Developer Hosts Ground Breaking Ceremony for Montgomery Promenade

By Barbara A. Preston | Posted September 23, 2023

Montgomery Promenade, a Whole Foods-anchored shopping center coming to Route 206 in Montgomery Township that will feature outdoor dining and first-to-market restaurants, will host a ceremony to commemorate its groundbreaking on Tuesday, September 26.

Architect's rendering of Montgomery Promenade.

The 292,700-square-foot center will be located at 1200 State Road, just north of Princeton Airport on a 53.5-acre field. The project has been in the works for 15 years.

SJC Ventures, an Atlanta-based commercial development firm that specializes in mixed-use communities, has taken over the project from Madison Marquette, the national firm that constructed the Princeton MarketFair, a 242,000-square-foot mall on Route 1.

The Montgomery Promenade will be larger than MarketFair. It will also feature a housing component of 34 single family homes, palisades for walking, and dedicated open green spaces.

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SJC Ventures plans to build the promenade in phases. The Montgomery Township Planning Board has approved Phase I to include 11 mixed-use retail buildings and 29 small single family homes.

Phase II would add five more retail buildings and five single family homes.

SJC is expected to complete utility and road work to alleviate traffic congestion that is expected at the Route 206 and 518 intersection.

Confirmed restaurant leases include: More Than Q Barbeque, which has a New Jersey location in Lambertville, a Tim McLoone’s Iron Whale and Robinson Ale House, and a Kirk Ruoff’s Turning Point, which serves breakfast and lunch. SJC Ventures owns four Montgomery Township liquor licenses: Three Plenary Consumption Liquor Licenses to be used by restaurants and one distribution liquor license for a package goods store.

Architect's rendering of Montgomery Promenade.

Confirmed retail tenants previously announced by SJC include Norman’s Hallmark, a New York City-style women’s apparel boutique Dor L Dor, a European Wax Center, and Spavia.

SJC Ventures is a privately held national real estate and retail development firm founded in 2007. The company has acquired and developed more than 60 retail, mixed-use, multifamily and office nationwide. The company is headquartered in Georgia.

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The groundbreaking ceremony is closed to the public, but media from a 30-mile radius was invited to attend and meet Jeff Garrison, principal at SJC Ventures. Local officials and members of the Montgomery Business Association were also invited. ■