Nishuane Group, LLC

10/12/2026

For today’s “Filling in the Blanks” we're headed to 45 William Street in East Orange! Approved by the Planning Board last month, this overgrown corner lot will soon be home to a new three-family development in the Greenwood Area Redevelopment Area (where numerous applications have recently been located). 🏘️

Nishuane Group serves as the City’s Planning Board Planner, with Senior Associate Steven Martini as the lead. This series is our way to showcase applications that are focused on transforming underutilized properties into new housing opportunities! You love to see it! 💜

10/10/2026

Truly great projects evolve to meet changing market demands. 🏙️ The proposed redesign of 55 Hudson Place at Hoboken Connect reflects this, replacing a previously planned office tower with a 29-story mixed-use development featuring 365 rental residences, nearly 39,000 SF of office space, and ground-floor retail.

The project also incorporates affordable and workforce housing, along with dedicated office space for NJ TRANSIT and the City of Hoboken, showcasing that redevelopment can respond to market conditions while creating a more dynamic, mixed-use destination. Nishuane Group had the privilege of reviewing the original land use application on behalf of the Hoboken Planning Board prior to its approval. 🕵🏾‍♂️

Read more: https://newyorkyimby.com/2026/09/renderings-reveal-mixed-use-tower-at-55-hudson-place-in-hoboken-new-jersey.html

New renderings reveal 55 Hudson Place, a proposed 29-story mixed-use tower from Morris Adjmi Architects and LCOR in Hoboken, New Jersey.

10/09/2026

See this vacant building? It's about to undergo a complete transformation. ✨`

Earlier this week, the East Orange Planning Board approved an application for 34 Park Avenue that will breathe new life into a long-vacant, deteriorating commercial building. The project will rehabilitate the existing structure, preserve commercial space on the first floor, and introduce a new residential unit on the second floor. This approach will transform an underutilized property into a valuable neighborhood asset while creating an additional housing opportunity. 🏘️

Nishuane Group serves as the City’s Planning Board Planner, with Senior Associate Steven Martini as the lead. Our team had the opportunity to review the project on behalf of the Planning Board ahead of its approval. As part of our ongoing series highlighting applications that transform underutilized properties into new housing opportunities, we thought this project was perfect to share! 💜

10/06/2026

Stars, they're just like us! 🤩

New Jersey is quickly becoming Hollywood East. 🎥 Over the past few years, we've continued to establish ourselves as a serious destination for film and television, with major productions and some famous faces showing up across the state. Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein filmed Office Romance along the Hoboken waterfront, Sydney Sweeney shot The Housemaid around the Town of Morristown, NJ and the Township of Montclair, while Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, and the Happy Gilmore 2 crew filmed at various locations throughout North Jersey. ⛳ Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day filmed in both the City of Newark, NJ and Morristown, while Henry Cavill and Kevin Hart have been spotted filming their upcoming Netflix spy film in the Borough of Glen Ridge, New Jersey.

From Montclair and Hoboken to Newark, Bloomfield, Morristown, Bound Brook, Glen Ridge, and more, our communities are increasingly becoming part of the industry’s backdrop. But it's more than just celeb sightings. Film production brings jobs, investment, tourism, exposure for local businesses, and new opportunities to revitalize underutilized properties.

That growth is also being matched by the major infrastructure investment needed to support the industry. Lionsgate Studios Newark is under construction and slated to open later this year, Netflix is transforming Fort Monmouth into a nearly 500,000 SF production campus, and 1888 Studios is coming to Bayonne with 23 soundstages and more than 1.5 million SF of production space. 🏗️ These represent a significant opportunity for municipalities, but they also raise important planning questions.

Last year, Nishuane Group helped address these questions by co-hosting a New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association webinar with the New Jersey Municipal Managers Association titled “Lights, Camera, Planning! Integrating New Jersey’s Growing Film Industry into Local Land Use and Redevelopment.” Nishuane Group Senior Associate Steven Martini led the discussion, exploring how planners, municipal officials, and community stakeholders can prepare for the industry’s growth and leverage film production to create economic and cultural benefits. As more productions make their way to New Jersey, are communities ready for their next act? 🎬

10/03/2026

Are we planning our cities backwards? 🏙️

The way we design our street networks has a lasting impact on connectivity, walkability, and how communities grow, yet street planning often takes a back seat to zoning and individual development projects. 🗺️

So, what if we prioritized connected streets and a long-term vision for our communities from the get-go? Read more: https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2026/09/29/we-plan-cities-backwards

Cities should be designed around what is most permanent, especially streets, where the stakes of getting them right are highest.

