Jones Lang LaSalle


Developer, neighbors agree in Montgomery
Thursday, May 25, 2006
By LISA CORYELL
Staff Writer

MONTGOMERY -- After years of planning, designing and soliciting feedback from the public, developers of the Montgomery Promenade town center announced they will break ground on the project this year.

Madison Marquette, which manages MarketFair in West Windsor and other retail centers nationwide, has submitted a township planning application to build a 325,000-square-foot shopping center along Route 206.

The idea has been in the works for years as residents, township officials and developers hashed out the best use for the 50-acre farm field near the corner of Routes 518 and 206.

"This is a project that a lot of people have spent time looking at," said Mayor Louise Wilson. "Various conceptual plans have been cycled and recycled. I think the plan Madison Marquette has now really captures what so many people in Montgomery are interested in seeing in our community."

The plan, which includes retail and residential components, calls for a supermarket, a super bookstore, dozens of upscale retail stores and four or five high-end restaurants nestled in a pedestrian-friendly commercial center dotted with small parks and bike trails. Sixteen age-restricted duplex units are slated to be built to the rear of existing residential properties on Route 518.

For the past year, residents living along Route 518 have been working with Madison Marquette to hammer out details of the commercial center that will occupy the farmland that served as their back-yard vista for decades.

"Of course I'd like to see it stay the way it is," said resident Nancy Tetz. "It's a beautiful property with beautiful sunsets. But, knowing that that can't be, I think we're comfortable with the way it was developed. We met with the developers along the way and they've worked with us."

J. Kerney Kuser, an attorney who lives on Route 518, said residents had a hand in designing the plan.

"We had a lot of input," he said. "We got things rearranged. We had a say in the height of fences, types of lighting, things like that."

All things considered, Kuser said, the neighbors are happy with the outcome.

"They're putting some big bucks in the ground behind our homes," he said. "It's a shame we're losing our cornfields and our beautiful views. But you have to go with the flow and do the best that you can. I think we got a fair shake. I think when (Madison Marquette) does their thing, it will be something that the town will be happy with."

That's what the Washington, D.C.-based company is counting on. With more than 25 million square feet of retail space under its control nationwide, Madison Marquette prides itself on knowing a prime retail market when it sees one.

"When you look at the disposal income, the density of population, Montgomery is a tremendous market," said John Lanham, senior vice president of development for Madison Marquette. "We're very happy to be able to come into a market like this."

Plans for the Montgomery Promenade will be upscale all the way, Lanham said, throwing out names like L.L. Bean, American Eagle, Kenneth Cole, Barnes & Noble and Coach as examples of the high-end retailers the company attracts.

"The only lease we have signed at this point is the Stop & Shop (supermarket)," he said, referring to the largest food retailer in New England. "But I anticipate really beautiful restaurants and upscale stores. There's been a huge interest in this project."

Lanham said the company expects to break ground by the end of the year and open its retail center by the spring of 2008.

The company has just embarked on the planning process by submitting a site plan for preliminary reviews.
© 2006 The Times of Trenton
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