A plan to bring changes to a Downtown Newark building that thousands of commuters either work in, pass by, or pass through each day could be approved tonight.
The Newark Central Planning Board is scheduled to discuss Onyx Equities’ proposed transformation of One Gateway Center during its meeting at 6:30 p.m. Onyx Equities, which recently acquired the 26-story building along Market Street between McCarter Highway and Raymond Plaza West by Newark Penn Station, revealed renderings in 2019 detailing plans to alter the appearance of the complex’s facade and interior. Signs also were posted near shuttered retail spaces throughout the second floor concourse advertising that major changes are in the works.
The proposed alterations include constructing a “jewel box” entrance to the building along Raymond Plaza West, making modifications to the Market Street entrance, installing new signage, and eliminating 21 parking spaces, according to a public notice. “Pedestrian friendly improvements” are also envisioned, including “a new pedestrian amenity that may include a rotating group of vendors” on the “landscaped island located on Raymond Plaza West.”
Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval with variances and deviations are being sought by Onyx Equities.
The Gateway Center complex is made up of multiple buildings stretching from Mulberry Street to Raymond Plaza West, all of which include second-floor concourses that are linked to each other by skywalks. The retail spaces in the Gateway Center are currently included in the concourses instead of at street level. One Gateway Center is the closest building to Newark Penn Station and is connected to the transportation hub by a walkway across Raymond Boulevard West. This system of walkways and concourses was developed decades ago to allow New Jersey Transit and PATH commuters who work in the Gateway Center to do so without ever needing to step outside, causing the complex to be described as a “city within a city.”
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.
