An upcoming development in South Orange will bring several new residential units to this Essex County village.
The Y Group, LLC, which was registered out of Hoboken, will construct a four-story building at 14 Second Street between Sloan and Valley Streets. The project, which will be the first of its kind on this side street, is expected to include eight apartments along with 557 square feet of first floor retail space and 13 parking spaces.
The plans to grant Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval for the development were heard last year by the South Orange Planning Board. A rendering recently posted by Livingston-based project designer Jarmel Kizel Architects and Engineers shows that the entrance to the parking area will be in the middle of the building while the retail space will be just north of it.
The property is located a stone’s throw away from the South Orange train station and bus service to Downtown Newark, Bloomfield, Irvington, and Manhattan. It was acquired by The Y Group for $250,000 nearly six years ago, according to NJ Parcels records. Although the premises currently contain a vacant lot, a house dating back over 160 years used to stand there until it was demolished over the last few years.
This project comes amid an increase in mixed-use developments and proposals for new projects in and around Downtown South Orange. In addition to buildings that have already been completed such as The Gateway, Third & Valley, 320 Valley, and The Avenue at South Orange, additional complexes such as Meridia’s Village Commons, an eight-unit building at the NAPA Auto Parts site on Valley Street, and a 100-room hotel at the corner of West South Orange Avenue and Church Street are in the works.
In addition, the .52-acre former Wells Fargo bank property next door was listed for sale earlier this year as a residential and retail redevelopment opportunity. A note left by the South Orange Parking Authority last month for New Jersey Transit commuters who used to park on Wells Fargo’s property indicated that the lot has been sold, but the new owner is not yet clear.
