Members of the public will get a chance to weigh in regarding a plan to redevelop six properties in Newark, including one that used to include a prominent house of worship.
During its meeting this Thursday, March 5, at 7:00 p.m., the Newark Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) is scheduled to conduct a hearing concerning the plans for 28-30, 32-36, 38-40, and 42-46 Irvine Turner Boulevard along with neighboring 20-32 and 34 Livingston Street.
A company called The Art of Newark 2, LLC filed an application with the ZBA requesting Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval and more than half a dozen variances so that a six-story building with 155 residential units and parking can be constructed. It is not yet known whether retail space or apartments designated as “affordable” would be included.
Located near Newark Vocational High School, the Newark Housing Authority properties, and the Springfield Avenue Marketplace, the tracts currently sit vacant with several “Private Property: No Trespassing” signs on the premises.
However, until just a few years ago, the site was home to the Queen of Angels Church and School, an institution in New Jersey’s largest city that was once known as St. Peter’s. The main edifice was built in 1861 and was even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After the structures were torn down, the properties along Livingston Street and the former Belmont Avenue were listed for sale and sold for $1.2 million by the Archdiocese of Newark.
Municipal tax records list the owner of all six properties as 44 Irvine Turner Blvd, LLC, a company registered out of 545 Madison Avenue in Manhattan. The applicant for this project, The Art of Newark 2, LLC, is one of four firms incorporated over the last two years with similar names. All four companies have David Freund listed as the registered agent.
Note to readers: The dates that applications are scheduled to be heard by the Newark Zoning Board of Adjustment and other commissions are subject to change.
