Major Quaker Bridge Mall expansion advances

Making way for Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom

By: Lea Kahn
   LAWRENCE — The Lawrence Township Council has taken the next step toward allowing for a major expansion of the Quaker Bridge Mall by giving final approval to an amendment to the township’s Land Use Ordinance.
   The amendment, approved Tuesday, increases the floor area ratio in the Regional Commercial (RC) zone and also calls for developers to submit a "sustainable design assessment" in conjunction with a site plan application. The mall is located in the RC zone.
   Meanwhile, attorney Jonathan Epstein said his client — Indiana-based Simon Property Group, which owns the mall — expects to submit a site plan application "some time after Labor Day." An application must be approved by the township Planning Board before work can begin.
   The Simon Property Group announced in May 2006 that Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom — two national upscale retailers — planned to join the lineup at the Quaker Bridge Mall.
   Neiman Marcus would occupy about 90,000 square feet and Nordstrom would have about 144,000 square feet.
   A new wing would be built on the eastern side of the mall. Among proposed changes in the mall, the J.C. Penney department store would be relocated elsewhere in the mall and overall renovations to the mall would be made.
   The LUO amendment follows on the heels of the Planning Board’s approval of a change to the 1995 Master Plan that allowed for the expansion of the Quaker Bridge Mall. The Planning Board approved the Master Plan amendment in October 2006.
   Under Tuesday’s amendment to the LUO, the Quaker Bridge Mall would be permitted to expand from its present 1.3 million square feet by up to 875,000 square feet. The Simon Property Group has indicated it would like to expand the mall by up to 650,000 square feet. The present zoning would allow an expansion of up to 435,000 square feet.
   Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun told Township Council that the LUO amendment calls for the applicant to include provisions for the state Department of Transportation and NJ Transit’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system if the mall is being expanded.
   The LUO amendment requires the applicant to provide for a BRT travel lane on the mall property, and to include a bus shelter along the BRT route and a covered walkway from that shelter to the mall entrance. The BRT is intended to serve the Route 1 corridor in Mercer and Middlesex counties.
   The municipal manager noted that the LUO amendment requires the applicant to prepare a "sustainable design assessment," which outlines how the proposed development would use sustainable building design, materials and systems.
   "This is a move in the right direction for us as a community that tries to be sustainable," Mr. Krawczun said.
   Sustainable site development includes finding ways to reduce the amount of soil erosion during construction, as well as orienting the building to take advantage of passive heating and cooling, according to the LUO amendment.
   Captured rainwater would be used for landscaping, and low-flow plumbing fixtures would be required. The applicant would be required to incorporate passive solar heating and cooling and natural ventilation into the building’s design. The use of salvaged or refurbished building materials would be encouraged.