A developer that has been hard at work renovating a high-rise along the border of Downtown and University Heights has announced a partnership that will bring an expanding living concept to Newark.
Back in April last year, we were the first outlet to break the news about the revitalization of an 18-story tower at 155 Washington Street. The property, first built as a parking garage during the 1920s, was sold by Rutgers University to L+M Development Partners for just over $9 million.
Newark’s planning board approved a final design this July to adaptively reuse the longstanding structure into a 250-unit residential building sporting 6,250-square feet of retail space. The $91 million project, drawn up by Inglese Architecture + Engineering, calls for a new four-story building connected along Washington Street that will be home to institutional space for Rutgers University-Newark.
L+M Development Partners recently announced a partnership with Dave Barry, formerly of Ironstate Development, to bring the next Urby venture to the property. The communities embrace a design approach that emphasizes common spaces to facilitate interaction between tenants via amenities like coffee shops integrated into the lobbies and communal kitchens.
“The thriving, cultural hub of Newark is a perfect match for Urby as we focus on bringing community and fresh perspectives to retail and residential development,” said Barry, CEO of Urby. “Newark Urby will celebrate the design history of the city with this renovated tower and connect the building to the energy of Rutgers University and the movement within New Jersey and to NYC via convenient public transit.”
Newark’s spin on Urby, expected to be wrap construction in the spring of 2022, will include a rooftop deck, ground floor courtyard, gym, lounge areas and a music room. It will be the brand’s third outpost in New Jersey following 2017’s opening of a 69-story Urby tower in Downtown Jersey City, with the company also operating a 409-unit building in Harrison.
In terms of the Garden State, a 25-story Urby concept in Jersey City’s Journal Square was approved last year and had been set to break ground before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Another 466-unit Urby has been pitched for land near Hudson County Community College.
Urby has two other completed developments on Staten Island and in Stamford, Connecticut. The brand has recently set its sights on expanding throughout the country, as planning is underway to bring their developments to several cities including Dallas, Texas and Washington, D.C.
