Windsor Plaza (better known as the former Acme site) will witness a full-scale renovation and an influx of new tenants over the next six to eight months, according to the Somerset-based Cyzner Properties, which owns and leases the complex’s retail units.
Speaking informally at Windsor Plaza on Monday, October 3, Irv Cyzner, president of Cyzner Properties, said that his prospective tenants are food-oriented: restaurants, a green grocer, a bakery, and a butcher shop are all good bets. He said a printing chain is another interested party.
No leases have been signed or submitted to West Windsor Township since the official leasing period would begin in February or March, 2012, during the final months of major reconstruction. “We have held up until we get the whole front elevations done and set up because we’re focusing on getting the building ready and we expect to be done with the work by late spring or early summer,” Cyzner said.
Current tenants include the Bagel Hole, Aljon’s Pizza Restaurant, Liberty Martial Arts, and the dry cleaner and nail salon. In the coming weeks their storefront signs will be replaced by banners as renovation work continues.
Cyzner confirmed that a Five Guys burgers and fries chain is coming. In recent years Five Guys has seen successful launches on Route 206 in Hillsborough and Route 1 in North Brunswick. One big brand name previously rumored was Starbucks, but Cyzner said that it’s no longer on the table. “They had a timeline they gave us to get the place done, and we could not meet that timeline.”
Sitework is visible throughout the property as passers-by can look right through the old Acme building and into vacant stores. Carpenters, plumbers, and electricians are on site daily as flooring and interior renovation will take place this month. Meanwhile the parking lot is busy with landscaping, brick walkways, paving, and curbing to take place throughout the fall and winter.
Cyzner has plans for a new “dedicated right-hand lane of traffic” on eastbound Princeton-Hightstown Road that will allow for a direct turn into the parking lot at the beginning of Windsor Plaza, next to Bank of America. He said this would avoid a wait at the current entrance facing out from Aljon’s Pizza.
Cyzner said despite a good number of interested potential tenants, the economy is impacting the shopping center’s ability to secure businesses. “It’s really an issue for our customers because there are virtually no equity loans available for people to go into business. Usually what happens is we get a lot of people who may have a job in an allied field and they decide to open up their own business. They were usually able to take out a small loan and get that money and buy equipment and set a nest egg aside for getting started. That’s not there today,” he said.
Cyzner credited the township and the planning board for doing a “a lot of hard work and a fabulous job” in supporting the new Rite Aid site. He said it stands as a pivotal benchmark to spur future business growth in the area.
“There was a lot of hesitation for people to come in here because the area did not look conducive to commerce. Now that Rite Aid is up, that was a monumental step and now, once we renovate, I think we’re on track.”
Cyzner expects that all the other buildings in the area would realize “that they’re underutilized and their income could double if they do the right things, renovate the buildings, and get them up to what the rest of the neighborhood looks like.”
He added that in 10 years the entire area will not look anything like it does today. Intercap’s approval, Rite Aid’s opening, and a renovated Windsor Plaza could be the integral steps in that direction.
