REAL ESTATE
NJPAC Unveils a Redevelopment Master Plan for Newark Campus
The project will break ground in 2022 , with completion in 2024 .
Compiled by John Joseph Parker Contributing Editor
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center ( NJPAC ) has partnered with Center Street Owners and will break ground in 2022 on the next phase of a transformational master plan that will expand the arts and education district surrounding its theaters .
The approximately $ 150 million project will create a vibrant new neighborhood of low-rise and high-rise multifamily buildings , retail establishments , restaurants and cultural spaces , plus about 15 new townhomes and condos , on a portion of the 7.3 acres of developable land on NJPAC ’ s riverfront campus . This phase will include a total of roughly 350 rental residences ( 80 percent market rate , 20 percent affordable ) that will be erected on the site , in addition to the condos and townhomes , which will be offered for sale .
“ Contributing to the ongoing revitalization of Newark ’ s downtown has always been central to the Arts Center ’ s mission as the city ’ s anchor cultural institution ,” says NJPAC President and CEO John Schreiber . “ We want this new neighborhood to be an exciting place to live , as well as a uniquely engaging destination .”
The development , to be built on the Arts Center ’ s campus , will include a pedestrian-friendly extension of Mulberry Street , across what is now NJPAC ’ s Lot A parking area , connecting to Rector Street to the North . A simultaneous redesign of NJPAC ’ s Eastern facade will create a welcoming additional entryway to the Arts Center .
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center 52 COMMERCE www . commercemagnj . com
NJPAC has partnered with developers Center Street Owners ( CSO ), led by L + M Development Partners , to complete the project . CSO is an organization created to develop this new neighborhood around NJPAC . L + M has developed other sites in downtown Newark including Walker House and the Hahne & Co . building . Prudential Impact & Responsible Investments is a partner in the project as well .
“ The arts and NJPAC are already a critical driver of growth , and these exciting additions will further our shared goal of making Newark a destination city .” says Prudential Inclusive Solutions Senior Vice President Lata Reddy .
“ This project is part of our longstanding investment in the revitalization of Newark ,” says L + M Development Partners CEO and Co- Founder Ron Moelis .
NJPAC is not financing any of the vertical development ; rather , it is providing the guiding vision for the new district , as well as a ground lease for the project . NJPAC and Center Street Owners will be seeking financial support from the City of Newark and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority .
World-renowned restaurateur and entrepreneur Marcus Samuelsson , whose Newark restaurant , Marcus B & P , has become a highlight of the city ’ s downtown dining scene , is also one of the partners . The centerpiece of the new neighborhood will be a food hall — similar to Boston ’ s Faneuil Hall or Philadelphia ’ s Reading Terminal Market , but on a smaller scale — called Mulberry Market , curated by Samuelsson .
NJPAC President and CEO John Schreiber
Mulberry Market will also include educational uses , such as a teaching kitchen that provides community cooking classes .
Architectural firm Skidmore , Owings & Merrill has been engaged to design these new facets of NJPAC ’ s campus .
With early conceptual inspiration and financial support from Prudential Impact & Responsible Investments , the Arts Center undertook master-planning this redevelopment in 2019 , working with RePlace Urban Studio , a multi-disciplinary agency devoted to rethinking the principles of urban design . The plan created by RePlace and the Arts Center ultimately coalesced into a single vision for NJPAC ’ s campus : an open , welcoming “ public realm ” where the arts are activated and experienced both indoors and out .
The goal of the effort is to integrate cultural assets throughout the Arts Center ’ s entire campus . In concert with this new development , NJPAC will also break ground in 2022 on its new Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center on Center and Mulberry Streets , bringing arts education to the Arts Center ’ s front yard .
“ This is a purpose-designed community that reintroduces a neighborhood fabric lost to mega-block development during the 1950s and 1960s ,” says Schreiber . “ We are adding streets back to the city where people can live , walk , shop and dine .”