Woodbury’s popular Lot 323 outdoor community event space is expected to relocate to the former police station property at Broad Street Lake for the 2027 season, as plans for a long-awaited mixed-use development in the heart of downtown Woodbury appear to be moving closer to a Planning Board hearing.
This story actually connects two significant projects involving city-owned properties: the relocation of a beloved community gathering space and the potential development of a large new apartment and retail complex along South Broad Street.
I reached out to Woodbury City Administrator John Leach for an update on both projects, and also had the opportunity to speak with Councilwoman Jo Miller and Mayor Kyle Miller.
And how those conversations came together is a funny story in itself!
Note: If you want to keep up with Woodbury news (and surrounding) follow the Woodbury Warbler Newsletter! In February she had an update on the Residential Project and PILOT agreement (Facebook)
Lot 323: A New Home at Broad Street Lake
For approximately 10 years, Lot 323 has operated as a colorful outdoor community event space in downtown Woodbury, managed by Woodbury FAF, the organization behind the original Woodbury Fall Arts Festival.
What started as a simple space bringing the community together for art activities, live music, food and other events has grown into a really awesome-looking, eclectic outdoor destination.
Over the years, Lot 323 has featured sculptures, performance stages, beer gardens and even a more permanent steel tent structure.
A 2016 Courier-Post article described how the property had become a summertime art installation, utilizing beautifully painted wooden pallets, industrial pipes and other materials to transform an ordinary downtown lot into an exciting and colorful community gathering space.
As the 2026 season wound down, hints started appearing on Facebook that it would be the final season for Lot 323 at its current location.
The plan is to move the community events just a short few minutes away to Broad Street Lake, taking over the former Woodbury Police Department property, which sits directly on Broad Street next to the lake.
This is actually an interesting location with a history of its own.
Several years ago, the city offered the former police station property for redevelopment, hoping to attract a restaurant operator who could take advantage of the beautiful waterfront views. (PDF)
Those plans never came to fruition.
Now, with redevelopment prospects moving forward for the downtown Lot 323 property, the former police station site has been identified as the new home for the community event space.
One significant advantage of the Broad Street Lake location is the substantial freestanding building already on the property.
Additionally there are TWO large parking garages effectively a block away. While Inspira Hospital was demolished, the parking garage is staying!
While I haven’t yet spoken directly with the Lot 323 organizers about their plans, I can imagine the possibilities of having a weather-protected indoor space that could potentially support year-round activities, in addition to the traditional summertime outdoor events.
The waterfront setting could also make for a beautiful backdrop for community gatherings.
Some are already referring to the new location as the “Lot on the Lake.”
To be clear, the final configuration of the property, how the former police station building will be utilized, and exactly which features of the existing Lot 323 experience will make the move have not yet been fully announced.
But the relocation itself is significant news for downtown Woodbury.
And it immediately had me wondering: Does this mean that the big redevelopment project planned for the current Lot 323 property is finally getting closer?
Canoe Brook and Tantum: Major Downtown Woodbury Redevelopment
While Woodbury continues to be a strong supporter of Lot 323, the city’s longer-term vision for the downtown property has been to redevelop it into a significant mixed-use project that brings new residents, retail opportunities and activity to South Broad Street.
Several years ago, the city issued a request for redevelopment proposals involving the collection of properties they owned around Broad and Centre Streets.
A development team consisting of Tantum Real Estate and Canoe Brook Development was ultimately selected to move forward with the project.
The concept calls for a substantial new residential development featuring ground-floor commercial space, upper-level apartments, resident amenities and additional public open space.
The original proposal described the goal as creating a permanent hub of activity in a centralized downtown location, bringing together a mix of uses, housing density, retail and open space.
And from what I’ve seen in the early renderings and development documents, it could be a significant transformation for this portion of downtown Woodbury.
Please keep in mind the plans discussed here are early concepts and while the final presented project is expected to be in line with this, there could be changes.
Four-Story Building, 250 Units And Retail
The original development concept called for a four-story, Class A multifamily residential building containing approximately 202 market-rate rental apartments. Recent Woodbury Ordinances have updated that number to 250 units with 7,000sf of retail.
The proposed apartment mix included studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom layouts, ranging from approximately 600 to 1,300 square feet.
The project also featured approximately 11,000 square feet of interior resident amenities, including a resident lounge, fitness center, billiards room, private party room and conference spaces.
Outside, the plans included two resident amenity courtyards featuring barbecue stations, community fire pits and a variety of seating areas.
One of those courtyards would also include an outdoor swimming pool.
The early architectural renderings show a modern, attractive building with plenty of windows, and several residential units featuring their own small outdoor patio or balcony spaces.
