A largely vacant property along one of Newark’s busiest outlying streets could soon be home to new residents and businesses.
A three-story mixed-use development is being proposed for 478-482 Springfield Avenue, between Holland Street and Blum Street. If approved by the Newark Zoning Board of Adjustment, the project would consist of 14 one-bedroom apartments on the upper two floors with three commercial spaces and one residential unit on the ground floor, according to a legal notice. The development is being proposed by Waleed Mohammad and Muhmood Ahmadi of Livingston, who are seeking a variance in order to permit the ground floor apartment.
Located in the Kent/Brenner/Springfield Redevelopment Area of the Central Ward, the site is situated within a few blocks of The Home Depot, West Side Park, and CityPlex 12. NJ Transit buses to Maplewood, Irvington, East Orange, and Newark Penn Station stop in front of the premises, which consist of a vacant gated lot that was previously used for parking and a long-vacant three-story building that once contained JR’s Carpet Furniture & Appliances and ShowTime Professional Nails.
NJ Parcels records show that the three tracts that make up 478-482 Springfield Avenue are owned by Mohammad and Ahmadi. Part of the property was sold to Mohammad and Ahmadi by the City of Newark in 2015 for $170,000 while the remainder was acquired by the owners from City Hall in 2016 for $18,500.
The Springfield Avenue corridor has seen several residential development proposals approved over the last several years, including Queen Latifah’s plan for two mixed-use buildings. However, with the exception of the completed 24 Jones project at the Springfield Avenue Marketplace, construction has yet to begin on most of the approved developments.
