IRVINGTON — Planning experts from East Orange, Irvington and Orange met last week for the annual Tri-Community Commercial and Residential Development Seminar to talk over upcoming projects in the municipalities.|
The event was emceed by David Biagini of FirsTEAManagement representing Irvington’s Camptown Business Improvement District and it featured food from Chef Roscoe of RMT Catering.
Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren, accompanied by Director of Economic Development Laquana Best, gave the first presentation. Warren described several projects underway in the city, beginning with Pinnacle, which is being built at 72 S. Essex Ave. near Route 280 and the Orange Train Station.
“This is a project that will revitalize the area,” Warren said of the $32 million residential project.
Currently under construction, the apartment building features 90 units and 77 onsite garage parking spaces. Warren said the project will have additional parking spaces, bringing the total to 132.
Another development underway is Lia by Vermella, which Warren described as an “uber luxury project.”
“It’s filling up fast, they are getting a commuter crowd that has shed their kids,” Warren said.
Another project is being built at the site of the former Elks Lodge on Main Street.
“It came to us without personality so we sent them back to the drawing board,” Warren said, adding the rethought project had more personality and commercial space.
Warren also talked about Highland Park on Highland Avenue, near the Highland Avenue train station.
“It’s in a neighborhood with historic housing stock but without public parking spaces,” Warren said. “This allows us to have parking spaces in addition to parking for the building.”
Nearby, Scotland Apartments is being built at 448 Scotland Road.
“This is part of our grand scheme to strengthen our Highland Avenue Station,” he said.
Warren also mentioned the development planned for the Orange Memorial Hospital site, which calls for 1,000 residential units.
“We have, in the pipeline, close to 2,000 units,” Best said.
Asked about economic uncertainty impacting developers, Warren said they are undeterred.
“They believe things will be strong enough to maintain,” Warren said. “They believe there will be a continuing migration from New York.”
Kyana Woolridge, director of economic development and grants oversight for Irvington, followed Warren and talked about ongoing projects in the township.
At 734 Springfield Ave, a 156 unit residential building with 5,000 square feet of retail space is planned for the site between 21st and 22nd streets near the Newark border.
“I’m really excited about this project because it is going to change the landscape of Irvington,” Woolridge said, adding another project, a 48 unit building across the street, has been approved.
“So when you are entering or leaving Irvington you are going to have two new buildings,” Woolridge said.
Also in the works is Sankofa Enclave on 21st Street; ground was broken for the $100 million project in October. The project aims to revitalize a blighted section of Standard Place off of 21st street. Fifteen two-family houses will be built for homeownership and 240 units of high-quality affordable rental housing – including five units of supportive housing for young women aging out of foster care – will also be built.
Woolridge said that when working with developers Irvington has been insisting that not all of the properties be rentals.
“My thinking is you should build where you would live,” Woolridge said.
Woolridge also said her office has been working with developers and with the city of Newark on the Pabst Blue Ribbon site, which straddles the Irvington and Newark border.
Alycia Cohen, director of Policy, Planning, and Development for the City of East Orange, talked about pending development, including 400 units going up near the Brick Church train station.
Cohen said more than 2,200 residential units have come on line in the city in the last two years and 1,800 units are in the pipeline.
“We’ve been able to move a lot of projects along,” she said. “We’ve had eight grand openings in the last three months and three more coming.”
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