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Newark Citywide Master Plan September 2022 Prepared for City of Newark Office of Planning & Zoning | September 2022 What is Newark360? Newark360 is a community-based citywide Master Plan, developed in 2021-2022. The Plan will guide the physical development of the city for the next decade and beyond. newark360.org cover: GalleryRetail - Zay, Isaiah Little this page: Cesar Melgar Contents: i. Executive Summary 01 04 Newark Introduction Tomorrow p. 1 City of Prosperity p. 110 City of Culture p. 144 City of Neighborhoods p. 164 City of Families p. 208 City of Strength p. 238 02 05 Newark Implementation Today Newark Yesterday and Today p. 14 Policy Recommendations p. 272 A Decade of Change and Growth p. 26 Implementation Matrix p. 278 Health, Equity, and Resilience p. 40 in Newark Today 03 I. Appendix: Land Use Element Community II. Voices Appendix: Vulnerability Assessment III. Engagement Overview p. 78 Appendix: Virtual Engagement p. 84 Neighborhood Profiles IV. Community Workshops p. 86 Appendix: Engagement Feedback Citywide Survey p. 98 V. Appendix: Youth Engagement p. 102 Statistically-Valid Survey image: City of Newark A Letter from Mayor Ras J. Baraka To our Beloved Newark Community: Newark360 is a Master Plan aimed at giving our people the power to plan and shape the future of our city as it continues to grow over the next 10 years. I want to extend special thanks to everyone who shared ideas and feedback with our Office of Planning and Zoning team throughout development of this document. This plan could not exist without you! Our goal is to make sure Newark360 is shaped by the community, for the community and reflects the priorities of ALL of our unique, dynamic and diverse Newark voices. Everyone deserves to have a say in how the future of our city should grow, look, and feel. We Newarkers are the ultimate experts on what is best for us, and the city we call home must reflect that in every way. The process of developing Newark360 listened to that expertise and captured a vision for a city that is more connected, walkable, safe, and green. As much as we are proud to be Newarkers, Newark360 envisions a future that is even better, stronger, and healthier with recommendations to protect our cultural vitality, strengthen our neighborhoods, connect our people to jobs, and address historic environmental justice issues. As mayor of this great city, I have made it my mission to move Newark Forward by building an empowered, safer, educated, equitable, and collaborative city for all. Fundamental to our shared vision of a city is that it must be planned and built, block by block, by our vibrant and thriving communities. From protecting our long-time residents to raising the next generation of Newarkers and welcoming new residents to plant their roots in Newark, Newark360 is intended to be a framework created by community input to make sure that our future is created for and inclusive of everyone. You will see in the plan the goals and actions that reflect what we heard from you. Alongside the Office of Planning and Zoning’s robust and expansive community outreach, cross-collaboration across City departments will be critical to accomplishing the shared vision expressed by residents and bringing this plan to life. From improving our tree canopy, connecting our neighborhoods to each other and to careers, and safeguarding the culture and character of our history, Newark360 will ensure that the implementation of the master plan is transparent, accountable, and supported citywide. Newark360 will be the City’s guide and blueprint toward achieving a healthy, equitable, and resilient Newark for All over the next 10 years and beyond. I’m from Newark and proud of it. Thank you for making your voice heard to shape a city that makes us all proud to live, work, grow, play, and prosper together. Dear Newarker, A Master Plan is defined as the broad policy statement that guides the future growth and development of a city or town. At its best, a Master Plan should be based upon the inputs and priorities of the people of a community. In truth, the process of developing a Master Plan demonstrates who is truly powerful and who is not. Those with power are those able to envision and plan the future. In his eight plus years as Mayor, one of the most important and enduring principles of Ras J. Baraka has been to empower the people of Newark with the tools to shape our own destinies – in our families, our schools, our neighborhoods and our city itself. The message of his 2014 campaign for Mayor was When I Become Mayor, You Become Mayor. Since then, the most transformative policies and initiatives of Newark have been shaped by collaborations of residents, community leaders, educators, clergy, business, philanthropic and university leaders, developers, labor leaders, elected officials and students at every level. In 2022, the City of Newark is mandated by New Jersey state law to perform the once in a decade updating of its citywide Master Plan. The 2012 Plan, Our City Our Future, expires in September of 2022, and the Newark 360 Master Plan must update and expand on that with new priorities for the next ten years. In 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Baraka directed the City’s Office of Planning and Zoning to devise a collaborative planning process that could be a model for other cities. He required a process that would be the essence of democracy, empowering every Newarker with the opportunity to participate in shaping Newark’s post-pandemic recovery, and determining the City’s vision for the next decade. This Newark360 Master Plan is the result of the intense collaboration demanded by Mayor Baraka. It is the product of multi-lingual input by Newarkers through online community forums, an interactive website, in-person community workshops (two in every ward), questionnaires, stakeholder planning sessions and focus groups of populations often overlooked in urban planning. This plan does not represent just the personal vision of one elected leader, the Mayor, nor the collective opinions of powerful elites. It represents the empowered voice