At Long Last, Village to Break Ground at Beifus Site

After more than a decade of controversy and false starts that left a gaping hole in the center of South Orange Village, officials will finally break ground on the site of the former Beifus car dealership next to the South Orange New Jersey Transit train station. The groundbreaking will take place on Wednesday, May 22 at 9 a.m.

"The Gateway" will have 57 residential units and 9,100 square feet of retail space on the first floor, said Lisa Hackett, executive director of the South Orange Village Center Alliance (SOVCA). The one- and two-bedroom apartments will feature smart-living elements such as a virtual concierge. 

Hackett said in the past three years, over 500 new residents have moved to South Orange from Hoboken, Jersey City, Brooklyn and Manhattan, and that other village apartment buildings such as The Avenue have wait lists.

The Gateway is the first of several groundbreakings in 2013, said Hackett, with Village Hall renovations set to begin in August and the multi-use development at 3rd Street and Valley expected to break ground at year's end.