The Connell Co. Makes Way for Commissary in Berkeley Heights

Demolition work has started in Berkeley Heights at The Park that will clear the way for a new commissary on the 185-acre campus. The renovations to Building 300 will produce an enhanced lobby, elevated dining options and various dynamic communal spaces designed to enhance social and work experiences at the complex, The Connell Co. announced Feb. 21. With a hospitality-centric theme, The Park offers quality shopping, dining and work environments, with an eye toward helping employers draw workers back to collective spaces. “Today’s business decision-makers want to encourage their employees to return to the office,” Shane Connell, executive vice president at The Connell Co. said in a statement. “In fact, studies show that one of the primary reasons why many professionals choose to work from the office is to socialize with their coworkers. At The Park, we have intentionally designed every space to help our tenants rebuild social capital among their employees.” With a target to unveil the updates this fall, according to Connell, the work at Building 300 will serve to enhance this approach. Together, Building 300 and neighboring Building 400 comprises 550,000 square feet. Currently undergoing demolition, the former’s first-floor lobby and second-floor cafeteria (previously with barista service, sandwich and grill stations, salad bar and a hot/cold meal grab-and-go) served both structures’ constituencies. The updates will bring an elevated modern design – replacing the prior corporate aesthetic – from Mancini Duffy and David M. Sullivan Inc. A newly designed café will replace the former cafeteria. The fully public and accessible restaurant and bakery will include a test kitchen (with a design that allows for cooking classes, celebrity chef residences or pop-ups), espresso bar, cocktail lounge and game room, according to The Connell Co. The pivot for the space follows news over the summer that final site plans for The District were approved by the Berkeley Heights Planning Board. Buildings 300 and 400 are located along District Drive, the forthcoming pedestrian corridor that will run adjacent to The District at The Park. That project will add five new buildings, 328 residential units and 190,000 square feet of entertainment, dining and retail offerings—inclusive of a brewery, covered garden and duckpin bowling nightlife concept, according to The Connell Co. All of the renovated spaces will be available to book for corporate and team building events or social celebrations.

The $400 million repositioning at The Park has so far drawn tenants including L’Oreal, Fiserv, Bristol Myers Squibb, HP and Samsung. It also features an Embassy Suites hotel, Starbucks, Lifetime Fitness, walking and jogging trails, and Round Table Studios, a 400,000-square-foot social club and coworking space.