ORANGE, N.J. — Gateway Merchant Banking has secured site plan approval from the City of Orange Township Planning Board for the redevelopment of 188 South Essex Ave. The $350 million phased redevelopment project will convert the former Orange Memorial Hospital into a mixed-use development with 1,005 apartment units.
Apartments will come in one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts. Up to 20 percent of the units will be set aside as affordable housing units. Additionally, Gateway states that it is pursuing partnerships in order to bring senior and student housing to the site.
Residents will have access to amenities such as a rooftop pool with cabanas and gardens, sky lounge, fitness center, event spaces and access-controlled package rooms. The property will also include ample parking spaces, including 200 electric vehicle charging stations. The redevelopment will also feature 70,190 square feet of retail and commercial space, as well as 25,000 square feet of office space for employees of the City of Orange.
Additional plans for the development call for 1.5 acres of public space, including an outdoor ice skating and roller skating rink, public plaza with an open lawn and swinging benches, terraced platform seating, a restaurant with outdoor seating, children’s play areas and more.
In an effort to preserve as much as possible of the original hospital, which is on the state and national registry of historic places, Gateway plans to preserve and restore two buildings at the property: Mary Austen Hall and the Old Boiler House. Mary Austen Hall, the last standing building of Orange Memorial’s nursing school, will serve as Orange’s new City Hall.
The development team plans to break ground on the project later this year. A construction timeline for the project has not yet been disclosed.