One of New Jersey’s most prominent malls is beginning its transformation into a walkable town center with apartments, parks, and more, as construction has officially kicked off on phase one of Garden State Plaza’s redevelopment.
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and its co-developer, Mill Creek Residential, held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 29 to celebrate the mixed-use densification of Westfield Garden State Plaza. The initial portion, in the works for several years, will include a one-acre town square park and green space plus 575 luxury apartment homes.
“With shovels in the ground, we are beginning an exciting journey to create a new town center for Paramus at Westfield Garden State Plaza – a vibrant, one‑of‑a‑kind, sustainability-oriented mixed-use destination for the community to live, work, shop, and play,” said Stephen Fluhr, Senior Vice President of Development for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. “Since its origins as a retail pioneer in the 1950s, Westfield Garden State Plaza has continually evolved alongside the Paramus community. This next chapter builds on that legacy, blending the spirit of the center with a community‑driven vision for the future.”
The first 13-acre portion of the project aims to provide the area with a walkable town center, a notable departure from the mall-and-parking-lot landscape that has long defined the complex. The first phase will feature a main street-style outdoor district featuring restaurants, everyday conveniences, and essential services.
The project’s aim is to reduce reliance on automobiles in the area, promote sustainable practices, and minimize waste by incorporating renewable energy and natural materials, and by increasing access to public transportation, retail, and entertainment. In the first phase, the project will offer electric vehicle charging stations.
Several new streets will be created as part of the work, featuring nods to Garden State Plaza’s history. The include Marquee Lane – which pays tribute to the drive-in movie theater that once operated at the complex, and Bamberger’s Lane, named after a department store that was once the cornerstone of the mall’s success.
The park included in the first phase will be called Sprout Green, a tribute to the local waterway, Sprout Brook. The residential portion will be linked to the mall via the Plaza Passage, a new pedestrian corridor on the complex’s western-facing side.
The residential component will be under Mill Creek’s Modera brand and consist of two mixed-use, five-story mid-rise buildings containing a combined 575 residential units and approximately 50,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.
The financing for the multifamily project, Modera Garden State Plaza, was arranged by Cushman & Wakefield’s Equity, Debt & Structured Finance team, including John Alascio, Alex Hernandez, Alex Lapidus, Chuck Kohaut and Chris Meloni.
“Westfield Garden State Plaza has long been one of the most iconic destinations in the Northeast, and we’re incredibly proud to help shape its next chapter,” said Doug Arsham, Executive Managing Director of Development in the East for Mill Creek Residential. “We’re committed to delivering an all-encompassing living experience that becomes the heart of the Paramus community for generations to come.”
When fully completed, the redevelopment of Garden State Plaza will host seasonal events, concerts, and festivals as part of its public outdoor space program. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is additionally exploring a hotel, medical offices, and senior living for future phases of the project.
