header_fwtitle ) { $css_title .= 'font-weight:' . esc_attr( $pheader_fwtitle ) . ';'; } if ( $pheader_title_color ) { $css_title .= 'color:' . esc_attr( $pheader_title_color ) . ';'; } if ( $css_title ) { echo '.penci-page-header-wrap .penci-page-header-title {' . $css_title . '}'; } if ( $pheader_line_color ) { echo '.penci-page-header-wrap .penci-page-header-title:before{ border-color: ' . esc_attr( $pheader_line_color ) . '; opacity: 1; }'; } if ( $pheader_bread_fsize ) { echo '.penci-page-header-wrap .container.penci-breadcrumb span, .penci-page-header-wrap .container.penci-breadcrumb a, .penci-page-header-wrap .container.penci-breadcrumb i{ font-size:' . esc_attr( $pheader_bread_fsize ) . 'px; }'; } if ( $pheader_bread_color ) { echo '.penci-page-header-wrap .container.penci-breadcrumb span, .penci-page-header-wrap .container.penci-breadcrumb a,.penci-page-header-wrap .container.penci-breadcrumb i{ color:' . esc_attr( $pheader_bread_color ) . '; }'; } if ( $pheader_bread_hcolor ) { echo '.penci-page-header-wrap .container.penci-breadcrumb a:hover{ color:' . $pheader_bread_hcolor . '; }'; } if ( $pheader_bgimg ) { echo '.penci-page-header-wrap{ background-image: url(' . esc_attr( $pheader_bgimg ) . '); }'; } if ( $pheader_bgcolor ) { echo '.penci-page-header-wrap{ background-color:' . esc_attr( $pheader_bgcolor ) . '; }'; } } endif; South Orange Development Archives - The Village Green https://villagegreennj.com/tag/south-orange-development/ of Maplewood and South Orange Sat, 20 Sep 2025 04:35:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 https://villagegreennj.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/vg-fav-1.png South Orange Development Archives - The Village Green https://villagegreennj.com/tag/south-orange-development/ 32 32 As NJ Transit Lot Negotiation Stalls, South Orange Mayor Defends Proposed Project https://villagegreennj.com/towns/government/as-nj-transit-lot-negotiation-stalls-south-orange-mayor-defends-proposed-project/ Sat, 20 Sep 2025 04:35:58 +0000 https://villagegreennj.com/?p=155413

Responding to comments contending that development is contributing to traffic, density & overcrowding, Collum said that such projects "provide much-needed housing and affordable housing units," among other benefits.

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After Village Green reported that a decade-long effort to negotiate with New Jersey Transit to build a transit-oriented commercial and residential development at the South Orange Train Station parking lot appeared stalled, South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum responded to comments about the story on the Village Green News & Views Facebook group.

The report on the NJ Transit lot was part of a larger story about the State of New Jersey accepting South Orange’s fourth round affordable and fair share housing plan.

Read Collum’s post here:

“Hi Neighbors, the plan we’ve been working on would absolutely provide replacement public parking. However, it would also provide much-needed housing and affordable housing units consistent with the Fair Housing Act and our newly adopted Housing Element and Fair Share Plan. I’m incredibly proud that over the past 10 years, we’ve course-corrected our commitment to equitable transit-oriented development. These developments have improved pre-existing conditions of contaminated and underperforming land, allowed us to welcome new neighbors and businesses, and provided desperately needed revenue to advance renovations and maintenance of essential facilities such as the Baird and Library. This is smart and equitable growth in action.

“Specifically related to the NJ Transit Lot, we’ve also been working on the incorporation of municipal offices in the building at no cost to our taxpayers, activation of the ground floor and a plaza, and a critical advancement of the River Greenway connecting where it currently stops at South Orange Avenue to New Waterlands (also known as Phase 3), which will be a game changer for mobility to have a pedestrian and bicycle path from West Montrose all the way through Maplewood.

“As for some other comments:

– The overcrowding argument is always strange to me. Fifty years ago, we had 17,000 residents; today, we have 18,500. We’re in Planning Area 1 in the State Plan; we’re a growth area. Our community is designed to be a transit hub where people, transportation, and job opportunities connect. The alternative is sprawl.

-Traffic is a very limited byproduct of housing itself. As you can see from our Master Plan, only 1% of traffic is internal, whereas 70% is pass-through traffic reflecting regional growth and economic development occurring in our surrounding communities.

– City and Village don’t necessarily describe population size or character the way people might assume—they are legal forms of municipal government under New Jersey law. Newark could call itself Newark Village if it wanted to.

– Parking is not scarce except for the occasional Friday and Saturday nights.

– And no, we don’t own “lots of surface parking lots more important than NJ Transit,” and we’ve already shown success with Taylor Vose, which was also a public-private partnership involving a municipal lot and received a Smart Growth Award.

