The Newark Central Planning Board recently voted to approve a proposal that will rehabilitate the six-story building that was the former home of L. Bamberger & Co. and Ohrbach’s at the corner of Halsey and Market streets.
Members of the board voted to approve the proposal, which also calls for consolidating the four lots at 141-149 Market Street, during its regular meeting on September 14.
Dave Robinson, a principal at Newark-based architectural firm SUAD Architects and the project’s lead architect, told the board the project will deliver 98 new apartments and give the property a substantial facelift. The applicant, Tesb Market LLC, intends to restore the building’s exterior to its 1950s look and feel, when Ohrbach’s was still the anchor tenant, he said.
The current signage around the building will be reduced in size, and the boarded-up windows and façade will also be restored to their mid-20th-century look and feel. Architectural drawings made public by the board show the basement level of the building will include about 3,700 square feet of amenity space for a workout room, tenant storage, meeting spaces, and other amenities. Robinson said the applicant also intends to add other amenities, such as a pet washing area and a bike storage room…