Newark’s Teachers Village is offering lessons to places struggling with teacher retention.
The teachers, who make up 70 percent of the Jersey project’s residents and pay rents between 7 to 15 percent lower than market rate, seem to be liking their brand new homes in the center of the city because their salaries go further and the commute to work is only a few minutes’ walk, as Forbes reports.
The complex, which was designed in part by architect Richard Meier who is on a leave of absence since allegations of sexual harassment came to light earlier this year, includes three public charter schools and one early childhood learning center. And now developer RBH Group is reportedly working on similar projects in Hartford and Chicago.
“Teachers Village was an attempt to recruit and retain teachers by providing them a place to live near where they work,” said RBH’s vice president Linda Morgan to Forbes.
The benefits aren’t just for teachers; businesses who are moving into the project’s retail spaces are enjoying the foot traffic, not only from off-hours teachers, but also from students who wander in for lunches or after-school visits.
Teachers Village is part of the ongoing so-called revitalization of Newark, which, as The Real Deal reported, has been in the works for more than a decade. [Forbes] — Erin Hudson
