A Community Vision of the Mall
Next week, the township will host a series of discussions inviting the public to share their thoughts about what should be done with the Livingston Mall property. A revitalization of the mall area is long overdue; few, if anyone in town (residents or public officials) would deny this. Now, residents get to have a say on what should take its place through the 2025 Livingston Mall Community Visioning Project, which includes a survey as well as five days of community meetings.
The idea, Mayor Ed Meinhardt says, is to take what is heard at the meetings and use the survey results and the community input to present a plan for the space to a potential developer down the line. The information sessions will also inform residents about the cost of potential projects on the property, such as commercial, retail, residential, and experiential offerings.
Yes, housing will be a part of what becomes of the mall in its next phase. At minimum, 376 residential units will be constructed, per an agreement the town reached with Fair Share Housing. The Township Council could choose to permit more units on the site if doing so was deemed beneficial, but they will not be forced to build any more than that 376 figure, per the agreement. Within those hundreds of units, however, there is still the opportunity for the community to decide what the appearance should include, and the types and look of materials used for the buildings. The township survey, for example, provides several renderings of a potential housing complex, allowing residents to select the options they find most appealing.
And while housing will be a component of the property, there will be many other opportunities to use the space, which the town can request that prospective builders include as a part of an agreement to construct their housing complex. These options could include retail shops, restaurants, municipal facilities, experiential opportunities, and parks. Mayor Meinhardt noted that other nearby towns – such as Morristown and South Orange – have successfully taken residential input into account when revitalizing their downtowns. He hopes for similar results in Livingston.
The Livingston Mall opened more than half a century ago, in 1972. In its heyday, it was a vibrant cornerstone of the community, a destination that brought people together and was home to decades of memories. But, like so many other malls, it has been in steep decline over the past decade, as the pandemic, e-commerce, and changing customer preferences have left it a shadow of what it once was. Faced with shuttered anchor stores, declining patronage, and growing maintenance issues, the township deemed the mall as an “Area in Need of Redevelopment” in October of 2024.
The hope is that the community will now help decide what those 60 acres will become for the next half century. We encourage residents to attend one, some, or all of these meetings, and to take the survey. There are few spaces more impactful in Livingston; have your voice heard on what can be done to restore the mall property to the community gem it once was.
The meetings will be held on Monday, March 17; Tuesday, March 18; Wednesday, March 19; Thursday, March 20; and Saturday, March 22.
There will be a kick-off presentation and hand-on visioning workshop on Monday, March 17, at the Livingston Senior/ Community Center. This will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Tahaney Rooms.
On Tuesday, March 18, the Town Hall training room will host an open design studio from 1 to 3 p.m., and a framework pin-up session from 6 to 7 p.m.
On Wednesday, March 19, there will be an open design studio at Town Hall from 10 a.m. to noon, as well as another session from 1 to 3 p.m., with concept pin-up scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m.
Town Hall will host an open design studio on Thursday, March 20, from 10 a.m. to noon, and a second session from 1 to 4 p.m.
On Saturday, March 22, there will be a Work-in-Progress presentation at Town Hall, with a time still to be determined. This presentation will also be available to view online.
Residents may also share their thoughts through an online survey at surveylegend.com/s/5wqq.
More information is available about the 2025 Livingston Mall Community Visioning Project at livingstonnj.org/MallMeetings.
