A proposed $200 million health and wellness center next to the Metropark station in Woodbridge, N.J., promises to be one of the state's "most important development projects in New Jersey and beyond," according to Robert Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health.
Garrett was joined March 8 by Gov. Phil Murphy, representatives of NJ Transit, Russo Development and various political leaders for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Hackensack Meridian Health and Wellness Center, a 240,000-sq.-ft. building slated to open in 2025.
The project, which also includes another building to hold 230 residential units, will serve as a model for health systems around the country, Garrett said.
In his remarks, Murphy noted that construction of a health center at a transit hub is innovative and should be replicated in other areas of the state.
"Let's assume for a minute you are a mom or dad, and you live in Rahway," he said. "You have some kind of life-threatening disease, don't have a car, [but you're only] a 10-minute train ride from here. That's going to change people's lives."
While there are other healthcare facilities near transit hubs around the country, the development team behind the center said this is the first in which a "comprehensive health network" will be built at a major transit hub.
In addition to serving as Hackensack Meridian Health's new headquarters, the medical facility will include an urgent care center, an ambulatory emergency room and a retail pharmacy as well as a pathology lab and advanced MRI and CAT imaging services, MyCentralJersey.com noted March 11.
Garrett described the healthcare center as a one-stop shopping type of building with primary care and surgical specialties. He added that the new project also will enable Hackensack Meridian Health to consolidate its network support services in Edison, now housed in three buildings.
The Metropark station is a stop on the Amtrak and NJ Transit Northeast Corridor — the busiest rail route in the country — and also is served by at least seven NJ Transit bus routes. In all, approximately 1.5 million people come through the busy hub annually.
In addition, the station is equidistant between Philadelphia and New York City which, Hackensack Meridian executives told MyCentralJersey.com, will be a key selling point in recruiting hospital staffers from the two cities.
Besides Russo Development, based in Carlstadt, N.J., the team behind the new Hackensack Meridian Health and Wellness Center includes Dinallo Development LLC and Onyx Equities, the latter of which owns the building in Newark where NJ Transit has its headquarters.
The partners secured a $113 million ASPIRE grant for the project through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
Two Buildings to Make Up Woodbridge Complex
The new healthcare complex will be constructed in two phases. The first will include the facility's 200,000 sq. ft. of corporate and medical office space; the second phase will build 325,000 sq. ft. for residential use, 20 percent of which will be set aside for affordable housing, and another 12,000 sq. ft. of retail and dining space.
The total construction cost is expected to be around $124 million, according to MyCentralJersey.com.
The chief of staff to Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac, Caroline Ehrlich, represented the mayor at the groundbreaking. She told the online news site that McCormac began thinking about development on the site when he first came into office 18 years ago. Shortly afterward, he began working with NJ Transit to designate Metropark as an area in need of redevelopment, but the timing was not right.
The township approached NJ Transit again a few years ago, and the idea moved forward, according to Ehrlich. She added that the project, which could bring 1,000 jobs, will be a benefit to residents, commuters, and businesses.
The current plans show one six-story mixed-use building with four floors dedicated to residential space above 11,976 sq. ft. of ground-floor restaurant and retail space, along with approximately 453 parking spaces. The outdoor amenities include a swimming pool in the third-floor courtyard.
The seven-story medical office building, totaling 241,887 sq. ft., will feature 10,428 square feet of commercial retail space, and parking for 192 cars on three levels.
The project is seen as a significant innovation for NJ Transit, MyCentralJersey.com noted.
The Woodbridge development is the second ground lease agreement the agency has reached in recent years with developers interested in building on NJ Transit property. A similar agreement is due to be voted on by NJ Transit for a mixed-use residential-retail development in Hoboken, next to that city's terminal.
In leasing its land to developers, NJ Transit is attempting to reap new revenue to support the agency's operating budget, which is facing a more than $100 million deficit this coming fiscal year and a nearly $1 billion shortfall in 2025-26.
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