At the beginning of 2017, plans by developer William Washington, LLC to construct a new, four-story, mixed-use building on a vacant Downtown Newark property were revealed. The company’s proposal called for building a 39-unit development with 2,750 sq. ft. of retail space at 45-53 William Street, between Halsey Street and Washington Street in the Central Ward. However, despite the project being approved by the Newark Central Planning Board and a sign being placed on the premises with a rendering from Jarmel Kizel Architects and Engineers, Inc. for the upcoming development, construction never began at the site.

Now, it appears that the developer is still planning to bring a new building to the property, but an even larger one is now on the table. According to a legal notice from the Newark Central Planning Board, William Washington, LLC has applied for Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval with a variance for parking in order to construct a six-story development. The new building would include 56 residential units on the top five floors, while the first and part of the second floors would include a daycare center. Plus, 28 parking spaces would also be provided on the ground floor.

The Board was slated to hear the proposal during its meeting on December 18th.

This property was previously used as a private parking lot, though it has been vacant for the past few years. The site is situated in the Living Downtown Redevelopment Area just west of the Newark Bronze Shields police association and the new Teachers Village mixed-use community along the Halsey Street corridor. Residents of the new development would be within a 10-minute walk of the Prudential Center, Military Park, the Newark Light Rail, and local bus service.