The Hampshire Companies, a full-service, private real estate investment firm with equity in assets valued at over $2 billion, held a groundbreaking ceremony at CENTRA, New Jersey’s newest business park, located at 186 Wood Avenue South in Woodbridge, N.J. on February 23, 2010. Mayor John McCormac and Assemblyman Craig Coughlin were in attendance along with many Woodbridge, N.J. business leaders and executives from Hampshire.
"Woodbridge is a fantastic place to do business with MetroPark offering one of the strongest office markets in the state,” said Mayor McCormac. “There are very few places in the state that are building new projects and we are thankful to Hampshire for their vision of CENTRA and for the opportunity to be a part of such an exciting project.”
Assemblyman Coughlin welcomed Hampshire to Woodbridge and spoke about the economy adding that, "despite challenging economic times, Hampshire is in the midst of creating a highly successful business park that not only will meet LEED standards but also restores confidence in the community adding to the business friendly environment that Woodbridge offers."
The Hampshire Companies plan to redevelop the site through a phased strategy approach which includes taking the existing building of 98,500 square feet down to the steel, completely renovating it and expanding it approximately 8,000 square feet. The expansion of the existing building will create a Class A office building with floor to ceiling glass, sunken gardens, and a full amenity package. The site also provides capacity to build up to 640,000 square feet, which Hampshire will look to develop over time. Slated for completion in late 2010, CENTRA will be LEED certified.
“We believe that this project is much like an Oscar award winning production,” said Todd Anderson, a Principal of The Hampshire Companies. “We have aligned ourselves with the best talent available from a highly creative and renowned architect team that understands our vision for CENTRA, to an incredible construction team, and we couldn’t ask for a better location or support system than what the township of Woodbridge has provided us. We are grateful to Mayor McCormac and to the town of Woodbridge for its support of this project and we remain committed to providing tenants with premier, environmentally-friendly office space.”
Members of the Iselin Fire Department were also present at the event and presented Hampshire with a plaque of appreciation for allowing the fire department to hold training sessions in the vacant building in January before construction began.
Situated on more than 19 acres, CENTRA is ideally located within the heart of Metropark, offering close proximity to New Jersey Transit, The Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, I-287 and Routes 1 and 27 and Newark International Airport.
Hampshire has enlisted renowned architect Kohn Pederson Fox Associates PC (KPF) to re-design the building. Tishman Construction has been hired as the general contractor for the project. Robert Rudin, Edward Duenas, Jeremy Neuer, and Joseph Sarno of Cushman & Wakefield are the exclusive leasing agents for the property.
More information on CENTRA can be found online at www.centrametropark.com. Additional information on The Hampshire Companies can be found online at HampshireRE.com.
About The Hampshire Companies
The Hampshire Companies is a full-service, private real estate firm based in Morristown, New Jersey. The Hampshire Companies is a vibrant, dynamic organization that combines creative vision and superior execution, thereby enabling it to create and enhance value in real estate investments. Additional information on The Hampshire Companies is available online at HampshireRE.com.
Contact
Tiffany Miller
R&J Public Relations
908-722-5757
TMiller@randjpr.com