of all Newarkers, our hopes and dreams for ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods and our city. Allison Ladd Deputy Mayor Director, Newark Economic and Housing Development image: City of Newark Dear Newarkers, Newark360 is not the end of the Master Plan process but the beginning of a new conversation for Newark and its physical growth. The Master Plan has been shaped by the talent of its residents, stakeholders, advocates, and friends. It is the culmination of a process that is celebrated with over ten thousand touchpoints and informed by the people who will be the builders of Newark’s future. Newark360 is pillared by the principles of Health, Equity, and Resilience. The support from the community for these principles is translated into every page of this document, and they should be proud of their stellar insights, ground truthing, and vision they have advocated for this great American City. The vanguard recommendations articulated in this plan will transform Newark in the new decade, and build on the foundation of progress the city has established in the past decade. Newark360 lays outs goals for Newark and promotes the recommended land use changes that can get us there. With higher density recommendations, it will break down barriers for entry into the housing market which is the cradle of residential stability and wealth creation. It will increase the footprint for job opportunities through expanded residential, commercial and cottage industries, enabling Newarkers to be part of Newark’s economic success story. It mutes the conversation of the car and amplifies the advocacy for pedestrianized streets, increasing safety, economic activity, and environmental resiliency. This plan is from the people and for the people of Newark. Those who have stood the test of its storied history, and those it seeks to welcome to be part of its new chapter. The Office of Planning and Zoning is proud to have shepherded this process with the monumental support of our colleagues in the administration and the steadfast advisement from our philanthropic advisors, Bloomberg Associates. We are grateful to our outside planning firm consultants, Wallace, Roberts, and Todd (WRT) and their phenomenal sub-consultants, Arup, ONE Architecture, Ninigret Partners, Zakalak Associates, and Heyer, Gruel & Associates. We are forever indebted to the support we received from the incredible brain trust of our Steering Committee, our Technical Advisory Committee, and our academic institutions: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, New York University, University of Pennsylvania, and our friends at the City Planning Institute. This is your plan, Newarkers, and you should be most proud of the journey we have traveled to shape our city together. A future Newark that is stronger, as it moves forward. Christopher A. Watson City Planning Officer Office of Boards and Commission Office of Planning and Zoning image: Christopher A. Watson Executive Summary image: City of Newark Newark is.... Newark360 is.... Newark is growing. Newark360 is built on Newark Forward and grounded in Health, Equity, and Newark is the largest and fastest growing city in New Resilience. Jersey. Newarkers are concerned, though, that this growth may not be equitable. The 2018 Newark Forward plan charted the path for an equitable future. These themes underpin Newark is becoming more diverse. every page of this plan. Additionally, the principles of Health, Equity, and Resilience guided our Even in an already-diverse city, the past decade understanding of what the plan must achieve for all brought an increase in new residents, languages, and Newarkers. perspectives. Newarkers cite the diversity of cultures as the city's biggest strength. Newark360 is voiced by our community. Newark is defined by its people and their We spent 12 months in 2021-22 talking to Newarkers neighborhoods. from all neighborhoods and all walks of life, ensuring this plan meets our people where they are and is Newarkers are unafraid to voice their concerns and shaped by their voices throughout. their hopes for their city. They are also deeply rooted in their local communities: a majority of Newarkers Newark360 is our shared blueprint for surveyed would prefer to stay in their neighborhood. equitable growth in our city across the next decade and beyond. image: Newark Happening Shaping Our City Together | i Framework: The time is now to shape our city together. We have the opportunity to take stock of our city at a crucial juncture. Across the past decade, Newark has faced growth and inmigration, flooding and climate change, increasing housing costs, a national reckoning around racial injustice, and a global pandemic. A community-driven and actionable citywide Within all of these changes, the Newarkers who shaped this Master Plan plan see much potential in their city and its people: they love their parks, their diversity, their arts and cultures, and their deep and proud history. They have strong and powerful visions for a brighter future. Newark360 is that shared vision that will guide development for the next decade of growth. Newark360 is the community-driven update to the City of Newark's Master Plan. Pillars, Goals, and Actions incorporating eight As a Master Plan, Newark360 is primarily concerned with actions Plan Elements that have implications for our city's physical form. The plan compiles actions around transportation, housing, utilities, our historic structures, and the underlying land use and zoning codes 10 that underpin the legal framework for development. years The City of Newark will lead the way in implementing the actions described in the plan, but will rely on numerous community, civic, and business partnerships to do so. Above all, Newark360 relies A blueprint for the physical on the voices of our people to shape our city together. development of Newark for the next decade I love the diversity of this city and its spirit. It's hard to name the sense of grit, determination, and pride that Brick City's people have in one word. I'm so excited to be a part of its present and future. -Newark360 Website feedback ii | Executive Summary