Shovels Hit Ground At Montclair’s $135M ‘Arts District’ (PHOTOS)

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Shovels have officially hit the ground for Montclair’s new “Arts and Entertainment District.”

Earlier this week, local officials and project stakeholders gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony in Downtown Montclair at the site of the township’s new mixed-use development on Bloomfield Avenue.

Part of the town's Seymour Street Redevelopment Plan, the $135 million private development project is a joint venture between Hoboken-based Ironstate Development Company and Brookfield Asset Management Inc, according to a company news release.

When complete in 2020, the development will include two buildings which straddle Seymour Street and complete the block alongside the Wellmont Theater. Here’s how Ironstate Development Company and Brookfield described their vision for the future arts district:

“A six-story building northwest of South Willow Street will feature 200 rental apartments, 28,000 square feet of street-level retail spaces, 224 parking spaces, and 10,000 square feet of space available for rental by arts users. Much of the retail space will front on a former portion of Seymour Street which will be converted into a 12,000-square-foot public plaza. Featuring extensive landscaping, outdoor seating, and multiple art installations, the plaza is expected to host open-air performances and other events. The theater’s box office will open onto the plaza and create a bustling atmosphere during all seasons of the year.”

The companies added:

“A second, seven-story building will rise just southwest of the Wellmont Theater and will include 40,000 square feet of office space and 210 parking spaces. The project also includes a five-story municipal parking garage which will house 315 parking spaces at the intersection of Glenridge Avenue and North Willow Street.”

In addition:

“Designed by Marchetto Higgins Stieve and Minno Wasko, with interiors by Kara Mann Design, the new buildings will respect historic architecture and brickwork at adjacent buildings like the Wellmont Theater and Kahn Building. Both buildings will feature predominantly brick facades to blend contextual design with modern amenities and best-in-class commercial spaces. An unobstructed view of the surrounding landscape and Manhattan skyline will be enjoyed from the office floors and from a rooftop amenity in the residential building.”

“This development surpasses my dream of a first-class arts district for our township,” Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson said during Monday’s ceremony. “I'm thrilled that Brookfield and Ironstate are underway and moving at a great pace. Today's groundbreaking is a milestone. I can't wait to cut the ribbon.”

The residential component of the plan has drawn some wary comments from some locals, however, who have suggested that the redevelopment may be an attempt to pass off a for-profit development project as an "arts" district.

"I've heard people say that this seems like a condo district being sold as an arts district," a member of the arts advisory committee to the Montclair Township Council told NorthJersey.com in February. "On the other side of this, there are people who embrace [it]."

Under the terms of the Seymour Street Redevelopment Plan, which was adopted by the Township Council in September 2016, the Wellmont Theater is required to be "preserved and utilized as a live performance venue." (See the full redevelopment plan here)

In addition to the Wellmont Theater, a minimum of 10,000 square feet of gross floor space within the redevelopment area is required to be provided for "publicly accessible arts and entertainment facilities," which may include one or more of the following uses:

• Live performance venues (not to exceed 5,000 square feet of gross floor area)
• Arts and entertainment education facilities
• Recording and rehearsal studios
• Artist studios that are regularly open to the public
• Artisan industrial studios
• Art galleries
• Arts collectives
• Museum facilities

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Images courtesy of Ironstate Development Company/Brookfield