Fall 2021 Studio Report

NEWARK AIRPORT CITY

FALL 2021

CITY PLANNING STUDIO University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design

CREDITS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was produced in the Fall 2021 “Future of the City” Studio group that was comprised of Master of City Planning Students at the Weitzman School of Design of the University of Pennsylvania.

Studio Members

With Special Thanks to

Bingchu Chen Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure Planning

Marilyn Jordan Taylor Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, University of Pennsylvania

Nilo Cobau Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure Planning

Darius Sollohub Associate Professor of Architecture, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Jackie Fernandez Public Private Development

Mark Ahasic, MBA, IATA, AvMP President, Ahasic Aviation Advisors

Will Friedrichs Smart Cities

Richard Barone Associate Vice President, Landrum & Brown

Christine Hassinger Public Private Development Trae Jordan Housing, Community and Economic Development Andrea Masterson Urban Design Noah Palau Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure Planning Tamani Simmons Housing, Community and Economic Development Xuezhu (Gillian) Zhao Smart Cities

Mark Pisano Professor of the Practice of Public Administration, University of Southern California Foster Nichols Technical Fellow, WSP Matthijs Bouw Professor of the Practice of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania Isaiah Little Manager of Digital Marketing, Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau Barbara Faga Professor of Professional Practice in Urban Design, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey Chris Watson Planning Officer, City of Newark Juan O’Neill Senior Planner Community and Economic Development, City of Newark

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction 2. Transitioning EWR to an Airport City Site description and location Existing conditions Challenges 3. Strategies 3.1 Transportation connectivity 3.2 Expanded station and plaza 3.3 Job creation 3.4 Frelinghuysen Future 3.5 Dayton-Weequahic Neighborhood Development 3.6 Weequahic Park and the Environment 3.7 Newark Identity and Culture 3.8 Development of Sites on Airport Properties 4. Funding and financing 5. Community Engagement and Participation Plan 6. Conclusion

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1. Introduction The focus and goal of this report is to put forward a plan to reshape the Newark Liberty International Airport (Airport) and Dayton neighborhood into Newark’s Airport City - a mixed-use, economically robust neighborhood that leverages the airport’s success for the benefit of the entire city.

Such a bold plan, initiated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey with redevelopment and modernization plans for the Airport, can only be successful if it moves forward in close collaboration with the leadership of the City of Newark. Newark’s South Ward — an underinvested neighborhood to the west of the Airport — is the local community that will be a primary beneficiary of the project. The central idea is to combine of the initiatives and goals of the City and Airport, to create an airport that is “of” the city, not just “in” it.

Context of the Port Authority and the City

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1.1 A Pivotal Moment For Newark The partnership between the Port Authority and the City of Newark has the once-in-ageneration opportunity to foster the creation of an Airport City in the Newark neighborhood of Dayton. Both organizations have existing, separate plans for

Introduction | Section 1.1 |

the neighborhood, which must be considered in any Newark planning. However, while these organizations have historically struggled to work jointly on projects, the plan outlined by this report represents a pivotal moment for both the City and Port Authority to come together and realize this vision to the benefit of both parties.

The Port Authority’s plans involve the remaking of the Airport itself—namely the construction of a free-standing Terminal A, set to open in early 2022. This will replace the almost 50-year-old current terminal A. An essential replacement for the current and outmoded AirTrain is in the planning stages and will soon move toward procurement and construction. The Port Authority is also preparing for the creation of an Airport Master Plan that will define the replacement of Terminal B and establish

Figure 1.1.1

Ras J. Baraka, Newark's 40th Mayor.

a concept for Terminal C that will be implemented in future years. The Port Authority’s master plan will also address the demands of increased travel and goods transport over the years ahead.

This new airport – the fifth “makeover” following original construction in 1928 – will be more inclusive, environmentally friendly, and central to the City of Newark than any of the previous versions of the airport that have been on this site.

Under the leadership of Mayor Ras Baraka, the City of Newark kicked off a new Master Plan: Newark360, which focuses on addressing the extraordinary challenges cities like Newark are facing in the 21st century. Topics include recovery in the wake of COVID-19, resilience to Introduction | Section 1.1 |

climate change, responding to economic distress, and strategies to shape the ways Newark might better provide for the common, shared, and inclusive good of its residents. The work encompassed in both plans must include strong commitments on both stakeholders’ parts in order to meaningfully address these challenges.

The parallel plans by Newark’s Port Authority and the City of Newark have created a transitional moment for the city.

This report aims to put forward a pathway for Newark that, with cooperation from the City and Port Authority, would allow it to make the most of this moment of transition by creating an Airport City in Dayton.

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What is an Airport City?

An Airport City is a place that bridges the economic success of an airport to its surrounding neighborhoods to create a well-connected, economically robust, mixed-use neighborhood.

This multi-pronged approach leverages the airport as a catalyst to promote local development and growth​. This ultimately produces a­ ­dense activity node that is composed of a multitude of uses rather than just parking and warehouses, as seen surrounding so many airports today. This model truly allows for the airport’s wealth to flow into the community and sustain equitable Airport (HJAIA). In a Master Plan development. created in 2019, 320 acres west of HJAIA were studied for the There are several examples of creation of an Airport City. The plan existing Airport City plans that have aimed to “encourage strategic and endeavored to implement plans for sustainable community-centered an Airport City, both nationally and development to create a publicly internationally. The prime example accessible, live, work, and play used for this report is the Hartsfield- community and global destination Jackson Atlanta International at this highly desirable site.”

Heading

An Airport City is a place that bridges the economic success of an airport to its surrounding neighborhoods to create a well-connected, economically robust, mixed-use neighborhood. Dayton is particularly well suited to being an Airport City. First, it is immediately adjacent to the Northeast Corridor, the busiest rail line in the United States. This gives neighborhood residents and airport users direct access to the massive national job center in

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Introduction | Section 1.1 |

Manhattan, as well as connection to many other midsize (Newark, Trenton, New Brunswick, New Haven, Hartford, Stamford, and Bridgeport), and large (Philadelphia and Washington D.C.) cities. In addition, a large amount of developable land surrounding the Airport sits underutilized as industrial and warehouse use, providing little economic benefit proportional to its acreage. The space makes transformation possible without the displacement of

Figure 1.1.2

Model of an Airport City.

residents or small businesses, creating the potential for a cohesive neighborhood fabric that has an interdependent relationship with the Airport. Lastly, Dayton ranks extremely low in terms of economic outcomes. The neighborhood’s low levels of income, educational attainment, and high rates of poverty highlight the need for greater connection to the Airport, and the urgent need to connect Dayton residents to the positive economic impacts the Airport City would bring to their currently underinvested community.

Introduction | Section 1.2 |

1.2 Realizing an Airport City In order to foster the growth and development of an Airport City within Newark’s South Ward, its residents must be able to access the airport’s economic potential. As the largest asset in the area, the airport can Need for an provide equitable economic growth Airport City in Newark to its surroundings and help the local community thrive. However, visitors to the airport arriving via highway or train currently aim to reach the airport terminal as quickly as possible, too often perceiving Newark as little more than the place to catch their plane. Neighborhood residents, meanwhile, drive down Frelinghuysen Avenue on their way

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to their jobs at the airport or in downtown Newark, interacting little with the derelict factories and warehouses along the way. Neither group has reason to spend substantial time in the area.

Changing these behaviors will take time, but the strategies laid out in this plan could realize the vision of Newark’s Airport City. Newark has a once-in-ageneration opportunity to leverage the redevelopment of the airport. The first step is to build on this functioning airport with plenty of hidden gems and the city should now take it to the next level for it to be more attractive to visitors and helpful for the residents. The airport as it stands today is very disconnected from the City of Newark and the surrounding communities.

First, there must be a diversification in the industries around the Airport to facilitate the economic growth triggered by the Airport’s redevelopment. This asset needs to be leveraged to have businesses located in the neighborhood. Second, there needs to be a redevelopment of the neighborhood for people-centric design.

As of now, there are very undesirable conditions along Frelinghuysen Avenue, making it very unpleasant for pedestrians to be walking. In addition, there is little activity in the area, which would hinder any neighborhood cohesion. Lastly, attention must be paid to the equity of development occurring. As one of the mayor’s pillars, equitable development would also ensure that the current residents and businesses would benefit similarly from their location to this asset.

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Introduction | Section 1.2 |

Figure 1.2.3

Airport City.

Besides economic outcomes, Newark's Airport City needs to be rooted in concepts of green infrastructure, smart cities, and the 15-minute city, and as such our vision focuses on improving and connecting existing environmental resources. This not only gives the airport a competitive edge but also leverages the resources available.

The airport does not make for a good neighbor as the amount of noise pollution and emissions can harm the residents of Dayton. For both the neighborhood and the airport to flourish there needs to be a specific emphasis on well-being. This connection to the environment is made possible by the airport’s proximity to Weequahic Park, which provides forested areas, green spaces, and water access.

This park is currently underutilized and can be a core part of the experience of the neighborhood and the sustainability of the airport. This needs to be a complete neighborhood for the people that currently live there as well as those who will move there in the future.

Figure 1.2.3

Aerial View of the Neighborhood and study area.

Changes are also needed in and along Frelinghuysen Avenue, which is the oversized, high-capacity four-lane road that runs through the heart of Newark’s Dayton neighborhood. Currently it functions as a highway, with its design prioritizing industrial access and through traffic than community-oriented “main street” use. In the realm of land use and zoning, changes to the City’s zoning districts are needed for further redevelopment along the Frelinghuysen Introduction | Section 1.2 |

Avenue corridor. Additionally, the avenue itself must be redesigned in a way that aligns with established best practices for complete streets. The goal for the development in this area is to create a new and thriving mixed-use district that is a critical element in bringing the city and the airport together to make Newark an Airport City where all residents can access daily goods, services, and amenities within 15 minutes of walking and biking.

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This report outlines those proposed changes first with a review of the existing state of what will become the Airport City. Following is a section providing the groundwork for the area’s transformation from obsolescence to prosperity—this

Eight Strategies

includes a vision statement for the overall project, and exploration of the existing conditions in Dayton and Weequahic as well as at the Airport. The report then describes specific strategies grouped into the following eight categories.

The following eight strategies serve as the guiding principles outlined in this report.

1 |

Transportation Connectivity

2 |

Expanded Station and Plaza

3 |

Job Creation

4 |

Frelinghuysen Future

5 |

Dayton-Weequahic Neighborhood Development

6 |

Weequahic Park and the Environment

7 |

Newark Identity and Culture

8 |

Development of Sites on Airport Properties

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Introduction | Section 1.2 |

2. Transitioning EWR to an Airport City Newark’s Dayton Neighborhood is a predominantly working-class community that has struggled economically in recent decades, but the opportunities associated with the Airport create the potential for our transformative vision. The potential for new development within the Dayton Neighborhood and the location of the airport along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor gives the South Ward, and Dayton in particular, the potential to be a world-class Airport City.

2.0 Vision The vision of this plan calls for a transformation of Dayton while prioritizing the long-term well-being of its existing communities. Transit-oriented residential and commercial uses will fill space that is now occupied by large-lot industrial and logistics buildings. The Dayton neighborhood will continue to be a place where diverse working-class people can thrive, but with the added benefit of being within a 15-minute city that provides easy and quick connection to daily household needs via walking or cycling. The combination of quick rail trips to downtown Newark and Manhattan, a beautiful and historic nearby park, and easy access to the Airport can be leveraged to bring amenities and job access to existing residents as well as to those who will move into new residential units coming in the near future.

The Airport will be the key economic driver for the neighborhood, creating an affordable local hub of activity and life, as well as an international destination.

Introduction | Section 2.0 |

Figure 2.1.1-2.1.2

NYC metro region statistics and map.

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Dayton

2.1 Site Description and Location The South Ward is one The study area is situated of Newark’s five political immediately west of the wards. It encompasses airport. It is roughly bound most of the sites of by Elizabeth Avenue and the Newark Liberty Weequahic Golf Course International Airport as to the west, Virginia Street well as Port Newark. to the south, the lots on While both economic the airport side of the rail powerhouses are in the tracks to the east, and South Ward, they are also Peddie Street to the north. partially located in the City While the Airport City will of Elizabeth and interface have far-reaching effects with multiple levels of that will spill past these government. The South boundaries, the focus of Ward is bisected by the this plan and its strategies Northeast Corridor, the is contained within the Raritan Valley rail lines, study area, which is the and numerous highways, neighborhood known as which ultimately limit local Dayton. access to Newark Liberty International Airport and its economic benefits.

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Introduction | Section 2.1 |

Figure 2.1.3

Dayton Basemap.

Introduction | Section 2.1 |

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2.2 Existing Conditions The following sections, using information from the city of Newark and previous studios that have focused on the Dayton and Weequahic neighborhoods, summarize the existing conditions of the study area. The existing conditions section highlights both the conditions most conducive to the creation of an Airport City as well as those that must be addressed to fulfill the vision for this neighborhood’s transformation into an Airport City.

Figure 2.2.1

Demographic snapshot for the Dayton neighborhood.

Demographics — Dayton Snapshot The Dayton neighborhood has had historically low levels of educational attainment, household incomes, and other socioeconomic indicators. According to the American Community Survey fiveyear estimates, Dayton’s 2019 population was 2,670—less than 1% of Newark’s population. One third of the Dayton’s population is over the age of 55 and 34% have not finished high school (compared to 24.7% of Newark residents). In addition, the median household income is less than half that of Newark ($15,333 and

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Existing Conditions | Section 2.2 |

$35,199 respectively) and nearly 20% of the population is below the poverty line.

The Dayton community has 2,068 housing units (less than 2% of Newark’s housing stock) and only 7.6% are owned by their occupants compared to 22.3% in Newark overall. This data is heavily influenced by several affordable senior housing projects that contribute disproportionately to the neighborhood’s population. Finally, more than 65% of Dayton households are without a car, limiting community access to greater Newark as well as the economic and employment benefits of the airport.

Employment Data Comparing the study area to the rest of Newark reveals differences between the leading sectors of employment in those places. However, the Transportation and Warehousing sector and the Health Care and Social Assistance sector persist as significant employment hubs at a city-wide as well as neighborhood scale.

Newark Newark’s leading industries are Transportation and Warehousing (24.3%), Health Care and Social Assistance (12.2%), and Finance and Insurance (9.9%). The first two industry sectors, as mentioned previously, are consistent with leading industries in the study area. Finance and Insurance, however, is more prominent on the citywide scale due to its concentration in downtown Newark.

