Livingston Plaza set for January open date
The sounds of cranes and bulldozers buzzing about Livingston campus are not for nothing.
Construction is underway to open the Livingston Plaza — a retail center that will include a movie theater, nail salon and a host of restaurants — in time for the spring semester.
“Our vision is to transform Livingston campus into the model of the 21st century college campus, where state-of-the-art academic living and learning is seamlessly integrated into a robust economic and environmentally sustainable community,” Henry Velez, executive director of Business and Administration Services for Housing and Residence Life said.
Velez said the first spaces to open in the plaza in January are the Rutgers Cinema and Qdoba Mexican Grill.
Michael Pelardis, senior project administrator for University Housing, said the Rutgers Cinema would be the first location in the new plaza to open to the public.
“Rutgers Cinema will be a first-run movie theater and will be the first retail operation to open its doors,” he said. “We encourage students to ‘like’ the Facebook page until a website is developed.”
Students should expect to see 16 Handles Yogurt, Luxi Nails, Hoja Asian Fusion and Henry’s Diner open up in April.
The Apple-authorized Campus Store, Fresh Market and Starbucks will not open until summer 2013, Velez said.
Velez said the project was delayed roughly three to four months because construction on the apartments in August became a priority, in addition to delays involving Hurricane Sandy.
“The primary delay was the need to focus on completing the student apartments on time since the students were moving in at the end of August,” he said. “Some contract negotiations took longer than originally anticipated.”
Velez said attracting retailers and designing locations have been negotiated for over the past year and a half.
“The process to attract the mix of retailers, negotiate the contract terms and to design the spaces has been in the works for over 15 months,” he said. “The partnering of various University departments with Housing and Residence Life has been extremely valuable in ensuring the success of this project.”
Velez said the idea for the plaza is to mix work and play, a place to get together for events or shopping.
“At the heart of our plan is the new mixed-use retail plaza, a pedestrian-friendly gathering place to eat, study, play and shop, with an expansive green space to host events,” he said. “This mixed-use environment will create a vibrant atmosphere drawing the college community and residents from surrounding communities as well.”
Along with the retail shops, the Rutgers University Police Department will have a small office on location, Velez said.
“One of the storefronts in Building A is designated for the RU Community Police office, projected to open in April 2013,” he said.
Bryan Paroulek, a College of Nursing first-year student, said he feels the retail shops on Livingston campus are not needed.
“I don’t think the restaurants make sense because we have downtown New Brunswick right here,” he said. “I guess I can understand the grocery store for students in off-campus housing.”
Greg Hurd, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said he is excited about the shops opening up. Hurd, who lives in Building C of the Livingston Apartments, said he is looking forward to the convenience of a grocery store in the plaza.
“This is a great idea to have shops on Livingston. It gives the campus more of a town-ish vibe,” Hurd said. “It seems like an upgrade of what College Ave. should be.”
He said he will visit all the shops but is looking forward to the grocery store and Starbucks more than the rest.
“I can’t wait until the Starbucks opens up,” he said. “The movie theater also has me pretty excited, especially if they will accept meal swipes. I hope they show premiere movies, the newest and coolest coming out.”
