An effort to revitalize Downtown Union has taken another step forward, as officials have approved a plan to add another mixed-use complex to the landscape, including a public plaza.
The Union Township Planning Board has approved the latest phase of Landmark’s Centurion Union Center project. Located at the intersection of Stuyvesant and Morris Avenues, the project will feature a six-story building with 113 rental residences and 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
Designed by MHS Architecture, with landscape design by Melillo Bauer Carman Landscape Architecture, the development’s centerpiece will be a landscaped, 24,000-square-foot public plaza with outdoor dining, seating areas, and flexible space for community events and seasonal activities.
The approval builds on the company’s years-long effort to revitalize Union Center, which was largely lined with aging, single-story retail buildings. The endeavor has since produced a growing collection of residential buildings, restaurants, shops and services under the CENTURION Union Center name.
The development currently features 267 rental residences and nearly 15,000 square feet of occupied retail space, with tenants that include Ayala Coffee, Pao Da Casa, Qsina 8, bb.q Chicken, Unity Bank, and more.
“When we first looked at Union Center, we saw a downtown that had tremendous potential but hadn’t experienced meaningful new development in decades,” said Manny A. Fernandez, Founder of Landmark. “Today, that transformation is well underway, and the new public plaza will be an important part of establishing Union Center as a destination for residents and visitors throughout the year.”
The newly approved building and another 82-unit mixed-use building currently under construction will frame the new plaza. Ground-floor shops and restaurants will open onto the public space, with a 10-foot-wide area along the storefronts designated for outdoor dining and pedestrian activity.
“One of the most important considerations was creating a space that could function in different ways throughout the year,” said Tom Carman, LLA, Principal of Melillo Bauer Carman Landscape Architecture. “The changes in elevation, planting areas, and smaller seating spaces give the plaza a comfortable scale for everyday use, while the larger open areas provide the flexibility for community events and gatherings.”
The newly approved building will feature setbacks above the fourth and fifth floors, creating private outdoor terraces for upper-level residences. It will also include 143 structured parking spaces.
“We wanted to create a building with its own architectural identity while respecting the character of downtown Union,” said Bruce Stieve, AIA, Principal and Chief Design Officer of MHS Architecture. “The design draws on the materials, colors and window patterns of the earlier CENTURION buildings, while complementing the scale of the surrounding streetscape.”
LANDMARK expects the currently under-construction phase of Union Center to come online in 2027. It will include 92 rental residences and about 14,000 square feet of retail space.
When complete, the Union Center development will comprise approximately 472 residences and 45,000 square feet of retail space across six buildings.
