For Sale, For Lease...More Comings & Goings

There's some activity occurring in Franklin Towne Center in Franklin Park, but details are rather sketchy.

Ocean State Job Lot, a closeout retailer, is listed as one of the tenants in the shopping center at the intersection of South Middlebush Road, according to the Sabre.Life website. So far, there are no signs noting which space the discount retailer would occupy. Calls to the retailer and the real estate broker weren't returned. 

An Indian restaurant will be going into the center, says one of the other tenants in the shopping center. On a related note, Persis Indian Grill opened on Friday, Sept. 22 in the Park Plaza strip mall.

Nuevo Amanecer Mexican restaurant, also located in Franklin Towne Center, had listed its business for sale about six months ago, but the owners plan to take it off the market in November, because it didn't get any serious offers. The restaurant opened four years ago, and the owners had received some interest from a couple of potential buyers. The business is listed on Century 21 Commercial website . 

Also of interest, one space, currently occupied by a chicken/ribs restaurant, is available for lease in Dabs Plaza, between Clover Place and Claremont Road, according to LoopNet, a real estate website. 

Here are some other sites for sale or lease. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and some listings may be out of date. 


For sale:
Franklin Park
3231, 3255 Route 27 (site of Montessori Academy and Just Wheels car rental) asking $1.5m, 3,500 sq. ft., 2.97 acres; taxes $16,607 on 3,500 sf, $10, 593 on 2.97 acres 

Lot- 16.46 acres - cluster residential zone (across from Dusals); Berkshire Hathaway

Kendall Park
3546 Route 27, office property - $799,000, 2,000 sq ft, vacant, taxes $11,960/year


For lease:
Franklin Park
Dabs Plaza - one space available 1,550 sf; rental rate $23.50/sf/yr, presently used as a chicken/ribs restaurant.

Kuker Building - two spaces available-660 sf, $1,050/month and 785 sf at $1,250/month

Franklin Park Plaza -- 2,000 sf of space available.

CVS strip mall -- two spaces currently vacant, formerly Caribbean Delight ad Clean-N-Brite dry cleaners.

Franklin Town Center - five spaces available ranging from 1,417 sf to 32,204 sf; rental rate negotiable.

Kendall Park:
Town Place Shopping Center (Glendale Liquor, Party Fair, CVS, etc.) two spaces available 5,000 and 11,205 sf, rental rate negotiable. Network Realty Group

3250 Route 27, Office space - 1,500 sf, $1.33/sf/month

3146 Route 27 Suite 103, three spaces available ranging from 719 sf to 2,029 sf, rental rate $2.21-$2.41/sf/month; currently used as a dance studio.

3124 Route 27, retail space 1,900 sf end cap. Formerly occupied by RadioShack. Brunelli.
   

                                        Road Work Alert

Bunker Hill Road from Canal Rd to Rt. 27, will be undergoing road resurfacing by Somerset County Department of Public Works starting Friday, Sept. 29. The overnight project is expected to continue for two to three weeks depending on the weather.The hours are 8:00 PM-6:00 AM Monday-Friday. The project will require a complete road closure, section by section.

"This Stretch of 27" covers business on Route 27 between Finnegan's Lane and Route 518. What's your story? Email me at lkiesche@gmail.com

Liz Kiesche
Liz, a business journalist, formerly worked for Bloomberg News in Princeton and New York.

Coming Soon to a Strip Mall Near You (Near Me, Actually)

A new sign went up in the Park Plaza strip mall over the weekend. Persis Biryani Indian Grill will open in the space once occupied by Spice Rack restaurant. The new restaurant will add to the chain that already has 19 locations in the U.S., and will be the fourth in New Jersey. Persis's existing New Jersey locations are in Hamilton, Piscataway and Jersey City.

The company's website says each location is independently owned and operated and adheres to the Persis's guidelines and food standards. Other locations are in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Florida and Nebraska.

Child Care...

A couple more sign changes occurred recently at Franklin Park Plaza (the shopping center that includes the IHOP). The Wonder Years Academy preschool and day care has changed to Greatstart Early Learning. (The Franklin Park Plaza sign still says Wonder Years, though). Greatstart has four sites in New Jersey and another in the Philippines, while Wonder Years only has two locations now. Greatstart offers programs for children from 6 weeks to 13 years old, according to its website.

The original building, built in 1909, was called Franklin Park School, but renamed the Phillips School in 1931 and was part of the Franklin Township public school system until 1976, according to Wikipedia. The township recreation department used the building until 1993, when it was closed due to structural problems. It was sold, renovated and re-opened as a private childcare and preschool facility in 1999.

.. And Kidney Care

A sign went up for DaVita Kidney Care Center in the strip mall behind the IHOP. The company operates 2,445 outpatient dialysis centers in the U.S. and  217 centers in other countries as of June 30, 2017. The company opened 27 centers in its fiscal second quarter and 24 in this year's first quarter.

Lots More Coming to Riya Plaza

Rita Dance Academy is moving from Finnegans Lane in North Brunswick to Route 27 (probably no more than 500 feet from its current location). The school teaches Kathak, a dance style prevalent in northern India, according to the academy's website. 

A brand known in India, Kwality Ice Cream, is also opening a store in Riya Plaza. Headquartered in Edison, the brand is available at 10 other locations in the U.S. The chain carries more than 57 gourmet ice creams and specializes in Cassta, Kulfi, eggless ice cream cakes and sugar-free ice creams.   

Five-minute pizza? Pie Five Pizza Co. is also opening up in the same strip mall. The  chain, based on the premise of preparing pizza in five minutes, stretches as far west as Nebraska and Texas and as far north as Minnesota. The company also plans to open a location on Route 18 in East Brunswick and another on Long Island.

Also coming to Riya Plaza is Les Delices Bakery and New Nail Time & Spa

.

Let me know what's going on in your business on Route 27 between Finnegan's Lane and Route 518. Email me at lkiesche@gmail.com

Liz Kiesche
Liz, a business journalist, formerly worked for Bloomberg News in Princeton and New York.