Existing Conditions | Section 2.2 |

Figure 2.2.2

Employment sectors in Newark, Dayton, and Weequahic.

Dayton The Dayton neighborhood is home to a wide variety of jobs. Situated next to the Airport and amidst a patchwork of arterial roads, Dayton has a significantly lower percentage of residential zoning in the area than nearby neighborhoods. It contains comparatively more mixed-use and industrial zones within its boundaries. Wholesale Trade makes up the largest sector of jobs in the area at 31.6%, followed by Transportation and Warehousing at 15.7%, and Healthcare and Social Assistance at 13.0%.

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Underutilized Buildings and Land Throughout the study area, there are large swaths of underutilized sites that detract from the neighborhood’s attractiveness, efficiency, and productivity. The primary areas of focus for this section are along Frelinghuysen Avenue, which has minimal activity besides automobile transit.

Frelinghuysen Avenue

Seth Boyden Terrace

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The area along Frelinghuysen Avenue in the north of the study area is currently comprised of a mix of industrial uses, including transportation companies, warehouses, and gas stations.

With its location near the patchwork of highways that surround the neighborhood such as US 22, I-78, and US 1-9, these activities can contribute to lower health outcomes for residents of the area. Further south along Frelinghuysen Avenue, there are few businesses that face the arterial. Much of this arterial is lined with old warehouses that sit abandoned and are not visited by high volumes of people.

Further south in the study area is the abandoned Seth Boyden Terrace property. This 12-building, 530-unit housing development was built in 1939 by the Newark Housing Authority and was the first public housing project built

Existing Conditions | Section 2.2 |

Figure 2.2.3

Aerial view of underutilized land.

in Newark. Originally opened only to white families, the Seth Boyden Terrace development began to see a switch in race of its residents as the years wore on and maintenance needs went unmet. After the development fell into disrepair and the 2000s did not provide enough funding to address the myriad problems of the towers, the buildings were phased out of use, leaving residents in the remaining buildings to deal with vacant and boarded up neighboring units, pest infestations, drug dealing, violence, and prostitution on the site. By 2012, Seth Boyden Terrace was mostly vacant, and at present, it is completely abandoned.

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4 Figure 2.2.4-2.2.8 Legend 1. Abandoned Seth Boyden projects along Frelinghuysen Avenue 2. Graffiti at vacant Seth Boyden projects 3-5. Old warehouse buildings sitting on the arterial

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Existing Conditions | Section 2.2 |

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Figure 2.2.9

Abandoned housing at Seth Boyden Terrace.

Housing As mentioned previously, there are just over 2,000 housing units in the study area. Much of the housing within the neighborhood is either single-family houses or public housing units that are owned and maintained by the Newark Housing Authority (NHA), an independent housing agency which presently owns 24 public housing properties within the city in addition to several mixed-income apartment buildings. Established in 1938 following the United States Housing Act of 1937, the NHA is led by an Executive Director and

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Existing Conditions | Section 2.2 |

Board of Commissioners, who are appointed by the mayor.

During a time in which many families have faced financial hardship due to medical expenses, layoffs and furloughs, deaths of primary earners, as well as an economic recession, 58% of households in Newark were considered rent burdened as of 2020. With this tumultuousness persisting well into the year of 2021, yet another problematic scenario arises as the state-wide eviction moratorium is set to expire on December 31, 2021.

Figure 2.2.10 Map of all the bus routes and stops in the area.

Connectivity By rail, EWR passengers can choose to take either NJ Transit’s Northeast Corridor Line or North Jersey Coast Line to Manhattan or Amtrak’s Northeast Regional Lines. Amtrak has a limited service with less than 10 daily trains going to Manhattan. NJ Transit, however, has a much more frequent service offering up to 4 or 5 trains per hour throughout the day. However, NJ Transit’s train schedules are often unpredictable, inconsistent, and highly variable. Thus, it is difficult for passengers to know if or when trains are available and could double the 30-minute train ride due to the additional time it takes for the next train to arrive, which can be up to 45 minutes. Furthermore, there is no service from about 1 am to 5 am, which means that workers and those who have late/early flights might not be able to use public transportation to get them where they need to go. The station also does not connect to the neighborhood, limiting the opportunities of the residents. Lastly, the Existing Conditions | Section 2.2 |

PATH train terminates at Newark Penn Station about 2.5 miles from the airport.

There have been some talks in place to extend PATH service to the airport as it would provide frequent, fast, and overnight service though that would have a high cost due to the additional infrastructure that would need to built for the extended PATH service to be feasible.

There is currently no direct connection from Downtown Elizabeth to Dayton and through to Downtown Newark. There is only one NJTransit bus route that goes through the northern part of the Dayton neighborhood that has stops through Elizabeth and downtown Newark. However, the number of stops and a circuitous routing contribute to a ride time of almost 50 minutes. Not only is the length of the trip inconvenient, but the lack of stops directly within the Dayton community prevents the mobility of most residents.

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NJTransit bus routes 37, 59, 65, and 66 all have stops along the border of Dayton, however, these are focused on servicing the airport There is Coach USA bus route 24/25 that runs through Dayton along Frelinghuysen Avenue, but there are no stops within the neighborhood boundaries. Only route 37 goes through the edge of the study area and connects to the airport. The Newark Airport Railroad acts as a border between the airport and the Dayton community. Only parking lots and industrial businesses are housed along the railroad border which reduces access to just vehicles and workers. The lack of access and pedestrian-unfriendly orientation of the existing infrastructure prevents the Airport City vision from being realized.

The current roads within the study area are in dismal condition. The sidewalks are in poor condition, there are no cycling facilities, and all the roads are designed with only vehicle throughput in mind even at the expense of the safety of other road users. However, there is a major opportunity to transform the area into a pedestrian-friendly zone as throughtraffic volumes are incredibly low within the neighborhood though high speed. To begin with, both I-78, and I-95 as well as the US 1/9 loop to the Airport exist within relative proximity to the site. Providing easy routes for fast through auto traffic to use instead of the local roads within the area of the future Newark Airport City.

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Existing Condtions | Section 2.2 |

Figure 2.2.11

NJT buses.

Newark Liberty International Airport On a more macro-level, Newark Liberty International Airport is well connected to the nation and the world. United has its third-largest hub at the airport. In 2017, the airport was the sixth-busiest airport in the nation for international passenger traffic.

With the expansion and development of the new Terminal A, the airport will be able to accommodate an increased number of flights. The two parallel runways, which are too close together to be used independently and the one alternative runway pose a great limitation on the number of flights that can take off and land at the airport currently. There are additional plans in development to replace the remaining terminals to continue to increase passenger capacity and to add a future runway west of the terminals.

Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the three primary airports that make up the system of airports in the New York City region. It is the second-largest airport in terms of passenger volume as well as total airport size. However, it is the only airport with a direct rail connection in the region, though only about 1.2 million people used the train to get to the airport. Besides the 43 million passengers using the airport, there are about 22,000 people employed for airport operations, which makes the Airport one of the largest employers in the city.

Figure 2.2.12 Airport statistics.

Well-being While many airports bring significant economic benefits, airports are some of the largest sources of pollution in the US and living near one has a significant negative impact on one's health. Newark’s airport also creates significant noise pollution. New Jersey is already one of the loudest areas on the East Coast, and while modern jets and noise-reducing maneuvers have helped limit noise pollution in recent years, there is still an impact on the surrounding communities that puts the residents’ health at risk.

Figure 2.2.13 Noise pollution map.

Existing Conditions | Section 2.2 |

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Figure 2.2.14

Tree cover map.

Environment The airport and the Dayton neighborhood lack access to nature and green space as well as having too many impervious surfaces that make flooding situations worse. The airport terminals are also surrounded by acres of tarmac that contribute to the increased levels of storm water run-off.

New Jersey is nicknamed “the Garden State” and has some of the most productive farmland in the United States which is great for many types of produce as well as having extensive forested lands in the north and south of the state. However, much of the produce used at the airport and nearby is not necessarily locally produced as it may be cheaper to ship in from across the country or from overseas. Furthermore, local produce is only available during certain times of the year which makes sourcing unpredictable. With many farms located near to the city and the potential for community gardens to produce food crops, the airport and neighborhood have the potential to work together to support

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Existing Conditions | Section 2.2 |

farm-to-fork programs and create a more sustainable food system.

Additionally, the parkland that exists Dayton is underutilized and under cared for. Located in the study area is Weequahic Park, the second largest developed park in Essex County (more than 300 acres (about half the area of Central Park in New York City). It is an Olmstead-designed Park that is located about 1 mile away from the current terminal and future terminals could sit as close as 1,000 feet from the park.

The county’s largest lake – Weequahic Lake, which is 80 acres – is located within the park but is also underdeveloped and underutilized. The park has various facilities, including basketball courts, tennis courts, baseball fields, softball fields, and picnic areas, and attracts visitors to come by car.

The park also hosts the first public golf course in New Jersey. Another amenity in the park includes a jogging trail, which is a 2-mile loop around the southern portion of lake.

Figure 2.2.15-2.2.18 1. Weequahic Park Entrance 2. Lake and jogging path

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3. Sports fields 4. Playground and new community center

Furthermore, New Jersey has a history of providing subsidies and is pushing towards making a more sustainable energy grid.

Newark has launched an energy efficiency project in 2020 that will reduce its electricity needs and save money. This progress has been illustrated through the solar panels on light poles seen frequently in the South Ward. Just this August, NJIT has launched its local microgrid planning website, https://microgrids.io/. Though in the initial planning stages, these efforts show Newark’s capability in being a pioneer to not only establish municipal microgrid systems but also partner with the airport to make smart energy supply a part of the airport.

New Jersey’s current electricity consumption is fueled mostly

Figure 2.2.19

Electricity generation.

using fossil fuels such as natural gas and while this provides low-cost energy, it is not sustainable in the long-term. While Nuclear does provide the second most common energy source in the state, many people oppose nuclear power and nuclear power plants are beginning to reach the end of their useful lives with no replacements in the works. These will inevitable be replaced with more fossil fuel-based energy sources as there is not the capability for renewables to provide the base load capacity that the grid requires.

Existing Conditions | Section 2.2 |

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2.3 Challenges The study area is marked by many challenges that have resulted from decades of disinvestment. The lack of connectivity, abundance of distressed and disused properties, need for meaningful jobs with livable wages, and necessity of affordable housing is a common plight experienced in cities across the country and holds true for Dayton.

Figure 2.3.1 Low-lying areas of the neighborhood and airport are vulnerable to flooding.

While this disinvestment has left the neighborhood as one of the poorest and inequitable of Newark, the location of Dayton next to the airport creates a unique opportunity to leverage its redevelopment to create a new and thriving mixed-use district that is a critical element in transforming Dayton into an Airport City. It will be a place that: bridges the economic success of the airport to its surrounding neighborhoods; creates a well-connected, economically robust, mixed-use neighborhood; and allows residents to access daily goods, services, and amenities within 15 minutes of walking and biking.

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section header Challenges | Section | subtopic 2.3 | |

A key component of this vision and implementation strategy is coordination and community engagement. Stakeholders at the City, Airport, and Port Authority will need to collaborate frequently to achieve this vision. Emphasis must also be placed on close and continuous community engagement. The decades of disinvestment in the Dayton community have left the area without resources and opportunities. With this potential to leverage millions of dollars of investment, community ownership and empowerment is key to ensuring that the equity of this development benefits and serves those already living there.

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3. Strategies

Strategies | Section 3.1 |

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Heading

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Strategies | Section 3.0 |

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Map Title Figure 3.0.1

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3. Strategies The following section details possible strategies to achieve this vision and transform the Dayton community into an Airport City.

3.0 Eight Strategies In order to transform the Dayton neighborhood into Newark’s Airport City, a number of steps need to be taken. Increasing transportation connections, diversifying industry, creating meaningful jobs, and designing human-centric spaces take a multitude of strategies to bring the vision of Newark’s Airport City to fruition.

This section lays out multiple options for the City of Newark and Port Authority to investigate as potential strategies to implement in the Dayton neighborhood.

The following eight

Eight strategies serve as Strategies the guiding principles outlined in this report.

11 | | Transportation Transportation Connectivity Connectivity 22 | | Expanded Expanded Station Station and and Plaza Plaza 33 | | Job Job Creation Creation 44 | | Frelinghuysen Frelinghuysen Future Future 55 | | Dayton-Weequahic Dayton-Weequahic Neighborhood Neighborhood Development Development 66 | | Weequahic Weequahic Park Park and and the the Environment Environment 77 | | Newark Newark Identity Identity and and Culture Culture 88 | | Development Development ofof Sites Sites on on Airport Airport Properties Properties

Figure 3.0.1

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Strategies | Section 3.0 |

Eight strategies in the Dayton neighborhood.

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Map Title

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Place-Based Strategies

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1.

Train Station Expansion

2.

Amiri Baraka Plaza

3.

Job Training Centers

4.

Frelinghuysen Ave Street Calming

5.

Haynes Ave Closure

6.

Seth Boyden Terrace Redevelopment

7.

Dayton High School Retrofit

8.

Weequahic Park Improvements

9.

US-22 Closure

Strategies | Section 3.0 |

Figure 3.0.2

Place-based strategies in the Dayton neighborhood.

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3.1 Transportation Connectivity The first section of strategies seeks to address the lack of connectivity in the study area. With limited bus routes stopping in the area and physical bridge connections to the Airport, it is difficult for residents of the Dayton neighborhood to access the economic and cultural opportunities that currently exist. These strategies aim to increase the accessibility of the Airport to residents and bridge the neighborhood to opportunity.

Figure 3.1.1

Newark Liberty International Station.

Increased Rail Access Strategy Newark Liberty International Airport is uniquely situated along the Northeast Corridor - the busiest rail corridor in the United States. This means that the airport is directly connected to Manhattan, where millions of people pass through New York Penn on the way to work and leisure activities.

164,470 per year from Amtrak in 2019. This represents a small portion of travelers that are using the airport to fly in and out annually.

As such, there is a large opportunity to capture more of these users and help to alleviate congestion on the roads in the area as well as provide cheaper and easier transportation options for employees.

The first step of increasing rail access is Currently, the Newark Liberty International to open the station to the neighborhood, Airport Station serves about 1.5 million which will be discussed on the next section passengers a year on NJ Transit and of the plan, “Expanded Station and Plaza”.

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Strategies | Section 3.1 |

Figure 3.1.2

Existing (top) vs. proposed station extension (bottom).

