The Mills at Jersey Gardens

The Mills at Jersey Gardens, originally and also still colloquially called Jersey Gardens and later The Outlet Collection | 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 mall features Century 21, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, Bed Bath & Beyond, AMC Theatres, Burlington, VF, Marshalls, and Forever 21 as its anchor tenants.

The Mills at Jersey Gardens

Location	651 Kapkowski Road Elizabeth, NJ 07201 United States
Opening date	October 21, 1999 (October 21, 1999)
Developer	Glimcher Realty Trust
Owner	Simon Property Group
No. of stores and services	230
No. of anchor tenants	9
Total retail floor area	1,292,611 square feet (120,087.5 m^2)
No. of floors	2
Public transit access	NJ Transit bus: 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 ft²,[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 route 111 bus 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 will cover the $130 million cost of bonds for the overpass and ramps through property tax payments.[1]

The mall was featured in "A Loser Presents", the February 16, 2012 episode of the TruTV series Impractical Jokers. The Mall has since been featured on various subsequent episodes of that series.

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. ""Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2014-10-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)." 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.
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

External links

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