Kawaida Towers Affordable Housing Plan Returns in Newark

• A long-delayed affordable housing project known as Kawaida Towers is moving forward again in Downtown Newark.
• The revised proposal calls for a 10-story building at 17 Halsey Street, replacing earlier plans for a taller tower.
• Newark officials recently approved an $8 million grant for the development through Kawaida Towers JV Partners, LLC.

What the Revised Kawaida Towers Plan Includes

A decades-old affordable housing vision in Newark is once again gaining momentum as updated plans for Kawaida Towers move through the approval process. The project, planned for 17 Halsey Street in Downtown Newark, would bring a 10-story affordable housing building to the site. New renderings were recently presented to the city’s Landmarks Commission because the property sits within a historic district. The latest version is smaller than earlier proposals. In 2021, plans called for a 16-story tower, reflecting the original vision for the development from the 1970s. The updated design scales the project back to 10 stories, a move developers say reflects today’s financial and construction realities.

What the Project Represents for Newark

Kawaida Towers carries deep historical and political significance in Newark. The original project was first proposed during the aftermath of the Newark riots and was championed by activists tied to the Temple of Kawaida, the pan-African organization founded by poet and activist Amiri Baraka, father of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. The original development planned for Lincoln Avenue in the North Ward never moved forward despite legal victories and early construction work. Community opposition, racial tensions, and backlash against high-rise public housing projects ultimately led to the project being abandoned in the 1970s. Now, more than 50 years later, the proposal is reemerging at a time when affordable housing remains one of New Jersey’s biggest political and economic challenges.

What Developers and Officials Are Saying

The current project is being developed by Kawaida Towers JV Partners, LLC, which recently secured an $8 million grant approved by the Newark City Council. During recent public meetings, local officials and preservation advocates discussed ways to recognize the project’s complicated history through future artwork or memorial installations within the development. Developer Shanell Dunns acknowledged the sensitivity surrounding the project’s legacy, noting that community reactions remain mixed decades after the original proposal sparked controversy across Newark.

What This Means for Affordable Housing in Newark

The return of Kawaida Towers highlights how affordable housing debates in Newark continue intersecting with broader conversations about race, displacement, urban renewal, and neighborhood development. The proposal also comes as concerns grow around the condition of existing affordable housing stock across the city. Tenant complaints, rising housing costs, and increasing pressure on urban housing supply have kept affordability at the center of local politics. Unlike the original vision, today’s project is moving forward in a very different development climate, where affordable housing projects are receiving stronger political backing despite ongoing financing and construction challenges.

What the Project Could Mean for Downtown Newark

If completed, Kawaida Towers would add new affordable housing units in Downtown Newark while reviving one of the city’s most symbolic unfinished development stories. The project also reflects Newark’s broader push to increase housing production near transit, jobs, and downtown infrastructure while balancing historic preservation concerns and community sensitivity tied to past redevelopment battles.