“Lastly, as also mentioned in the article, because we have been so proactive on affordable housing credits, I’m excited about the opportunities to provide more workforce housing. It would mean the world to me to get more housing opportunities for municipal employees and school teachers, particularly at the 60–80% area median income. We open lots of choices for ourselves and the community when we take our obligations seriously and don’t kick the can.

“Unlike many towns, we will not be embarking on a costly legal battle to fight our obligations, and I’m pretty confident the vast majority of our residents share this sentiment.

“Hope some of this information is helpful, and feel free to reach out and call me anytime if you want to discuss more.”

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]]> JESPY Center Plan Amended to Include 4th Property Demolition to Improve Circulation https://villagegreennj.com/development/jespy-center-plan-amended-to-include-4th-property-demolition-to-improve-circulation/ Thu, 27 Jun 2024 20:33:12 +0000 https://villagegreennj.com/?p=102748

UPDATE: The June 27 Special Planning Board meeting for the JESPY Center site plan has been canceled and will be rescheduled.

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]]> South Orange Village President Collum Honored With Women in Gov’t Award https://villagegreennj.com/towns/government/south-orange-village-president-collum-honored-with-women-in-govt-award/ Sun, 27 Nov 2022 17:46:18 +0000 https://villagegreennj.com/?p=90566

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]]> Demolition for ‘The Peaks’ 270 & 299 Irvington Ave Project in South Orange to Begin Q1 2022 https://villagegreennj.com/towns/demolition-for-the-peaks-270-299-irvington-ave-project-in-south-orange-to-begin-q1-2022/ Tue, 14 Dec 2021 18:57:04 +0000 https://villagegreennj.com/?p=85636

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]]> South Orange Planning Board Adopts New Master Plan, Concluding 4-Year Process https://villagegreennj.com/towns/south-orange-planning-board-adopts-new-master-plan-concluding-4-year-process/ Mon, 13 Dec 2021 17:54:59 +0000 https://villagegreennj.com/?p=85616

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]]> South Orange Master Plan Draft to be Presented at Special Planning Board Meeting Nov. 10 https://villagegreennj.com/towns/south-orange/south-orange-master-plan-draft-to-be-presented-at-special-planning-board-meeting-nov-10/ Tue, 09 Nov 2021 16:58:36 +0000 https://villagegreennj.com/?p=85027

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]]> South Orange Village Center Improvement Group Asks for Traffic & Transit Planning https://villagegreennj.com/business/south-orange-village-center-improvement-group-asks-traffic-transit-planning/ Fri, 17 Apr 2015 02:56:12 +0000 http://villagegreennj.com/?p=11354

The following letter was sent to the South Orange Village Board of Trustees on…

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The following letter was sent to the South Orange Village Board of Trustees on April 15, 2015, and is published here at the request of Matt Glass, Chair of the Board of the South Orange Village Center Alliance, the not-for-profit entity that manages the South Orange Center special improvement district.

To the Governing Body and Professional Leadership of South Orange:

The South Orange Village Center Alliance (SOVCA) is enthusiastic about the recent development in the central business district as well as the interest from private developers for more residential and retail projects in the Village Center. We believe that high-density living as well as refreshed and new retail and dining facilities can be a turning point in the health and future of our district, especially for our current merchants.

This development, however, needs to be coupled with strategic and smart advances in infrastructure and services in order to meet the demand of new in-town residents and existing residents and visitors. Two significant factors that our Board has discussed are vehicular traffic and NJ Transit capacity. New apartments at Third & Valley and eventually at Church and South Orange Avenue and beyond will put an additional strain on these essential elements of our daily lives.

Regarding traffic, we hope that county and state resources can be used to determine if and where additional turning lanes and smart traffic lights need to be installed. This supports the BOT and SOPD’s already great work on pedestrian safety which we feel is paramount to the success of any walkable business district. We are ready to be effective partners in determining the best next steps to ensure that both vehicles and pedestrians have a safe and easy transit into and through the Village.

Regarding NJTransit, South Orange is already the busiest station on the Morris & Essex line as well as the 4th busiest in the entire system. As many of the new arrivals will most likely be commuting eastbound we hope that NJTransit has a plan to increase service to a station which is already bulging at its platforms. Our Board has discussed proposing that Mountain Station be put into more effective use for people who live in the northern sections of town to perhaps relieve some stress on the main South Orange station. That, coupled with increased frequency and express service, may lessen the burden.

Regarding both of these important topics, we realize that we don’t have all the answers but we want to be sure that members of the BOT as well as the professional staff are thinking of all the right questions. Again, we’re excited about the renaissance of the Village Center and all of your work and support to make it a reality. Please let us know how we can be of assistance.

Regards,

Matt Glass Chair, SOVCA Board of Directors

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