In the short term, our strategy is to increase rail service by working with New Jersey Transit. This increased service will offer access to downtown Newark in under 6 minutes and Manhattan in under 20 minutes, allowing for frequent all-day and one-seat service to provide access to the most popular destinations from the airport.

Furthermore, this service will permit trains to run frequently and consistently as today services run about every 15 minutes during the peak hours of 0700-0900 and 1600-1800, however, the off-peak services currently tend to run every 30 minutes to 45 minutes which is an unacceptably long amount of time as planes arrive consistently all day from about 0500-0000.

The primary constraint of adding more trains in the peak hours is that there is not Strategies | Section 3.1 |

enough equipment nor enough room in the North River Tunnels, but these constraints do not currently exist during the off-peak hours so excess tunnel and equipment capacity could be utilized. During the peak hours, increased service could be achieved by increasing the number of trains that stop at the station instead of bypassing it, as the trains currently do today.

In the long term, the strategy is to extend the PATH service from Midtown and Lower Manhattan to the airport from its current terminus at Newark Penn Station. This extension has been studied by the Port Authority as a way to increase the ridership on the PATH trains as well as reduce congestion in the area. This will provide rapid transit service in a dedicated right-

33

Figure 3.1.3 Newark Liberty International Station.

of-way that will limit service disruption Regional Plan Association in their 2013 as well as provide an even cheaper cost study “Extending PATH to EWR”. per trip than what can be delivered on the traditional railroads.

As the airport continues to add to its annual passenger count, coordination with Amtrak Furthermore, this service could eventually can offer increased service and connecting run 24 hours a day, which is consistent with service to and from other cities along the the current PATH operating hours. This will Northeast Corridor such as Philadelphia, connect the airport directly to the 980,000 PA, Trenton, NJ, New Rochelle, NY, jobs and 300,000 people within 0.5 miles of Stamford, CT, and New Haven, CT. the existing PATH network. This extension could also add other stops in Newark which These rail infrastructure upgrades and will further increase the population and job improvements will not only serve the centers that can be accessed by rail from passengers flying in and out of the airport, the airport. This proposal is gone over in but they will also be a fast and reliable more detail in a 2017 scoping report by connection for residents of the study area the Port Authority. This extension can be in Dayton and the nearby neighborhood funded by introducing a toll on the roads of Weequahic to jobs in downtown Newark that enter the airport as proposed by the and New York City.

34

Strategies | Section 3.1 |

Figure 3.1.4 Strategies | Section 3.1 |

Newark Airport AirTrain.

35

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36

section header Strategies | Section | subtopic 3.1 | |

36

Case Study

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37

Enhanced Bus Service Strategy This strategy presents the possibility of introducing an enhanced bus service to connect Elizabeth to the airport city to Newark downtown, but also to serve as a connection within the airport city. Potentially there would be 4-6 stops along Frelinghuysen Ave that would connect residents and workers in the airport city to the train station and then offer express service to points beyond, whether that is Elizabeth downtown or to Newark downtown. This would be augmented with transit lanes on Frelinghuysen to ensure uninterrupted service.

In addition, introducing monthly bus passes that are affordable for Newark residents while providing daily or weekend passes for visitors to purchase at the airport station can encourage the use of the buses. The bus routes will connect the airport station to downtown Newark and connect downtown Elizabeth to the station and downtown Newark. Further study will need to be conducted to determine the feasibility of making the bus free within the airport city.

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Strategies | Section 3.1 |

Figure 3.1.7-3.1.9

Northeast Corridor commuter rail (top).

All bus routes in the study area (center).

NJT bus (bottom).

Airport Shuttle Service Strategy The Port Authority should explore the possibility of creating driverless shuttle services as another means of connectivity between Dayton and the airport, as airports have been commonly viewed and used as testing grounds for autonomous vehicles and technologies. Driverless shuttles have been put on the agenda by several leading US and international cities to improve traffic efficiency, and they are especially welcomed in cities with major airports as they offer a cheaper way to increase the capacity of the local transportation network.

Driverless shuttle services would be based on autonomous vehicle technology, and it is more efficient and environmentally friendly than privately-owned autonomous vehicles. If everyone wants to own a private AV and abandons transit, the future could entail more cars on the streets and eliminate potential economies of scale from a shared-use model. A non sharedAV model would mean higher vehicle miles traveled (VMT), which would require more roadway maintenance funding and mitigation of environmental impacts. With automated transit, not only does it put fewer cars off the road, but the abundance of data also allows for a more dynamic operation ecosystem.

Port Authority officials were launching a demonstration program with robotics research institutes to improve the efficiency of the exclusive bus lane (XBL) through the Lincoln Tunnel to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, before moving on to a pilot phase following Strategies | Section 3.1 |

Figure 3.1.10

Map of proposed airport shuttle route.

2021. This shows the interest of the Port Authority and the states of NY and NJ in autonomous technology. Newark Liberty International Airport would be a great candidate for a pilot study for autonomous shuttles because this can facilitate a significant increase in the current transit's operational efficiency and serve as a great display of an airport city rooted in technology. Rather than driving up to the airport, Newark residents and workers can take driverless shuttles from multiple places in the city. Visitors can take these shuttles to downtown Newark, Weequahic Park, and other destinations. NJ transit can dispatch buses and shuttles based on real-time demand, without having to worry about staffing.

39

CaseStudy Case Study Self-Driving Denver,Project, CO Cheonggye Shuttles Freeway — Removal Seoul, South Korea

Figure 3.1.11 Denver's EasyMile Shuttle.

Denver’s EasyMile demonstrates the use of driverless shuttles running a 1-mile daytime circulator loop on public streets.

The service runs every 15 minutes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, connecting sites such as an under-construction hotel and the Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Co. facility in a planned smart-city community south of Denver International Airport. The goal with the pilot is not to attract a large ridership, but to act as a “proof of concept” for the RTD (Denver's Transit Authority) to learn lessons on technology’s use in public transportation.

Besides self-driving shuttles, the application of technologies of this kind has plenty of use cases in airports. One example that may seem far-fetched today, is that Heathrow airport already

40

Strategies | Section 3.1 |

uses autonomous electric pods to take travelers from a parking lot to Terminal 5. Called Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), the pods carry up to four passengers and run on a separate guideway, enabling a fully automated system that has replaced some 50,000 bus trips. Furthermore, a demonstration of autonomous snow removal equipment at Fagernes Airport in Norway cleared 357,500 square meters of snow in an hour, reducing costs, emissions, and delays which could create an economic advantage for the airport and make it a more desirable place to travel to if the delays are expected to be low. Lastly, a fleet of autonomous luggage carts at Dallas’ airport handled 450 bags per hour, using half the energy of conventional baggage handling systems.

Figure 3.1.12

Precedents include New York's High Line (top) and Chicago's Navy Pier Flyover (bottom).

Airport City Bridge Strategy As there are no pedestrian-friendly connections between Dayton and the airport, we propose the creation of a pedestrian and cycling bridge that will connect to the air train P2 station and connect to Van Duyne St in the middle of the neighborhood. This bridge is estimated to be around 3,200 feet long, making it one of the longest bridges of its type in the world and creating a visually striking statement piece for the city to be proud of.

Strategies | Section 3.1 |

Besides being an architecturally significant structure, the bridge will help provide a safe pedestrian and bicycling path over the railroad tracks and highway which can enable people to take active modes of transportation to work at the airport.

At the same time, this bridge can be used by travelers to access the amenities in the neighborhood and Weequahic Park. It will act as an invitation to come into the city and stay a while to get immersed in the culture of Newark.

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3.2 Expanded Station and Plaza The second section of strategies surrounds the creation of the Amiri Baraka Plaza, a planned public-private development in the northern section of the study area. These strategies aim to create a place for the Dayton community that attracts businesses and jobs, includes much-needed community facilities, and enhances the culture of the study area.

Expanded Train Station and Amiri Baraka Plaza Development Strategy With the expansion of the train station to the neighborhood side of the Northeast Corridor, there becomes the opportunity to craft strategies that encourage a neighborhood-focused, publicly accessible, mixed-use development that will also serve as the first “Welcome to Newark” for air passengers and visitors.

Located at the NEC EWR Station and adjacent to the new headhouse will be the new transportation station. This development will span the length of the train tracks and come approximately 140 feet past the existing wall into the parking lot for a total approximate square footage of 260,000 square feet, roughly equivalent to the size of Moynihan Train Hall in Manhattan. This will be the hub for train traffic and allow passengers to easily access public transit to connect to their next destination. There will be sufficient space to accommodate the eventual addition of new tracks along the right-of-way for the PATH extension in the coming years. This extension of the PATH train will offer even more direct and consistent train schedules directly connecting Newark Airport to Lower Manhattan. Additionally, local

42

Strategies | Section 3.2 |

Figure 3.2.1

Dilworth Plaza in Philadelphia.

restaurants and retail shops will be included in the expansion of the station.

This added retail will help to liven the station and give it a unique Newark feel with local artisans and restaurants from around the city, including the Ironbound neighborhood.

In addition to accommodating train traffic, there will also be platforms and lanes for rideshare options such as taxis, Uber, and Lyft, and local shuttles to hotels. This will encourage nearly all air passenger traffic to take the AirTrain to the new station and actually enter

Figure 3.2.2

Existing station (top) and proposed station expansion (bottom).

Newark before continuing to their final destination.

The station will remain elevated coming from the train tracks so that rideshare traffic traveling at street level will be underneath the station and platforms will extend down for passengers to access the bus. Rideshare and shuttle traffic will be directed off of Frelinghuysen Avenue at Victoria Street to the north and just south of Noble Street and will follow a lane to the station. This will remove significant car traffic from Frelinghuysen Avenue between Victoria and Noble Streets and allow for a more pedestrianfriendly streetscape. The station will be bi-level at the west end allowing for easy Strategies | Section 3.2 |

access to the Plaza and art installation.

Within the station there will also be located a bikeshare dock and bike racks to accommodate and encourage cycling as a mode of transit. The station will also have large floor-to-ceiling glass windows facing east, directly at the alternate runway of the airport. With tables and seating located here, this will serve as an attraction itself in allowing passengers to sit and watch the airplanes land and take off, sometimes directly overhead should this runway be in use.

After exiting the NEC EWR station, visitors will enter Amiri Baraka Plaza.

Named after the late New Jersey Poet Laureate and influential Newark native

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Figure 3.2.3

Plaza concept plan.

who also happens to be Mayor Ras Baraka’s father, Amiri Baraka Plaza will serve as a welcoming first look at the city of Newark. The design of the plaza will be ADA-compliant and accessible to all within the community and all visitors. The plaza will be designed as an extension of the community while also serving as a tourist attraction.

There will be a green walkway extending from the entrance/exit of the station through the plaza and directly connecting to the new extended entrance of Weequahic Park. This will provide a natural walkway where passengers will be encouraged through the design to enter and explore the plaza as well as

44

Strategies | Section 3.2 |

continue to the park which will have various programming throughout the year.

Along the north and west sides of the plaza, there will be single-story retail with a focus on local shops from the Newark area. These can be a mixture of both longer-term tenants and pop-up shops allowing more small business owners across the city access to a diverse market of customers coming from the airport. The stores on the west side of the plaza will have dual-entry access as they will also be located along Frelinghuysen Avenue. This retail will serve as a revenue generator and a first attraction encouraging visiting passengers to

stop and shop for a bit either before continuing to their final destination or to the airport for their departure. This retail can be developed as a public-private partnership with a real estate developer.

At the north end of the plaza will be an inground fountain, similar to the fountain located at Philadelphia’s Dilworth Plaza in front of City Hall. During the colder months of the year, an ice rink can be brought in to serve as an additional revenue generator and attraction for residents and visitors. Surrounding the fountain/ice rink will be plenty of seating and greenery throughout the plaza to create an enjoyable experience for all.

In this space, there will also be room for food trucks to park and bring some of Newark’s local flavors to the plaza.

The key feature of the plaza will be in the southeast corner and connected to the station as well. Here, there will be an interactive art installation that will serve as a year-round attraction and help create a space where people will want to come to Newark to see. One idea for this art installation is to have an enclosed feature similar to temporary sports facilities used by universities, where there is a projection onto the ceiling of all planes arriving and departing the Newark Liberty International Airport.

This kind of installation would help to promote the airport and learn about aviation travel and could also contribute to an increased pride in the airport among residents.

On the lots north, northwest, and west of the plaza, there will be an opportunity Strategies | Section 3.2 |

for further cooperation with real estate developers to create mixed-use commercial and retail space. With groundfloor retail, the pedestrian-focused “Main Street” feel will remain consistent on both sides of Frelinghuysen along this stretch. The remaining floor space can be developed as a flexible lab and office space to be marketed to gene-therapy labs and other commercial tenants that want offices at the front door of the airport. From here, workers can go from their desk to the security line in under 15 minutes, creating a high-value space that offers easy access to flights around the world. These buildings would be limited to 3 or 4 stories at the max level because of the height restrictions from being the flight path of the airport.

Adjacent to the new development and on the northwest corner of Frelinghuysen Avenue and Noble Street will be the new Dayton Community Center and Weequahic Museum. This will serve as a community anchor for both the Dayton and Weequahic neighborhoods, working in conjunction with the park to weave these communities together. At this community center there will be local programming, a city satellite office for workforce development, focusing on jobs in Dayton and at the airport, a city satellite office of homeless services, and the Weequahic Museum. This new community center will prioritize the residents of the South Ward and serve as a reminder that this new airport city is not just for businesses and tourists, but it serves the needs of the local community.

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Figure 3.2.4

Washington Reagan National Airport in DC is the first and one of the only airports in the US to have a bike share station located at the airport.

Pictured: A Capital Bikeshare station in DC.

Micromobility Strategy A key component of the plaza strategy is to keep people in the neighborhood and city and spend some time in the area. However, people may need to leave to continue on to further destinations or explore more areas in Newark. As such, we propose that there is a focus on micro mobility solutions at the airport. Such options could include a bike share or scooter share which would allow people to rent a bike or scooter and explore the area under their own power.

Additionally, this would provide a way for Newark to expand the presence of scooter share businesses within the city

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Strategies | Section 3.2 |

as well as set up a trial bikeshare system as the city does not currently have one.

This system would look like systems such as Indego in Philadelphia, which provide cheap one-time rides for 30 minutes or unlimited 1-hour rides for those who pay for a monthly pass. This system will provide residents with a cheap way to access bikes and provide a way for airport passengers to use active transportation without having to bring their own. Stations could be located at the Plaza, on either side of the Weequahic Lake, the airport, and by the Newark Public housing units.

