A major entertainment tenant is preparing to take over a prominent vacant anchor space in Bergen County, as indoor adventure park operator NRG has officially secured a lease at Paramus Park mall. The upcoming attraction is slated to open its doors to guests in 2027, bringing an expansive roster of physical activities, family recreation, and modern experiential entertainment to the long-standing shopping complex.
According to commercial real estate brokerage TSCG, which brokered the lease agreement, the entertainment venture will occupy a 59,000-square-foot footprint on the mall's upper level. The site, situated at 700 Paramus Park, will take over the space that once housed a Sears department store, revitalizing a key portion of the suburban retail property.
The development will place the high-energy attraction directly above the existing 100,000-square-foot Stew Leonard's supermarket, creating a unique multi-level tenant pairing. By situating an active entertainment concept atop a high-volume grocery store, the shopping destination aims to capture consistent, overlapping consumer traffic from families visiting the property throughout the week.
Visitors to the new indoor venue can expect a wide array of active amenities tailored to different ages and skill levels. Plans for the facility include structured ninja warrior obstacle courses, high-flying zip lines, elevated rope courses, expansive trampoline zones, dedicated climbing walls, and sliding tracks known as donut slides.
In addition to physical play areas, the facility will incorporate contemporary interactive technology, such as virtual-reality gaming stations. The venue will also house specialized event spaces designed to accommodate birthday parties, corporate team-building functions, local school outings, and community fundraising activities.
The real estate transaction was facilitated by TSCG on behalf of the property’s ownership group. TSCG broker Jamie Sackeim, who represented the landlord during negotiations, emphasized the strategic advantages of the upper-level real estate footprint, describing it as an exceptionally rare find within the competitive Northern New Jersey commercial market.
Sackeim highlighted the location's prime positioning directly off the Garden State Parkway, noting that having a wide-open floor layout perched over an established grocery anchor creates a natural draw for nearby suburban households. Real estate representatives expressed confidence that NRG's arrival will solidify the mall's broader reputation as an essential family-oriented hub.
The shopping venue, formally identified as Paramus Park South, changed hands in 2025 when it was acquired by a joint-venture investment group led by Heidenberg Properties Group. The ownership team has focused on optimizing the multi-story structure to better align with changing consumer habits and foot-traffic trends.
Robert Heidenberg, president and chief executive officer of Heidenberg Properties Group, praised the newly signed lease, characterizing NRG as the optimal partner to execute their vision for the former department store. He noted that the entertainment operator recognized the commercial potential of the upper level and worked through a straightforward negotiation process managed by TSCG to finalize the agreement.
The repurposing of the former Sears anchor underscores an ongoing structural shift across the retail industry. As conventional apparel stores and traditional department store anchors face continued headwinds from e-commerce giants such as Amazon, regional mall operators have increasingly pivoted toward experiential concepts that cannot be replicated online.
This trend toward immersive, activity-driven leasing has become especially visible across Northern New Jersey's shopping corridors. Nearby mega-developments such as the American Dream complex in East Rutherford have dedicated substantial square footage to non-retail features, including an indoor theme park, an aquarium, and an indoor ski slope.
Similarly, Westfield Garden State Plaza, also located in Paramus, has expanded its entertainment offerings by introducing competitive gaming and family play venues, including Go Playland, the Power Up Arena, and the Horae Play arcade. The addition of NRG at Paramus Park reflects the regional urgency among commercial landlords to draw consistent crowds through interactive pastimes.
For NRG, the Paramus venue represents a significant step forward in its regional and national expansion strategy. The Paramus Park facility will mark the brand's second operating location in New Jersey, following the launch of its initial venue in Springfield this past December.
Beyond New Jersey, the enterprise maintains an operating indoor park in Fargo, North Dakota, while aggressively pursuing additional locations in other states across the country. Within the state, company development plans list Toms River as another future destination for the concept, though specific site details have yet to be disclosed.
Once construction and buildout are completed ahead of its scheduled 2027 debut, NRG is expected to significantly alter the daily rhythm of Paramus Park. By replacing an empty legacy department store floor with an action-packed park, the property seeks to remain a relevant cornerstone for community recreation and retail spending.
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