Mayor Ras J. Baraka and a three-organization development team and education leaders officially announced Kawaida Towers, a 16-story approximately 66-unit apartment building that will replace a deteriorated City-owned building at 17-21 Halsey Street, corner of Central Avenue, at a ceremony on-site on Wednesday.
Kawaida’s combination of features the only 100% affordable development in downtown Newark. The project is a partnership with a minority co-developer with Newark roots and will include community space with ongoing education and cultural program for residents
The building will contain studio, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments.
Kawaida Towers will be built under Baraka’s Equitable Growth Principles and benefits from the advice of elder advisors with intimate knowledge of the originally proposed project. It will feature space for technology education provided jointly by the National Action Network and Rutgers-Newark, incorporate retail as well as permanent exhibition space, and serve as a model for other development.
The building is a joint venture between Omni America LLC, the designated redeveloper; Mid-Atlantic Alliance, minority co-developer (10% partner); and The National Action Network (10% partner).