A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF WESTSIDE PARK
Part I 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
Introduction to Study
To an outsider driving through the Central Ward of Newark, the first impression is usually created by the physical state of buildings and their surroundings. Many structures are underutilized, either partially vacant or abandoned. Buildings are dilapidated and not maintained. This leaves the visitor a sense of reluctance to spend a dollar in this area of town. Clearly, much debate in Newark has focused on resources and market forces, which has isolated many neighborhoods. As a common thread to this concept, community development corporations are a crucial player to breaking the inner-city mystique of disinvestment.
In this report, New Community Corporation (NCC), Corinthian Housing Development Corporation (CHDC), and Project Community joined forces to explore and create a course of action for business development in the Central Ward of Newark. Project Community with the help of NCC and CHDC, conducted business surveys were conducted in the area to better understand the obstacles to investment. The following research by Project Community recognizes that in seeking to improve shopping for inner-city residents and business expansion, it is also important to recognize that inner-city retail stores, particularly locally owned independent stores, vary widely in the quality of retail services they provide. The characteristics found during our study were: few or no employees, very limited access to credit, little advertising, equipment out of date, low level of maintenance, and an absence of formal business planning.
With this in mind, the research by Project Community is an analysis of the area's main commercial corridors. The target area consists of a ninety-six square block area bordered by Springfield Avenue on the south, 20thStreet and the Irvington border on the west, South Orange Avenue on the north, and Bergen Street on the east. The two Avenues have a long history as important retail hubs, but have been trapped in a cycle of decline the past three decades. The primary objective of this study is to examine these corridors and provide NCC and CHDC with an analysis that can be used to better their business redevelopment efforts.
