By Chris Colabella

The Four Corners Millennium Project (FCMP) is set to transform Newark’s downtown commercial district into a residential and retail center, breathing new life into a part of the city once considered to be the epicenter of commerce in North Jersey.

Construction for the five-block, multi-use redevelopment project will create more than 200 new construction jobs, according to Tim Lizura, president and chief operating officer of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). “The Four Corner Millennium Project will add to the significant construction activity already underway in the City of Newark, “ he said.

The redevelopment of the area is being divided into project phases. Work on the first phase, which is expected to begin this summer, will include construction of a hotel and parking spaces. Residential and retail space will be built on the site of the once popular Paramount Theater. The FCMP is near Newark Penn Station, Gateway Center, City Hall and the Prudential Center, as well as the internationally renowned NJPAC.

More than 675 apartments will be built out of vacant and dilapidated office and warehouse space. An additional 220 residential units will be constructed over street-level storefronts. Planners hope the project will create a go-to area at Market and Broad streets where people will be able to live, work and play. In all, the project aims to transform five street blocks and includes 12 retail storefronts ranging in height from two to 16 stories.

The entire FMCP consists of approximately 1.2 million gross square feet, including:

• 135,000 square feet of retail
• 70,000 square feet of hotel (130 rooms)
• 900,000 square feet of residential space (studios, one, two and three bedroom units)
• 603 structured and below grade parking spaces.

Construction might have gotten started sooner, but RBH Group, owner of the project, was initially turned down when it first applied to the NJEDA for tax credits under the Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Program (UTHTCP). The state agency denied RBH Group’s application last year, confirmed Lizura, because the company wasn’t able to provide commitments for the bulk of the $410 million in capital needed for build-out. However, with those commitments in hand, RBH Group reapplied and was informed in January that the project received one of the very last grants awarded under the UTHTCP. That program is now part of the larger umbrella economic initiative known as the Economic Opportunity Act.

The NJEDA oversees the state’s economic initiatives aimed at incentivizing companies to stay in New Jersey or move here to create jobs and boost the economy. The FCMP will receive $33 million in tax credits and $19.5 million in funding from the Economic Redevelopment and Growth Program (ERG).

“The project represents a significant investment in the city’s historic center and will serve to further transform the commercial hub of Downtown Newark,” Lizura added. “From Four Corners to Springfield Avenue, state incentives have been critical to transforming the city’s vacant and blighted sites into areas of economic opportunity and growth.”

Chris Colabella is the president of Construction Information Systems, the only local project lead service serving construction companies in New Jersey. For more information about CISLeads.com or to request a free demonstration of our service, call 800-247-1727.