The Borough of New Providence is a suburban community in western Union County, NJ. The small downtown of the Borough, located at the intersection of two County roads, has developed over time in contrasting ways that have inhibited it from reaching its full potential as a downtown. The downtown is a mix of traditional “Main Street” style small scale mixed use buildings, which include retail storefronts and restaurants placed close to the street, in addition to a strip commercial shopping center. One type of development caters to a pedestrian scale, while the other caters to automobiles.

HGA was retained to develop a new vision and to develop a plan for the downtown area of the Borough. The Downtown Master Plan provides the Borough with a strategy for developing strategic areas in their downtown, and creating a more coherent, functional, and attractive downtown environment that draws new investment to the Borough. The Plan included a comprehensive analysis of the existing conditions of the area, noting constraints on development, strengths on which to build upon, and opportunities for improvements.

The Plan took a multi-faceted approach to revitalization and transformation of the downtown of New Providence. Opportunities for development and improvements to parking, circulation and public spaces were identified. Recommendations were made for short term improvements and long term build-out scenarios.