoncini. “As use has evolved, we have evolved the buildings.” Planners don’t foresee traffic problems
Simoncini said that he is not concerned about additional traffic to the area, which is located in the zone across from the Syms outlet on Emerson Lane. Fucci said that the Meadowlands Commission has planned for the garage to be accessible from Emerson Lane. He and Simoncini said that no additional roads will be opened to accommodate additional traffic. “While 800 spaces is by no means small, the capacity of local roadways [to handle the garage traffic] is easily sufficient,” Simoncini said. He mentioned that many sports complexes have parking decks with over 4,000 spots. Balasiano also said he was not concerned about traffic. “Traffic patterns here are primarily from distribution centers,” he explained. “They start before business hours and end after the corporate workday.” Hartz Mountain owns over 22 million square feet of space in the Harmon Meadow area, Simoncini said. Come 2008, The Children’s Place will occupy 245,000 of those millions. Comments on this piece can be sent to mfriedman@hudsonreporter.com.