Figure 3.2.5-3.2.6

examples of flexible lab spaces.

Flexible Manufacturing, Tech, + Lab Space Development Strategy In addition to this development, an imperative component of this section focuses on building and repurposing space to become fully utilized. One area that this can be accomplished and is proposed here is through the creation of flexible manufacturing, tech, and lab space.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant emphasis placed on life sciences and as a result, the industry has seen significant growth. However, even before the pandemic, there had been an increase in the demand for lab spaces to accommodate the growth of this industry.

Since mid-2020, reports show that prices for this kind of lab space have increased 10-15% in the state of New Jersey, with nearly 1.2 million square feet of this space in demand as of July 2021. In addition to life sciences and the demand for lab Strategies | Section 3.2 |

space, multiple types of manufacturing space have steadily increased in demand over the years. The study area is poised to provide facility space to alleviate some of this demand and bring this investment to the South Ward.

A possible site for this development is in the north section of the study area along Frelinghuysen Avenue. What currently holds industrial and transportation companies could be redeveloped into a mixed-use development that incorporates flexible lab, technology, and manufacturing space. Its proximity to the train station allows more options for companies that need space either in the New York Metropolitan area or south along the train line. Redevelopment would also be tied to the extensive economic recovery programs put in place on both a state and federal level.

47

Case Case Study Study uCity SquareFreeway — Philadelphia, Cheonggye RemovalPA Project, Seoul, South Korea

Figure 3.2.7 Rendering by ZGF Architects of Wexford uCity Square Project in Philadelphia's University City.

A similar endeavor is occurring in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The uCity Square development by Wexford Technologies is part of a master-planned planned community in University City that totals 8 million square feet and accommodates 200 companies and 10,000 employees. The company markets this project as “a connected and collaborative community with strengths in biotech, life science, technology and healthcare.” [22]

48

Strategies | Section 3.2 |

The uCity Square project is much larger than what would be able to be accommodated on the study area site, as there are height restrictions due to the Airport’s runways.

However, a smaller scale campus would be a potential strategy to further explore as a means of bringing businesses and jobs to the study area. Newark’s concentration of higher education institutions would also lend itself to having a partnership of this sort be explored in the South Ward.

Redevelop Underutilized Sites Strategy Building off the proposal for the transformation of the northern section of the study area to incorporate flexible manufacturing, tech, and lab space, this proposal envisions leveraging this construction and employment activity to put much-needed resources back into the community that is witnessing this development. This would transform the area from one with low value industrial buildings into one with high value, transitoriented, mixed-use development. It would be a place where people of a every income level can live in a 15-minute city, where their daily household needs a met via a short bike and walk trip, and where the combination of the quick rail trips to downtown Newark and Manhattan, an amazing nearby park, and walkable access to the airport creates a thriving community with abundant amenities and job access.

The strategy proposes establishing a tax increment financing (TIF) district to fund improvements in the area as the land increases in value. Those improvements would not only help convert this former industrial area into a desirable urban neighborhood, but also attract the sort of amenities that would make a 15-minute city possible not just for new residents of Newark Airport City, but also current residents of Dayton and even the broader South Ward. Particularly important facilities that could be incentivized to locate in the area include grocery stores, hardware stores, and childcare centers.

Using the promised future funds from this district we would undertake to first acquire Strategies | Section 3.2 |

Figure 3.2.8-3.2.9

Underutilized sites on Frelinghuysen.

all the surrounding industrial lots between the Northeast Corridor, Weequahic Park, Haynes Avenue, and the Raritan Valley Line.

We would then undertake a survey of which buildings could be adaptively reused, and which could not. This evaluation would not only relate to the ability to recondition the building for commercial and residential use, but also whether it would work with a new pedestrian scale street and walkway grid we would implement, along with transit mobility improvements to the new airport station entrance. Finally, the lots would be put up for auction under a new land use and zoning regime that would allow high density, high value commercial and residential near the airport station, within the airport’s various height restrictions.

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Case Case Study Study Larkinville —Freeway Buffalo,Removal NY Cheonggye Project, Seoul, South Korea

Figure 3.2.10 Current and future redevelopment sites in Larkinville.

A similar project occurred Larkinville in 2000. The area was dominated by vacant industrial buildings and warehouses, but in 2015, was transformed into a mixed-use neighborhood with residential buildings, offices, restaurants, and a town square (Larkin Square) by the developer and civic leader, Howard Zemsky.

Beginning in 1827 with the Buffalo Hydraulic Association and expanding into the 1930s, the primary commercial tenant went out of business in the 1940s, leaving many buildings vacant. Some of the industrial buildings were raised over the years, but many were retained. In 2002,

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Strategies | Section 3.2 |

the Larkin Development Group purchased the abandoned Larkin Terminal Warehouse and started the revitalization work in the Hydraulics neighborhood. It later acquired many other buildings with the vision of creating a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood.

The initiatives of the Larkin Development were in close partnership with KeyBank, and included new streets, lights, signage and plantings along Van Rensselaer and Seneca Streets. Since 2012, it has since become an entertainment district with multiple residential and commercial uses. A similar redevelopment could be realized in Newark Airport City and could incorporate specific uses identified in the previous proposal.

3.3 Job Creation The third section of strategies would aim to build off the land development strategies of the previous section to address the lack of meaningful jobs in the study area. Narrow employment opportunities and low wages limits the economic mobility of residents in the area, as well as those commuting here for work. These strategies aim to develop workforce participants to build skills that will be easily marketable in the new economic powerhouse of the Airport City, ensuring that employment is easily accessible to residents.

Figure 3.3.1

Map of proposed job creation site.

Community Job Training Program Strategy A partnership with the School District, City of Newark, and companies in the area A community job training program could could be made with local high schools be established in the industrial site at the to create a jobs pipeline for graduating northern section of the study area close seniors who will be looking for internships to the EWR Amtrak station. Companies of and apprenticeships upon graduation. The all sizes will take note of Newark ‘s Airport partnership would be able to be managed City as it grows, and they have a strong by the local community development interest in participating in such a program corporation to ensure that school-age and to reach potential hires and play an active adult users are having these needs met. The role in workforce development. Residents, community job training’s establishment will in turn, will get training and access to skills require a zoning allowance for these types that would help them to be successful in of uses so that development will be able the workforce. The program’s proximity to to occur by-right and will not necessitate the EWR Amtrak station and airport will Mayoral executive order to allow these increase such opportunities. uses.

Strategies | Section 3.3 |

51

Case Study Brooklyn Navy Yard— Brooklyn, NY

Figure 3.3.2 Brooklyn Navy Yard development projects.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard is used as the case study for this strategy. Decommissioned in 1966 by the Navy and sold to the City of New York, the 300-acre industrial site struggled to redevelop and garner investment from private industries. Today, the site employs around 8,500 people and includes Wegman’s, traditional manufacturing companies, innovative manufacturers, media studios and traditional office space.

Pitfalls that have been identified around the possible lagging of the redevelopment include the lack of diversity involved in the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s original development strategy. Focusing only on traditional manufacturing had a negative impact as this industry was outsourced overseas.

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Strategies | Section 3.3 |

Ensuring a diverse array of industries will be key to ensuring this area redevelops and becomes a viable location for business relocation. More recently, pitfalls identified are a lack of mass transit access, a lack of walkability and bikeability, and resiliency issues as evidenced by damages incurred

by Hurricane Sandy. Looking to Newark Liberty International Airport, a number of these pitfalls do not exist in the study area. By incorporating the other strategies proposed in this plan, the Newark Airport City is strongly positioned to take advantage of many forms of mass transit, and create an enjoyable, walkable, bikeable neighborhood that attracts a variety of businesses to locate here.

Case Study Cheonggye Freeway Removal Project, Seoul, South Korea

Figure 3.3.3-3.3.5 Photos of Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Strategies | Section 3.3 |

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1

2

3

4 Figure 3.3.6-3.3.9

Small business resources.

Business Incubator and Small Business Resource Center Strategy As development begins to occur in the study area, there will be threats to existing businesses, especially those smaller and family-owned, in the form of gentrification.

To safeguard these businesses and their ability to remain in the area, the next strategy proposed is for a business incubator and small business resource center to be included in the mixed-use neighborhood developed at the north end of the study area.

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Strategies | Section 3.3 |

By partnering with the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC), the New Jersey Incubation Network, and the universities in Newark, the Studio Group proposes that the multi-partner approach create a location in the neighborhood that will assist small, local businesses with their startup and operating needs.

A combination of incubation space and resources would allow for populations with greater barriers to capital to access these opportunities and secure a foothold in the neighborhood’s growth.

Supplier Diversity and Local Commerce Strategy Ensuring the diversity of suppliers, vendors and businesses at the Airport is a way to support local economy and commercial growth. This is also a way to make the airport an asset for the community, to provide job opportunities and become more connected to the surrounding population. Currently, the Port Authority sets the following goals: • 20% participation with certified Minority-owned business enterprises (MBE) • 10% participation with certified Woman-owned business enterprises (WBE) While these goals currently provide a template for the entire Port Authority, it does not go into detail on how this will affect the suppliers of the Airport and it is also a relatively low percentage with no guarantees that it helps to further the economic situation of the areas around the properties run by the port authority. As such, Newark Liberty International Airport should commit to meeting these participation goals at the airport and projects it is involved in, not just an overarching goal for the whole organization. EWR, under the Port Authority, also offers technical training and business resources through the New York State Unified Certification program. In their directory we found that there are under 40 businesses in Newark holding their certification. This is not the most ideal, and the EWR itself should have clearer goals to promote local businesses, such as: Strategies | Section 3.3 |

Figure 3.3.10

MWBE Certified logo.

• 20% participation goal with registered business enterprises own by Newark residents With an enhanced digital network throughout the airport and the community, the airport should also work directly with Newark organizations for job training programs and business support either online or in the new Dayton library. The airport itself would also be great to host a local business resource center. In addition, there are concrete ways for the airport to support local commerce and businesses.

One of the ways that the airport could help local commerce outside of hiring local businesses is set aside 5% of the total advertising budget at the airport for local businesses. This would be provided for free as the eligible business would need to have 50 or fewer employees and be located in the city of Newark. This can be considered a donation by the Airport and helps to create a bond between the community and the airport.

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3.4 Frelinghuysen Future The fourth section of strategies focuses on transforming Frelinghuysen Avenue.

Frelinghuysen Avenue is an oversized, high-capacity four-lane road that runs through the heart of Newark’s Dayton neighborhood. In the realm of land uses and zoning, changes to the city’s zoning districts would be needed for further redevelopment along the corridor. Additionally, the avenue itself would need to be redesigned in a way that aligns with established best practices for complete streets. Several strategies are proposed below that aim to increase accessibility for pedestrians and desirability for local businesses from the consumers’ perspectives.

Mixed-Use Zoning Strategy The first strategy proposed entails the rezoning of industrial and airport-support land along Frelinghuysen Avenue into mixed-use zoning. This is a prerequisite if the area is to be radically remade into a lively, sustainable, and less autodependent place. Currently, companies like Amazon are already pressuring the city to allow them to develop land here into distribution centers. If this were allowed to go forward, the future our plan envisions for Frelinghuysen Avenue would turn into another lost opportunity.

The highlighted changes to the zoning map below must be made to preserve our vision for Frelinghuysen Avenue as a part of Newark’s airport city, and finally introduce the possibility of a mixed-use corridor in Dayton.

This coming mixed-use development on Dayton’s Frelinghuysen Corridor would entail ground-level commercial services, with multi-family residences above. The classic development style characterized the heart of Newark at its most prosperous era; more recently, it has won the support of city planners across the United

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States for its effectiveness in reducing auto dependency, creating greater sustainability, and building sense of place in the communities where it is employed (Shen and Sun 2020). The Newark Code of permitted uses by district already includes three separate mixed-use zones, the least dense of which (MX-1) already being employed in a small portion of the corridor.

Action by the City Council is feasible and is unlikely to run into major opposition from existing property owners. Many of the property owners are looking to sell and are only operating the land using the fact that they feel they can legally operate under the area’s current zoning restrictions. After a change to the zoning code, existing warehouses and airportrelated land uses are transformed into nonconforming uses that would still be allowed to operate, only being restricted from expanding or creating new nonconforming uses. Such an action would create additional incentives for property-owners to sell to mixed-use developers, allowing for a transition to more productive land uses in the area.

Figure 3.4.1

Existing zoning.

Strategies | Section 3.4 |

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Figure 3.4.2 Rendering of proposed mixeduse development project in Brush Park, Detroit by Dan Gilbert Developers.

Block-by-Block Development Strategy Our "Block-by-Block Development” strategy describes the process by which developers will transform the area one piece at a time. The first element of this process will involve the city forming partnerships with developers that are well-suited to build the kinds of units that would bring a vibrant community to the area. Specifically, the city should venture to form partnerships with firms experienced in the realm of mixed-use and affordable housing projects. There is regional precedent for successful largescale redevelopment of industrial areas.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard area has attracted thousands of dollars of investment, as developers have transformed historical industrial structures into residential and mixed-use development.

One factor that may attract firms to this specific project is New Jersey’s Brownfield Redevelopment Incentive. This project-

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based tax credit is associated with the state’s 2020 Economic Recovery Act and allows developers to recoup 40% of costs associated with individual brownfield projects up to a four-million-dollar limit.

Ensuring developers are aware of this incentive will help generate interest in undertaking block-by-block development in the area.

This redevelopment will occur slowly and will advance only as fast as land becomes available from what are now industrial and airport-support logistics areas. Development in this context may follow a model like the real estate holdings of Dan Gilbert in Detroit, who developed land in and around the city’s downtown area piece by piece, as he acquired it.

Unlike Gilbert’s projects, developments envisioned for the land adjacent to Frelinghuysen Avenue would be restricted to conditional mixed-use development with a focus on affordable housing.

Pedestrian and Cyclist Access Strategy Our next strategy to build a new future for Frelinghuysen Avenue involves several measures to increase pedestrian accessibility. First, general sidewalk condition improvements are necessary. Currently, existing sidewalk facilities are crumbling and covered in litter. Wider, sturdier sidewalks with added waste bins would go a long way in improving the walkability of current sidewalk facilities. The sidewalks also need additional light to become a safe and welcoming place for pedestrians at night. Light fixtures exist, but at a scale designed for automobiles, and currently light is directed towards the road rather than the sidewalks. Light posts need to be added along the entire length of the roadway, but in a way that does not obstruct the walking space for pedestrians.

