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Mulberry commons 1 back to school
Mulberry Commons, once called Triangle Park, is a planned urban square in Newark, New Jersey. It was first proposed in 2005 to be the centerpiece of 22 acres (8.9 ha) of the city's Downtown surrounded by Gateway Center, Newark Penn Station, Government Center and Prudential Center, an arena which opened in 2007. The city had acquired deed to the park land in conjunction with the construction of the arena, but the project had not been further developed.
Contents
- Mulberry commons 1 back to school
- Mulberry commons 3 intro to reality
- Site and land acquisition
- Development proposals
- References
In March 2016, Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced that construction would begin in April after a landscape-design service request, with a projected completion in 2018. The plan includes a city square of 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) connecting to footbridge of 0.5 miles (0.80 km) over McCarter Highway and the Northeast Corridor to the Ironbound neighborhood with direct access to the train platforms at Penn Station.
The area around the Mulberry Commons, much of it owned by Edison Properties, will be developed by the company and other partners, initiallu converting the Newark Warehouse Building into retail and commercial space.
Mulberry commons 3 intro to reality
Site and land acquisition
The Triangle Park site is a parcel of approximately 2 acres (0.81 ha) in the shape of the triangle. The Central Graphic Arts Building, a 1907 Newark landmark also known as the Newark Warehouse Building, is located adjacent to the northeastern side of the park site, while Hamilton Street creates the southern side. It is situated within the larger block bounded Edison Place, Lafayette Street, McCarter Highway and Mulberry Street.
The site was earlier the rail yard of the western terminus of the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Newark and New York Railroad until service was discontinued and is used as a parking lot operated by Edison Park Fast operations, which owns numerous lots in the city.
The city acquired the land for the arena and park under the auspices of the Newark Downtown Core Redevelopment Corporation (NDCRC) for about $9.4 million in a series of complex purchase and transfer transactions with landowners Jose Lopez and Edison Properties, among others. The NDCRC was disbanded in April 2011 amid accusations of mismanagement. The land was transferred to Newark Housing Authority in February 2015.
Development proposals
The park was first proposed to act as a city square for new residential and commercial buildings in the district around the Prudential Center.
Edison Properties, which owns development sites on the periphery of the proposed park, had previous agreements with the city and proposed more a passive park with open space. It promoted the adaption of the former CNJ bridge to pedestrian walkway footbridge over McCarter Highway, the Northeast Corridor rail tracks south of Penn Station, and NJ Railroad Avenue to the city's Ironbound neighborhood, with a projected timeline of 2007 and an estimated cost between $40-$60 million.
In February 2015, the Municipal Council of Newark heard proposals for development of the park, which would change the original vision of the park and potential stakeholders. The city opted to work with Boraie Development, which had a proposal that included retail and entertainment facilities. According to Mayor Ras J. Baraka, the development of a 125,000-square-foot passive park would cost the city about $200,000 to $300,000 a year to maintain. Baraka stated that it was "a very valuable piece of land" should proceed with ratables.
In March 2016, the city announced a new plan to build a 2.5 acre public park and a footbridge of 0.5 miles (0.80 km) with a direct connection to the train platforms at Newark Penn Station ending at a park in the Ironbound named for Peter Francisco Edison Properties as well as other stakeholders including the Prudential Center, the New Jersey Devils, and J&L Parking Corporation, have contributed funds and will oversee the development of the remaining acreage for commercial and residential uses.