MONTVALE, N.J.—Local dignitaries joined developer The S.Hekemian Group to celebrate the grand opening of Workplace North Market on May 12.
The ribbon-cutting marked completion of the 52,000-square-foot-flagship office building at what looks like an exciting mixed-use district development.
In addition to Workplace North Market, whose ground floor, available for retail or restaurants, remains unfinished, the former Mercedes-Benz USA North America headquarters campus contains two additional four-story buildings under construction.
Building One includes 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and 156 rental apartments while Building Three will include 10,000 square feet of retail and 152 rental apartments. Building Two comprises Workplace North Market.
Two other buildings initially planned, Building Four, The Cinema Building, featuring a luxury movie cinema, 40,000 square feet of retail and 50,800 square feet of office space; and Building Five, a 133-room boutique hotel, have not yet commenced construction.
All told, the developer said, the project aims to “bring the feel of a walkable city neighborhood to this suburban submarket. The North Market master plan combines office, retail, luxury apartment homes and a boutique hotel – creating a work/live/play neighborhood of eateries, experiences, shopping and lifestyle services that is unparalleled in the region.”
Mayor Michael Ghassali said he saw the developing site as the future “hub” of the region.
“When Mercedes announced they were moving to Georgia in 2015, we knew we had to act fast. This is now a functional live, work and shop space and going to be the hub of the region,” he said.
He added, “While it took a number of years to get to this point, countless meetings and phone calls, we are seeing the benefits already with more retail, and businesses and corporations attracted to Montvale because of this project.”
The mayor, clearly delighted to see this commercial development come into sharper focus, said “I take pride in what you see here, it’s what’s best for the community, for the tax base, for the job market, and for the convenience that this project brings to our residents.”
Ghassali, along with councilmembers Annmarie Russo-Vogelsgang and Dieter Koelling, presented a large quilt celebrating Montvale’s historic buildings to Peter S. Hekemian, senior managing director of The S.Hekemian Group.
Ghassali also thanked the law firm Beattie Padovano LLC, the first tenants of Workplace North Market, leasing 20,000 square feet of office space.
Planning Board Chairman John DePinto lauded the site as “the crown jewel” of Montvale. “I’m so proud to have a part in it. It exemplifies what Montvale feels and believes and is dedicated to.”
He said that it was “only through cooperation with developers was it possible to replace a departing corporate tenant with a new development.”
He also said big office tenants were “no longer the norm” and that local officials “have to be creative in our approach to planning and zoning.”
DePinto said the “vision of the borough” that the S. Hekemian Group got on board with was to include all who live and work in Montvale. He said the end result of that was Shoppes at DePiero Farm and Wegmans and now the North Market development.
Both North Market and Shoppes at DePiero Farm are S. Hekemian Group projects.
DePinto said the Shoppes at DePiero Farm and the North Market development, combined with Life Time Athletic and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, “simply exemplify forward-thinking in municipal government, out of the box.”
The grand opening followed COVID-19 safety guidelines, with attendance limited, masks required and social distancing encouraged. Light refreshments were served.
For more information, visit http://northmarketdistrict.com.