The Central Planning Board of Newark voted to approve a redevelopment plan that will deliver residential, retail, and commercial space to the Roseville neighborhood at a public hearing last week. The project, located at 137-151 Roseville Ave., will tear down an existing commercial building, redevelop a vacant lot, and deliver 56 residential units to a neighborhood with a long and complex history.
Records from the county register list two limited-liability companies based in Verona as the owners of the lots and existing building. The plans submitted to the board state that the commercial building, which was previously occupied by Lexington Plastic Surgery, will be torn down and that the four existing lots will be subdivided into seven.
The developers will then erect seven four-story mixed-use buildings. Six of the buildings will have eight residential units and two commercial pads on the ground floor. The site is located one block from the commercial district in Roseville and two blocks from I-280.
The property is also near the Park Avenue station of the Newark light rail, Branch Brook Park, and the site of the former Roseville Avenue School. Jersey Digs reported in 2021 that the latter location, which opened in Newark more than 140 years ago, was acquired by Newark developer Hanini Group to be redeveloped into a residential complex with 15 apartments.
While the central planning board voted to approve the site plan and a zoning variance for the project at its regular virtual hearing held last Monday, documents filed with the planning board show that the developers have been working on the project since 2022.
Israel Weiss, a member of the Brooklyn-based real estate investment firm Oceanview Capital Management, is the signatory on the application to the central planning board. The developer filed the application in September, nearly two years after securing approvals for what will soon become the tallest building in Brick City, the 45-story Arc Tower at 571 Broad St.
That project is slated to deliver 300 apartments with amenities including coworking spaces and communal lounges, as well as 1,800 square feet of ground-floor retail.
However, unlike the Arc Tower project, Weiss’ development in Roseville could face some hurdles from consumers given its location and the history of the neighborhood. Weiss’ project is immediately adjacent to the abandoned and dilapidated Genesis Towers, also known as Mac Evoy Court. That development, which encompasses 230,000 square feet and 272 units, was completed in 1938 and cost $1.5 million to develop, according to a report in The New York Times. Documents filed with the Essex County Register show the city now owns that development after a foreclosure order was filed in 2012 due to unpaid taxes.
The project also sits near the former Roseville Avenue train station, which connected the neighborhood to the Montclair-Boonton, Morristown, and Gladstone lines since its construction in 1856. The station was closed in 1984.
While Weiss’ project could serve as a catalyst for Roseville’s revitalization, the development may face challenges in attracting retailers and residents due to the neighborhood’s storied past. Overcoming the lingering effects of blight and neglect, particularly from the nearby Genesis Towers, could be pivotal to the project’s long-term success.
