Providing access to the Newark International Airport Train Station via the city’s Dayton neighborhood could create “a nexus of redevelopment” for what could be a new downtown.
Darius Sollohub, professor of architecture and interim director of the New Jersey School of Architecture at NJIT’s Hillier College, is part of the Airport City Newark coalition leading the transit-oriented development initiative. He provided an overview of the concept to NJTPA’s joint meeting of the Project Prioritization and Planning and Economic Development Committees on February 18.The long-term vision of the multimodal station would feature multiple connections to the Dayton neighborhood in Newark’s South Ward, including access from Frelinghuysen Avenue. Construction is expected to begin on the first phase this month and the Port Authority Board has announced it would open the train station at Newark to the community, Sollohub said.
Frelinghuysen Avenue, from the Elizabeth border to beyond the Route 22/78 overpasses, could become a corridor with emerging transportation technologies and Complete Streets features extending to downtown Newark, according to Sollohub.
In September, the NJTPA Board approved an amendment to its Unified Planning Work Program that included an allocation of $100,000 to NJIT for ongoing coordination of planning and development surrounding the new station. The work will include collaborating with the Port Authority, NJ TRANSIT, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the City of Newark.
More than 15 years ago the Port Authority tasked the Regional Plan Association (RPA) with studying New York’s airports to determine how they can stay competitive globally. Facilities were under almost constant renovation but there also was a shortage of runways for New York as a region to remain competitive. The projection then was to add two runaways but while that’s no longer on the table, examining development of Newark Airport has continued.In 2017, the Airport City Newark coalition was charged by Mayor Ras Baraka to examine Newark Airport in anticipation of extending the PATH from Newark Penn Station. Now, Airport City is fully integrated into the city’s master plan, Sollohub said.
Newark is in the process of undertaking designation for redevelopment of 37 acres near the Northeast Corridor line to the Elizabeth border. That’s largely because of groundbreaking by Lionsgate for a movie studio to open next year, Sollohub said. “There’s opportunity here for additional economic development and workforce development, pairing those things together as we move forward,” he added.
The coalition is working with local groups and organizations to support redevelopment planning from the community and be assured they have a voice in that.
The presentation can be accessed here and more information on Airport City Newark can be found at InTransition magazine.