[Nexis4Jersey]

Coalition mulls possibilities for 'great urban spaces' along NJ Transit line in Newark, Oranges

— The mayors of three neighboring cities are expected to speak later this month about how changes to the areas surrounding train stations could potentially help bolster some of the state’s struggling neighborhoods.

The Urban Essex Coalition for Smart Growth formed in 2013 as a result of the Together North Jersey initiative, which is working to create transit-oriented developments in northern New Jersey. According to the Urban Essex Coalition’s Coordinator Tom Schulze, the group formed after a TNJ recommendation to look into redevelopment options surrounding a string of five train stations along the NJ Transit rail line in Newark, East Orange, and Orange.

The five-mile stretch encompasses about 62,000 residents across the three municipalities.

“There is a lot of opportunity for redevelopment and improvement along the line that bisects these communities,” Schulze said in an interview about the work the coalition has been doing over the past year. “Our overarching goal is to improve the area…to encourage great urban spaces.”

The coalition, which includes the three cities, NJ Transit, and a few dozen area businesses, nonprofits, and colleges, is working to foster mixed-use developments surrounding the Broad Street Station in Newark, City Hall and Brick Church stations in East Orange, the Orange Station near Main Street in Orange, and the Highland Avenue station in the Valley Arts district. The coalition has applied for a $200,000 grant that it says will allow for an in-depth study of the area to determine exactly what types of developments would work best around each station.

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/20...k_oranges.html