The Pinnacle Companies Announces $35 Million “The MC” Hotel in Montclair

On Jun 10, 2014

The Pinnacle Companies unveiled plans today for The MC, a $35 million, 120,000 square foot, eight-story full service boutique hotel at Bloomfield Avenue and Orange Road in downtown Montclair.  When opened, the 148-room hotel will become part of the Autograph Collection, Marriott International’s exclusive portfolio of independent hotels.

“We’re thrilled that The MC will join premier hotels including the Algonquin in New York City as part of the Autograph Collection,” said Brian M. Stolar, president and CEO, The Pinnacle Companies, developer of the Montclair Center Gateway Redevelopment Plan known as CentroVerde, which includes the hotel.  “The MC will be the first full-service hotel to open in Montclair since the Hotel Montclair, which closed in 1938, and will provide a new gathering spot for the community.”

The MC’s amenities will include a farm-to-table restaurant, a rooftop bar with city views and lobby library.  Hotel and restaurant guests will be offered front-door valet parking from the hotel’s covered porte-cochere entryway to a new six-story full-service parking garage with solar power and an automated parking system.  An outdoor plaza connected to a two-story round atrium with 30-foot-high glass walls will be open year-round to the public.

“The hotel’s original, one-of-a-kind design – complete with an urban rooftop amenity that engages the skyline – will compliment Montclair’s organic street life,” said Chris Lessard, president and CEO, Lessard Design, the project’s master development architect.  “The tremendous public spaces surrounding the base of the project are a culmination of the Township’s master plan to create a new gateway to downtown Montclair.”

The hotel’s art program, run in partnership with the Montclair Township, will feature exhibitions throughout the hotel lobby and public areas, including a sculpture on the public plaza.  The MC will also collaborate with local non-profit groups to host various public events throughout the year.

“Our design strategy celebrates Montclair’s distinctive culture, diversity and artistry – a perfect fit with the Autograph Collection’s unique, one-of-a-kind properties,” said David Ashen, principal of Dash Design, the hotel’s interior design and branding firm.  “With a casual sense of luxury and an eclectic vibe, the property aims to be a destination point for the community with a range of social gathering spots.”

Hotel guests and event participants can travel to Montclair’s six train stations on Ultra Low Emission Vehicle shuttles, and participate in a new bike and car share program. For secure bicycle storage at its train stations, Montclair is planning new bike depots, and was recently awarded a $20,000 grant by Sustainable Jersey to build the first one at Bay Street station.

“When the bike share program is implemented here in Montclair, it will be one of the first suburban systems in the state.  We envision that this implementation will become an example for other NJ Transit station towns, and it will also provide a stepping stone to more bicycle use for many,” said Cyndi Steiner, executive director of the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition.

Groundbreaking for The MC is anticipated during the fourth quarter of 2014 and construction will take approximately 15 months. The hotel is expected to open in early 2016.

“The addition of this hotel property to downtown Montclair complements the vision for our mixed-use property, Valley & Bloom, and adds a vital amenity for the community at large,” said James Driscoll, senior vice president of development for LCOR, co-developer of Valley & Bloom, the first phase of the Montclair Center Gateway Redevelopment Plan.

The MC will also include 13,000 square feet of corporate offices, conference and meeting space.

An affluent suburb of New York City, Montclair is located approximately ten miles northwest of Newark International Airport and 13 miles west of Manhattan.

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