Page 27 - Vol.5 No. 7 July 2021
P. 27
COMING SOON
NJPAC details plans for $150 million expansion of Newark campus
REALESTATENJTM 25
By Joshua Burd
Along-awaited plan to expand the New Jersey Performing Arts Center campus in Newark — with new residential, commercial and cultural space — is slated to break ground next year.
The venue operator has detailed its plans and its development team for the $150 million project, which calls for building roughly 350 apartments, a food hall and a new family arts and education center around
the existing building. NJPAC is proceeding with the project alongside L+M Development Partners, the
firm behind several high-profile developments in the city, and a team that also includes Prudential Impact & Responsible Investments.
Architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is spearheading the design of the new district, which is slated for a site just west of McCarter Highway between Center and Rector streets, on a portion of NJPAC’s 7.3 acres of developable land.
“Contributing to the ongoing revitalization
NJPAC is not financing any of the vertical development within the newly unveiled expansion plan, but is providing the guiding vision for the district and a ground lease for the project. The venue and Center Street Owners, the partnership entity led
by L+M, will seek financial support from the city of Newark and the state Economic Development Authority.
“We are proud to unveil the transformative plan for the arts center in collaboration with NJPAC, which will not only help to lift up the arts community in Newark, but also deliver much-needed mixed-income housing and opportunities for local businesses, retailers and beloved New Jersey restaurants,” said Ron Moelis, CEO and co-founder of L+M Development Partners. “This project is part of our longstanding investment in the revitalization of Newark
and together with our public and private partners, we aim to continue addressing the critical needs of the city.”
The new district, slated for completion in 2024, will include a pedestrian- friendly extension of Mulberry Street across what is now an NJPAC parking lot, connecting to Rector Street to
the north. The project team will simultaneously redesign NJPAC’s eastern facade to create a welcoming additional entryway to the facility.
The arts center has also tapped acclaimed restaurateur and celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson as a partner, noting that he will spearhead the food hall known as Mulberry Market. The building will be similar to Boston’s Faneuil Hall and Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, but on a smaller scale, serving as the centerpiece of
the new neighborhood and featuring additional uses such as a teaching kitchen that provides community cooking classes.
For its part, L+M’s involvement follows its successful restoration and redevelopment of city landmarks such as the former Hahne & Co. department store and the former New Jersey Bell tower, which are both
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center and its development partners have detailed a $150 million expansion of the venue’s campus in downtown Newark, with plans including 350 apartments, a food hall and a new family arts and education center around the existing building.
now vibrant mixed-use destinations
in the downtown. The former is home to Samuelsson’s first restaurant in Newark, Marcus B&P, which opened in late 2017.
NJPAC noted that, with early conceptual inspiration and financial support from Prudential Impact
& Responsible Investments, it
began to craft a master plan for the redevelopment in 2019. It did so with the help of the agency known as
RePlace Urban Studio, which helped steer the center to an open, welcoming public space where the arts are activated and experienced both indoors and out.
“This is a purpose-designed community that reintroduces a neighborhood fabric lost to mega-block development during the 1950s and 1960s,” Schreiber said. “We are adding streets back to the city where people can live, walk, shop and dine.” RE
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John Schreiber
of Newark’s downtown has always been central to the arts center’s mission as the city’s anchor cultural institution,” John Schreiber, the
center’s CEO and president, said in late June. “This plan is a thoughtful, curated mix of residential buildings, retail environments and cultural resources. We want this new neighborhood to be an exciting place to live, as well as a uniquely engaging destination.”
Located in the northern end of downtown Newark, NJPAC has helped anchor and draw visitors to the city since its opening in 1997. Supporters have long dreamed of expanding its footprint and creating a vibrant arts district around the venue, but those plans have been slow to materialize beyond a 22-story, 245- unit residential tower that opened across the street in 2018.
Courtesy: NJPAC
