Passaic warehouse has found a tenant, begins to ship goods
PASSAIC — Lowe's officially began operations at its new 111,111-square-foot logistical center on the former Pantasote property, an 8-acre site that was once the epitome of Passaic's urban blight.
Its Wednesday opening brings 85 new jobs, including hourly and management positions, to the city, said Kara Hauck, corporate communications manager for Lowe's.
Located near regional airports, Port Elizabeth and interstate highways 80 and 95, the warehouse enables Lowe's to provide faster and more predictable delivery to its customers in major portions of New Jersey, New York and eastern Pennsylvania, Hauck said.
Redevelopment
Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said Wednesday's ribbon cutting represents the final chapter in reclaiming the former Pantasote site, which was cleared in 2013.
"It has lain fallow for too long," Lora said.
For years the site was zoned for office space, but because of contamination, it was not getting much interest, which is why Lora pushed to have the site rezoned for warehouses.
The rezoning and the prospect of a 30-year tax abatement for the building attracted redeveloper IDIL Logistics, which broke ground in 2020 on the Jefferson Street property.
As the warehouses and other vacant properties closest to Manhattan along New Jersey's Gold Coast were torn down or repurposed for townhomes or apartments, real estate developers looked west, raising the value of the Jefferson Street site.
More: Nearly four decades later, the last of the Passaic Labor Day fire land will get new life
The pandemic heightened the need for space, and areas such as East Rutherford, Carlstadt and Passaic, home to many warehouses, became more expensive, IDIL officials said.
The warehouse will serve as a terminal for Lowe's last-mile delivery of bulky items including appliances, riding mowers, grills and patio furniture, Hauck said.
The facility began to ship out appliances and other highly deliverable items on Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Lowe's takes over Passaic warehouse on Pantasote site
