Weequahic, Dayton Residents Have Their Say at Master Plan Workshop
Residents: South Ward neighborhoods need quality retail stores, more community centers
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Residents from Newark's Weequahic and Dayton neighborhoods gathered Tuesday evening to discuss their beloved South Ward during the fifth of nine master plan workshop meetings, and their message hit home: The South Ward is in dire need of quality retail stores, more community centers and better transportation.
Inside Weequahic Park Boathouse No. 92, residents shuffled around tables topped with giant South Ward maps to give feedback on their neighborhoods, which will in turn be used to shape the first comprehensive revision of the city's master plan in 20 years.
"We wanted to make it like a safe place, where you sit at a table and everyone has their time to talk," said Daniel Hernandez, lead planner from Jonathan Rose Companies, the consulting firm behind the master plan.
The master plan revision, slated to take approximately one year to complete, will examine various elements to formulate a holistic guide for the city's development and growth for years to come.
At each two-hour workshop, residents are able to share with consultants "assets" and "issues and opportunities" within their neighborhoods. Community input will help ensure the master plan, which is scheduled for city council approval in spring 2012, will preserve Newark's virtues, while mitigating troubled areas. (See below for a list of remaining master plan workshops.)
The response Tuesday was a balanced mix of everyday encounters; some residents lauded conveniences specific to the Weequahic and Dayton sections - like the walkability of the neighborhoods - while others expressed concern over things like poor lighting and crime-ridden blocks. Fixing flooding in areas and the need to transform a defunct train station to boost transportation in the South Ward were also discussed.
Across the room, Glenn Drummer, who's lived on Foster Street for nearly 10 years, said a supermarket needs to be built in the area so fresh, healthy food can be accessible to residents. Drummer also addressed the city's unremitting crime problem, tracing it back to youngsters.
"The youth has nothing to do," said Drummer, underlining the need for more South Ward community centers. "They need mentors, people that they can look up to that can help them do school work."
The historic, 311-acre Weequahic Park, run by Essex County, offers a beautiful, serene setting but needs to be better maintained, according to residents who'd like to see the park's 80-acre lake dredged.
"You drive through here (Weequahic Park) and see the raggedy roads that we have," said Wilbur McNeil, president of the Weequahic Park Association. "But it's mainly because people who maintain the park - and it's not their fault - are not properly trained to maintain the park."
Lynda Lloyd, aide to South Ward Councilman Ras Baraka, said several of the issues residents raised were already being addressed by the councilman's office. Baraka is in contact with New Jersey Transit regarding utilizing the train station and is also actively seeking businesses to open in the South Ward, according to Lloyd. Building an area supermarket is also in the works with Brick City Development.
"As you know, things can't happen overnight. We need a partnership with you all," said Lloyd. "It's not to slight this plan from moving this city forward, but there are things that we can do right now to join Councilman Baraka and change some of the things in the city."
Lloyd invited residents to share their ideas with Baraka at a public meeting held on the third Saturday of every month at the Donald Tucker Centre at 23-45 Elizabeth Ave.
Newark Councilwoman-at-Large Mildred C. Crump briefly attended the master plan meeting to share her thoughts on the South Ward, a neighborhood she's lived in since 1965. Referring to it as a "business plan that would speak to the direction in which the city will grow," Crump hopes the master plan will address noise pollution stemming from Newark Liberty International Airport and nearby Staten Island.
She also acknowledged the need for better dispersal of city churches and liquor stores "so there is a fair distribution of different entities and not five bars on one block."
But despite a few gripes, the resiliency South Ward residents have shown since the infamous 1967 riots continues to make the area unique, according to Crump.
"While it gutted the Central Ward - and there was not just white flight, but black flight - in the South Ward, we remained committed to the city of Newark," said Crump. "We knew it would come back."
"We're never going to recapture the good old days," she added, "but we've got to develop a new attitude so that the new Newark emerges with passion."
Master Plan Workshop Meetings:
- July 20, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. — Fairmount, Upper Clinton Hill and West Side: Martin Luther King, Jr. School, 108 S. 9th St.
- July 21, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. — Belmont/Springfield, Lower Clinton Hill, South Broad/Lincoln Park: Prince Hall Masonic Lodge, 188 Irvine Turner Blvd.
- July 26, 5:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. — Upper Vailsburg, Lower Vailsburg, Ivy Hill: UVSO, 40 Richelieu Terrace.
- July 27, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. — Central Business District and University Heights: Newark Public Library, 5 Washington St.
Helpful Links on Master Plan
