Avison Young Will Manage Construction for 'The MC', Boutique Hotel In Montclair, NJ

Rendering shows public plaza and atrium of The MC boutique hotel, slated for completion in 2018.

MONTCLAIR, NJ—Avison Young’s New Jersey-based Project Management Services group will serve as construction manager and general contractor for  The MC  hotel, the first-of-its-kind, new, boutique hotel in Montclair, NJ. A joint-venture partnership of  The Pinnacle Companies ,  The Hampshire Companies  and  Circle Squared Alternative Investments  recently commenced construction on the 120,000-square-foot, 151-room hotel, at Bloomfield Avenue and Orange Road . As previously reported by GlobeSt.com , the eight-story boutique hotel will be part of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection and is expected to be completed in early 2018. It will include a farm-to-table restaurant and a 12,000-sf conference and event space. Plans also call for a rooftop bar that offers panoramic views of Manhattan to the east and the Eagle Rock Reservation to the west. An outdoor public plaza connected to a three-story glass atrium will create a year-round gathering place. The Avison Young team of  Edward Walsh, P.E. , principal and managing director of project management services;  John Mercurio , vice-president of construction; and  Christopher Bezzone , project manager, is overseeing the assignment. “At Avison Young , we’ve strategically built a Project Management Services group that can adeptly meet the varying needs of owners and investors, and this assignment is a great example of our dexterity,” Walsh says. “ Pinnacle CM company, the construction management arm of The Pinnacle Companies , will also be working with Avison Young on government relations and as the owner’s representative for furniture, fixtures and equipment. We’re thrilled to play a role in bringing to life a project that will surely become an iconic part of the landscape of Montclair.” The MC hotel is the second phase of the Montclair Center Gateway Redevelopment Plan , which was enacted in 2011 to encourage a sustainable mixed-use development at the western edge of Montclair’s downtown. The redevelopment plan also includes the Valley & Bloom mixed-use residential project developed by Montclair-based Pinnacle and LCOR . The MC hotel development team will work with the community to develop cultural activities for the rooftop bar area, such as morning yoga, programs w ith Jazz House Kids and the Montclair Film Festival . It will feature art exhibitions in the two-story art atrium, and its owners expect the hotel to collaborate on events with nearby Montclair State University . “We’re proud to work on a project that will put Montclair on the map as one of New Jersey’s truly premier destinations for visitors,” Mercurio says. “It’s also gratifying to oversee the construction of a building that is complementary to the existing fabric of Montclair. The MC is the type of compelling project that excites our team and allows us to excel.”