Additionally, better shade is needed for pedestrians. This is an especially high-priority item given the warming summer temperatures associated with climate change, and the added pressures of the urban heat island effect in the area. The buildings on both sides of the street will be critical in providing additional shade to the sidewalk. One option that residents might consider for the around 100 ft width of Frelinghuysen Ave and its sidewalks is creating a green barrier between the sidewalk and the road with trees planted providing additional shading.

In conversation with developers, we would also recommend Strategies | Section 3.4 |

Figure 3.4.3

Examples of pedestrian accessibility improvements from the National Association of City Planning Transportation Officials.

new construction on the avenue including shade awnings extending to at least the beginning of the street. If developers are hesitant to get on board with such a proposal, fine-backed zoning ordinances may be necessary. Awnings would ensure that even when the sun is positioned such that the buildings do not offer shade to the adjacent sidewalk, at least part of the sidewalk would be protected from the sun. In areas with no existing buildings, such as the sidewalk sections along with parking lots both south of Foster Street and at north of Wittier Place, simple fabric shade structures might provide additional relief to pedestrians. These can be replaced easily and could add an artistic flair to the neighborhood.

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Figure 3.4.4-3.5.5

Before (left): street with 2 parking lanes and 2 travel lanes.

After (right): street with 2 bus rapid transit lanes, 2 bike lanes, and 2 travel lanes.

Our next strategy approaches Frelinghuysen with road calming measures to reduce the speed of vehicles.

The avenue cannot be considered safe for cyclists and pedestrians until this issue is addressed. The speed limit of the roadway is already as low as 25 mph; however, this is not observed by drivers, creating an unsafe situation for non-car road users. Instead of ratcheting up police enforcement in an area where policecommunity relations are already strained, structural changes to the roadway are necessary. Reducing the size and number of lanes is a better way to structurally adjust the function of the road. The length of the roadway undergoing transformation will be the intersection of Frelinghuysen Avenue and McClellan Street in the South, and the I-22 overpass to the north which will be reconstructed in years to come.

The reconstructed avenue will consist of one lane in each direction, each 10-

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ft wide. Over the course of the entire strip of the avenue, much of the space now devoted to vehicle traffic will be dedicated to alternate uses, combined in a way to ensure the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. Skinnier, 10foot lanes have been proven to reduce vehicle speeds, increasing safety for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers on the road. Frelinghuysen’s current four lanes are designed to accommodate a short period of rush hour traffic in the morning and evening, even though outside of that short 15-minute stretch of time, the avenue is significantly under capacity.

The elimination of a lane of traffic in each direction on the Avenue may adversely affect the ability of commuters to make good time traveling during rush hour, but there are other opportunities for drivers to get to and from downtown Newark, namely the high-capacity interstates 9 and 21. A raised median can also be implemented to act as an additional barrier to accidents.

few ways for pedestrians to get across the avenue at all. At these intersections, the curb will extend to make the sidewalk crossing as short and easy as possible for pedestrians.

In between intersections, mid-block slightly raised sections of the roadway (traffic tables) on the non-bus lanes will further reduce the speed of cars even when signals are green. These mid-block traffic slowing features do not have to extend to the bus lanes, where buses will be moving faster than the cars on the street.

Figure 3.4.6

Case Study: Rotterdam Street Redesign.

These changes can be extended down the entirety of the corridor.

Between McClellan Street I-22, there are several intersections with Frelinghuysen that lack stoplights. A higher frequency of stoplights would do well to limit the speed of vehicles moving along the avenue and would provide better connection from the streets it intersects. Specifically, Wharton, Mitchell, and Thorne Streets, as well as the intersections from Foster through Dayton Streets need signalization. Signals are also needed at Frelinghuysen’s intersections with Noble and Victoria streets. These signals will be linked to buses such that lights will turn green when the buses go through. At these new traffic lights, as well as at existing signalized intersections, crosswalks are necessary. The crosswalks will need to have signals dedicated to them. This will do much to improve the area’s suitability for pedestrian use, as currently there are Strategies | Section 3.4 |

Cyclist safety could be improved with the addition of a dedicated bike lane to Frelinghuysen Avenue. If residents are looking to add this to the avenue as well, this bike lane will be protected, and should connect to the 5-mile-long bike lane network. One option would be for the bike lanes to be raised to sidewalk level. Given the association that some residents may make between bike lanes and gentrification, any plans for a potential bike lane must be a community conversation.

The Frelinghuysen Avenue corridor was designed to cater to through-traffic, and logistics-focused land use. This plan calls for reshaping the road and the adjacent land uses to create a vibrant, affordable, mixed-use community. The mixed-use developments along the corridor can only be successful if Frelinghuysen is made into a true complete street, with better amenities for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as easy and safe access to public transit for all community members.

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Frelinghuysen Ave Before and After The intersection Van Duyne St. & Frelinghuysen Ave before street calming measures (top). Before the transformation, this is a broad intersection with high truck traffic and is surrounded by deserted industrial sites and grungy sidewalks. After the transformation, traffic tables, a twodirection bike lane, a median, more trees, street lights, shelter for the bus stop, expanded and upgraded the sidewalks are added. This conversion encourages more pedestrian and cyclist activities in the area (bottom)

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Figure 3.4.7-3.4.8

Frelinghuysen Ave and Van Duyne Street intersection before (top) and after (bottom).

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3.5 Dayton/Weequahic Neighborhood Dev

The fifth section of strategies focuses on the site of the abandoned Seth Boyden Terrac families, many of Newark’s public housing structures currently in use were built in the p many public housing structures across the country: according to the National Low Inco needed nationwide.6 In 2019, the Newark Housing Authority received a $24 million gra repairs to public housing structures, including roof and elevator repairs, repainting, and city, substantial investment, including the construction of new structures, will need to b

What is a Fifteen Minute City?

"A 15-minute city is a polycentric city, where density is made pleasant, where proximity is vibrant and where social intensity is real."

- Paris Focus

Strategies in this section were inspired by a planning concept called 15-minute city. This concept was promoted by Paris' mayor Anne Hidalgo’s grand plan to transform Paris into a place where everything you need can be found within 15 minutes of your home, on foot or by bike. With this concept, Newark was envisioned to be a place that bridges the economic success of the EWR to its surrounding neighborhoods; creates a well-connected, economically robust, mixed-use neighborhood; and allows residents to access daily goods, services, and amenities within 15 minutes of walking and biking.

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Strategies | Section 3.5 |

velopment

ce development. Despite the outsized need for stable, affordable housing for low-income postwar era and are in need of substantial renovation or replacement. This is the case for ome Housing Coalition (NLIHC), an estimated $70 billion in maintenance and repairs are ant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make critical d replacement of water lines. Still, in order to meet the need for affordable housing in the be made.

Figure 3.5.1

With walkable districts, strong transit connections, bike infrastructure, and neighborhood retail, Paris is a compelling example of a fifteen-minute city.

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Case Case Study Study

Figure 3.5.2-3.5.3 (Above) Aston Heights apartments are mixedincome, mixed-use, with ground floor retail.

(Below) Townhomes at Aston Heights.

Modern Affordable Cheonggye FreewayHousing Removal Project, Seoul, South Korea Aston Heights, Newark One example of successful redevelopment of public housing in Newark is Aston Heights. Formerly the site of Brick Towers, two sixteen-story towers containing 298 apartments built in 1969 by private owners, the towers were neglected by management over decades, often lost heat and hot water in the winter, and struggled with gun violence and drug dealing on the premises. The buildings were eventually sold to HUD in the 1990s; by 2002, Brick Towers was so distressed that HUD sold the buildings to the NHA for just a dollar. Senator Cory Booker lived in Brick towers for nearly a decade before he became mayor of Newark. 23 Aston Heights, built by Penrose developers, opened its doors in 2018. It is a mixedincome, mixed-use rental development with 154 apartment and townhouse units.

While some of the units are subsidized by the NHA and rented as affordable units, few residents of the original towers relocated to the new development, as only those who stayed in the declining Brick Towers until they were razed were offered priority in the new buildings, and most of the original residents were forced to find housing elsewhere due to the deteriorating conditions of the buildings.

Aston Heights represents a new chapter for affordable housing in Newark, and it is a model for the kind of mixed-income communities that the Newark Housing 66

Strategies | Section 3.5 |

Authority is focused on creating as a more compassionate, amenity-rich alternative to the aging towers-in-the-park that have defined Newark’s skyline for eighty years.

One major challenge for affordable housing providers is how to provide enough supply to meet the demand of Newark residents; mixed-income housing allows for the subsidization of affordable units offset by market-rate housing. In order to meet the need, however, more of these developments will need to be built, requiring partnerships between the Newark Housing Authority and local developers.

Case Study Grace West Manor, Newark

A key precedent for redevelopment of aging public housing in Newark is Grace West Manor, formerly a section 429Cheonggye Freeway Removal unit section 8 public housing tower, just a ten-minute drive from Newark Penn Station and downtown Newark. The property was acquired by Jonathan Rose Developers, and between 2013 and 2018 was converted into a 325-unit, 12-story tower designated for senior citizens, alongside 104 townhomes designated for low-income families. 100% of the units at Grace West Manor are reserved

Paseo Verde, Philadelphia Paseo Verde is a Transit-Oriented Development in Philadelphia built in 2013 by Jonathan Rose, WRT, and APM. It provides one vision for the form a mixed-use, mixedincome redevelopment of Seth Boyden Terrace could take. It consists of 120 low-to-moderate income apartments and townhomes with ground floor commercial located on an infill site adjacent to Temple University and a SEPTA regional rail station.

The project has won numerous awards for sustainability and design. It is a model for affordable housing in the 15-minute city.

Strategies | Section 3.5 |

for Newark residents making below 50% of the area median income. Upgrades to the existing tower and new construction Project, Seoul, South Korea will cost $53 million in total, and $18 million of which was financed by Low Income Housing Tax Credits. In addition to providing high quality housing for residents, Grace West brings together residents from the senior tower and townhomes with shared community center with computer lab, meeting spaces, programming and planned social and cultural events bringing all ages together.

Figure 3.5.4-3.5.6 (Above) Programs for all ages are offered at the new community center at Grace West Manor.

(Below) Paseo Verde, a TOD in Philadelphia.

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Figure 3.5.7

The current street network is comprised of large, uneven blocks, making the site less ideal for walking, despite presence of strong tree cover.

Dayton Neighborhood Development Strategy Our strategy would similarly create a mixed-age, mixed-use residential and commercial development on the former site of Seth Boyden Terrace, prioritizing shared community spaces, preserving tree cover and green space, rather than developing movie studios as proposed by the NHA. The redevelopment would improve the existing elderly housing and produce a mix of new market rate rental units with homeownership opportunities, with affordable units rented out by the NHA. Although there is a clear need for affordable housing in Dayton, in order for the NHA or private developers to build a

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Strategies | Section 3.5 |

mixed-income community on the former site of Seth Boyden Terrace, a strong argument must be made that market-rate units will be in demand and will be able to be filled. As part of the Airport City vision for Newark, Dayton would become an affordable, transit-oriented neighborhood located with ease of access to the jobs and amenities provided by the airport, and a short commute from downtown Newark. By positioning Newark as an Airport City, Dayton would become a site of redevelopment, and the location and proximity to the airport would be seen as an asset rather than a disadvantage.

Figure 3.5.8

After redevelopment, block sizes would decrease, making the site more walkable, while preserving existing tree cover. Additionally, the new blocks would increase access from Frelinghuysen Ave to Weequahic Park, and vice versa. The addition of two new east-west streets would require adding in new traffic signals on Frelinghuysen, which would help to reduce traffic speeds on the often busy thoroughfare.

Likewise, with the new development prompted by continued investment in the airport, a new mixed-income development could be possible. We anticipate that the increased demand for housing in proximity to jobs at the airport and the amenities of Dayton would make marketrate housing [26] feasible, allowing for the subsidization of new affordable housing.

Seth Boyden Terrace presents as an ideal location for redevelopment, due to its proximity to Weequahic Park, ideal tree cover, future transit improvements along Frelinghuysen, and the Newark EWR train station and future Northeast Corridor & Strategies | Section 3.5 |

Airport headhouse. The location is ideally situated within a 15-minute walk of these amenities and is a 15-minute drive from downtown. The location of a movie studio on the site, which seems increasingly likely at this time, would bring additional creative sector jobs and demand for market-rate housing, and could be leveraged as a cultural destination in Dayton. Challenges that must be addressed include financing of the project, in addition to how to prevent displacement of current Dayton Residents and ensuring that the amenities offered by future development will be accessible for all area residents.

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Seth Boyden Terrace Redevelopment Site Concept

Figure 3.5.9

Proposed site plan for Seth Boyden Terrace.

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Figure 3.5.10-3.5.11

Berlin's District Central Library, before (left) and after (right).

Dayton High School Transformation Strategy The former Dayton High School building provides an opportunity to supplement the coming affordable housing development by bringing a local library to the neighborhood. Using the old Dayton High School as a revamped library and community center, local colleges and universities could provide help stations, enabling residents to get valuable and needed community services for little to no cost. Putting resources into services for the benefit of the current community members will prevent them from being eclipsed as the neighborhood grows and develops.

This strategy follows the model of successful library conversion projects across the world. In Berlin, the District

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Central Library was established from a school building that had been vacant since the 1960s. In order to implement the project despite a low budget, the renovation focused on the interior fittings while leaving the building structure unchanged. The District Central Library was built to provide the neighborhood with a new community gathering space and for interested readers of all ages. Thanks to its geographic location, which is surrounded by residential areas and existing school buildings, it provides convenient access for the local population. Aspects of the District Central Library project could be imported to a repurposing of Dayton High School, including a multimedia learning center providing desktops and internet for visitors and opportunities for residents to learn everything from Microsoft Office to language skills.

3.6 Weequahic Park and the Environment

Figure 3.6.1

Weequahic Park.

Weequahic Park is the second largest developed park in Essex County and its total area is 311.33 acres (about half the area of Central Park in New York City). It has the county’s largest lake (80 acres) but currently, the lake is underdeveloped and underutilized. The park has facilities including basketball courts, tennis courts, baseball fields, softball fields, and picnic areas, attracting visitors to come by car particularly residents from the rest of Essex County rather than the adjoining neighborhoods. The park also hosts the first public golf course in New Jersey.

Additionally, there is a jogging trail that is a 2.1-mile loop around the lake and is primarily used for walking.

