The Plainfield planning board has approved a four-building redevelopment project at West Front Street and Central Avenue in Plainfield, as depicted in this rendering, which will include 357 apartments, 34,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenity space and 32,200 square feet of commercial space, including two rooftop restaurants. — Courtesy: Taylor Architecture & Design
By Joshua Burd
Local officials have granted a key approval to a four-building project that would bring more than 350 apartments and commercial space to the edge of downtown Plainfield.
According to a team with Taylor Architecture & Design, the project at West Front Street and Central Avenue will include 357 residential units and some 34,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenity space. Elsewhere on the site, plans call for 32,200 square feet of commercial space, including two rooftop restaurants, along with 354 on-site parking spaces.
The project by TODD West Urban Renewal LLC is moving ahead after securing unanimous approval late Thursday from the city’s planning board.
“Much of the recent development in the city has been along its eastern South Avenue (and) North Avenue corridors,” Taylor Architecture, which is based in nearby North Plainfield, wrote in its announcement Friday. “This development serves at a gateway to Plainfield on its western end along West Front Street, essentially the entrance to the heart of downtown.”
Designed by Brian M. Taylor, the firm’s president, the project is part of the TODD West Redevelopment Area, according to a news release. The architect said it’s slated to include two 11-story buildings, one five-story building and one four-story building, featuring a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom floorplans.
Resident amenities would include a 2,250-square-foot, second-floor lounge leading to a 6,000-square-foot roof deck overlooking an adjacent park, as well as a 12,500-square-foot roof deck on the 11th floor of the largest building, the news release said. Plans also call for a 3,000-square-foot fitness center, a first-floor lounge, a media center and other spaces.
Additionally, Taylor noted that one of the 11-story buildings would include a rooftop restaurant, while the other would feature a rooftop café. Each will be available to the public.
The design firm credited a project team that includes redevelopment attorney Robert Goldsmith of Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis LLP, land use attorney John Sullivan, civil engineer Lee Titus and traffic engineer Betsy Dolan.
