BRANCH VILLAGE
Urban Redevelopment
LOCATION: CAMDEN, NJ
CLIENT: MICHAELS DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION
MARKET SECTOR: REAL ESTATE
THE OPPORTUNITY
Camden received federal funding to build affordable housing communities in place of the delipidated buildings. The funding came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Michaels Organization wanted to use their background in affordable housing to help Camden redevelop the Branch Village area which was assigned as a redevelopment zone in Camden.
THE CHALLENGE
PS&S needed to integrate into the sites existing infrastructure. This included parking areas that were required to make the first building operational under the assumption that Phase II was not going to start immediately.
Phase I called for a 50-unit apartment building that is three stories high. Since the project was a tax-credit based development, it required ADA accessibility and to meet COAH regulations. Phase II includes 72-townhomes within ten buildings. Stormwater management was an ongoing issue for the site and necessitated various solutions to maximize the sites developable land.
THE PS&S SOLUTION
To combat the stormwater management issues a rain garden was built within the center of the apartment building property. The rain garden added an attractive feature to the building while managing flooding during heavy storms. Two subsurface detention basins were added to Phase II to maximize the space on the surface of the site and assist in stormwater management again. ADA access to all the different units throughout the site required close coordination with the project architect. PS&S recommended door, and floor design changes to meet ADA requirements. Two streets have been created to access the site, and these streets will be dedicated to Camden after the completion of the projects.