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AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE THIRD AMENDMENT TO THE WEST WARD MODEL NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN WHICH CHANGES THE PERMITTED USES IN THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS TO ALLOW TWO-, THREE-, AND FOUR-FAMILY DWELLINGS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL (C-1) AND COMMUNITY COMMERCIAL (C-2) DISTRICTS, AND ADDITIONALLY ALLOW TOWNHOUSES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL (C-1) DISTRICT.
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WHEREAS, the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-1 et seq. (“LRHL”), authorizes municipalities to determine whether certain land in the municipality constitutes an area in need of redevelopment; and
WHEREAS, on September 8, 2016, the Newark Municipal Council (“the Municipal Council”) adopted Ordinance 6PSF-f, thereby adopting the West Ward Model Neighborhood Initiative Redevelopment Plan (“the Redevelopment Plan”), pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-7, et seq.; and
WHEREAS, on July 10, 2019, the Municipal Council adopted Ordinance 6PSF-h, adopting the First Amendment to the Redevelopment Plan; and
WHEREAS, on February 15, 2023, the Council adopted Ordinance 6PSF-h, adopting the Second Amendment to the Redevelopment Plan; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-7(f), “[t]he Governing Body, when considering the proposed Plan, may amend or revise any portion of the proposed Redevelopment Plan by an affirmative vote of the majority of its full authorized membership and shall record in its minutes the reasons for each amendment or revision;” and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution 7R2-F, adopted on April 1, 2026, the Municipal Council referred the proposed Third Amendment to the West Ward Model Neighborhood Initiative Redevelopment Plan (the “Third Amendment”) to the Newark Central Planning Board to determine if such amendments are consistent with the City’s Master Plan and transmit its recommendations regarding consistency with the City’s Master Plan and other matters pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-7, et seq.; and
WHEREAS, the Central Planning Board conducted a public hearing on May 11, 2026, and adopted a Memorialization Resolution on May 18, 2026, affirming that the Third Amendment is consistent with the City’s Master Plan and recommended that the Municipal Council adopt the Third Amendment as drafted in Exhibit A attached hereto and made a part hereof; and
WHEREAS, the Municipal Council has determined that it is in the best interest of the public to adopt the Third Amendment in the form recommended by the Central Planning Board as attached hereto.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
Section 1. Upon the recommendation of the Newark Central Planning Board, the Newark Municipal Council hereby adopts The Third Amendment to the West Ward Model Neighborhood Initiative Redevelopment Plan, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A.
Section 2. This Ordinance shall take effect upon final passage and publication in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey.
Section 3. The provisions of this Ordinance are severable. To the extent any clause, phrase, sentence, paragraph or provision of this Ordinance shall be declared invalid, illegal, or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.
Section 4. Codification. This Ordinance shall be a part of the Code of the City of Newark as though codified and fully set forth therein. The City Clerk shall have this Ordinance codified and incorporated in the official copies of the Code. The City Clerk and the Corporation Counsel are authorized and directed to change any Chapter, Article and/or Section number of the Code of the City of Newark in the event that the codification of this Ordinance reveals that there is a conflict between the numbers and the existing Code, and in order to avoid confusion and possible accidental repealers of existing provisions not intended to be repealed.
STATEMENT
This Ordinance adopts the Third Amendment to the West Ward Model Neighborhood Initiative Redevelopment Plan, which adds two- , three- and four-family dwellings and town houses as Permitted Uses in the Neighborhood Commercial Districts (C-1) and permit two-, three-, and four- family dwellings in the Community Commercial (C-2) Districts only on streets that are not designated as collector or arterial roads, and add general bulk and design standards for four family dwellings