Newark: Real Estate, Development, News, & Politics

[21&Invincible]

Those pictures included in the article are somewhat old. My dorm hasn't been built in them.

[JCMAN320]

Suddenly, a new picture of Newark
Pru Center and NJPAC open what the city hopes is a different era

Monday, October 29, 2007
BY JULIE O'CONNOR AND CLAIRE HEININGER
Star-Ledger Staff

Well-dressed music lovers filtered into the building, lured by a storied symphony orchestra and a juiced-up jazz act. Hours later, a decidedly more jeans-clad crowd assembled a few blocks away, chattering anxiously in line as buzz built for Bon Jovi.

As Newark opened both its major entertainment venues -- the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the days-old Prudential Center -- on the same day for the first time, the scenes yesterday sketched an unfamiliar picture that New Jersey's largest city hopes will become routine.

The shows drew thousands of visitors to downtown Newark by car and mass transit. Although the NJPAC crowd left at roughly the same time Bon Jovi fans started to arrive, the streets around both venues appeared devoid of major traffic snarls or parking woes.

At NJPAC, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic played to a near-sold-out 2,750-seat theater, while jazz group Irvin Mayfield and the Hombres drew about 500 to the center's smaller Victoria Theater, officials said. And at the Prudential Center -- hosting its fourth event since opening Thursday night -- Bon Jovi played the third of 10 shows. It was unclear last night how many people attended the Bon Jovi performance, but the tally stood at 16,132 Thursday and 16,153 Friday, said Joy Gulledge, a spokeswoman for the Prudential Center. A sellout crowd of 17,600 watched the New Jersey Devils hockey team at the arena Saturday night.

Outside both venues and on nearby streets, yesterday's concertgoers largely echoed the experiences of those who attended other shows during the $375 million new arena's opening weekend. Newark has its flaws, they said, but also plenty of potential as a cultural center poised for a rebound.

"If you're not familiar with the city, you tend to not want to stray too far from your destination," said Susan Donohue, 53, of Annandale, who attended the Irvin Mayfield show with husband Timothy and two friends.

More restaurants within walking distance would help keep her group in the city after shows, rather than heading out to Jersey City as is their custom, Donohue said.

"I've watched Newark rise and fall over the past 43 years," she said. "I do see a trend of improvement, and hopefully it keeps up."

Greeting the crowds with approval, NJPAC usher Saundra Cook, 57, predicted Newark will "change dramatically over the next 10 years." She called safety concerns "hype" but acknowledged too few dining options near the performing arts center.

"Most people who approach me, they'd just like to eat after a show," Cook said. "I think if they had restaurants a little bit closer, that would help tremendously. Outside that, everything is cool."

To make sure those drawn by the Prudential Center and NJPAC know what else Newark has to offer, the city has been handing out cards to people arriving at Penn Station that list different restaurant destinations, said Lupe Todd, a spokeswoman for Mayor Cory Booker. Newark also will update its Web site to add the Prudential Center to its list of attractions, which includes NJPAC, Newark Symphony Hall and the Newark Museum.

"As the weeks go on, we've just got to keep everything going," Todd said yesterday. "That's the challenge and I think that our city is up to the challenge."

The confluence of the Philharmonic and Bon Jovi performances didn't require the city to take any different measures with car or pedestrian traffic than it had on the Prudential Center's first three nights, Todd said. But for a concert that draws more Newark residents -- such as R. Kelly's upcoming appearance -- city officials will discuss the possibility of different routes to help smooth the flow of foot traffic, she said.

Many pedestrians attending the Bon Jovi shows have been suburbanites, with mass transit bringing them to and from Newark. NJ Transit has seen a boost of nearly 4,000 riders more than usual passing through Penn Station on the nights since the Prudential Center's debut, with another 500 extra per night traveling through Broad Street Station, spokesman Dan Stessel said. About 2,000 people more than normal took PATH trains out of Newark following the opening night concert between 11 p.m. and midnight Thursday, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

"That's a very, very respectable market share for a brand new arena," Stessel said, adding there did not appear to be train capacity issues as a result of the NJPAC and Prudential events yesterday. "It's gratifying and we hope to build on it."



Staff writer Alexi Friedman contributed to this report.

[investordude]

Personally, I think its misplaced to build these things in Newark before addressing problems like crime and quality of life issues. The economics of sports stadiums are very dismal for cities.

[NYatKNIGHT]

They have worked in some cities and not in others, there are many factors. Newark needs a lot of things, obviously, but one of the biggest hurdles is getting people to come into the city in the first place. Once they do, keep them safe. So far so good, there has been positive feedback, but it's too early to tell. We'll see if they are still coming a year from now - the jury's still out. I'm optimistic though.

[21&Invincible]

I agree, I believe the effort right now is to slowly turn Newark into a more 24/7 place. It may take a while but I think that's one of the directions that this "renaissance" is trying to achieve. And to make it a more 24/7 place, people need to be drawn in and have their perspectives changed.