This park can become the pride and joy of the day neighborhood and a real space Strategies | Section 3.6 |

where community can gather and be joined together in enjoying nature. Additionally, the redesigned park will provide a welcome respite to travelers that fly into Newark and are looking for a break between flights as well as those who are looking to spend some time in Newark. This Park would become a great spot to introduce people to the city. This park can become the pride and joy of the day neighborhood and a real space where community can gather and be joined together in enjoying nature.

Additionally, the redesigned park will provide a welcome respite to travelers that fly into Newark and are looking for a break between flights as well as those who are looking to spend some time in Newark.

This Park would become a great spot to introduce people to the city.

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Figure 3.6.1-3.6.3

Park facilities improvement ideas.

In order to achieve this goal, the park will need some improvements beyond the new basketball courts and community building. One of the first things that will need to occur is to repair and upgrade the jogging trail that runs around the lake as currently there are spots where the tree roots are breaking up the concrete that makes up the path. Other facility upgrades that would need to be accomplished in order to make the park more useful for the people is to eliminate some of the parking lots to increase the amount of green space in the park since there is a limited amount of green space in the neighborhoods on either side of the park.

Additionally, the city and state should begin studying the US 22 corridor and

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determine if it is feasible to downgrade the road to a boulevard or close the road altogether. This roadway cuts off the Weequahic neighborhood from the park as well as increases the pollution levels in the neighborhood while also creating a small strip of land that is inaccessible.

Removing US 22 would significantly improve the park and make more of it useful as well as provide space for a new bike and pedestrian trail that could connect with the current 2.1-mile jogging trail. By transforming US-22 into a two-way bike trail and jogging, we will encourage bike traveling in the park. This trail can serve for both commuting and exercising purposes from both the Weequahic and Dayton neighborhoods.

Case Case Study Study Cheonggye Freeway Removal Project, Seoul, South Korea

Figure 3.6.4

Cheonggye Creek has become a popular park and urban oasis since the freeway was removed.

Similar to the removal of the US 22 to improve the park, in Seoul, South Korea there was an elevated freeway that covered up the Cheonggye Creek which brands through the city the area around the freeway recorded high levels of noise and congestion without any solutions on how to solve the noise and congestion issues. With the election of a new mayor there was a plan created that removed the freeway and restored the Creek into an urban oasis. It would help attract tourism and investment from companies and in Strategies | Section 3.6 |

accompanying bus rapid transit quarter would help cut automobile usage in half.

The city ended up attracting affluent and well-educated workers and residents and the open waterway helps prevent flooding better than the buried sewers used to.

One of the most surprising benefits of getting rid of the highway was that there was a 3.3 degrees Celsius drop in average summer temperatures. Approximately half a million visitors visit the Creek each week, making it an extremely popular tourist destination.

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Figure 3.6.5-3.6.7 Photos of Weequahic Lake

Lake Water Quality Strategy Once improvements to the grounds of the park are made, the city and the county need to work towards improving the water quality in the lake as it is currently in poor condition. With the lake being 80 acres, it is a sizable portion of the park, and no one uses it to its fullest potential. Cleaning up the water quality in the lake will require a substantial effort in implementing green stormwater infrastructure which will reduce the sewer overflows that have the potential to pollute the lake and rule also reduce road runoff

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which also pollutes the lake. The Weequahic Park lake can be part of the new marshland and lake water system we have proposed for the area next to the station and the drainage canal system that will help form part of the flood protection of Newark airport. Once the water quality in the lake has improved the city in the county will be able to offer water sports such as kayaking and paddleboats to the residents and visitors for a small fee which can help keep the park maintained better and offer youth and teen programs to help connect the people to nature from an early age.

Figure 3.6.8-3.6.9

Lake improvement and entertainment

Sustainability Strategy Sustainability at the airport can bring a wealth of advantages to the neighborhood as well as to the airport itself. Airports are typically seen as dirty and polluting areas and changing that image would go a long way in bringing the airport and the airport city into the 21st Century. With carbonization efforts becoming an important topic, especially with the recent 2021 COP26 climate talks in Glascow, now is the time to make substantial investments in the sustainability of the built environment.

The sustainability aspect of the airport city would start by visually bringing the Strategies | Section 3.6 |

Weequahic Park to the airport, through the neighborhood, using green building materials as well as green wall panels, green stormwater infrastructure, and green roofs. This will show visitors and residents that the environment is all around them and that they can make greener choices. These materials and green stormwater infrastructure will also be able to absorb significantly more water than the impervious ground that currently exists in the neighborhood.

This will allow more rain to fall before flooding occurs and will also reduce the amount of combined sewer overflows that affect water quality in Weequahic Park lake. Furthermore, there will be a wealth of other benefits such as reduced noise levels from the green wall panels, cooler temperatures in the summer, and cleaner air. Introducing this green infrastructure will show the residents and the city that the airport is trying to be a good environmental steward while also offering green living benefits to the residents such as reduced noise, lower pollution levels, and better-quality outdoor spaces.

The airport can also bring the sustainability aspect inside the terminals by reducing the use of single use plastics, diverting food waste for compost as well as increasing recycling efforts on board planes and in the airport. This will have a substantial impact on making the airport more sustainable, especially as passenger numbers increase.

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Figure 3.6.10-3.6.12

Local food production.

Local Food Production Strategy

traditionally available in an airport. Chicago O'Hare was among the first airports to trial As New Jersey is known as “The Garden this concept and Newark can be a leader State” there is a significant amount of by taking this idea and expanding on it. farming that occurs, as over 700,000 acres of land in the state is used for agriculture. The community will also benefit from This presents a wonderful opportunity to local food sources as fresh fruits and introduce local food to travelers and provide vegetables are currently hard to come by. fresh fruits and vegetables to those in the This could be manifested as an expansion neighborhood. This could be accomplished of the Cooperative Market which is already on the airport side by requiring that the operating in parts of Newark and can be restaurants within the neighborhood use used to showcase local foods as well as 15% local produce in the meals and goods provide low-cost produce for those who that they sell. Furthermore, a farmer’s need it. This can also be combined with the market can be built within the airport to farmer’s market concept that is a part of showcase the local produce to passengers the Amri Baraka Plaza. and give healthier options than is

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Figure 3.6.13

Illustration of Pittsburgh International Airport microgrid.

Microgrid Strategy Starting a micro-grid in Dayton will help to wean the neighborhood and the airport off the fossil fuel heavy mix of energy that it currently relies on. This would mean increasing the number of solar panels by installing them on building roofs, telephone poles, and within the grounds of the airport.

Furthermore, small wind turbines could be installed that would provide a source of energy, especially at night when the sun cannot power the solar panels. The solar panels and wind turbines would also need to be coupled with battery storage capacity that can store excess green energy for times when those energy sources are not Strategies | Section 3.6 |

available. This will help reduce the impact of the neighborhoods and the airport's 24/7 operations. Pittsburgh airport has been a leader in this field and should be looked at as an example of an airport powered by its own microgrid. While Pittsburgh International airport does use natural gas to help back up the solar, there are other options available such as wasteto-energy plants which would further help sustainability at the airport by diverting even more waste from landfills. These would also have cogeneration capabilities so steam could be provided at a low cost as well that could be used for heating in the neighborhood and at the airport.

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Figure 3.6.14

Flood map for a 3-foot sea level rise.

Climate Resilience Strategy Climate studies examining Newark Airport have been limited since the climate assessments conducted by New York City have only focused on airports within the city boundaries. The Port Authority, however, has found that Newark is also going to be at greater risk of storm-surge flooding as seas rise, but it is not considered to be as imperiled as LaGuardia. A 2012 New York State Climate Assessment also found that Newark is at a slightly greater risk of flooding in severe storms compared to JFK. LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy, and EWR airports will not be inundated by 1-meter sea-level rise, though some parts of the airport may be at risk, and they also may be affected by storm surges and extreme weather. To mitigate flooding events, the airport will need to implement operational as well

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Strategies | Section 3.6 |

as physical improvements to mitigate the risks of flooding. This will include creating water defense structures, such as drainage and detention areas along with a system of pumps to keep the airport dry, sea walls, and in extreme cases raising the whole airport above the flood plain. These measures are expensive though the cost of inaction is even higher. Furthermore, implementing green strategies such as a green roof, rainwater collection, permeable pavements can help spread the rainfall out over an extended period allowing for the impact to be lessened.

As EWR is on a bay, it will be much more difficult to prevent flooding events using green infrastructure alone. Lastly, the airport will need to ensure that its crisis management for flooding events is able to be effective when there is a major flooding event at the airport.

One of the more important climate resilience efforts that the airport and the city can undertake is to connect the Weequahic lake to the bound brook that runs under and around the airport to make functioning water shed that can naturally filter the water from run off as well as absorb additional water from rainfall that might have otherwise led to flood at the airport property. Connecting the lake and the brook to the new wetland in the development of airport sites strategy would go a long way to revitalizing the eco system and providing protection from flooding.

Climate change will also have effects on the lengths of runway needed as hotter temperatures require longer runways. So, as the port authority looks at creating new runways and repaving the current runways, there will need to be an investigation of how to ensure that the current runways can support the current and future levels of aircraft traffic as the temperatures continue to get hotter. This may include looking at purchasing additional land to the south of the current airport to ensure there is enough space to build out the runways as longer runways are required.

Additionally, systems at the airport, such as plane fueling, and HVAC systems will need to be upgraded and improved to ensure that weather events and more extreme climates do not affect the operations of the airport. Building new terminals to withstand these new, more extreme normals will keep the airport free of delay and keep the passengers Stategies | Section 3.6 |

comfortable. Besides improving the physical plant to alleviate the negative effects of climate change such as the sea-level rise and increased weather events such as hurricanes, the airport, and the port authority will need to ensure that their operations plans will still be effective and can operate in these more often and extreme events. The operation plans will have to cover a multitude of different climate change scenarios, such as different seasonal precipitation, more heavy precipitation events, rising sea levels, and increased wind (which is already a problem at EWR) to guarantee that aircraft operations can continue smoothly and that the passenger improvements and feel safe travelling in the airport.

Lastly, while the airport might want to get operations resumed to normal levels as soon as possible after a disaster, there may be an immediate need for EWR to act as a hub for emergency operations and a central location for humanitarian relief for storm events. While this will require additional studies, it can provide additional use of the airport for the greater good of the city. The airport currently provides a centralized location to import supplies from elsewhere as well as providing a large shelter for the multitudes of people who may be displaced in the event of something such as a hurricane. So, as the port authority looks to rebuild EWR, this secondary consideration of being a relief location will have to be considered and the terminals and runways will need to be built to standards that allow for this kind of operation.

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Case Study Climate Resilience Efforts at Other Airports

Figure 3.6.15-3.6.16 Climate resilience efforrts at SFO (left) and Changi Airport (Right).

As the implications of sea-level rise are becoming better understood, many airport managers are acting to protect airports in the near term. Singapore’s Changi airport has recently resurfaced its runways to allow for better drainage and is building expansions on higher elevations. In the United States, Boston Logan Airport and San Francisco International Airport have worked to install new flood barriers to stave off rising seas. In October 2019, officials at San Francisco International Airport decided to move ahead with a $587 million plan to build up the airport’s seawall from

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Strategies | Section 3.6 |

three feet to eight feet tall. These all show that airports are bracing for the impacts of climate change and that EWR and Newark cannot fall behind in the climate resilience area or else the city and airport will fall out of competition with other airports. Immediate steps the city can take include connecting the Weequahic lake to the bound brook in order to create better drainage at the airport in the face of even worse flooding events. However, further concerted efforts, and substantial investment, will be key to mitigating the worse effects of climate change.

3.7 Airport Terminals and Newark Identity The seventh section of strategies aims at strengthening the Newark identity and weaving it throughout EWR. These strategies aim to welcome travelers into Newark and the Dayton neighborhood and shaping the Airport as one “of the city” rather than one “in the city”.

City Tours Strategy The following strategy focuses on using the advantage of the airport to benefit the local economy. With the airport within the city's boundary, the potential revenue raised from tourism is sizeable. Such revenue could be used to incentivize equitable programs for Newark residents.

However, Newark has to compete with nearby attraction hubs. One strategy is to incentivize carriers to have layovers and advertise complimentary tours in Newark to allow visitors to explore what the city has to offer. This could not only provide additional revenue to local businesses that may have been passed over, but also consolidate the city's branding as the airport city.

This has been used successfully in places like Iceland and Istanbul as a way to attract investment and create ripple effects to drive economic growth. This could also be expanded by providing business travelers with complimentary or discounts rounds of golf at the Weequahic Golf Course as it would provide a nice amenity and get travelers with more disposable income to visit the neighborhood.

Strategies | Section 3.7 |

Figure 3.7.1

Mockup of a city tour app.

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Figure 3.7.2

Example of a wayfinding design guide.

Wayfinding Designs Strategy As an airport city, the airport would truly become a node that connects Newark to nearby cities and to an even larger area.

However, the wayfinding systems at the airport and within the neighborhood should also be updated to direct passengers to destinations in Dayton and Newark. The signs would need to be well lit, clear, and accessible, and easy to understand for those who do not read or speak English.

These signs located in the airport as well as around the neighborhood will make it clear that there is a singular identity here.

Furthermore, the signs will provide real estate for advertising which could help

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Strategies | Section 3.7 |

provide financing for these new signs as well as promote local businesses.

This will further strengthen the branding of the airport city, support the airport city culture, and increase awareness in general. For example, it would be worth an effort to distinguish local assets such as the Weequahic Park, the new plaza, and the lab spaces at the arrival gates and direct visitors to the pedestrian bridges that will enable access to these spaces. Integrating the local destinations along with the layover tours as a one-stop service would also limit the hassle factors and encourage more people to explore the hidden gems in the city.

Smart Wayfinding Strategy Moreover, airports and airlines are using mobile technology, terminal signage, offsite agents, surrogates, interactive information points, and virtual assistants to simplify passenger wayfinding in the airport terminals.

The new Terminal A is adopting some of these techniques, and we think it is worth it to have user-friendly services added to all terminals, such as the virtual tour guide illustrated here. Rather than getting lost in the airport following confusing signage, each passenger will get a free personal audio guide that helps navigate them to wherever they wish to go. Another service worth highlighting is short-term baggage storage facilities. This is especially important to complement city tours and boost user experience. With just a few clicks, the passengers can enjoy some hours out of the airport. They can walk from the airport city bridge to grab a bite from local restaurants, row a bow in Weequahic park, visit downtown from the Amiri Baraka Plaza, then take the driverless shuttle back to the airport.

Strategies | Section 3.7 |

Figure 3.7.3

Current airtrain station.

Figure 3.7.4

Mockup of wayfinding app.

