Big Box Report: Route 10 Retailers Looking for Fast Answers

The “Big Box” report presented to Town Council sheds more light on the retail vacancies in Livingston along the Route 10 corridor, including encouraging signs that major retailers are looking to expand into new locations. However, there is a perception that doing business in Livingston can be difficult.

The report is part of the efforts by town leaders to help property owners attract retailers for the . Seven properties on Livingston’s slice of Route 10 are empty and Pathmark, the anchor at The Village of Livingston is slated to close in April.

The Livingston 20/20 Vision Committee oversaw the work of the “Big Box” group, a subcommittee made up of real estate and business leaders, architects and marketing experts. Their research included meetings with landlords and owners -- Larry Traub, principal G&S Realty, and Dominick and Michael Alessio, owners of the Office Depot site -- who outlined the biggest challenges “perceived” in doing business in Livingston. This included:

• Signage limitations, especially when compared to competing towns on Route 10.
• Set Backs.
• Parking Requirements.
• Difficulty in getting variances and dealing with town agencies.
• Communications between the township and the landlords.

The group’s research found that “Big Box” retailing is not dead and there are still major “Big Box” retailers that are looking to expand into new locations, according to the report presented last week to the town council.

Other findings include:

• Livingston is not losing potential tenants to other Route 10 towns and  Livingston’s population density demographics are comparable to the other towns on the Route 10 corridor.
• The population density only becomes a problem when Route 10 is measured against other major retail corridors, including Route 22 or Route 17.
• The Livingston average household income is competitive and attractive to retailers.

The report identifies the following Big Box stores as vacant:

West Bound Route 10

• Linens n‘ Things,  Old Navy, Circuit City and Borders. Owners G&S Livingston Realty.
• Barnes and Noble. Fortunoff  Backyard Store has moved into the site, however there remains remaining space for rent.
• Warnock Car dealership. Two locations, one of which has a collapsed roof.
• Katharine Gibbs College.
• Pathmark. The anchor of the Village shopping center on Eisenhower Parkway is as part of the bankruptcy of its parent company, Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.

East Bound Route 10

• Office Depot and Bo Concepts, owned by Dominick and Michael Alessio.
• Kessler Rehabilitation.
• Dealership, which has since been purchased by the owner of Bottle King.

 The report also includes possible tenants for the empty retail space:

• Specialty supermarkets, such as Wegmans, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
• Indoor athletic facilities.
• Assisted-living facilities.
• “Pop Up” stores.
• Lifestyle shops (Outdoor Mall).
• Rezoning for mixed use.

The report concludes that Livingston should create a “fast answer process” that will allow the property owners to get immediate answers for potential tenant requests that require township approval.

Currently, Livingston employs a "trac" process. According to Alan Karpas, chairman of Vision 20/20, the “trac" process is a helpful tool in that it helps developers and landlords navigate the road to getting approvals from the planning and zoning boards for their projects. However, it is not a quick process and that's what is missing, the study finds.

"Potential tenants are looking for quick answers and assurance that the plans are doable, and under the present process that’s not always possible," Karpas said.