WinnDevelopment and ART-JIUS Enterprises have transformed an underutilized block in Paterson, New Jersey’s Great Falls Historic District into a vibrant mixed-use development. The team also partnered with the Grandparents Relative Care Resource Center (GPRCRC) to serve multigenerational households with grandparents raising their grandchildren and earning less than 50% of the area median income.
The 74-unit Mill Street Square includes the adaptive reuse of the Argus Mill, built in the 1870s for textile manufacturing, into six loft-style apartments with ground-floor community space and GPRCRC’s offices and service space; the adaptive reuse of two small structures for the use as a WinnResidential regional management hub and the main offices of nonprofit Paterson Music Project; the new construction of a six-story building with 68 units with a preference for grandparents raising their grandchildren; and a two-story parking garage with 74 residential spots and 115 public spots maintained by the Paterson Parking Authority.
“It’s not just a public parking lot, a management office, housing, and a nonprofit office—it’s a successful mixed-use development doing all those things in one place because there’s not a lot of vacant land in Paterson, especially in the historic district,” says David Ginsberg, senior vice president at WinnDevelopment.
The sustainable and energy-efficient development was designed with larger families in mind, with 54 two- and three-bedroom units, outdoor recreation space, and a community room on each floor that is themed by age from tots through teens. In addition, Paterson Housing Authority is providing project-based vouchers for the 52 units targeted toward grandparents raising their grandchildren.
The city and state also played vital roles in the $41.4 million development, including a 99-year ground lease for a portion of the site from the Paterson Parking Authority.
