Commercial Revitalization Plan For Sprinfield and South Orange Avenues--The NCC Incubator

COMMERCIAL REVITALIZATION PLAN FOR SPRINFIELD AND SOUTH ORANGE AVENUES

Part III of an Exploratory Study to Establish a Special Improvement
District on Springfield and South Orange Avenues, Newark, NJ

Report to the Corinthian Housing Development Corporation and New Community Corporation

May 11, 1998

The NCC Business Incubator

As part of the original research goals, CHDC and NCC asked Project Community to make recommendations for how a nearby business incubator could support commercial revitalization efforts in West Side Park. The New Community Corporation is currently in the process of creating a business incubator that will be located at one block from interstate highway I-280 and several blocks from downtown.

The most important contribution the incubator could make to businesses along the Springfield and South Orange Avenues commercial corridors is through the sharing of its technical and secretarial assistance. One scenario might include locating the organizer or staff member designated to work with neighborhood businesses within the incubator itself. This would allow for greater coordination between the merchant organizer and incubator technical staff. Once an organizer has gained the merchants' trust, it may be possible to organize additional services through the incubator, such as a centralized, and computerized inventory and payroll services for businesses. If funds or the merchant organizer's time is limited, the incubator's secretarial services could assist with the production of a newsletter.

Finally, the incubator would be the ideal location for the formation of a new firm, such as a delivery company that would deliver area businesses' goods to customers located outside the neighborhood. Many merchants and other community leaders felt that attracting additional customers into the neighborhood to shop from other parts of the city or nearby regions would not be a realistic goal for the early phase of a commercial revitalization plan. Therefore, a delivery company would serve an important function by helping businesses expand their customer base, while the incubator would provide the delivery company with secretarial and payroll services and equipment - such as a phone and fax -- that would help reduce start-up costs.