Sharbell Development Corp. finalizes deal to bring American Heart Association to Washington (Dec. 1)
By: Lauren Burgoon
WASHINGTON As commercial prospects for Town Center continue to pour in, Sharbell Development Corp. has finalized a deal to bring the American Heart Association to Washington.
The AHA is the second major business to settle in Town Center, after Roma Bank opened this fall. The association will occupy 21,000 square feet on the top floor of the West Lake Office Building, Sharbell Senior Vice President Tom Troy said. The building is half-completed and the AHA will outfit the space to meet its needs.
"I’m anticipating occupancy sometime in the second quarter of 2006," Mr. Troy said.
The AHA, whose national offices are headquartered in Dallas, already has three regional New Jersey offices, two in North Brunswick and one in Audubon. A spokesperson from the Central Jersey branch was unavailable to comment Tuesday on whether the Washington location will be a fourth branch or will play host to the relocated central offices.
"We’re really excited the heart association is coming to Town Center," Mayor Dave Fried said Tuesday. "It’s a good step for Washington to have a great tenant move in."
Discussions are ongoing for additional businesses to move to the same office complex, which totals 70,000 square feet.
"There’s been tremendous interest from the medical community," Mr. Troy said.
He would speak only in general terms until deals are finalized, but said a dentist, cardiologist, sleep disorder clinic and senior care provider are interested in relocating to Town Center.
Other Town Center retail space totaling 95,000 square feet is for restaurants and shops, and those businesses will help complete the township’s vision of a "walkable community."
Mayor Fried said businesses such as Roma Bank and the AHA on the office space side will help "validate the retail center" to prospective tenants. The first retail center is on target for a spring completion, while construction on the second center will start later in 2006.
The eventual businesses will finally start to equalize Town Center’s original concept to mix commercial and residential units. The residential side is already well entrenched with many houses occupied and more under construction. The lag on business growth concerned some residents, who complained that Washington was hurting financially from the lack of commercial ratables in Town Center.