[66nexus]

^All agreed. Newark has never attained something of this magnitude. People come to the city to spend money is a good thing. Which will hopefully be followed by downtown housing/development. Cogswell had development in the tubes but now they're stuck in litigation (they still plan to build them though). And the Mulberry St. Promenade would have already been built but some of the owners in the area wanted to keep their property.
In any case, I hope the Courtyard Marriott they're building by the arena is one of those short 2-story structures....what a waste that would be

[Dagrecco82]

I found this information on the Cogswell Realty website:

"Additional Development Projects, Newark, New Jersey: The adjoining former Hahnes department store and former Griffith piano building will be redeveloped as part of CRG’s continued efforts to spur growth in downtown Newark. On the heels of the recent successful development of 1180 Raymond Boulevard, this proposed project will consist of approximately 650 rental and for-sale residential units. In addition to this project, CRG owns approximately 2.6 million square feet of additional developable property in the downtown Newark area, with plans to construct additional commercial, housing and retail product."

[66nexus]

Earlier I meant to say that I hope the Marriott they're building ISN'T one of those 2-story shorts. Decided a new post was better than an edit

[JCMAN320]

Panel approves $235M Newark Museum addition

by Peggy McGlone Wednesday November 07, 2007, 10:52 PM

The Newark Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission tonight unanimously approved a plan by the Newark Museum to demolish two buildings to make way for an "iconic" structure that will double the museum's gallery space.

Shown to the public for the first time, the $235 million effort is slightly smaller in scale and drastically different in design from the original, which was met with fierce opposition from historic preservationists when it was unveiled last year.

The revised plan for the Washington Street site, however, was greeted with enthusiasm and the final vote was met with applause.

"The overall scheme is wonderful. (It) offers variety in scale and materials that accurately reflects the district," commission chairman David Abramson said.

Designed by noted Princeton architect Michael Graves, the 150,000-square-foot addition will feature a vaulted copper roof - described as "the mother of all arches" - and dramatic skylights that will house galleries, offices and a 350-seat auditorium. A smaller wing with an illuminated tower will be built at Central Avenue and Washington Street, and a parking deck will hug the corner of Central and University avenues.

[z22]

Wow! They have $235 million extra cash to spend on a museum while people are still dreaming of having lower property tax in NJ. That's amazing.

[kevin]

Wow! They have $235 million extra cash to spend on a museum while people are still dreaming of having lower property tax in NJ. That's amazing.

Did I miss something in the article? I didn't see any mention of the source of the funding for the museum plan.

I pay about $60 per year for a family membership to the Newark Museum for my wife and I, and I'm sure they receive other donations and endowments. I'm not saying that all of the funding will come from non-state sources, but even if the state paid for everything, I don't think it would be money misspent.

When I first moved to Newark, there was a significant lack of culture in the downtown area, especially on weekends, and going to the museum was one of the things my wife and I enjoyed doing on those days. If you've never been, I encourage you to go before you make a judgment, since the museum is a draw to the city, and such an investment will pay for itself, especially since out-of-towners are coming to Newark for the Prudential Center and seeing that the city isn't what they thought. Families will think about bringing their children to the museum.

I lived in NJ my whole life and didn't know about the museum until I reached adulthood. I brought my parents to the museum not too long ago and they were upset that they didn't know about it (or were afraid to see it) for so long.

Basic point - city rebounds, people from all over the region come to see the museum, then spend $100-200 on a lunch at the local restaurants, which all increase the property values in Newark, which causes the city to pump more money into the state's coffers, which gives the state money to lower property tax for everyone else.

[z22]

Yes, I have visited the Newark museum a couple of time. It is actually a nice museum, no doubt about it. I just have a doubt that the funding comes only from donations. My opinion is $230 million is a whole lot of money to be put into a single thing in Newark especially for enhancing something that is quite good already. It looks to me like they are sitting with excess cash and don’t know what to do with it, so overspending it. If they have to borrow for this project, it is even worst. Not sure if that is the right investment at this time. If we want to invest in Newark, use it to do something else that may have a higher priority.

[kevin]

Yes, I have visited the Newark museum a couple of time. It is actually a nice museum, no doubt about it. I just have a doubt that the funding comes only from donations. My opinion is $230 million is a whole lot of money to be put into a single thing in Newark especially for enhancing something that is quite good already. It looks to me like they are sitting with excess cash and don’t know what to do with it, so overspending it. If they have to borrow for this project, it is even worst. Not sure if that is the right investment at this time. If we want to invest in Newark, use it to do something else that may have a higher priority.

The commission just gave the go-ahead to demolish the buildings. At issue were the 1859 Polhemus house and the Lyons Farm schoolhouse, which the commission saved from demo and will now be converted into museum buildings.

According to the original article:

With the sanction of the city preservation commission -- a council that had the power to overrule the state's approval -- Price said the museum can now move ahead on the fund-raising campaign, which includes $65 million endowment. Price said she hopes to begin construction by 2009 -- the museum's centennial -- and expects the construction to take three years.

There's no earmarking involved. The construction isn't even set to begin for another year. The Museum has to raise the cash itself. Regardless, the plan doesn't simply enhance an already good thing, it eliminates the decaying old buildings around the museum and makes the surrounding area even nicer,

[scrollhectic]

Lets see if this will ever happen... There are construction vehicles parked outside of westinghouse waiting for demo permits. I think any project in that area is still 5 years away... if we're lucky.


http://www.aetnarealty.com/propertie...6&type=summary

[21&Invincible]

I hope this moves along. Anyone arriving at Broad Street station gets greeted by that Westinghouse dump. And to be honest, walking past it freaks me out, especially the side on University Ave.