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Public Space in the Airport Strategy Adding public space and greenage to all terminals in the airport not only adds to the attraction for tourists but also a destination for Newark citizens.

Innovative public space can be used as a selling point in attracting tourists while providing a place for passengers to kill time during their transfer. One example of this is the Changi Airport, whose world-famous waterfall helps bring in 3 billion dollars every year.

Besides, allowing local businesses in these public spaces will support the local economy and employment.

Figure 3.7.5-3.7.6

Proposed location of public space installations (above), proposed airport museum site (below).

Aircraft Museum Strategy Currently, there is a no-build zone used as a parking lot in Newark International airport.

We see this zone as an underutilized space, and it can surely bring more value to the city as well as for the airport.

One proposal we have is to build an aircraft museum at this site. An aircraft museum can serve as a regional educational resource.

It can be a major field trip destination for children and adults as a perfect place to learn about the functioning of the airport, the mechanism of a plane, and other relevant knowledge. This museum could be an important foundation for building Newark into an airport city by inviting citizens to learn and experience the airport. It is important for the residents to see the airport not only as a transit hub and a “noise generator” but also as a trip destination and an indispensable part of the city and citizen’s lives.

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Strategies | Section 3.7 |

Figure 3.7.7

Culture + branding word cloud created by extracting and processing tweets using Twitter API.

Culture + Branding Strategy When people mention Newark, what do they talk about? Compared with Singapore, New York, and Philadelphia’s word cloud, it will not be an exaggeration to say that Newark does not quite own its city culture yet. The airport, despite being the only airport closely connected to rail lines in the US, does not earn its international reputation as it should.

Is airport city a simple combination of the airport and the city? Or is it a magical production of 1+1>2? The culture layer is what really adds to the magic and the soul of Newark. It comes from a true regional and international cognition from its people who have visited there, stayed there for a Strategies | Section 3.7 |

while, or lived there for their whole life. In order to paint this beautiful union picture of an airport city, the airport should aim to be part of the amenities which citizens are proud of, a major employment center, and a key transit hub that brings convenience to citizen’s life, while the city should improve its connectivity, housing, economy, and environment. An airport city is a symphony that requires players from the city, the port authority and the transit agency.

To sum up, the city should brand Newark, not as a city with an airport, but the city with the airport, where the city and the airport are perfectly integrated into each other to form this new coexistence.

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3.8 Development of Sites on Airport Properties The eighth and final section is looking to the future of EWR and Newark’s Airport City. As development occurs throughout the study area, properties along the airport side of Frelinghuysen will inevitably be in high demand for redevelopment.

In addition, new technologies – such as Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) – are even now being created and explored. These strategies aim to anticipate these redevelopment concepts and provide guidance regarding the highest and best use for the Airport City and the Dayton community, ensuring equitable development and benefits to the community.

Figure 3.8.1

Marshland map.

Marshland Strategy The area next to the train station on the airport side is currently just a large parking lot that rarely reaches full capacity and contributes to increased stormwater runoff into the drainage ditches that are surrounding the airport. In order to further reduce the amount of stormwater runoff and provide more green space around the airport. We propose the creation of a small freshwater marshland to be created in place of the parking around the hotels that are located there. While this will 88

Strategies | Section 3.8 |

reduce the number of parking spaces, our improvements to the other transportation options will more than make up for the loss of parking. Furthermore, this will make the airport more resilient as it will help to reduce the flooding in the area by acting as a detention basin that will trap rainwater before entering the drainage ditches and eventually the Newark River.

This will also provide a small space for wildlife to use in what is the large mass of concrete that is the airport runways and terminals.

Looking Forward—Future Strategies New technologies are being created and implemented - such as Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL)- at airports around the world, as well as EWR. Moving forward, there must be flexibility given to the adoption of these technologies and what their impact will be on the surrounding urban fabric of the Airport City. In addition, there will be an inevitable pressure for the development occurring in the Dayton neighborhood to continue on the properties east of Frelinghuysen Avenue. Those properties - owned by the Strategies | Section 3.8 |

Figure 3.8.2

Vertical takeoff and landing.

Figure 3.8.3

AI robots to help wayfinding in the airport.

Port Authority - are currently used for Airport operations and warehousing.

Whether this takes the form of a master plan for EWR that aims at preserving and maintaining the vision of an Airport City that is agreed upon by the City of Newark, or some other approach, the main goal here should be to make sure each stakeholder is working towards the same vision of an Airport City and each decision made working up until that point must prioritize this vision so as to not recreate another barren, inactive, and underutilized swath of industrial property.

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4. Funding and Financing This section discusses possible financing solutions that would meaningfully contribute to shaping the Dayton neighborhood into Newark’s Airport City.

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4.0 Investing in Dayton

4.1 Federal Funding

While the investments being made in EWR are enormous, the subsequent investment needed in the surrounding Dayton neighborhood will also be sizable to accomplish the strategies discussed previously.

However, the resources available today offer once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunities. Rather than putting the onerous of financing solely on the municipalities in which these communities reside, there has been a shift in sources of funding made available while bolstering municipal and resident autonomy with decision-making.

Numerous avenues are now able to be pursued to make these types of investments, as the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic have supplemented existing financial resources with massive amounts of available federal funding across various programs.

Building Back Better Regional Challenge The Building Back Better Regional Challenge is a $1 billion investment on behalf of the US Economic COVID-19 Development Administration that Recovery Funds aims to accelerate economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and build more resilient economies in communities throughout the US. The program is taking place in two phases: Phase 1 awards 50-60 winners $500,000 of planning grants to develop and support a regional growth cluster, Phase 2 awards 20-30 winners $25 million to $100 million of implementation grants.

This is of particular interest for this plan as the New Jersey Economic Development Authority has promised matching funds to support four applicant coalitions:

Funding and Financing | Section 4.1 |

Figure 4.1.1

Federal COVID-19 recovery funding sources.

aviation innovation, biomanufacturing, clean energy, and smart ports. Across all four segments, workforce training and development programs are a large priority, which aligns well with the strategies proposed for the Airport City. Additional programs to note that tie-in to the Future of the City Studio strategies are: vertiport and droneport infrastructure projects, expanding smart grid technologies, and optimizing ports in the greater Newark area to expand regional economic impact and spur large-scale job creation.

billion for roads and bridges, $73 billion for power infrastructure, $39 billion for public transit, $66 billion for passenger and freight rail, $42 billion for ports and airports, and $65 billion for broadband.

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a bipartisan bill that aims to grow the economy, enhance US competitiveness, create good jobs, and make the US economy more sustainable, resilient, and just. The $1.2 trillion plan includes several spending categories that are notable for this studio: $110

This legislation is one of the largest infrastructure investments made in US history and the study area is well positioned to take advantage of these high levels of funding.

Multiple strategies relate to at least one if not multiple spending categories and the study area’s location next to the EWR expansion and modernization create a possible multilevel opportunity for grant funding.

The State of New Jersey is expected to receive a total of $12.31 billion from this bill.

Senator Menendez and Booker are expecting to allocate $6.8 billion for roads and highways and $1.1 billion for bridges. And additional funding of $30 billion for Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, $15 billion for airport infrastructure grant, and $5 billion for airport terminal program.

Funding and Financing | Section 4.1 |

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American Rescue Plan Act President Joe Biden allocated $1.9 trillion to provide direct relief to the American people. Senators Corey Booker and Bob Menedez released a statement that an estimated $2 billion will be dedicated to NJ Transit and $1.6 million for Newark Airport.

And a total of $15 billion to support airport workers in the state can also be utilized by Newark airport.

services in areas experiencing longterm economic distress. Eligible recipients and sub-recipients must be eligible under sections 5307, 5310, or 5311 of title 49 U.S. code.

After checking the USDOT’s Raise Persistent Poverty tool, we have determined that the study area qualifies as an area of persistent poverty.

Essex County received $155.2 million in fiscal recovery funds under the American rescue plan which can be accessed by the city. The City of Newark itself received the first installment of American Rescue Plan monies of $88.3 million.

The city stated they would focus these funds on affordable housing, homelessness, and economic and food insecurity. In addition, the city received $621, 363 for capital improvements for the 2021 fiscal year. These funds aim at addressing the harm caused by the pandemic and can be utilized to achieve the recommendations presented in this document.

Pursuing this specific grant will allow the City and the Airport to conduct a study that will benefit the Dayton community and the Newark Liberty International Airport for years to come. While this studio team is providing strategies for the area, the funding from this grant will allow for an in-depth analysis to be run to evaluate what strategies the community needs.

Areas of Persistent Poverty Program FTA’s Areas of Persistent Poverty Program provides competitive funding for planning studies or financial plans to improve transit

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RAISE Grant Program The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program provides competitive funding from the department of Transportation (DOT) to invest in road, rail, port and transit projects that aim to achieve national objectives.

Eligible applicants are State, local, and tribal governments, U.S.

Funding and Financing | Section 4.1 |

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Funding Sources

Figure 4.1.2

FTA funding Sources.

territories, transit agencies, port authority, metropolitan planning organizations, and other political subdivisions of State and local governments.

The program allows state and local entities to obtain funding for multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to fund through traditional DOT programs. The program can also provide capital funding directly to any public entity.

opportunities, an outreach program to increase minority and female employment in transportation activities, and research on public transportation personnel and training needs.

For the strategies proposed for the study area, multiple would qualify for this type of jobs training programming that would allow more residents and workers to become employed.

Human Resources and Training (5314 (b))

Urbanized Area Formula Grants

The Human Resources and Training program from the FTA is a competitive program that provides grants or contracts for human resources and workforce development programs as they apply to public transportation activities. The FTA can enter contracts or provide grants for human resource and development programs as they apply to public transit activities.

Such programming can include employment training, training and assistance for minority business

Provides funding to public transit systems in Urbanized Areas (UZA) for public transportation capital, planning, job access and reverse commute projects, as well as operating expenses in certain circumstances. For the fiscal year 2021, New Jersey received $3.1 billion under the American Rescue Plan.

Funding and Financing | Section 4.1 |

The strategies proposed also qualify for several spending categories in this grant program.

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Figure 4.1.3

General State funding sources.

Opportunity Zone Credit

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New Market Tax Credit

The Federal Opportunity Zone program provides tax incentives to private entities who invest in qualified census tracts. OZ designation is given to areas that General meet criteria around poverty, Programs median income, and unemployment and aims at attracting jobs, capital, and investment to areas that are struggling.

The Federal New Market Tax Credit program is another tax program used by the federal government to incentivize community development and economic growth with tax credits to attract private investment to distressed communities. Zones qualify for the program if there are income and poverty levels present.

The entire study area qualifies as an Opportunity Zone. This makes the area more attractive for private investors to contribute to the specific projects occurring in Dayton and will jump start development and community building for residents and EWR visitors.

Again, the entire study area is in a New Market Tax Credit Qualified Zone. This continues to build out economic incentives for possible investors. As development begins in the study area, these tools can be used to further finance projects.

Funding and Financing | Section 4.1 |

Figure 4.2.1

General Federal funding sources.

4.2 State Funding Angel Tax Credit Program The Angel Tax Credit Program is a state tax program for investments in New Jersey emerging technology businesses or in a qualified venture fund for the purposes of stimulating investment. Rather than investing in a particular place, this program targets specific industries and encourages New Jersey through businesses.

Economic investment Development Governor Murphy has increased the Act Funding program cap to $35 million in tax credits.

All investors that invest in qualifying NJ emerging technology business may benefit from this tax credit. The flexible lab and manufacturing space strategy previously discussed would qualify for this type of funding. It is yet another way to incentivize private investment in the area that has already identified large amounts of public funding.

Funding and Financing | Section 4.2 |

Brownfield Redevelopment Program The Brownfield Redevelopment Program incentivizes environmental remediation, abatement, and demolition that will allow for the redevelopment of brownfields sites for commercial, retail, or mixeduse development or expansion.

The program allows developers to recoup 40% of costs associated with individual brownfield projects up to a limit of four million dollars.

The proposals for the study area particularly in the northern section of the area - include brownfields and their redevelopment into mixeduse neighborhoods. These types of projects are typically quite costly as remediation proves to be a slow process. This funding would help to eliminate these financial considerations that may ward off potential investors and developers.

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Figure 4.2.2

New Jersey Economic Development Act funding sources.

Newark Urban Enterprise Zone The Newark Urban Enterprise program is another state tax and other financial incentive program that aims to revitalize and stimulate the growth of urban communities by encouraging businesses to develop and create private sector jobs.

The study area is in a qualified Newark Urban Enterprise Zone. This would provide even more incentive for the commercial corridor along Frelinghuysen Avenue to further develop and bring more jobs to the study area for the Dayton neighborhood residents.

New Jersey Transportation Municipal Aid Grant General Funds

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This competitive grant provides funds to municipalities that aim to address the renewal of aging infrastructure, the enhancement of

Funding and Financing | Section 4.2 |

safety, and supporting the State’s economy through new transportation connections. Included in this funding source in The New Jersey Transit fund, which addresses New Jersey’s and Local System Support funds can be utilized to support the establishment of the bus rapid transit opportunity. These dollars can be used towards replacement or repair of NJ Transit buses, rail station and bus terminal improvements, and multimodal investments for rail initiatives, pedestrian, and bicycle improvements.

Municipalities can apply for seven programs such as bikeway, bridge preservation, quality of life, mobility, pedestrian safety, roadway preservation, and roadway safety.

The state pays 75% of the funds at time of the award and the rest on a reimbursement basis.

Figure 4.2.3

Local funding sources.

4.3 Local Funding New Jersey Transit Capital Budget

Impact Fees

The program totals $4.6 billion in both federal and state funds for the 2022 fiscal year to fund planned capital investments for the State.

The program prioritizes spending for transportation needs and targets safety, rebuilding the State’s roads and bridges, mass transit services, and reducing congestion.

Impact Fees are those imposed by local governments on development projects that occur within a certain area to pay for the public services that will ultimately be provided to the new development. Impact fees are a general program that takes little to implement, but this could be explored by the City of Newark during the development that will take place in the study area. The strong implications of the redevelopment and modernization plans of EWR will ensure that development occurs in the area, which limits the potential threat that this would minimize or disincentivize developers.

The NJDOT total is $2.5 billion, with funds being distributed for state and local bridges ($647 million), road assets like pavement rehabilitation ($442 million), safety improvements ($105 million), highway congestion ($219 million), and multi-modal investments ($87 million). In addition, NJDOT provides funding to Local System Support which totals $773 million.

