Livingston Town Center
Client:
Contact:


 Township of Livingston, NJ
Peter Klein, Chairman
Planning Board
Township of Livingston

Relevant Project Features:
  • Visioning
  • Develop Concept Design Plan
  • Redevelopment Plan
    		•

          Mr. Kolling of Dresdner Robin was responsible for the design of the concept plan, and later the creation of the Livingston Center Redevelopment Plan. The first step in this process involved the conduct of visioning sessions and meetings with town officials, local residents, members of the Planning Board and the business leaders to determine the look, scale and feel for the new Town Center. Mr. Kolling also personally visited various locations throughout the Township to determine the prevalent character of Livingston Township.

          Based upon the results of the visioning process, Mr. Kolling developed a concept plan and design vocabulary for the look and feel of the Town Center, including such physical elements as building height, massing, view corridors, street frontage, open space and mix of land uses. The concept plan further modified in consultation with Township officials and interested development interests resulting in a plan that both met local needs and conditions and was at the same time economically viable.

          A Redevelopment Plan was then written which modified the local zoning for the redevelopment area and allowed the creation of a new mixed-use approach to development in this area. The Redevelopment Plan envisioned a mixture of residential dwelling types at a density higher than is typically found in Livingston; along with commercial retail, office, and service uses designed to serve the entire community. Shared parking facilities and both public and private open space were also included.

          A new "Town Square" was created at the corner of Mount Pleasant Avenue and Livingston Avenue, with ground floor commercial retail uses fronting onto the Square as well as the frontage of Livingston Avenue and Mount Pleasant Avenue. Commercial office, restaurant and/or service uses are proposed for the second story in this area. A landscaped boulevard provides vehicular access to an interior parking court with additional ground floor retail fronting onto this space. Three stories of residential apartments are proposed above this interior commercial space and a two-level parking deck is hidden behind the commercial uses. A row of townhouse style units are constructed along the rear of the parking structure to further screen the parking use and provide a transition to a townhouse district beyond the commercial core.

          Moving away from the commercial core, a cluster of townhomes are proposed, followed by a row of single family detached homes on smaller lots transitioning into the residential neighborhood surrounding the Redevelopment Area.

          The redevelopment plan is based on the principals of smart growth, providing pedestrian friendly streets and public rights-of-way, higher density housing, a mixture of commercial uses, new public open space, and reduced parking and shared use parking solutions. The result is a win-win situation for both the township and the developer by providing a new public "Town Square" for the township and an economically viable and profitable project for the developer.