If you thought the development of trendy and artisanal restaurants and loft apartments along Market Street, the construction of a new Prudential tower, redevelopment of Military Park, and the introduction of Teacher’s Village were the extent of Newark’s renaissance, think again.
And no, we’re not talking about a new Gap store.
The plans for redevelopment for Newark far exceed anything we’ve seen so far, and that’s just from one firm. RBH Group, the development firm behind Teacher’s Village, has some very ambitious plans for the downtown area. Game changing plans. Name changing plans. They’re calling it the SoMa (South of Market) Master Plan.
The site of the SoMa Master Plan is comprised of 79 different parcels that have already been acquired by RBH within the area bounded by Broad, Market, Washington and Hill Streets. The SoMa Redevelopment Project encompasses over 15 million square feet of development capacity within a 23-acre area south of Market Street.
Per RBH Group’s site, The SoMa Master Plan, completed in 2008, addresses issues concerning design, density, massing, program “fit,” balance and scale compared to neighborhood context, as well as circulation, parking, open space identity, and streetscape design. The plan also focused on promoting environmental sustainability; both in terms of the development’s contribution to a “green network” in Newark, as well as in the actual design elements planned for the buildings in the district. The SoMa Master Plan recommended phasing building development with creation of public space and landscaping. Special attention was also paid to enhancing security features within the proposed development.
World-renowned architect Richard Meier master-planned and designed the project. SoMa Newark Development will consist of approximately 15,000,000 sq ft: 8,000 Residential Units, 550,000 sq ft of Retail, 4,750,000 sq ft of Office, 7.7 acres of Open Space.
