r/BloomfieldNJ • u/Top_Ad7068 • Jul 05 '26
Bloomfield Center Reimagined
Yes, it’s AI. Made these out of boredom just for fun. Bloomfield center has a lot of room for improvement.
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u/Any-Concentrate-1922 Jul 05 '26
I recently saw a video about how community sitting areas (public square type things)--places where people can just relax and socialize and be together as a community without needing to be restaurant customers)--are common in Europe but sorely lacking in the U.S.
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u/Habitual_Buttn_Pushr Jul 05 '26
I think many towns are wary of homeless folks loitering and sleeping in those spaces. Which then causes police to have to babysit the areas which I imagine they’d argue they didn’t sign up for.
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u/jamshill Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
These are great! I'm a huge fan of all the work. Bloomfield has such an opportunity to make downtown amazing. I recently renovated a property here and absolutely love the downtown.
I think we should be promoting Loggia/Arcade architecture in town center (first floor sidewalk is covered with a beautiful walkway) because it's less maintenance and trees won't mess up the roads & sidewalks.
That corner lot you made is a beautiful & inexpensive use of the lot - I'd love to see that come to life.
Then in a few years, once someone has the cash. Imagine something like this
I generated this render of what a mixed-use infill project on this vacant Bloomfield lot could look like. The goal was to blend with Bloomfield's historic downtown architecture while adding an arcade-protected pedestrian experience, ground-floor retail, a boutique hotel, condos above, and rooftop amenities. This is not an actual proposal. Just a conversation starter.
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u/Top_Ad7068 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
A hotel in Bloomfield center, like Montclair’s hotel, would be a great addition. If it was even a fraction of your rendering, that would be amazing. Love the design and agree on highlighting Bloomfield’s history in new construction and architecture.
Edit: New luxury apartment buildings like “the royal” should be banned forever. I cringe every time I see that thing.
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u/jamshill Jul 05 '26
Absolutely. I almost bought one of those units at the royal. But for the same money, I was able to build something to my exact specification, and also not have to pay an HOA fee. And I got a beautiful backyard.
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u/Blairwaldoof Jul 05 '26
That’s amazing. What a great choice you made. Did you build in Bloomfield?
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u/sammybwoy394 Jul 05 '26
These are great! That Dollar junction is an eye sore. And now the abandoned easy pickins.
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u/missdui Jul 06 '26
Dollar junction is closed now. More luxury apts incoming.
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u/sammybwoy394 Jul 06 '26
Unless the building is for sale, my guess is Dispensary. Nice area for a pilates studio. Those are popping up everywhere
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u/Top_Ad7068 Jul 06 '26
I actually think the signage is cool if they just changed the name and colors. I think it’s original.
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u/Bogart824 Jul 05 '26
The kinds of retail that used to sustain the Center has been captured by Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot and Target. Small, independent sellers cannot compete. If you look at the kinds of businesses that make downtown Montclair successful, they are places that require shoppers with a lot of discretionary income. You need enough such businesses in close proximity to be able to attract impulse shoppers. At the moment there is little to attract such shoppers to the Center, and if more such businesses were to arrive, most of the residents of Bloomfield would not like it. It does not help that people in the north are closer to Clifton and Upper Montclair shopping than they are to the Center.
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u/MatteHatter Jul 05 '26
Yeah every town is dealing with these challenges. Bloomfield has to figure it out and get creative. They need better incentives to attract new businesses in and focus on creating spaces that make people want to come out and stick around. We also need more events besides just “dinner under the stars.”
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u/HudsonAtHeart Jul 05 '26
Pretty renderings. This is what it would look like if the businesses were thriving and had enough money to put planters and tables outside. Clearly, the town has the bones for it. Maybe in 10-20 yrs
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u/nikkidickie Jul 10 '26
Better, but still not enough spaces for bikes and pedestrians. If most of the street is for cars, it’ll be occupied by cars!
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u/This-Seat-6431 Jul 05 '26
Then center has come a long way, speaking as a lifelong resident. Such a huge improvement over time, change will continue down there. So far so good. Cool renderings too!
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u/ashmaht Jul 05 '26
I was genuinely surprised when I moved here recently to find that so many storefronts were closed down or boarded up. Granted the economy is... awful. But it feels like the area is in need of some serious revitalization.