City of Newark

The NJTransit total is $1.6 million which addresses New Jersey’s mass transit needs.

Funding and Financing | Section 4.3 |

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5. Community Engagement and Participation Plan This section seeks to create a plan for how new interactions can focus on helping, supporting, and facilitating strategies on how this can be improved. In all, this will provide a framework that represents where equity sits in the center of connecting place and connecting the people.

Figure 5.0.1

Community meeting.

The strategies identified throughout this book aim to realize the vision of changing EWR into an Airport City that will benefit the entire Dayton neighborhood neighboring the Airport. While time and attention have been given to identifying the disinvestment this neighborhood – as well as others neighboring airports around the world – has withstood and the need for intense community engagement throughout, and ownership of, the process, the Studio would be remiss to not include strategies around this integral component. This community

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engagement plan has been shaped only to a limited degree due to the studio setting and inability to fully engage with real community members of Newark. Ideally, conducting thorough community engagement would assist in formulating these strategies; however, with these limitations in mind, the community and engagement portion that is explained below were derived from a collection of experiences in community engagement practices and a single interview from a prominent leader from the Newark community, Isaiah “Zay” Little.

Community Engagement and Participation | Section 5.0 |

Figure 5.1.1

Seth Boyden Resource Center.

5.1 Episodic History of Newark To learn more about the community engagement history of Newark, an interview was held with Isaiah “Zay” Little, who serves as the Manager of Digital Marketing at the Greater Newark Convention & Visitors Bureau. In addition to this position, he is also a creative entrepreneur and the Founder of Gallery Retail and Newark First Friday.

The interview with Zay helped to illuminate the history of Newark’s relationship with its residents. It could be described as, “checking boxes” where the public must remind the governmental authorities to include them in decision making.

and accountability process that Newark has had when dealing with the process of new developments and the relationship these projects have with the community.

Newark is the third oldest city in the country.

One would hope that this extra time would culminate in better leadership, but it instead led to public servants leaving community engagement as a low priority, separate from the core tenants of their station. After what Zay described as before “white flight” in the 1967 rebellion, ignoring the community was expediated by uprisings. With the age of Black mayors, there has been incremental change within the last decades, but it has As a native to the Newark community, he been viewed by the excluded public as has experience with the lack of consistency trendy and not meaningful.

Community Engagement and Participation | Section 5.1 |

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5.2 Keeping the Community Connected There is something to be said about the importance of keeping the community connected to systems. The story describing decades of exclusion and opportunities being spread unequally is hardly unique to Newark. This point can be challenged by improving the access that the Southward has to the Airport City and turning the page to drive relational change. Currently, the North Peoples Assembly is a massive list serve that is shared with the public that entails job opportunities and events which is a step in addressing the lack of access to quality information and employment opportunities. The importance of keeping the community connected should go beyond the utilization of a list serve but should extend to consistent outreach to the community. One strategy to fulfill this is by leveraging technology and community groups despite the gap in favored politics, as Zay describes it.

5.3 Strategies to Inform Community Engagement From kick-off to completion, community engagement should be the guiding framework in the planning process.

Instituting this will allow the community to embrace the vision while strengthening and creating a sustainable relationship between the community and the vision.

Here it is important to establish a shared authorship perspective. When developing a new project or procedure that may impact the public, entities and

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stakeholders should proactively engage with communities, leading elected officials to better understand community concerns.

After attending a virtual community meeting for the Newark360 Master Plan, several points were made to the notion of improving the appetite for better community engagement with the residents and community leaders.

Deborah, who was one of the meeting attendees, shared her concern that “businesses need to be held accountable to taking care of the neighborhoods where they reside. Businesses are coming into our neighborhoods with reckless behaviors.”

The overarching message that was taken from this community meeting was that there was a desire to hold businesses and new developments accountable for how they impact the community. There was a consensus that the residents wanted to contribute to the future design of the Newark community but also understood that it must be done in a constructive manner that pushes the community forward. Another point to this meeting was that it does not matter where one lives. The goal is that if you live in the city, you should be able to have access to it—meaning that wherever you live, play, and work you should also be able to be engaged and not have to go outside of the city for what you are looking for.

Community Engagement and Participation | Section 5.2 |

What is Newark360?

Newark360 is Newark's 10-year master plan. The plan is being created in collaboration with Newark residents, who are invited to provide feedback through the Newark360 website.

Heading The Newark360 Master Plan team is now implementing an interactive website that allows the community to share their Newark story.

More than ever, they realize that it is important to share the story of, and improve the community according to, the experiences of residents. This tool allows the community members to let their

voices and stories be told through their lens. Some of how this is achieved is by being able to take polls, maps places in the Newark neighborhoods, and upload pictures all while the central team can keep an organized record of community feedback and utilize the data to inform the future framework of the city.

Community Engagement and Participation | Section 5.3 |

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In addition to following the format of Newark360, there are five strategies concerning community engagement that if followed, can lead to better engagement and healthier shared authorship in the process of new developments and the community.

Five Strategies

These strategies have been influenced in part from the conversation with Zay, as well as the historical context of relationships Newark had with the community. These strategies are:

The following five strategies guide community engagement and participation.

1 |

Embrace community input to clarify

issues and strengthen solutions from the start

2 |

Listen

3 |

Be transparent and set authentic

expectations about how the input will be used

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4 |

Recognize the Power of Power

5 |

Invest in the process

Community Engagement and Participation | Section 5.3 |

Figure 5.3.1

Kids interactiving with a model of Newark.

Strategy 1: Embrace Community Participation to Illuminate Issues and Fortify Solutions from the Start There is a greater responsibility to engage with the community members than there is to develop a successful concept. Carrying this out in an equitable and meaningful manner from the beginning crafts a message to the community that despite the history of marginalized community voices being disregarded, their input does indeed matter. Often community engagement practices fall short of this ideal by starting new developments and inquiring about the community’s input much too late in the process. This inability to authentically engage with residents deepens the gap in

producing unsustainable neighborhoods.

It sends the wrong message about caring about their neighborhoods while simultaneously deepening the disparities that far too often negatively impact lowincome people. Involving the residents’ input from the beginning helps shape solutions that allow them to have greater investment and commitment to the improvement of their neighborhood. This is especially important in a city such as Newark, where there is a history of inequity and disparity in low-income communities. Tailoring this process to first seek the community’s participation creates a foundation of shared authorship and helps both entities to work together during the process to create better outcomes for all stakeholders involved.

Community Engagement and Participation | Section 5.3 |

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Figure 5.3.2

Group photo at a UCC event.

“Active listening is not only a matter of making yourself available to hear someone talk, but it is showing the sender, physically, that you are receiving and understanding their message on all levels.”

-Susan C. Young Strategy 2: Listen The scope of effective and authentic community engagement encompasses far more than merely entering community rooms and jotting down one-off remarks the individual remembers from community members. While many city officials and government entities attempt to occupy this space to check off boxes, this cycle of thinking must be repaired or removed.

Community engagement that will push the community forward requires public servants to proactively listen to understand the experiences and opinions of residents.

This does not mean that residents’ opinions are the only factor considered but allowing their voices to be heard validates the point that their opinions are just as legitimate

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as the officials'. Breaking down this power dynamic to simply listen also creates great investment from the community, and ultimately creates the space for shared authorship and relationship-building between stakeholders.

This is a learned skill that is vital to cities seeking transformational change.

Especially during challenging times, it is important to hear the voices of all who are affected. For many in Newark, that has been long excluded from meaningful decisionmaking. Being heard is empowering to the community members and fostering this space for authentic dialogue promotes mutual understanding of how to move forward.

Community Engagement and Participation | Section 5.3 |

Figure 5.3.3

Unveiling of Newark Hope Village, an innovative sheltering program.

Strategy 3: Be Transparent and Set Authentic Expectations About How the Input will be Used Not setting clear expectations about how the community’s input will be utilized is far too often where leaders miss the mark. This is an essential tool in creating a sustainable and authentic relationship with the community. Unclear standards about how their input will be used discourages their participation in creating a better city and creates a destructive relationship with current and future stakeholders. This increases the mistrust in governing bodies and dismisses the physical time and emotional labor of community members.

Generally, community members are excited about providing their input. Providing accurate and realistic expectations can help drive the direction of the shared authorship

approach and help gain their support and commitment to the goal.

While being transparent about the process, it is equally important that residents can share their expectations of the leaders involved in the process. A point that should also be reiterated is that the discussion of expectations does not always mean the discussed ideas will be implemented.

This is significant to communicate that although every idea will not be applied, the idea was heard regardless of the reasoning for why it was unable to be implemented (i.e., financial constraints, timelines, etc.)

Sharing the meaning behind the selection invites the community to understand the reality of planning and helps to shape future recommendations. In doing so, this creates a level of accountability and mutual respect.

Community Engagement and Participation | Section 5.3 |

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Strategy 4: Recognize the Power of Power Among the many dynamics that are involved in the outcomes of community engagement is a discussion of power.

Understanding the key actors can help to develop a more effective process to meet intended goals. The types of power dynamics can be divided by social class, special interest groups, collaborative groups such as coalitions, political individuals, and even community leaders.

This often determines which community issues will succeed in being addressed as well as allocation of resources.

From the community’s perspective, it is important to build healthy alliances and relationships with relative stakeholders to further elevate their voices. However, it is even more important that leaders in the community who do have an impact on decision making recognize their power, and practice leveling the playing field so that all community voices are heard.

They should not take advantage of the community’s lack of access to materials and disparities of knowledge, both formal and relational. Successful community engagement relies on collaborative relationships and efforts, so it is overall important that leaders practice ethical responsibility on these occasions.

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Strategy 5: Invest in the Process Collectively, these strategies require a deep level of investment. It may not solely be financial, but it does require a recognition that these get fulfilled by themselves. No matter the development, to create the atmosphere for authentic engagement and a shared authorship approach, time will need to be given to carefully go through this process. Often the hesitation with this is the underlying belief that it will be drawn out, ambiguous, and difficult to manage.

Instead of leading with this perspective, this process can be sped up and organized by utilizing a schedule, timeline, and action plans as each decision will move forward.

Creating both an authentic, inviting, and productive space for feedback can also help set realistic expectations with the involved community members. In its implementation, this can look like creating weekly or monthly meetings and checkins, depending on the scale and timeframe of the project. As this serves as an ideal concept, the aim should be that there are dedicated persons and facilitators to seamlessly implement the process. While this role does pose challenges in being able to manage often tough conversations, this process then creates consistency and trust with the residents, therefore strengthening the relationships with the stakeholders involved.

Community Engagement and Participation | Section 5.3 |

5.4 Key Relationships It is imperative to identify key community leaders that would be helpful for a wide range of projects to be in connection with.

By doing so, it helps to move to the shared authorship perspective and make sure that the planning process involves the right stakeholders from the community side.

The conversation with Zay highlighted the importance of finding the right

Key Relationships

relationships to build when proposing and implementing new projects.

Although few were listed, Zay’s intended goal was to share the importance of developers and stakeholders getting connected to the right leaders, stakeholders, and community organizations, which would serve to build a relationship with them before skipping the process of understanding the lay of the land.

It is imperative to identify key community leaders that would be helpful for a wide range of projects to be in connection with.

By doing so, it helps to move to the shared authorship perspective and make sure that the planning process involves the right stakeholders from the community side.

Community Leaders • Ana Baptista (environmental justice, land use, and zoning coalitions) • Amy Goldsmith (environmental justice advocate) • Isaiah “Zay” Little (leverages culture)

Community Organizations • Clean Water Action (organizes strong grassroots groups and coalitions to protect our environment, health, economic well-being, and community quality of life.)

• Moving Forward Network (builds partnerships between these community leaders, academia, labor, big green organizations, and others to protect communities from the impacts of freight.)

• The South Ward Economic Community Development Corporation (works to improve South Ward community revitalization)

Community Engagement and Participation | Section 5.3 |

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Figure 5.5.5

Newark community members.

5.5 New Lenses Community engagement is a relational process that facilitates a deeper understanding and evaluation of involvement and an exchange of ideas about a concept. While the intended goal may vary on both sides of the projects and the community, the ultimate aim of enhancing the quality of life should be kept at the forefront. There is a significant exchange of capital and relationship building that occurs when various stakeholders work together to achieve a goal. In its historical context, Newark has failed many community residents by excluding them in key decision-making processes. Yet, there is still a hopeful future of repairing that relationship by implementing strategies that renew a commitment to meaningful engagement.

The adoption of MasterPlan360.com’s community engagement plan, which

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proactively allows for residents to provide feedback and share ideas, creates a format for the future of meaningful engagement as well as an example of what shared authorship looks like. By also implementing the five strategies, it is an applicable foundation to all new developments in the city that forges a new outlook on what community engagement should look like in the planning process.

Creating an equitable and inclusive approach to decisions invites residents to share responsibility and commitment to improving the quality of life of their communities, in partnership with relative stakeholders. Concisely, this framework hopes to provide an illustration that shows where equity sits in the center of connecting people to places. In the planning process of Newark’s Airport City, this close community engagement should be maintained throughout the entirety of the process and is integral to the realization of an Airport City.

Community Engagement and Participation | Section 5.5 |

6. Conclusion

Figure 6.1

The Future of the City Studio at Newark during site visits.

The Future of the City Studio has proposed several strategies that could meaningfully contribute to transforming the Dayton neighborhood into Newark’s Airport City.

The decades of disinvestment, leading to the lack of connectivity, abundance of distressed and disused properties, need for meaningful jobs with livable wages, and necessity of affordable housing seen in the Dayton neighborhood has left it as one of the poorest and most inequitable of Newark. Despite this, City of Newark, Port Authority, and community have a unique opportunity to leverage the redevelopment and modernization of EWR to create an inclusive, equitable, mixed-use district that lives up the Airport City vision: a place that bridges the economic success of the EWR to its surrounding neighborhoods; creates a well-connected, economically robust, mixed-use neighborhood; and allows residents to access daily goods, services, Conclusion | Section 6.0 |

and amenities within 15 minutes of walking and biking.

Among each of the proposed strategies, there are myriad options for the specific way these pieces would fit together; however, in every case, the community must lead in determining the way forward.

While stakeholders at the City, Airport, and Port Authority will need to collaborate frequently to achieve this vision, close and continuous community engagement is paramount for shared authorship in the creation of the Airport City. The decades of disinvestment in the Dayton neighborhood have left the area without resources and opportunity. With this potential to leverage millions of dollars of investment, community ownership and empowerment is key to ensuring that the equity of this development benefits and serves those already living there.

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