Newark Teachers Village Grows Around the Country

Teachers Village Newark was an innovative, ambitious project when it started in 2012 to provide affordable housing for educators in Newark. It was to give teachers the benefit and convenience of living where they taught. Proving to be a solid concept, the RBH Group now boasts full occupancy in the residential units and is currently expanding the ‘village’ around the country.

The $150-million project encompasses eight buildings spanning five blocks. The 400,000 square-foot mixed-use residential and commercial community includes three charter schools and a daycare facility; 204 residential units, and 65,000 square feet of retail space operated by local entrepreneurs. The community also includes amenity rooms, fitness centers, laundry facilities and continuing education space. The project was designed sustainably by no-table designers and architects and has received the LEED Silver for Schools and LEED-Neighborhood Development certifications from the U.S. Green
Building Council.

“Teachers Village is the vision of our founder and CEO Ron Beit,” says RBH Group Executive Vice President Linda Morgan. “At the time he had the idea, there was a movement in Newark to create multiple charter schools, and he wanted to create housing for teachers to be able to afford to live in the community where they worked. That, combined with the need for neighborhood retail is how Teachers Village began,” she adds.

Morgan says that this focus on creating a village was important since RBH is a social impact real estate development firm, and focuses on projects that can have real meaning and impact in the communities it serves. Started in 2006, RBH Group has developed more than six million square-feet of space in more than 30 projects throughout the United States. In addition to Teachers Village Newark, locally RBH also manages the Rutgers HLLC, the Four Corners Millennium Project, and Makers Village within the Ironbound district.

“Teachers Village Newark was the first (Teachers Village), and is our signature project,” Morgan says. “It was a very good model in terms of its size and the opportunities it offered. “Hartford (Connecticut) was our second project, and opened in 2019.” RBH is currently working on plans in Chicago to renovate an old school into a high percentage of affordable housing and is anticipating breaking ground this year on a project in Atlanta, “which will allow us to expand our brand to what we are calling Teachers Village Plus.” This project will have a mix of current and retired teachers aged 62-plus.

RBH recently signed a developers agreement with Stockton, California. “I’m excited for Stockton, because it really does mimic Newark in terms of its makeup and diversity.” says Morgan.

Morgan believes that the 99 percent occupancy rate at Teachers Village Newark will be a catalyst for the continued interest in real estate development in Newark. “There is often a waiting list for our residences in Teachers Village,” she says. The residences are designed to be beautiful, and the amenities offered give a true ‘village’ feel to this community. 70 percent of our residential units go to educators; that has been our top priority.”

Check Out Retail Shops at Teachers Village

Located within a block or two of walking distance to the Prudential Center and Newark City Hall, are a few quaint shops and services nestled in the Teachers
Village Newark complex.