(Mark Your Calendars: RealShare New Jersey 2011, September 13 in New Brunswick. RealShare New York takes place Oct. 12 at the Marriott Marquis.)

WEEHAWKEN, NJ-The recently completed renovation of the 346-room Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel here has resulted in the first LEED-certified hotel in Northern New Jersey, as well, says Hartz Mountain Industries, its owner/developer.

The 346-room hotel on the Hudson River also is the first LEED-certified hotel in Hartz Mountain’s portfolio, though a number of its office properties have received various levels of the US Green Building Council designation. It is the latest result of a sustainability initiative begun by the Secaucus, NJ-based developer in 2009.

“This building was up for a gut renovation,” Lawrence Garb, Hartz Mountain’s executive VP of administration, tells GlobeSt.com. “So it lent itself to a LEED program. “We made an obligation to ourselves that at a minimum we would go through a LEED-style scorecard.”

The hotel originally was constructed in 1991 and expanded in 1999. The current renovation, which took place over the last two years, was conducted as the building continued operations. “It was an ongoing renovation, done floor by floor, wing by wing,” Garb says.

Attaining LEED certification is particularly challenging for hotels, as the property manager cannot control the actions of the guests, who can easily engage in wasteful activities.

Among the sustainable techniques and features incorporated were the use of low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints and carpeting. Housekeeping was a major component, with some actions that are pure common sense, such as “making sure lights are off,” Garb says. “We’re also using environmentally friendly cleaning supplies.”

Future buildings also will pursue LEED certification, Garb reports. These include a 123-unit multifamily in Secaucus, to be complete in 2012, a 116-unit residential property on Meadowlands Parkway in Secaucus, and a 500-plus unit building in Weehawken, yet to break ground. The company’s 400 Plaza Drive headquarters also is LEED-certified.

Instant Insights /

Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Earns LEED Certification

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