(TRENTON, NJ) -- New Jersey Future (NJF) is proud to announce this year's award-winning projects and leadership honoree as part of its 23rd annual Smart Growth Awards. The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 5:30pm, at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC).
This year's winners include seven innovative projects that are transforming communities through forward-thinking design, sustainable development, and equitable revitalization, and one trailblazing businesswoman setting the bar for urban redevelopment.
This year’s project and plan awardees exemplify how strategic planning and community-centered investments can shape a stronger, more resilient New Jersey. From adaptive reuse and transit-oriented development to waterway activation and affordable housing, these projects reflect the best of what smart growth makes possible.
The 2025 Smart Growth Award winners are:
Cooper River Water Trail, Camden. A bold reimagining of Camden’s Cooper River into a water trail connecting current and future park lands and water access points. Primary Partners: Upstream Alliance | Camden County Parks Department | Camden Community Partnership | Center for Aquatic Sciences | New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Hoboken Connect, Hoboken. A dynamic mix of residential, office, street-level retail and public open space at the city’s historic transit hub, stitching the city together with housing, jobs, and transit access. Primary Partners: Beyer, Blinder, Belle | LCOR | NJ Transit | SLCE Architects | The City of Hoboken
Clinton Lofts, Trenton. Transforming a long-vacant and prominent corner site into vibrant mixed-use housing and creative space, just blocks from the Trenton Transit Center in New Jersey’s capital city. Primary Partners: The City of Trenton | Clarke Caton Hintz | Speedwell Construction | First Bank | DRM-Trenton Urban Renewal LP
Nelson Glass House, Princeton. An exemplar of “missing middle” housing that seamlessly fits into the downtown neighborhood fabric, creating a mix of uses and increased density in an extremely walkable location. Primary Partners: Nelson Spring LLC | Lenders Capital Realty Services | Faegre Drinker | Joshua Zinder Architecture + Design, LLC | ML7 Construction & Design, LLC
Stonehill at West Orange, West Orange. Repurposing an underutilized office complex into an amenity-rich, environmentally-conscious, mixed-income 425-unit rental housing development close to public conveniences. Primary Partners: BNE Real Estate Group | Township of West Orange | Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners | Stonefield Engineering and Design | Mary Cook Associates
Borough of Madison Affordable Housing Development, Madison. A compact mixed-income rental housing development with well-integrated, community-supported affordable housing nestled appropriately into an opportunity-rich suburban setting. Primary Partners: Borough of Madison | Madison Housing Authority | RPM Development Group | Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill | New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency
Oliver Station, Camden. A transformative, mixed-use, transit-accessible development that combines high-quality affordable housing with critical healthcare services, addressing both the housing and healthcare needs of the local community. Primary Partners: City of Camden | New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency | The Michaels Organization | Urban Practice | Virtua Health
“These projects are not just buildings, they are community anchors and powerful examples of smart growth in action,” said Peter Kasabach, executive director of New Jersey Future. “They demonstrate how public-private collaboration, visionary leadership, and strong local partnerships can create meaningful change.”
This year, New Jersey Future honors a phenomenal businesswoman with its Leadership Award, Adenah Bayoh. This award recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to sustainable and equitable growth in New Jersey’s communities.
Adenah owns nine restaurants, including four locations of Cornbread, the fast-casual, farm-to-table soul food restaurant she co-founded. In addition to her success in the food industry, she is a thriving real estate developer with a portfolio of major residential and mixed-use redevelopment projects throughout the region. “Adenah’s leadership in urban revitalization, commitment to community investment, and powerful entrepreneurial spirit are transforming neighborhoods and inspiring countless others to rethink what’s possible,” said Kasabach.
Since 2002, New Jersey Future’s Smart Growth Awards have recognized more than 150 projects, plans, and policies that exemplify sound land use and sustainable development principles. The awards spotlight innovation and collaboration that strengthen communities while preserving the state’s natural and built environments.
For more information and to register for the event, visit njfuture.org.
Founded in 1987, New Jersey Future is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes sensible and equitable growth, redevelopment, and infrastructure investments to foster healthy, strong, resilient communities; protect natural lands and waterways; increase transportation choices beyond cars; provide access to safe, affordable, and aging-friendly neighborhoods; and fuel a strong economy for everyone. New Jersey Future does this through original research, innovative policy development, coalition-building, advocacy, and hands-on strategic assistance. Embracing differences and advancing fairness is central to New Jersey Future’s mission and operations. New Jersey Future is firmly committed to pursuing greater justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through its programs, internal operations, and external communications.
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