New Jersey Future Announces 2026 Smart Growth Award Winners and Leadership Award Honoree

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New Jersey Future Announces 2026 Smart Growth Award Winners and Leadership Award Honoree

07/15/2026

by New Jersey Future

TRENTON, NJ, July 15, 2026—New Jersey Future (NJF) is proud to announce this year’s projects and leadership honoree as part of its 24th Annual Smart Growth Awards. The ceremony will be held on October 7 at 5:30 p.m. at the Newark Museum of Art. Winners include five forward-thinking projects that are transforming communities through visionary design, holistic thinking, and thoughtful execution, reflecting the best of what smart growth makes possible. This year’s leadership honoree is a distinguished state leader and economic development champion who has consistently demonstrated, through his public and private work, that smart growth and economic growth can go hand in hand.

The 2026 Smart Growth Award winners are:

Audible’s The Pillars, Newark

Transforming a prominent downtown building into a vibrant retail and community hub that supports local entrepreneurs, activates the Arts and Education District, and brings together commerce, culture, and connection in Newark.

Primary Partners: Audible | Studio Cooke John | Arterial: Street Design Studio | Bartholomew Lighting | Structure Tone

The Place at Haddonfield, Haddonfield

Redeveloping a former municipal parking lot into a context-sensitive, walkable, 100% affordable housing development that integrates “missing middle” housing into Haddonfield’s historic downtown.

Primary Partners: Borough of Haddonfield | CIS Construction | New Jersey Department of Community Affairs | NJ Community Loan Fund | Community Investment Strategies, Inc.

Sanofi Flagship at M Station West, Morristown

Creating a dynamic, transit-oriented workplace destination that relocated thousands of employees to walkable downtown Morristown, strengthening connections to local businesses, public spaces, transit, and the community.

Primary Partners: SJP Properties | Sanofi | Scotto Properties | Cushman & Wakefield | Gensler

The Crossings at Brick Church Station, East Orange

Transforming an underutilized commercial corridor into a vibrant transit-oriented district with mixed-income housing, accessible food and healthcare services, and public spaces that reconnect neighborhoods and drive East Orange’s economic revitalization.

The Kempson, Metuchen

Repurposing a former industrial site into a thoughtfully designed residential neighborhood that remediates contaminated land, expands access to 32 acres of open space and recreation, and creates a more walkable, connected Metuchen.

Primary Partners: LRK | Klein Enterprises | Bohler | Borough of Metuchen | Middlesex County

This year, New Jersey Future honors Gil Medina, Executive Vice President at CBRE, Chair of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, and New Jersey Future board member, with the 2026 Smart Growth Leadership Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to sustainable and equitable growth in New Jersey.

A former New Jersey Secretary of Commerce, Gil has paved the way for integrating economic development and smart planning. He has defended and written regulatory policies that still guide New Jersey’s sustainability efforts. In addition to serving on a number of boards and advisory boards of leading organizations, his accomplished career has spanned law, finance, and commercial real estate. Over the decades, he has been a beacon, deftly aligning economic and business growth with smart growth and redevelopment.

“Gil is a unique individual who demonstrates by his actions and leadership that growing the state in a smart and sustainable way is good for businesses, our communities, and the environment,” said Peter Kasabach, New Jersey Future executive director.

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.