Trenton Remakes
Oct 30, 2013
This post from Eric Hawthorn is part of our Llenrock guest post series and originally appeared on the Llenrock Group blog.
If you cross the Delaware River into Trenton, New Jersey, you’ll see a green steel bridge bearing the phrase, “Trenton Makes, the World Takes.” The motto is especially nostalgic when you consider that Trenton, a Central New Jersey town of roughly 85,000, doesn’t make much of anything these days. The city’s principle economic driver is the public sector: as the state capitol, the city’s office real estate and peripheral businesses are largely driven by the activities of state agencies and workers. Unfortunately, being the center of a state’s government is no guarantee of a strong economy or vibrant real estate market. Just ask Harrisburg. Like the other so-called “Rust Belt” cities, the former manufacturing hub was once more populous and economically stronger than it is today.
One of the biggest names of Trenton’s industrial past is German-born John Roebling, whose Roebling Wire Ropes company contributed cables to suspension bridges throughout the country.
Relics of Mr. Roebling’s wire ropes company remain in Trenton, a sad reminder of the city’s former prominence in the manufacturing sector. As in other former industrial towns, these expansive industrial properties and dilapidated buildings offer a great deal of development potential, if only investors and developers have enough vision to commit the necessary resources to make redevelopment a reality. In other nearby cities and redevelopment zones–Philadelphia’s Navy Yard and the Lehigh Valley’s Bethlehem Steel plant being two examples–this “vision” received a bit of incentive in the form of tax breaks. In Pennsylvania, these tax breaks come through the “Keystone Opportunity Zone” designations given to economically depressed areas, many of which are former industrial centers. New Jersey, wisely, has been in the process of streamlining and consolidating its own incentive programs to boost investment and development activity in its many depressed industrial neighborhoods.
One example of the slow-but-steady process of updating a former industrial hub is Trenton’s Wire Rope District, where local developer HHG plans an ambitious redevelopment involving loft apartments, mixed-use, and other commercial space. This article from NJ.com explains,
the Wire Rope District project will target New York- and Philadelphia-area urbanites looking for more affordable housing options that are still close to transportation… The Roebling buildings are steps away from a River Line light rail station, about half a mile from the Amtrak and NJ Transit station, and close to two major highways.
All major selling points for a live-work community in the tradition of Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties or Manhattan’s Hudson Yards. As daunting as it may be to redevelop and repurpose a dilapidated, long-abandoned industrial facility, the thinking behind such plans is quite prudent: downtown industrial areas are centrally located, decidedly non-suburban, and offer a dense urban community–all qualities that are attractive to echo boomers and other members of the “creative class.”
Daunting as the project may be, some argue that renewing aging commercial assets is far from impossible. Back in August, I spoke to architect John Hatch, a principal with Clarke Caton Hintz, who is working with HHG Development on their block-3 sustainable development project. Mr. Hatch points out,
A fair amount of our work involves existing and historic properties. This work ranges from true “restoration” at National Historic Landmarks… to the adaptive reuse of historic industrial buildings (like the Roebling Complex in Trenton), etc. I’m always amused when I hear from builders and developers that the renovation of historic buildings is more difficult and expensive than new construction. We’ve often found just the opposite. If you know what you’re doing, you can take advantage of the wonderful character of historic buildings at lower cost than building new.
Particularly in the Northeast, America’s urban areas are fully equipped with major structures that offer potential for residential and mixed-use redevelopment. While it’s difficult to see past the shattered windows, overgrown vegetation, and graffiti, a developer with a bit of creativity and vision for the city’s future will see a lot more than simply a series of concrete boxes waiting to be bulldozed. Fortunately, developers in Trenton are able to see the Wire Ropes District is more than simply a relic of Trenton’s industrial past. Such projects may be key to Trenton’s revitalization.
Author: Raymond T. Cirz