The Pathmark at Lackawanna Plaza closed in 2015. For most of the decade after that, the old rail terminal on Bloomfield Avenue was best known as the place where Montclair's supermarket was supposed to go. Since June 2025, the same building has been running something else. It's an interim village of compact storefronts, food counters, murals, a coworking floor upstairs and indoor pickleball courts set inside the old terminal. When The Montclair Pod visited in March, 23 small businesses were operating on the site. Many leased space through a program called Little Shops, which offers flat monthly rents and short-term commitments.
The setup was always meant to be temporary, a preview of what could eventually go up on the site. Its holiday calendar runs from late November through December, and much of it happens in the RecRoom coworking space. Until construction starts, it gives Montclair a full schedule of indoor weekends for the cold months.
The Deal Requires the Supermarket First
Montclair approved a redevelopment plan for the site in 2023 and reaffirmed it in May 2024. The big step came this spring. Montclair Local reported that on March 24, 2026, the Township Council voted 6–1 to approve a 30-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement for BDP Holdings. BDP Holdings has owned the property since 2021.
The redevelopment agreement, as Montclair Local described it in February, calls for a five- to six-story building with these pieces:
- 210 market-rate homes, 60 affordable homes and 30 workforce homes
- About 75,000 square feet of office space
- A supermarket of roughly 40,000 square feet
- Preservation of the remaining features of the historic Lackawanna Terminal
The schedule matters most for anyone who now spends Saturdays at the plaza. Neal Zimmerman, the township's redevelopment attorney, said the developer expects the full project to take six to eight years across six construction phases, four west of Grove Street and two east of it. "The redevelopment agreement is crystal clear that the supermarket must be in the first phase," Zimmerman said, according to Montclair Local. Zimmerman also said the project still needs Planning Board site-plan approval and other government sign-offs before it can move ahead, calling the redevelopment agreement "only a first step."
One legal question is settled. In April, NorthJersey.com reported that a state judge denied the latest legal challenge to the redevelopment plan. In February, developer David Placek told Montclair Local that BDP Holdings still has a lease with a supermarket that plans to take space in the project. He has said that a nondisclosure agreement keeps the grocer's name private. After the council vote, Placek gave The Montclair Pod a statement about the next step:
"We're excited to move forward and complete our site plan application for the future of Lackawanna Plaza and appreciate the time and consideration the council put into the PILOT Agreement recognizing the extraordinary costs and challenges of this project."
Because the supermarket has to be in phase one, the first thing built is the thing the plaza has been missing since 2015. Until then, the interim village fills the building. According to The Montclair Pod, it was set up to bring life back to the property before construction begins.
The Regulars Hold the Week Together
The plaza's events draw the crowds, but its regular tenants set the hours. Each one keeps a different schedule, and a visit only works if you know them.
Ironbound Farm Market is the closest thing the site has to its old grocery role. It's a farmer-owned market selling products from regional farms and artisans. For Thanksgiving 2026 it is offering pasture-raised organic turkeys, additional cuts and gluten-free seasonal sides. According to Ironbound's own site, the Lackawanna Station shop is open Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. That leaves it closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
Burgers Donuts Potatoes sells exactly what the name says. It's known locally as BDP, the same initials as the developer. Its site lists the 1 Lackawanna Plaza address, Monday to Saturday hours of 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday hours of noon to 7 p.m., and online ordering.
Montclair Pickleball opened two indoor courts at the plaza in January. It was the club's first permanent location. The club's homepage advertises winter programs starting Nov. 16. Programs include clinics, play-with-a-pro, drill-and-play, guided open play, open play and children's clinics. Court rentals cost $45 an hour off-peak and $60 an hour at peak. Peak times are weekdays from 8 a.m. to noon and 5 to 11 p.m., plus all day on weekends, according to the club's rentals page.
The former Pineapple Express space is next. Industry Tavern has signed a lease there, Montclair Local reported in August.
Four Weekends of Holiday Market, Plus a Full Week Around It
The biggest event of the season is Montclair Flea's Holiday Market. It runs indoors every Saturday and Sunday from Nov. 28 through Dec. 20, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Vendors sell holiday décor, handmade gifts, vintage finds and cozy accessories. Santa photos are free from noon to 4 p.m. at every market day. That adds up to four weekends and eight market days, all under the terminal roof.
The rest of the late-fall calendar on the plaza's events page fills the days between those weekends:
| Date | Event | Time | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 20 | CreativeMornings: Tiffany Han | 9:30–11 a.m. | Free monthly breakfast talk, run by New Jersey's only chapter |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Happy Hour (& a Half!) | 4:30–6 p.m. | Held in RecRoom every Friday |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Art Night Fridays: Scrabble Art | 6:30–8:30 p.m. | Tile art pitched as gift-making |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Recsgiving Potluck Lunch | Noon–1 p.m. | Bring a dish, the day before Thanksgiving |
| Sat.–Sun., Nov. 28–29 | The Shop Small Stop | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Free coffee, tea, Wi-Fi and seating in RecRoom, no membership needed |
| Sat., Nov. 28–Sun., Dec. 20 | Montclair Flea's Holiday Market | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. weekends | Free Santa photos noon–4 p.m. |
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Make Against the Machine | 6–7:30 p.m. | Free digital DIY workshop with Eli Wagner |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | She Invests | 6–8 p.m. | Conversation about investing basics |
| Sun., Dec. 27 | NJ Card Market | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Free admission for gaming, sports and non-sports cards |
The Shop Small Stop opens on the same weekend as the Holiday Market, and both run 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. That makes RecRoom a warm, free place to sit down between rounds of shopping on opening weekend. The NJ Card Market falls on the Sunday after the last market weekend, so the plaza's December calendar runs past Christmas.
Matching the Calendar to the Shop Hours
The tenant hours and the event calendar don't line up perfectly, so a little planning helps.
- Saturdays are the full version. From Nov. 28 through Dec. 19, the Holiday Market runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ironbound is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and BDP serves from 11:30 a.m. Groceries, gifts, Santa and lunch can all happen in one trip.
- Sundays close earlier. Ironbound closes at 6 p.m. and BDP opens at noon, so a late lunch after the market's noon-to-4 Santa window still works.
- One December weeknight workshop falls on an Ironbound day off. Make Against the Machine is on Tuesday, Dec. 1, and She Invests is on Thursday, Dec. 3. Ironbound is closed Tuesdays, so on Dec. 1 BDP is the food stop. On Dec. 3, Ironbound is open until 7 p.m., so you can stop by before the 6 p.m. start.
- Pickleball on market weekends is peak-rate time. All weekend hours bill at $60. The cheaper $45 off-peak hours fall on weekdays between noon and 5 p.m.
- Check the events page before you go. The Lackawanna events calendar is where the plaza posts its schedule, and a calendar is a plan that can change.
The Pathmark closed in 2015, and the interim plaza is what fills the building until the supermarket project's construction begins. On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Holiday Market is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1 Lackawanna Plaza, with Santa photos from noon to 4 p.m.
If you're watching Lackawanna Plaza and wondering what its next phase means for your corner of Montclair, Ask Agent Alexa can help. Schedule your free market consultation and we'll go through how the changes along Bloomfield Avenue fit your own plans, whether that's this winter or a few phases from now.
