Spiezle Earns 2024 NJ Smart Growth Award for the Mixed-Use Nell Project in Dunellen

Spiezle Architectural Group is proud to announce that we have been recognized with a 2024 Smart Growth Award for the Nell mixed-use residence community located in Dunellen, New Jersey. The Nell, developed by Prism Capital Partners, turned the former industrial site into a live-work-play destination located within easy walking distance of a library, public transit, and public parks. The Nell represents a lively invigoration of this underused land by Route 28, which now has an entirely new identity.

The Nell, located at 100 S. Washington Ave., is a mixture of retail and housing brought about at an underused infill property adjacent to NJ Transit’s Dunellen Station. Fifty-eight of the 252 apartments in the Nell are reserved specifically for low and moderate-income housing, with over 100 townhouses within the complex available for purchase. On-site amenities include a modern fitness center, outdoor pool, communal kitchen, and a lounge complete with television and bar. Commercial tenants at the building include Kessler Rehabilitation Center and Blue Foundry Bank.

In addition to Prism Capital Partners, our partners included Menlo Engineering Associates and Dynamic Engineering Consultants P.C., all of whom are based in or have a presence in New Jersey and are well-versed in redevelopment projects.

The Smart Growth Awards, presented by New Jersey Future, honor project planners who promote forward-thinking growth and development in the quest for healthier community development. The awards recognize the people, companies, and projects across the Garden State that put these ideas into action—as well as the policies they follow to encourage smart growth industry-wide.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award for our work at the Nell, which represents a model for modern urban renewal,” said Spiezle President and CEO Thomas S. Perrino. “Because New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, the mission of our designers must be to reimagine the ways in which people live and provide longer-term solutions. Spiezle remains committed to this mission of sustainable revitalizing of urban environments in New Jersey and beyond.”

The 2024 Smart Growth Awards will be presented at a ceremony at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) on October 22 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET.