The Mills at Jersey Gardens

The Mills at Jersey Gardens, originally and also still colloquially called Jersey Gardens, is a two-level indoor outlet mall in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The mall opened on October 21, 1999, and is the largest outlet mall in New Jersey, and much closer to New York City than its largest outlet mall competitor, Woodbury Common.^[1]

The Mills at Jersey Gardens

Location	651 Kapkowski Road Elizabeth, NJ 07201 United States
Opening date	October 21, 1999; 25 years ago (October 21, 1999)
Developer	Glimcher Realty Trust
Owner	Simon Property Group
No. of stores and services	230
Total retail floor area	1,292,611 square feet (120,087.5 m2)
No. of floors	2
Public transit access	NJ Transit bus: 24, 40, 111, 115
Website	http://www.jerseygardens.com

The mall was developed by Glimcher Realty Trust and owned and managed by Glimcher until January 2015, when it was sold to Simon Property Group as part of an acquisition of Glimcher by Simon's spinoff Washington Prime Group.^[2] Simon owns and manages much of Jersey Gardens' outlet mall competition in the area, including Woodbury Common, and has integrated Jersey Gardens into its "Mills" outlet mall portfolio by renaming it "The Mills at Jersey Gardens".^[3]

History

The mall was built on a former landfill, which required remediation prior to the mall development.^[4] Plans for the 1,300,000-square-foot (120,000 m²) mall were announced in 1998 by Glimcher Realty Trust, emphasizing the sites proximity to the New Jersey Turnpike and its location in an Urban Enterprise Zone, making purchases eligible for a reduced 3½% (now 3.3125% as of January 1, 2018) sales tax rate, a potent lure for New York City residents paying a sales tax rate over 8%.^[5] However, the sales tax on certain items, such as food and drink, have an additional 3% Elizabeth City Franchise Fee.

The mall is located near the Elizabeth Center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, off the New Jersey Turnpike at Interchange 13A near Newark Liberty International Airport and is 30 minutes from Midtown Manhattan. The outlet mall has a gross leasable area of 1,292,611 square feet (120,087.5 m²),^[6] placing it in the top ten among the largest shopping malls in New Jersey. The mall contains 230 stores and restaurants. Bus service is available on the NJ Transit 111 bus route that runs between Jersey Gardens and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.

A direct exit to the facility was constructed, allowing drivers direct access to the mall from the New Jersey Turnpike without driving through local Elizabeth streets. The developer covered the $130 million cost of bonds for the overpass and ramps through property tax payments.^[1]

Century 21's Mills at Jersey Gardens location closed by October 5, 2020,^[7] after the department store had filed for bankruptcy.^[8]

Round 1 Bowling & Arcade is opening at the site of the former Bed Bath & Beyond in 2025.^[9]

References

1. Holusha, John (1999-08-29). "Commercial Property/Jersey Gardens; Outlet Mall Near Newark Airport Prepares to Open". The New York Times. p. RE9. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
2. ""Washington Prime Group, Inc. - Washington Prime Group Inc. To Acquire Glimcher Realty Trust for $4.3 Billion in Stock and Cash Including the Assumption of Debt". Archived from the original on 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2014-10-17.." September 18, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
3. Reserved., Simon Property Group, L.P. and/or Its Affiliates (NYSE: SPG), © Copyright 1999-2016. All Rights. "Do Business at The Mills at Jersey Gardens, a Simon Property". Retrieved 28 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. Antionette Martin (March 30, 2008). "Why Dumps Are Gaining in Allure". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
5. "Mall Planned for New Jersey, With a Lure for New Yorkers", The New York Times, June 16, 1998, pg. B12
6. International Council of Shopping Centers: Jersey Gardens, accessed November 6, 2006
7. Accardi, Nicolette (December 21, 2020). "Retail store closings 2020: The list of chains that closed stores in N.J. and nationwide this year". NJ.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
8. Thomas, Lauren (September 10, 2020). "Discount retailer Century 21 files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is closing all of its 13 stores". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
9. "Round1 Bowling and Arcade, Find Round1 near you, Location, Price, Arcade near you, Bowling near you". Round1 USA. Retrieved 2024-11-20.

External links

• Jersey Gardens
• International Council of Shopping Centers: Jersey Gardens

40.6595°N 74.1717°W / 40.6595; -74.1717