Forward-Bound Doremus is a shared vision and redevelopment plan for the Doremus Port-Industrial District. Working with stakeholders and residents to balance the needs of industry, the environment, and community while positioning the city for increased economic and environmental resilience. The plan will provide strategies to rebuild and restore the area into an economically viable and productive place by encouraging “green” and environmentally sustainable development. Forward-Bound Doremus is a collaborative, inter-jurisdictional, and inclusive redevelopment plan that will integrate equity, resilience, health, and sustainability to envision the future of Newark's Port-Industrial District for the next 10-years.
Forward-Bound Doremus, will focus on the core area of Newark’s Industrial District, anchored by Doremus Avenue corridor. The plan’s Study Area is bounded by the Passiac River to the north and east, I-78 and Port Newark to the south, and on the west is bounded by Routes 9 and 1 through to Foundry Street and Chapel Street where the port-industrial land uses come into intimate contact with the residential neighborhoods of North Ironbound and East Ferry.
Newark is entering an exciting period of rapid growth coupled with increased environmental threats and stressors. As one of the most visible and accessible sites in the region, the Port-Industrial District benefits from every mode of freight and passenger transportation – air, seaports, freight railroad connections, and highways. However, the rapid growth of industry coupled with advancements in industrial technology has increased the need for smaller, decentralized distribution centers in addition to cold storage to meet modern ecommerce needs.
The recent growth has also led to industrial uses encroaching into surrounding residential areas, highlighting the need to better manage the interaction between industrial and non-industrial uses. Storied communities, like Newark’s Ironbound neighborhoods, have already endured decades of inequity in forms of environmental injustice and impact of freight traffic. With this redevelopment plan, we have the opportunity to help right the decades of wrong, in addition to addressing the new environmental needs. Investments to the aging infrastructure is critical for long-term sustainability, environmental justice, and economic vitality of the area. Join us now to create a collaborative and inclusive plan that integrates equity, resilience, health, and sustainability to envision the future of Doremus Port-Industrial District for the next 10 years.
The project had a soft launch in January 2020, and we were on-track to deliver a collaborative Redevelopment Plan in August 2020. However, due to COVID-19 we had to pause to re-calibrate the project timeline and our process to follow social distancing guidelines and virtual engagement. But we are back and ready to start working with you to shape the future of the Doremus Port-Industrial District. The plan will be developed through four flexible and overlapping phases, starting with the work we did in January 2020 and finishing in May 2021. This sequence of steps has consistently delivered plans that are thorough, actionable, and supported by their community.
Phase 1: INITIATION - Project Launch + Existing Conditions Analysis (February – October 2020)
We will listen and learn from you, through a series of virtual and limited in-person community engagement activities, about your aspirations and vision, existing issues and challenges for the Port-Industrial Districts and its surrounding areas. The planning team will work to understand and analyze the existing conditions of the Study Area.
Phase 2: EXPLORATION - Issues & Opportunities + Concept Plans (November– December 2020)
Using what we learned from you in Phase 1, the planning team, with the guidance of steering committee members, will dive deeper into understanding the issues and opportunities of the Port-Industrial District and its surrounding areas and start drafting the vision, goals, and initial redevelopment scenarios.
Phase 3: VALIDATION - Plan Development (January– March 2021)
We refine the vision, goals, and initial redevelopment scenarios, and present them to you, the community, for your input and validation. The community and steering committee will have the opportunity to provide their feedback through a series of virtual or limited-in person engagement activities.
Phase 4: DOCUMENTATION - Draft and Final Redevelopment Plan (April– May 2021)
In the final phase, we will take all the feedback we have gathered from the community on the draft plan and produce the final redevelopment plan. The final plan will provide actionable steps to implement the vision for the Doremus Port-Industrial District.
As the planning process progresses, there will be many ways to get involved and provide input. For now, here are a few things you can do to get plugged into the collaborative process:
Follow us on Facebook and Youtube to get the latest news, use #ForwardBoundDoremus to follow the project on social media.
We want to hear from you! Respond to our short Launch Questionnaire about the Port-Industrial District and what you want this plan to achieve.
Watch the Virtual Project Launch to learn about the plan and our process!
Help us map your community using the Community Mapping tool.
Keep a look out on our website and Facebook - we'll be hosting outdoor, socially-distanced townhall meetings soon to hear more from you!