Newark’s ongoing redevelopment push is moving west. A plan to transform a stretch of Springfield Avenue into new housing and retail has officially cleared the city’s planning board, signaling another major step in reshaping one of Newark’s busiest corridors.
At its July 21 meeting, the Newark Planning Board approved a proposal from MCI Collective to build a four-story, mixed-use building at 508–516 Springfield Avenue in the city’s West Side neighborhood. The $8.5 million development — now formally known as Deneen Estates — will bring new apartments, affordable housing, and retail space to an area dotted with vacant and underutilized parcels.
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Inside the Deneen Estates Project
According to plans filed with the city, the new structure will span 33,246 square feet with the following features:
- Residential Units: 35 apartments on the second through fourth floors
- Affordable Housing: 12 units set aside for households earning between 40% and 80% of the area’s median income
- Retail Space: 1,888 square feet on the ground floor, designed to bring new commercial activity to the corridor
- Street Presence: The site includes 120 feet of frontage along Springfield Avenue, offering a highly visible anchor in the West Side neighborhood.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2026, with MCI Collective targeting the second or third quarter to break ground.
A Corridor Poised for Change
The project is part of a larger effort to reimagine Springfield Avenue, long known as a heavily trafficked roadway that connects Newark’s downtown with neighborhoods to the west. Despite its central location, portions of the avenue have sat underutilized for years, with stretches of vacant land and decaying buildings.
Directly across the street from the new Deneen Estates site, at 521 Springfield Avenue, a long-vacant lot sits beside deteriorated structures. Back in 2016, a 122-unit development was proposed for the property, but those plans never materialized. Now, MCI Collective has folded the site into a separate redevelopment initiative known as Springfield Commons.
That project, according to the developer, will bring 52 additional apartments to the neighborhood at an estimated cost of $14.2 million. Construction there is slated to follow after 2026.
How the Project Came Together
MCI Collective’s growing footprint in Newark is part of the city’s Equitable Investment in Newark Communities program, launched in 2023 to spur redevelopment across long-neglected areas.
The program issued requests for proposals for five key property assemblages across the city. As part of that initiative, the parcels at 508–516 Springfield Avenue — owned by Newark since the early 1990s due to a settlement — were transferred to MCI Collective in 2024.
The developer has since consolidated the parcels into the Deneen Estates project, while also acquiring the Springfield Commons site for approximately $116,000 through a redevelopment agreement with the city.
What It Means for Newark’s West Side
The approval of Deneen Estates is another example of Newark’s strategy to balance new housing demand with affordability requirements. With 12 of the 35 units designated as affordable housing, the project helps ensure that local residents benefit from the city’s growth while avoiding the full brunt of rising rents.
At the same time, the inclusion of new ground-floor retail adds potential for job creation, small business opportunities, and more vibrancy along Springfield Avenue — a corridor that has long been seen as a priority for revitalization.
Together with Springfield Commons, the two projects could deliver nearly 90 new apartments to the West Side while activating multiple long-dormant parcels.
Looking Ahead
With construction not scheduled to begin until 2026, the impact of these projects is still a few years away. But approval by the planning board marks a crucial milestone for Springfield Avenue and a clear signal of Newark’s commitment to equitable redevelopment.
As MCI Collective and other developers move forward, residents of the West Side can expect to see not only new buildings rising but also a broader transformation of the corridor that links neighborhoods with downtown Newark.
For now, the city’s bet on Springfield Avenue is shaping up as a case study in how targeted redevelopment can bring both housing and economic opportunity to communities that have waited decades for reinvestment.
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✅ Key Takeaways
- Deneen Estates: 35 apartments (12 affordable) + retail at 508–516 Springfield Avenue.
- Springfield Commons: Planned 52-unit project across the street at 521 Springfield Avenue.
- Investment: Nearly $23 million combined in development planned for Newark’s West Side.
- Timeline: Construction expected to begin in 2026, extending into the following years.
- Program: Both projects tied to the Equitable Investment in Newark Communities initiative.
