Developers break ground on $200M complex at site of long-vacant Irvington hospital

groundbreaking 1.jpg

Irvington and Essex County officials join developers to officially break ground on mixed-use complex The Hilltop Monday morning.

(Dan Ivers/NJ Advance Media)

IRVINGTON — After years of planning, a group of developers are ready to begin work on a massive project that could replace a long vacant and blighted hospital with a sprawling residential and retail complex.

Workers are set to begin demolishing the former Irvington General Hospital on Chancellor Avenue by the end of the week — the first steps toward creating The Hilltop, a $200 million project that will include as many as 700 units of affordable and market-rate housing.

This morning, developers were joined by city and county officials to hold an official groundbreaking ceremony, where many billed it as the beginning of a new era for Irvington.

"Once we get this underway, it will open the door to other major projects in the township," said Mayor Tony Vauss.

The former Irvington General Hospital site on Chancellor Avenue, which has been vacant since 2006.

Completion of the Hilltop would represent a nearly complete transformation for the former hospital, which has been vacant since 2006. Parts of the building are nearly 100 years old, and much of it is currently plastered with boards and graffiti.

The building was sold for $1 million to developers Hilltop Partners, a joint venture between Urban Builders Collaborative and Irvington-based Kapwood LLC, in December 2013.

Prior to then, officials had struggled for years to find someone to take over the 6-acre site. A $3 million deal with a developer was once in place, but eventually fell through.

All that was ancient history this morning, however, with officials heralding the beginning of the project as the beginning of a long-awaited transformation in the area.

"This hospital has been a blight on the township of Irvington for so, so long," said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. "After you get done with this facility, there's going to be another one and another one."

In addition to the 700 residential units, developers are also planning to add retail space to the complex, which would be home to a child care center and farm-to-table soul food restaurant run by Adenah Bayoh, who is also a primary partner in the development.

The first phase of the project, which will include about 125 units, is set to be completed in early 2017. The next phases would take shape over the following 10 years, according to Patrick Terborg, one of Hilltop Partners' managing members.

A 2013 rendering of The Hilltop residential and retail complex.

During the ceremony, Bayoh addressed the crowd and traced her path to the area after fleeing war-torn Liberia as child, walking nearly 100 miles before boarding a flight to the U.S., where she realized her dreams as a restaurateur and developer.

She said she hoped Irvington, which has long struggled to generate economic momentum, might follow a similar path after The Hilltop has been opened for business.

"It's not only going to be a catalyst for other developments in Irvington. It's going to set the standard for what is coming to this great township," she said. "This is just a small step to a long journey."

Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.