ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A planning initiative primarily run by Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School for Planning and Policy has presented a report to the four townships along the Irvington Avenue Corridor — Maplewood, South Orange, Irvington and Newark — outlining recommendations on how to turn the 1.5-mile county road into a unified “complete street” by improving the area’s physical appearance and making it more friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists.
One major suggestion Together North Jersey made in its report, “Irvington Avenue: Creating a Complete Corridor,” was to officially brand the commercial section of Maplewood stretching between Putnam Street and Clinton Avenue.
“It is characterized by a pedestrian-oriented sidewalk environment, though it feels distinctly different from the rest of Maplewood,” the report described the region. “To give this area a distinct identity within the township of Maplewood, the plan recommends naming this portion of the corridor ‘Maplewood Corners.’”
Maplewood Corners should be a “place where people want to be,” the report stressed. To make that so, it listed a number of changes, including transforming the intersection of Parker, Clinton and Irvington avenues — also known as Clinton Crossroads — into a more welcoming entrance by implementing right-sized travel lanes, improved facades and a central clock and seating area. It also recommended creating more redevelopment opportunities, such as the northeast corner of Clinton Crossroads currently occupied by a single-family house zoned for retail, as well as pocket parks and informal seating areas. The report pointed to Hillcrest Place as a prime spot for a pocket park.
Additionally, the report urged improvements in the physical appearance of Maplewood Corners in order to eliminate the perception that the area is unsafe for shoppers, which hurts businesses. Specifically, it said storefronts and store signage should be made more attractive; a set of enforceable design guidelines should be developed; and the entire region should be visibly branded as being part of Maplewood Corners through banners and the like. Forming a merchants association could make these enhancements easier to accomplish, the report said. It also suggested using major local businesses, such as the Diamond Gym, as anchors to attract other businesses and create a united retail identity.
Aside from establishing Maplewood Corners, the other major suggestion to come out of the report was to establish a bike route through the corridor. To do this, some changes would have to be made in each of the districts encompassed by the corridor.
In Downtown South Orange, the report called for on-street parking to be repurposed along both sides of Irvington Avenue, to accommodate for the dedicated bike lanes, which would start at Prospect Street and extend east to Seton Hall. They would pick up in Seton Village — which would have to implement sharrows, or shared bike lane pavement markings — and to South Orange to the west and Ivy Hill Park to the east.
In Ivy Hill, on-street parking would have to be repurposed along the north side of Irvington Avenue, though the south side’s parking would be maintained. The bike lanes would extend east to Putnam Street in Maplewood Corners, which would also have to implement sharrows along both sides of Irvington Avenue, before ending at Parker Avenue.
Overall, officials from both Maplewood and South Orange were pleased with the report’s recommendations. Annette DePalma, Maplewood’s director of community relations and municipal prosecutor, told the News-Record she felt positively about the suggestions made, especially since they coincided with what the township was already thinking about doing. DePalma said establishing Maplewood Corners is particularly necessary.
“It is an important project,” DePalma said in a phone interview on Monday, Feb. 2. “The Maplewood Corners section of the Irvington Avenue Corridor is the northeast gateway into Maplewood. The shopping district there is one of three major shopping districts. And it serves as a real neighborhood convenience shopping destination.
“But it suffers from some perception problems,” she said. “If you make it look better, people are going to want to go there more and they are going to feel more comfortable being there.”
DePalma said Maplewood took the lead in applying to Together North Jersey after forming a steering committee, which included representatives from South Orange, Newark, Essex County and NJ Transit, among others. And before the report was even completed, she said Maplewood and Essex County jointly applied for the Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Alternatives Program Grant to fund some of the improvements being discussed for the corridor. She mentioned streetscape enhancements and better street delineations as a few of the items included in the grant application.
South Orange has already made advancements in improving its own portion of the Irvington Avenue Corridor, which was recently branded “Seton Village.” Trustee Sheena Collum told the News-Record the village is already working with PSE&G to improve street lighting and it has already installed tree lights. Collum said the county has also repaved and remarked all existing crosswalks, and volunteers have conducted several cleanups along the corridor. Redevelopment studies are still in progress, she said, and grant applications are still pending as well.
Additionally, Collum said the South Orange Board of Trustees is preparing to announce a “Great Streets” matching grant program for local businesses and property owners to upgrade their facades, signage and lighting. She said the program will be introduced with a $25,000 budget for all business districts.
According to Collum, the village is optimistic about Seton Village’s future.
“From the rebranding and beautification to public safety and redevelopment, we are well on our way to really leveraging all Seton Village has and finally see this neighborhood retail corridor meet its full potential,” said Collum in an email on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Even the planner behind the report was enthusiastic about the corridor’s potential rejuvenation. Eric Fang, the associate principal at Perkins Eastman who led the report committee, advised the municipalities to act on the recommendations quickly, before the report becomes outdated. Even the completion of minor improvements builds momentum and enthusiasm for the project and leads to more significant changes, Fang said.
And while Maplewood and South Orange are now on their own in carrying out what the report has outlined, Fang said Together North Jersey would work with the towns if they need assistance. Like DePalma and Collum, he believes the report can be used as an asset to improve the corridor.
“It was a very exciting project,” Fang told the News-Record in a phone interview on Monday, Feb. 2. “We think that each of the areas along this corridor are kind of like pearls on a string. They just need some individual attention, but they also needed this big, overarching concept. We have high hopes.”