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Willingboro a Willing Partner in Renewal
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Willingboro a Willing Partner in Renewal 56-acre Willingboro Town Center to Be a Model for Redevelopment ReNEWal Willingboro, LLC broke ground in November on phase one of Willingboro Town Center on Route 130 in Willingboro, New Jersey. The 56-acre project, which is being developed on the site of the former Willingboro Plaza, will create a mixed of retail and commercial uses, adult housing, community-oriented users and open space. The project stems from a partnership between ReNEWal Realty and the Township of Willingboro which has established a redevelopment area and special zoning for the site. The development will be the first of its kind built in New Jersey and is intended to serve as a prototype that can be duplicated throughout the state and nation, according to Robert Stang (212-595-7933), managing director of ReNEWal Willingboro. Taking a Town Center Approach The project will create a mixed-use town center capable of attracting national retailers, housing developers, light industrial users, commercial tenants, government offices and a variety of public amenities and institutions. Phase one of the project includes the demolition of 10 buildings while preserving the parcel’s existing water, sewer and electric infrastructure. A number of environmental issues will be remediated, including the removal of low-level hydrocarbon contamination, asbestos and poor drainage sites. Beyond cleaning up the site, the project team intends to enhance the property by creating significant green spaces, providing an ideal location for retailers, senior housing development, light industrial and corporate uses, and public institutions. The green spaces will be open for public use, attracting people from the Willingboro community and neighboring towns. Implementing Urban Designs "We are pledged to making this project unique in other respects," Stang said. "We will design buildings for energy efficiency, water conservation and recycling. We will build with materials that have been manufactured with the lowest possible impact on the environment. And we will implement urban design principles that make the Willingboro Town Center accessible by public transportation, where people will walk, interact with each other and enjoy a place that is comfortable and inviting." Currently, a library serving the five towns adjacent to the site and a community college occupy a former Sears building at the center of the project. These uses are expected to be retained and will serve as the civic anchor of the site. An existing park and ride location will be enlarged and enhanced by a connection to shuttle buses from the light rail system being developed along the Delaware River. The new residential component will be made up of duplex townhouses designed for young couples and older households. The company intends to announce retail tenants and other tenants as leases are signed. Willingboro is located in Burlington County, New Jersey’s largest county, covering 819 square miles and home to 395,000 people. Willingboro Township’s median household income is $62,662. The Willingboro Town Center site is in the middle of Burlington County. The area is served by I-295, the New Jersey Turnpike, State Route 73 and County Roads 541 and 656. A new turnpike interchange with Route 130 is planned for 1999. The area also is served by three Delaware River bridges to Pennsylvania and an active freight rail line. The Development Team Robert Stang is president and CEO of Living Earth Realty Corp, an environmentally oriented property development company, and was co-founder of M.J. Raynes Inc., a former New York City-based real estate firm. The development team also includes: R. Whitney Anderson, co-founder of North American Securities Co., LLC, and North American Environmental Capital, LLC, a principal in ReNEWal Realty; Matthew D. Weitzman, a co-founder of North American Securities Co., LLC, and North American Environmental Capital, LLC, as well as the CEO of AFW Asset Management Inc.; Stephen R. Jaffe, a partner in ReNEWal Realty, LLC, will serve as the project’s environmental compliance officer and a central advisor on all business aspects of the development process; James Johnston, a principal in the PMK Group, which is providing geotechnical, site, civil and mechanical engineering services to the project; and Dante Romanini, of Kozlov, Seaton, Romanini, Brooks and Greenberg, PC, the project’s legal counsel. The design team includes Randolph R. Croxton, FAIA, founder of Croxton Collaborative Architects, PC, which is providing overall sustainable/environmental planning and architectural design services, and Meridian Design Associates, Architects, which has been retained to assist in the design of civic and public spaces, and for community and advocacy planning. |