Description of project by Richard Meier & Partners Architects
Teachers Village is a mixed-use development envisioned for downtown Newark south of Market Street and west of Broad Street. It will encompass six new buildings, including Workforce Housing, Charter Schools and small to mid-scale retail located along Halsey Street between Branford Street and Hill Street. These elements will provide 200 residential units for teachers, three charter schools, a daycare center and a variety of retail spaces at street level. Sustainable design, new landscaping and streetscape improvements are integral to the goal of creating an exemplary development for a flourishing community in Newark.
Each new building is site specific and designed relative to its context. Street wall heights are regulated in accordance with the Newark Living Downtown Plan and provide a rich variety of street conditions. The new Halsey Street retail corridor is at the heart of the development and offers a mix of venues for vibrant street life. The residential spaces and schools are designed with generous windows that are open to the light and activity of the streets below. As required by the Newark Living Downtown Plan, all of the new building fronts facing Halsey Street are four-stories tall, not exceeding 60-feet in height. As permitted by zoning regulations, the buildings setback from Halsey Street above 60-feet grow in height, reaching a maximum of 6-stories.
Teachers Village is one of the first developments in America to pursue the LEED Neighborhood Development designation by the US Green Building Council, indicating that the project meets the highest levels of sustainable design and that the neighborhood integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building strategies. Former parking lots are transformed into a sustainable new neighborhood that offers its teacher residents opportunities to live where they work and to experience high-quality healthy living in an affordable, safe environment downtown. The development is conveniently located to benefit from Newark’s efficient public transportation system, from extensive local and regional bus lines to a short walk to the Washington Street light rail and Newark Penn Station, hub for NJTRANSIT, AMTRAK trains and PATH train service to Manhattan.
Teachers Village will restore a sense of place by activating the streetscape, along Halsey and William Streets, attracting residents, students, and visitors to this dynamic new community and to the existing cultural, entertainment and educational infrastructure with institutions such as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark School for the Arts, the NJ Historical Society, Newark Museum, the main branch of the Newark Public Library and the Prudential Center Arena. Access to open space for Teachers Village residents includes proximity to three city parks and community gardens. Surrounded by six universities with a community of 50,000 people, each with its own library and cultural facilities, there is potential for collaboration between Teachers Village and the surrounding corporate and academic community.
The Teachers Village neighborhood is the piece of the puzzle that completes the picture of a healthy, vital downtown, creating a 24/7 environment and destination for diverse populations to linger and enjoy what downtown Newark can offer.
