Deloitte LLP occupies the first of what will be two office buildings at M Station, a new development on Morris Street in Morristown that will also feature ground-floor retail space. — Courtesy: SJP Properties
SJP Properties has secured its first retail tenant for its M Station project in downtown Morristown, inking a lease with fast-casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen.
The operator, which serves salads and grain bowls from scratch, will occupy 2,646 square feet at the base of the development’s east building, according to a news release. That will place it directly below Deloitte LLP, which occupies the 120,000-square-foot office space at M Station East on Morris Street, allowing it to serve the firm as well as the central business district.
The deal also follows SJP’s recent groundbreaking for M Station West, where Sanofi will occupy 260,000 square feet starting in early 2025.
“Sweetgreen’s arrival at M Station validates our hypothesis that nationally recognized brands will be attracted to the significant increase in daytime foot traffic and activity in the area generated by exceptional companies like Deloitte and Sanofi,” said Alexander Erdos, senior vice president of leasing and marketing at SJP Properties. “This is a milestone for Morristown. Bringing high-caliber dining options and amenity retail to our projects is a key element of success. We think everyone at M Station as well as residents of Morristown will be thrilled to have Sweetgreen as a part of its rapidly evolving retail ecosystem.”
Jordan Cohn and Clare Golz of RIPCO Real Estate represented Sweetgreen, while Glenn Beyer of Newmark represented ownership.
“With the surge of Class A office building development and increased daytime population, the addition of Sweetgreen offers adjoining and neighboring office tenants as well as the regular population in Morristown a much-needed option of high quality, quick-serve food,” Beyer said. “The city has and continues to grow more vibrant with the development of Valley National Bank’s new headquarters on Speedwell Ave and Sanofi at M Station West, emphasizing an increasing need for quality food choices.”
Designed by Gensler, M Station is redeveloping the former site of a strip mall near the Morristown train station. Deloitte occupies the first of two office buildings with expansive, light-filled floor plates and high-performance infrastructure, which will be bridged by a 1,000-car parking structure that includes public parking for the development’s on-site retail.
SJP noted that the two buildings are set back 45 feet from Morris Street to create a landscaped promenade and two public plazas with seating, improving the area’s walkability, particularly between the NJ Transit station and the Morristown Green. Deloitte moved into the six-story east building upon its completion last summer, housing roughly 495 employees in the space.
Sanofi, which signed a lease earlier this year, plans to move some 1,900 professionals to its building.