09/30/2026

Land use decisions are public health decisions. 🩺

Earlier this month, the Plan4HealthNJ Advisory Counsel gathered on Mercer Lake for their 2026 Fall Plan4HealthNJ Grantee Kickoff to award $200,000 in funding to ten New Jersey municipalities. 💰 Each community received $20,000 to help advance health-centered planning elements and explore how land use and public policy can contribute to healthier communities. 💜 With these ten new grantees, this brings this year's total to 16!

A New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association program with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is working towards increased integration of in municipal planning through data, community engagement, and practical planning tools. Nishuane Group Principal & Managing Partner Michèle Delisfort, co-author of the Plan4HealthNJ toolkits, was proud to help present the awards to this latest group of recipients. We’re excited to see how these communities use the funds to help address health, mobility, housing, food access, environmental sustainability, and more. 💪🏾

See more photos from the event here: 131335714@N04/albums/72177720335778066/" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://www.flickr.com/photos/131335714@N04/albums/72177720335778066/
Learn more about Plan4HealthNJ here: https://plan4healthnj.org/

09/29/2026

Grab your lederhosen, because rain ain't stopping this train! 🚂

Nishuane Group was proud to sponsor last weekend's 8th Annual Montclair Brewery Oktoberfest, a celebration that brought together craft b**r, live music, food, and community. As both a lover of craft b**r and the Township of Montclair business community, Nishuane Group's George Wheatle Williams is especially proud to support Montclair Brewery and its owners Denise Ford and Leo Sawadogo. Their story is particularly meaningful to GWW, whose family sponsored the event in honor of his mother, who was Jamaican. And while she sadly never had the opportunity to visit, she was incredibly proud that an African and Jamaican-owned brewery existed right here in her hometown. 🇯🇲

A special shoutout also goes to The Bravitas Group and its owner Bob Silver, friend of the firm and the event’s lead sponsor. Bob and the Bravitas team always demonstrate what it means to back the community and we’re proud to join them in supporting Denise, Leo, and Montclair Brewery! Cheers to another great Oktoberfest! Prost! 🍻

**r **r

09/26/2026

Hoboken and historic preservation? A match made in heaven. 🫱🏾‍🫲🏾

The city's historic tenements tell the story of the immigrant communities and working-class families who helped shape the city’s identity. Explore how these distinctive buildings reflect Hoboken’s evolving housing history and the lasting impact of urban development: https://jerseydigs.com/hoboken-tenements-history/

Long before Hoboken became one of New Jersey’s most desirable cities, an ambitious rehabilitation program helped rescue its aging tenements while allowing existing residents to remain in place.

09/21/2026

Today, let's take a look at a less often discussed aspect of our practice: Board Planners! 🏘️

As consulting Board Planners, Nishuane Group serves as an independent professional advisor to municipal Planning Boards and Zoning Boards of Adjustment throughout New Jersey. From reviewing site plans, subdivisions, and variance applications to evaluating compliance with local zoning ordinances, Master Plans, and the Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL), our team helps boards navigate complex land use decisions with confidence. 🕵🏾‍♀️

But our role goes beyond application reviews and public meeting testimony. Through our concierge-style approach, we coordinate closely with municipal planning staff, Board Professionals, Secretaries, and Chairpersons, provide Commissioner training upon request, and help municipalities navigate evolving planning requirements, redevelopment initiatives, and other land use challenges.

We also believe in being an active partner in the communities we serve, helping to highlight their planning initiatives and promote the places they call home via our own channels. At Nishuane Group, effective Board Planning is about more than just technical expertise. It’s about the Three C's: Collaboration, Communication, Community 💪🏾

Let's meet Nishuane Group's Lead Board Planners:

🟪 Founding Principal George Wheatle Williams: Township of Bloomfield Zoning Board of Adjustment, Hoboken Planning Board & Zoning Board of Adjustment,
🟪 Principal Gerry Haizel: City of Newark, NJ Zoning Board of Adjustment, City of Orange Township Planning Board & Zoning Board of Adjusment
🟪 Senior Associate Steven Martini: East Orange Planning Board & Zoning Board of Adjustment

09/20/2026

As a firm passionate about supporting local businesses, creating pathways for new businesses, no matter the size, is crucial. 🛍️

Microbusinesses play an important role in the community, but complicated zoning regulations can make it difficult for these small businesses to find space and open their doors. For planners, creating more flexible regulations, supporting accessory commercial spaces, and addressing nonconforming-use barriers can help make communities more welcoming to local entrepreneurs: https://www.planning.org/blog/9335348/opening-doors-for-microbusinesses/

Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How can zoning address common barriers to microbusiness formation and growth?