HARRISON, NJ-After an eight-year journey to find the right combination of project and developer, Heller Urban Renewal began demolition today on an industrial tract at 700 Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard here that will become home to Harrison Station, a transit-oriented development that will include rental apartments and retail.
With Harrison Mayor Raymond J. McDonough at the controls, a wrecking ball smashed through the first a of a number of industrial buildings that will be razed for what Heller calls a new neighborhood in the heart of its old hometown. Heller’s parent company, Heller Industrial Parks, was founded in Harrison and continues to own property there despite moving to Edison a number of years ago.
“Our history as a company began right here,” Jeffrey J. Milanaik, president of Heller Industrial Parks, told GlobeSt.com. “We’ve always been part of the fabric of this town.”
Designed by NK Architects in collaboration with Heller, the project will consist of six mid-rise residential towers that will include 600 one- and two-bedroom apartments, and 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
Heller was appointed the redeveloper of the 10.5-acre tract near the Harrison PATH station in 2003. The station is scheduled to undergo a $180 million renovation. But figuring out what to do with the former General Motors site was a bit more complicated.
“We tried adaptive reuse, but the buildings were functionally obsolete,” Milanaik said. “We came to the conclusion to tear it all down.”
Even so, the property will require $30 million for a year-long remediation of oils and lubricants, among other materials. “It’s a massive undertaking,” McDonough said at the demolition ceremony. “But they’re staying with the project.”
Harrison Station does not qualify for Urban Transit Hub Tax Credits, Milanaik said. Heller is self-funding the project. “This project means a lot to me,” said Heller founder Isaac Heller at the ceremony. “And we have the means to do it.”
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