Courtenay D. Mercer, PP, AICP
Executive Director, Downtown New Jersey
January 21, 2020
Downtown New Jersey Recognizes Achievements in Placemaking at Annual Conference on Thursday, January 21
Downtown New Jersey (DNJ) celebrated placemaking projects and initiatives intended to help New Jersey small businesses and downtowns survive and thrive during the shutdown and capacity limitations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The awards were presented at a virtual ceremony during the Downtown Conference.
(View awards ceremony PowerPoint>)
The premiere downtown economic development event of the year, the DNJ Annual Conference hosts industry experts who provide insights into downtown management best practices, as well as development, business and retail market trends. The conference provides not only an opportunity to learn the latest trends happening in downtowns, but also opportunity to network with peers.
Nominations were accepted in two categories – early action and winning winter. Nominee categories also acknowledged the varying capacity of downtown districts, from all-volunteer led groups to BIDs with more significant staff and budgetary resources.
“This is the first ever Downtown New Jersey Placemaking Awards. In a normal year, we would gather in-person to celebrate projects, programs, and leaders at the Downtown Excellence Awards,” DNJ’s Executive Director, Courtenay Mercer said. “Since we could not do a larger program this year, we wanted to recognize excellent placemaking projects and initiatives helping small business cope with the economic strain of COVID-19.”
Joining Downtown New Jersey in recognizing excellence in placemaking was AARP New Jersey, who sponsored the event because these community efforts align with their own Livable Communities initiative.
DNJ presented the following Downtown Placemaking Awards:
Early Action/Medium-Sized Organization
Awarded Red Bank RiverCenter
Early Action/ Medium-Sized Organization
Honorable Mentions
- Greater Bergen Community Action for its 110-foot-long mural project at the train station to welcome people to the Garfield River to Rail District.
- The Historic District Special Improvement District for various placemaking initiatives, including one of the first communities to have a comprehensive plan for street closures and parklets to support their businesses expanding outside.
- Montclair Center Business Improvement District for its Fresh Air Montclair Exhibitions that engaged and energized the community with a walkable route filled with inspiring and insightful art.
Early Action/Merchant
Awarded to Cranford Theater
Early Action/Merchant
Honorable Mention
- The Fox and the Falcon for creating an attractive and engaging outdoor space that spurred more restaurants to follow suit in what would become known as South Orange’s “Restaurant Row”.
Early Action/Small Organization
Awarded to Main Street Highland Park
Early Action/Small Organization
Awarded to Celebrate Westwood
The effort led to a welcome back video, small outdoor music events, a staycation brochure, a short film, a community cookbook, art events for kids, photo essays on social media, and more. A $3200 grant from Westwood for All Ages, a local age-friendly organization, allowed for artist stipends and the purchase of supplies. The support of the Mayor and Council as well as the Library, Recreation, and Public Works Departments enabled volunteers to plan and pivot as pandemic regulations changed.
Early Action/Volunteer Organization
Awarded to DesignShed
Early Action/Volunteer Organization
Honorable Mention
- Dunellen Arts and Culture Commission for “yarnbomb” project that covered parking meters with brightly colored fiber art created by local textile artists.
Winning Winter/Medium-Sized Organization
Awarded to New Brunswick City Center
With George Street opened exclusively to foot traffic, there was a lot of room for imagination, including expanding on annual favorites such as the annual tree lighting ceremony, which offered 19 different locations, live entertainment while downtown patrons shopped and dined, and hosting the New Brunswick’s City-Wide Game Watch, to support Rutgers Football. Ice sculptors, stilt walkers, jugglers, and more kept families entertained during the day. New Brunswick’s City Center truly lit up the season and kept the magic of winter alive during these difficult times.
Winning Winter/Small Organization
Awarded to Downtown Denville BID
Winning Winter/Small Organization
Awarded to South Orange Village Center
Live music was included at every market and seasonal décor set the stage. Julie Doran, SOVCA’s Executive Director said, “Holding the market during evening hours allowed us to transform the parking lot into a winter wonderland of sorts, offering a festive and inviting atmosphere that was as much an attraction as it was a place for holiday shopping.”
Winning Winter/Small Organization
Honorable Mention
- Downtown Cranford for its Scarecrow Stroll and holiday singers initiatives that added to the festive feel of downtown.
- Hackensack Main Street Business Alliance& the Northern NJ Community Foundation for their “Hackensack is on the Rise” poster initiative to help beautify and activate downtown.
- Springfield Avenue Partnership (Maplewood Township) for its Open-Air Market that activated a vacant lot with an outdoor shopping experience that included area makers and crafters, and local musicians
- The Flemington Business Improvement District for its multi-pronged marketing campaign to encourage people to shop and eat downtown.
Winning Winter/Volunteer Organization
Honorable Mention
- Dunellen Arts and Culture Commission for its winter windows initiative that painted winter scenes on the storefront windows of over 30 businesses.
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Downtown New Jersey
DNJ is a non-profit membership organization of individuals, businesses, developers, government agencies, and local and regional entities that are passionate about downtowns. Downtowns reflect our communities’ unique identities, provide a focal point, a convenient local place of commerce, and offer a sense of place where people can gather and truly be a community. DNJ provides advocacy, education, and technical assistance resources dedicated to ensuring the vitality of our downtowns. For more information, visit www.downtownnj.com.