Business View Magazine - June 2016 129
tive lifestyle. We’re seeing people being priced out of
the east, whether in New York, or Hoboken and Jersey
City, and moving further west. And we’re seeing people
from the west wanting to move from the suburbs back
into areas that are more convenient and accessible
without having to drive a substantial distance.
“Now that the housing market is rebounding, East Or-
ange is at the right price and the right place to take
advantage of investment and getting a return on that
investment, whereas in other areas of the state and
county, real estate is far more expensive. We are see-
ing dozens, if not hundreds of our new tenants that are
coming to our existing units and some of the newly-
constructed units, are New Yorkers, or they are people
who live in New Jersey and work in New York. But it’s
far more convenient to be in East Orange and it’s far
more affordable than it may be in other areas.”
Thus, Taylor sees East Orange’s destiny tied strongly
to its location as a transportation hub. “East Orange
is well-situated - right off of Highway 280, right off of
the Garden State Parkway, two or three miles off of
the New Jersey Turnpike, with access to every other
major artery to east or west and north or south in the
state,” he explains. “We have two train stations in our
city – East Orange and Brick Church – each of which
has direct access to New York’s Penn Station in about
24 minutes. And so, our ‘destination’ is our transpor-
tation; it’s how we attract investment; how we attract
residents, and how we attract businesses to want to
locate here.”
In fact, East Orange is what is known as a “transit
village.” A transit village is a predominantly residen-
tial development with some nearby retail activities
planned around a transportation hub, such as a train
station, with the intent to make it convenient for vil-
lage dwellers to get to and from work or run errands
and travel via a public transportation network. “So, we
are working aggressively to attract investment with all
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
East Orange, New Jersey
WHAT:
A city of 65,000
WHERE:
In Essex County, New Jersey, bordering on
Newark to the east and south
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