New Brunswick's HELIX Project: A Game-Changer For Downtown

If you’ve been through New Brunswick lately, you’ve probably seen it. Big construction. Cranes. Steel going up. A lot of activity right near the train station. And unless you’ve been following it, it kind of looks like one of those projects people keep passing and wondering about for months.

This one is actually a pretty big deal. According to an article on Jersey Digs the project is the final phase of the HELIX redevelopment in downtown New Brunswick, and it was recently approved by the planning board.

What’s going on there is not just another apartment building. This phase is planned as a 39-story tower with a mix of office space, apartments, and student housing, all tied into a larger health and life sciences complex that’s been in the works for years. So when you’re driving by, and it looks like a massive build, it’s because it is.

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Canva / Townsquare Media illustration

This is one of those projects that’s not just about adding more housing. It’s meant to bring in businesses, research, jobs, and a completely different kind of energy into that part of the city. So don’t hate it!

And you can already see how big it’s going to be just from what’s up so far. New Brunswick has been building for a while now, but this feels like another level of it. Not just more of the same, something bigger and more long-term.

So if you’ve been passing it and wondering what’s going on over there, it’s not just another random build. It’s one of the biggest developments happening in that area right now. And it’s gonna be good for the town. And for New Jersey.

NJ towns that need to build the most affordable housing

These 33 municipalities have the greatest number of affordable housing units that should be built, according to calculations by the Department of Community Affairs.

The "present need" refers to existing but deficient housing occupied by low- and moderate-income households. "Prospective need" refers to the housing that would have to be built in the next 10 years to accommodate the estimated growth of low- and moderate-income households. The state used a formula that considers a municipality's income and land capacity.

The current housing and population counts are from the 2020 Census.

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

NJ town with a strange name and important past

Gallery Credit: Dennis Malloy

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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Source: What that huge New Brunswick project actually is