The exterior design was also intended to complement nearby buildings, including the Woodbury Presbyterian Church and the GG Green Apartments, with architectural materials and design elements selected to fit within the surrounding downtown neighborhood.
Retail, Restaurants and Public Open Space
An important aspect of the redevelopment is the opportunity to bring additional commercial activity to downtown Woodbury.
The original concept included ground-floor commercial opportunities such as a restaurant that could benefit from the significant number of new residents living directly above them as well as the surrounding community.
Another interesting element is that the development proposal extends beyond just the main apartment buildings.
A separate property along New Russell Street, effectively behind the current Lot 323 space, was identified for public open space.
Early designs for that area included a pavilion, outdoor gathering areas and a planned rainwater garden.
This public space would be separate from the private resident courtyards and amenities associated with the apartment building.
The city was able to put together this larger redevelopment opportunity because, over the years, Woodbury had acquired the significant majority of the properties included within the project area.
At the time of the original proposal, only two very small additional property pieces still needed to be acquired.
One important clarification: The apartment counts, amenities, architectural details and renderings described above come from the original redevelopment proposal presented a couple of years ago.
The final project that eventually comes before the Planning Board is expected to be similar in overall concept, but there could certainly be changes as the city and developers continue refining the plans.
Development Team Brings Significant Experience
In my conversation with City Administrator John Leach, he explained that Woodbury had received multiple strong proposals for the redevelopment opportunity.
The city ultimately selected the Tantum and Canoe Brook development team for several reasons, including their significant experience with similar projects.
Looking through the development team’s original proposal, I can certainly see why that experience was an important consideration.
The companies highlighted an impressive collection of residential and mixed-use developments in communities throughout New Jersey, including Weehawken, West New York, New Brunswick, Livingston, Morristown, Parsippany and Jersey City.
These are exactly the types of downtown-oriented residential developments that Woodbury is looking to bring to South Broad Street.
It really does seem to be right in the wheelhouse of these development teams.
Moving Closer to a Planning Board Presentation
So where does the project stand today?
Well as mentioned, as covered by the Woodbury Warbler (Facebook) earlier this year Woodbury introduced an ordinance for a PILOT tax break on the 100 South Broad Development… clearly another indication that the project is getting closer to Planning Board hearing.
The based on my conversations with city officials, the redevelopment process is continuing, with an expectation that the developers could be presenting plans during the upcoming winter months.
That would be a significant next step for a project that has been in the planning stages for several years.
The decision to relocate Lot 323 also appears to be a strong indication that the city is preparing for the next phase of the downtown property’s future.
Of course, a Planning Board presentation is not the same as construction starting, and there are still approvals and other steps that would need to take place before development could begin.
But after several years of discussion, the potential movement toward a formal presentation is encouraging news.
Sometimes the Stories Find Me!
I have to share a funny side story about how this article came together.
Initially, after hearing that Lot 323 was relocating I reached out to City Administrator John Leach on my own, looking for an update on the community space and the larger redevelopment project.
While we had an initial chat, John was then out of the office for a period of time, so I hadn’t yet received the details I was looking for.
Then, about a week ago, I stopped into Captain Cat’s in Verga to grab dinner and a beer at the bar.
I started chatting with two people sitting a few bar stools down from me, and wouldn’t you know it, one of them turned out to be Woodbury Councilwoman Jo Miller!
Naturally, the conversation turned to Lot 323 and the redevelopment project, and she was kind enough to follow up with John, who was still out of the office at the time.
Then, just a few days later, I’m over at Nick’s Family Garden Center in Deptford picking up firewood when a bearded gentleman says hello and asks, “Are you the 42 Freeway guy?”
He introduces himself as Woodbury Mayor Kyle Miller!
So within about a week and a half, I independently reached out to the city administrator, randomly met a Woodbury councilwoman while having dinner, and then bumped into the mayor while buying firewood… and each time we chatted briefly about the projects.
I don’t know if I just make my own luck or if the universe is on my side when it comes to finding stories for 42 Freeway, but it certainly seemed like the universe was telling me I needed to cover this one!
I don’t think you can get more “local reporting” than that!
Originally, my goal was simply to share the news that Lot 323 would have a new home for the 2027 season.
But with the larger downtown redevelopment project potentially moving closer to a Planning Board presentation, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to provide some background on what’s planned for the property and why this relocation is taking place.
There are still details to be worked out on both projects, but it looks like 2027 could be an interesting year for downtown Woodbury.
Links and Location
Lot 323 – Expected New Home 2027
Stewart “Broad Street” Lake
200 N Broad St
Woodbury, NJ 08096
Tantum – Canoe Brook Project
100 South Broad Street
Woodbury NJ
