A Newark developer responsible for a number of projects around the city’s University Heights neighborhood over the last decade is now seeking to convert an existing building in the community into a mixed-use structure.
The Gomes Group is scheduled to go before the Newark Central Planning Board during a virtual meeting on Monday, November 2 to seek preliminary and final site plan approval with variances as part of the company’s plans for 50-56 Norfolk Street.
The four-story building on the premises was previously owned by the Newark Renaissance House, an organization described on Newark Public Schools’ website as serving “individuals, families and the community through innovative and multidisciplinary programs that treat the disease of addiction and the behavioral, mental health and lifestyle issues associated with this disease.”
An October 29 municipal staff report states that the proposed adaptive reuse project calls for 29 residential units, 1,950 square feet of commercial space, a 1,200-square-foot fitness room, and a tenant lounge. The existing parking lot at the corner of Norfolk Street and Sussex Avenue would remain.
There would be one studio, 19 one-bedroom units, and nine two-bedroom units, according to site plans from Inglese Architecture + Engineering that were released by the City of Newark.
The property is located within a short walk of the Norfolk Street stop on the Newark Light Rail and the Marion P. Thomas Charter School. Municipal tax filings list the Gomes Group as the current owner of 50-56 Norfolk Street, with county deed filings indicating that the Newark Renaissance House Foundation agreed to sell several parcels on the block to the company in June for more than $2.85 million.
The Newark Central Planning Board’s meeting is scheduled to begin over Zoom at 6:00 p.m.
Note to readers: The dates that applications are scheduled to be heard by the Newark Central Planning Board and other commissions are subject to change.
