boo 440. sorry to all the big box lovers, but the whole reason to live in city is to leave behind that ugly suburban feel. esp when its right along a rivers edge. what a wasted potential.

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When you take 440 all the way down, going towards the Bayonne Bridge, the strip mall on the left side.

South of Stop & Shop, same side before 22nd street traffic light.

where on rt 440 is this supposed to be?

Lowe's to be anchor for new Bayonne shopping center

Thursday, December 20, 2007
By RONALD LEIR
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Lowe's, the national home improvement store chain, will anchor the new $130 million Bayonne Crossings shopping center, expected to generate more than 800 jobs, said Michael O'Connor, executive director of the Bayonne Economic Development Corp.

O'Connor also said Circuit City and Chili's had signed leases to occupy space at the 360,000-square-foot mall, on the east side of Route 440, and that Longhorn Steak House and Starbucks have been given leases and are expected to sign.

The prime tenant will take up 145,000 square feet of retail space, O'Connor said.

Neither the shopping center developer, Cameron Bayonne LLC, nor Lowe's would confirm that the chain would be establishing a Bayonne presence, but the redeveloper agreement between the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority says that Lowe's "shall have the exclusive right during the term of its lease . to operate within the shopping center a building material supplies or home center or home improvement retail warehouse."

"There's a signed lease," said O'Connor.

Construction of the shopping center is expected to begin early next year and, according to the redeveloper agreement, should be completed by September 2010.

A plan by the BLRA to issue up to $30 million in bonds to finance utility infrastructure and some remediation of contaminated soil at the 25-acre site was up for approval by the state Local Finance Board last week, but the state board opted to carry it over for consideration to next month.

Cameron principal Eric Alderman said that, in the meantime, the developer is prepping the site for foundation work.

"The site is substantially clear except for two rows of trees, we've started to finalize a geo-technical investigation to help us with foundation design, and we're finalizing our master site contract for moving soil, retaining walls, cutting and filling to get the site to its final elevation, storm water detention and rough grading," he said. "We expect to close on our financing package sometime in January."

BEDC Chairman H. Mickey McCabe labeled the latest real estate news a "bittersweet accomplishment, because while it's a great shot in the arm for Bayonne, it also has the potential of hurting the mom and pop store in town."

Still, McCabe said, "it's very necessary for Bayonne employment and tax revenues and will legitimize Bayonne as a great place to live and shop at the larger, box stores."

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Which is exactly why malls and box stores are bad for local economies, not good. Customers stop going to downtown stores, whether they are national chains or mom & pop shops. I don't think national chains in a downtown storefront are necessarily bad, either. But what I do think is poor long term planning is taking retail away from an active downtown and isolating it in private mall. Bayonne won't be better off if the few stores left in town are emptied out and move to a new mall.

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Exactly right nikki. Plus I'd rather go to big box stores or malls where it's not congested, easy to park and get to. Traffic in the Holland Tunnel, Home Depot and Newport mall area is crazy.

Most of the retail that you see on Broadway are chain stores ex. Family Dollar, Payless, Blockbuster, Dots So I don't think that adding more chain stores on Route 440 would really have much of an impact.

I can picture Bayonne's Downtown being something closer to Woodbridge proper or Metuchen.

ian.. its a different story. more people moving into that area will open up their downtown for different types of development, more along what we're all needed/wanting on newark and grove, dont you think? keep the big boxes and the like out on a new development, and allow more "boutique" and restaurant development in downtowns.

Yes, I have been to downtown Bayonne and its not as desolate as it could be. Also with the addition of residences on the old navy terminal, improved mass transit, and an unwillingness elsewhere to accept population increases, the long term prospects for a revitalized downtown are very good right now. But another new mall will hurt those prospects for the next ten, twenty or thirty years. Further, depending on the target demographic, it could impact revitalization efforts in Jersey City as well.

here's some more info

http://www.globest.com/news/1053_1053/gsrnortheast/166677-1.html


and I'm with you Nikki.. Bayonne is really very underserved. Most of what they're listing as coming is already in the the JC area, and trust me, they wouldn't be committing if they felt it would cannibalize their existing stores. It shows there is a population and demographic base to support both existing and new.

I don't know Downtown Bayonne well but it seems like big boxes wont pose a huge threat to Mom and Pop's there.. they're already gone or in different businesses I figure. (meaning a Target isnt going to impact a restaurant or a deli).

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Have you ever been to downtown Bayonne? Pretty much once Newport Mall opened up most of the mom and pop shops on Broadway closed down. And in Southern JC there really aren't very many places to shop and certainly not many big box stores so I don't think that this will have a major impact on that area.

Actually, it would not be a boost to the area. It would probably take shoppers out of downtown Bayonne, and probably even out of Jersey City's neighborhoods. Malls don't improve communities, they take our customers from communities.

It would be great if they could build a nice mall there. It's easily accessible and would be a great boost for the neighborhood and the community. Hudson mall is gross!

I think so NPR but it may be another strip mall like the one where the Stop and Shop is.

I know you posted about this elsewhere and I was just able to locate the article that talked about their plans for adding retail to the old naval base site. If you read the 3rd paragraph it touches on this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/realestate/18njzo.html?fta=y

Im sorry but reading what the man wrote still was unclear to me. Thank YOU for breaking it down. Well at least we are getting something. lol

Approximately 30 Acres located on NJ 440, equidistant from Staten Island and Jersey City, Bayonne is a densely populated strong middle market in the heart of Metropolitan New York City. At this time Bayonne is not served by national retailers. It will be anchored by Lowe?s Home Improvement, New York Sports Club, and Circuit City.


from Cameron Group's website. Its a power center, not a mall. Small distinction, but an important one. This will essentially just duplicate what is already on 440.

Bayonne shopping center on BLRA agenda tomorrow
Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority will meet in special session tomorrow night to consider issuing up to $30 million in PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) revenue bonds to support the proposed Bayonne Crossing shopping center off Route 440.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall, 630 Avenue C.

BLRA officials have said that the $30 million is earmarked for utility infrastructure and some remediation required to deal with contaminated soil at the project site on the east side of the state highway off East 22nd Street.

The commissioners will also be asked to authorize an amendment to the previously approved agreement with Cameron Bayonne that allows an industrial business in the project site to relocate to a BLRA-owned parcel in the old Standard Tank Redevelopment Area nearby.

RONALD LEIR