Case Study

Rockefeller Group Logistics Center Piscataway

Rockefeller Group Logistics Center, located in Piscataway, New Jersey, is a 2.1 MSF, five building master-planned industrial park with buildings ranging from 197,200 to 725,830 square feet, accommodating users with a wide variety of size and infrastructure requirements

Opportunity

Rockefeller Group Logistics Center opened in October 2019. It marked the culmination of four years of collaboration between Piscataway Township, Middlesex County and the companies involved with the project. The effort transformed a former brownfield site into a productive asset that should create more than 1,500 permanent jobs.

0

Million Square Feet

0

Permanent Jobs

0

Project Cost

0

major tenants

Project Highlights

Rockefeller Group bought the 228-acre parcel that would eventually become the Rockefeller Group Logistics Center in May 2017 for $57 million. The company partially redesigned the site plan and secured final entitlements. A lack of developable land worked in favor of the site, which is located within one of the most active distribution centers in the country. The parcel, which was partially remediated, represented one of the largest sales of development rights in the state’s history.

WELL Certification

One of the park’s five buildings will not only be LEED Platinum but will go a step beyond by seeking WELL certification. Once certification is complete, it will be only the second WELL-certified U.S. industrial building, and the first such building in the world to achieve both LEED Platinum and WELL certifications. That means that the facility is not only energy efficient and environmentally friendly; it is also healthy for the people who work there.

The building is occupied by third-party logistics firm Kuehne + Nagel who handles distribution for its client, a major luxury goods retailer. That company occupied industrial space in Cranbury, New Jersey, but was looking for a building of its own. Early on in its search for a new facility, Kuehne + Nagel and its client met with BranchPattern, a building consultancy dedicated to improving the built environment. BranchPattern introduced the WELL program to the team, which had already made LEED a requirement for any developer it solicited. The European-based retailer is dedicated to environmental protection and social governance, and it has integrated several formal programs and policies within its strategic planning. Embracing WELL could also help the retailer attract and retain employees during a time when unemployment is at historic lows.

Results

Rockefeller Group delivered the 2.1-million-square-foot Rockefeller Group Logistics Center in two years with all five buildings fully leased and sold to users or institutional investors.

Location