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Newark Charrette: Planning our downtown, together
In recent years, proposed land-use projects in the downtown area have raised questions about building height, scale, density, configurations, and parking. To address these concerns, the City of Newark is reviewing its Zoning Code for potential revisions to the BB (Central Business District) and RA (Multifamily Dwellings-High Rise Apartment) Districts.
The City held a charrette on March 21-25, 2022, so we can plan our downtown, together. A charrette is a multi-day meeting where stakeholders and citizens collaborate to draft planning or design solutions. Our charrette aimed to develop a framework for potential revisions to the BB and RA Zoning Ordinances.
To ensure the forthcoming framework reflects community concerns, the City met with stakeholders and citizens to better understand how Newark’s downtown should look and function, focusing on land use, zoning, and development in the BB and RA Districts.
Newark Charrette Schedule
The five-day schedule for the charrette is below. Click on the audio or video links to listen or view the meetings. If you have questions, please contact us at planning-dept@newark.de.us.
| Monday, March 21st 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Daily goal: | Review issues and opportunities, and outline the vision for the study area |
| Morning: 9:30 AM -12 PM | Event 1: Virtual Walking Tour of the Downtown – Join us online as the charrette team walks and talks about issues and opportunities facing development in the downtown study area. Video Recording: Walking Tour Video Audio Recording: Walking Tour Audio |
| Afternoon: 2 - 4 PM | Event 2: Virtual Open House: Issue and Opportunities and Meet Charrette Team – Join us online to continue the conversation about downtown issues and opportunities, and meet the charrette team that will be working on developing ideas throughout the week. Video Recording: Virtual Open House Video Audio Recording: Virtual Open House Audio |
| Evening: 7 - 9 PM | Event 3: Virtual Public Meeting: Project Overview – Hear about the project overview, scope of work, and schedule, and learn what was discussed at Events 1 and 2. Let us know what you would like to see happen with the development downtown. Video Recording: Virtual Public Meeting - Project Overview Video Audio Recording: Virtual Public Meeting - Project Overview Audio |
| Tuesday, March 22nd 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Daily goal: | Illustrate draft solutions to the development issues and opportunities and get feedback from the community. |
| Afternoon: 2 - 4 PM | Event 4: Virtual Open House: Generate Ideas – Listen in and participate in conversations where the design team will develop and share ideas on how we can address development issues and opportunities downtown. Video Recording: Virtual Open House - Generate Ideas Video Audio Recording: Virtual Open House - Generate Ideas Audio |
| Evening: 7 - 9 PM | Event 5: Virtual Public Meeting: Framing the Solutions – Join us online as we discuss initial ideas that address redevelopment in the downtown. Let us know what you like, let us know what issues still need work. Video Recording: Virtual Public Meeting - Framing the Solutions Video Audio Recording: Virtual Public Meeting - Framing the Solutions Audio |
| Wednesday, March 23rd 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Daily goal: | Make refinements to the draft ideas and introduce the framework for zoning changes. |
| Afternoon: 2 - 4 PM | Event 6: Virtual Open House: Refining Ideas – Engage with the design team as they talk about ways to refine the ideas that were presented. Video Recording: Virtual Open House - Refining Ideas Video Audio Recording: Virtual Open House - Refining Ideas Audio |
| Evening: 7 - 9 PM | Event 7: Virtual Public Meeting: Refined Design Solutions and Zoning Framework – Join us online as we discuss the refined ideas that address redevelopment in the downtown and outline the framework for potential zoning updates. Video Recording: Virtual Public Meeting - Refined Design Solutions and Zoning Framework Video Audio Recording: Virtual Public Meeting - Refined Design Solutions and Zoning Framework Audio |
| Thursday, March 24th 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Daily goal: | Charrette team works on preparing materials for the final presentation on Friday afternoon. |
| No scheduled events on Thursday. |
| Friday, March 25th 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Daily goal: | Prepare and present final presentation and seek input on next steps. |
| Afternoon: 3 - 4:30 PM | Event 8: Virtual Public Meeting: Final Charrette Presentation – Join us for an online meeting as we present the major findings from the charrette week. This will include concept plans, diagrams, and narratives, including the basic tenets of how the Zoning Ordinance would need to be revised in accordance with the results of the charrette. Video Recording: Final Charette Presentation Video Audio Recording: Final Charette Presentation Audio Thank you for your participation! |
Frequently Asked Questions
Newark Charette FAQ - Updated February 22, 2022