The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan City of Newark Cory A. Booker, Mayor Stefan Pryor, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Toni L. Griffin, Director of Community Development 22 October 2008 Amended 03 December 2008 SOM City of Newark The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan 2 The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan City of Newark Cory A. Booker, Mayor Municipal Council Mildred C. Crump, President & Council Member, At-Large Augusto Amador, Council Member, East Ward Carlos M. Gonzalez, Council Member, At-Large Oscar James, II, Council Member, South Ward Donald Payne, Jr., Council Member, At-Large Luis A. Quintana, Council Member, At-Large Anibal Ramos, Jr., Council Member, North Ward Ronald C. Rice, Council Member, West Ward Michelle Thomas, Acting Business Administrator Stefan Pryor, Deputy Mayor, Department of Housing & Economic Development Toni L. Griffin, Director, Division of Planning & Community Development City of Newark The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan SOM 3 SOM City of Newark The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan 4 The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan A Redevelopment Plan submitted to the Central Planning Board on September 22nd, by the Department of Housing and Economic Development, Division of Planning and Community Development. Submitted by: Stefan Pryor, Deputy Mayor, Department of Housing & Economic Development Toni L. Griffin, Director of Community Development Alexander Dambach, PP, AICP, Principal Planner Michele Alonso, PP, AICP, Principal Planner Perris Straughter, Senior Planner Damon Rich, Urban Designer Consultants: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP Sam Schwartz Engineering, PLLC Central Planning Board Hearing Date: September 22nd, 2008 City of Newark The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan SOM 5 Table of Contents SOM City of Newark The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan 6 I. Introduction - page 09 IV. The Redevelopment Plan - page 71 II. District Overview - page 15 A. Planning and Regulatory Framework 1. Neighborhood Placemaking 2. Development Program Strategy A. Planning Area Boundaries 2. Housing Strategy B. Purpose and Objectives of the Plan 3. Active Ground Floor Uses and Retail Strategy C. Statutory Basis for the Redevelopment Plan 4. Transportation & Transit D. Historic Overview of District 5. Parking E. Demographic Snapshot of the District 6. Public Realm Streetscapes 7. Open Space F. A District of Distinct Neighborhoods and Communities 8. Historic District III. District Issues, Opportunities & B. Regulations and Urban Design Standards Community Engagement Plan - page 39 1. Parking Standards and Design Guidelines 2. Loading Standards 3. Landscape and Open Space Regulations A. District Issues 4. Ground Floor Prohibited Use Standards 1. Allowable Land Uses 5. Bulk Standards 2. Housing and Population Density 6. Zoning Standards by Sub-Districts 3. Commercial and Retail Growth 4. Vacant and Abandoned Properties C. Special Area Provisions 5. Traffic, Transportation and Transit 1. NJIT Gateway Project 6. Parking 2. Newark Museum Signature Project 7. Public Facilities 3. Newark Housing Authority Baxter Terrace 8. Open Space 9. Streetscapes and Public Safety 10. Historic and Cultural Resources V. Consistency with Existing Plans - page 191 B. Redevelopment Opportunities VI. Project Review Process & 1. Baxter Terrace 2. NJIT & St. Michael’s Hospital Amendments to the Plan - page 197 3. Rutgers 4. Newark Museum 5. Newark Library 6. Private Sites Appendix: Definitions- page 200 C. Community and Stakeholder Engagement Process City of Newark The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan SOM 7 SOM City of Newark The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan 8 I. Introduction City of Newark The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan SOM 9 An Enviable Transit Hub The Broad Street Station District is a major transit hub for the region, anchored by New Jersey Transit’s historic Broad Street Station which serves three commuter rail lines, 12 major bus routes, and a new light rail line. More than 8,000 passengers use the station complex everyday. The station was constructed by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W) from 1901-1903. It is one of New Jersey’s premier historic railroad facilities and is listed on State and National Registers of Historic Places. The Broad Street Station District lies at the northern end of Broad Street Station offers direct and speedy access to Midtown Downtown Newark and is a critical albeit currently underutilized Manhattan via three commuter rail lines that is enviable for the transit hub for Northern New Jersey, with a range of large- entire tri-state region. The frequent, high-speed rail service not