Mt. Olive, NJ — Fitness Factory Health Club will be bringing its personalized approach to training this summer to The Gardens shopping center (formerly ITC Crossing South) in this Morris County community. In anticipation of the opening, the company has commenced pre-sales of memberships to the club.
R.J. Brunelli & Co., leasing agent for the 373,612 s/f power center, signed the fast-growing regional health club to a 16,400 s/f space that occupies the remaining portion of the property’s former Bed, Bath & Beyond store. The 13,800 s/f balance of that space was occupied by the recently opened Boot Barn—the national western wear and casual apparel chain’s first location in northern New Jersey.
Fitness Factory and Boot Barn join a list of newcomers to the property that includes the recently opened Ross as well as Skechers. Home Goods opened at the site in Summer 2023. These will be followed in the fourth quarter of this year by a 2,500 s/f Panda Express and a 2,325 s/f Chipotle Mexican Grill in a newly developed pad site building. Chipotle will offer drive-thru service.
Located just off the intersection of Rtes. 46 and 80 in the Flanders section of Mt. Olive Twp., The Gardens features such other major retailers as Lowe’s, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Michael’s, PetSmart and Five Below. An adjoining Walmart, which owns its store site, serves as a shadow anchor.
“With these latest deals, we’re pleased to report that The Gardens is now 98%-leased,” said Danielle Brunelli, president and principal of Old Bridge, NJ-based R.J. Brunelli." In the past two years, we backfilled major vacancies arising from bankruptcy-driven closures of Babies ‘R Us and Bed, Bath & Beyond, as well as the departure of Old Navy. The execution of leases with these exciting new national and regional tenants points to the strength of this center, which underwent a major renovation under owner Black Lion Investment Group.”
The Gardens’ new Fitness Factory will be the second location in Morris County for the Edgewater-based chain, which currently has 17 company-owned and franchised health clubs in operation or under development in Northern and Central New Jersey, as well as Westchester County and Harlem in New York. The company also plans to expand into Pennsylvania.
Brunelli represented the property owner on all of the aforementioned leases, while Jerry Welkis of Welco Realty represented Home Goods, Amy Staats of Katz & Associates represented Ross, Mike Horne of Ripco represented Boot Barn, and Sean Pyle of Sabre represented Skechers. Meanwhile, Chipotle was represented by Glenn Beyer of Newmark and Panda Express was represented by David Dunkelman of Soloff Realty & Development.
“Choosing The Gardens was very simple since it checked off the strategic and class A real estate boxes on our list,” said Fitness Factory managing member Richard Scarpati. “This location gives us a catbird seat in the upper northwest quadrant of New Jersey, which is starving for a big-box, full-service premium facility, and we will be flanked by our huge sister location in Rockaway. We are anxious to become part of and service the Flanders community and other nearby towns.”
Among the other recent tenants, Home Goods occupies 26,000 s/f of the former Babies ‘R us space, with the remaining 11,745 s/f taken by Skechers. The 20,000 s/f Ross took over the vacant Old Navy space.
With immediate or nearby access to Rte. 80, Rte. 46 and Rte. 206, ITC Crossing South serves a population of 246,826 residents within a 10-mile radius.
Comments