scale, transit-oriented development opportunities. Currently, the only puts the Broad Street Station neighborhood within 16 minutes District includes an estimated 60 acres of developable properties, of midtown Manhattan, but also provides connections to Amtrak’s most of which are within a 5-10 minute walking distance of New Acela rail service to Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC Jersey Transit’s Broad Street Station, the Newark Light Rail line, via a quick light rail trip to Newark Penn Station. the Newark Subway system, the vibrant Downtown campuses of Rutgers University and NJIT, cultural institutions and sports The Station is currently undergoing $73 million in improvements, venues, and an increasingly accessible Passaic Riverfront. which will expedite boarding and exiting of trains, increase the availability of information to customers, improve pedestrian The District includes the James Street Commons Historic circulation in and around the station, increase the flexibility of train District as well as some of the region’s pre-eminent academic, operations, and make the station fully accessible to customers cultural and other institutions such as Rutgers University, NJIT, with disabilities. In addition to this investment in infrastructure, the Newark Museum, Newark Public Library, Washington Park, the State of New Jersey has passed the Urban Transit Hub Tax Newark Bears and Eagles Stadium, St. Michael’s Medical Center Credit to help spur major transit-oriented development projects. and historic Washington Park. Past public investment in the The Broad Street Station District is one of only a few designated District’s commuter rail, light rail, subway and surface transit urban transit hubs under the Act and is therefore well-positioned represent millions of dollars worth of capacity around which to attract significant new office and commercial development to transit-oriented development can occur. this district. SOM City of Newark The Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan 10 Additionally, at the western boundary of the Broad Street Station District is the Norfolk Street Newark Light Rail/City Subway Station, which gives riders access to Penn Station in under 10 minutes and access to North Newark and Branch Brook Park in 5-10 minutes. Rush hour service the Grove Street Light Rail/City Subway line is as frequent as many subway lines in New York. A Step Towards a More Sustainable City The Honorable Mayor Cory A. Booker has made a commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative to reduce carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2012 to achieve Kyoto Protocol Targets. This commitment is a bold step and is more aggressive than currently mandated by the State of New Jersey’s Global Warming Response Act, which Broad Street Station is also a light rail station that is part of requires a statewide 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions the Newark Light Rail (NLR) Extension that opened in 2006 and by 2020, followed by a further reduction of emissions to 80% below connects Newark Penn Station to Newark Broad Street Station. 2006 levels by 2050. The Broad Street Station District presents a This light rail service provides intermodal transfer capabilities unique opportunity to help meet the Mayor’s sustainability goals. between trains serving Newark Penn Station and Newark Broad It begins to set a model for urban transformation in Newark Street Station with continuing service to stops along the City that is not only transit-oriented, but takes bold steps in making Subway/Newark Light Rail line that provides access to other downtown Newark more walkable, green and sustainable. This parts of the downtown, the universities, Branch Brook Park, plan’s design and zoning standards have been developed under northern Newark and northwestern suburbs. the following sustainability principles: Newark has the second best bus service in the nation, and Broad Street Station is a major bus stop and intermodal transfer point 1. Better leverage transit assets by promoting transit use and for the entire city. Broad Street and University Avenue buses to planning around transit 2. Promote high densities around transit and other appropriate areas downtown Newark stop at the station every 1-3 minutes during 3. Minimize vehicular miles traveled in the District in favor of rush hours and buses to Newark Penn Station run every 8-10 walking, biking, bus travel, light rail, and commuter rail minutes. The District as a whole is served by a total of fourteen 4. Support a walkable downtown through pedestrian-oriented major bus lines providing frequent bus service on Orange Street, streetscapes and investments in the public realm Central and University Avenues and MLK Blvd 5. Reduce the heat island effect through street trees, vegetated corridors, and intensive &