Housing authority designates AST New Brunswick LLC to redevelop lot on New Street; commissioners raise questions about tenant and office use

The New Brunswick Housing Authority voted to designate AST New Brunswick LLC as redeveloper for an eight‑story office building on multiple lots along New Street, approving the designation after a public presentation and questions from commissioners and a resident.

The action, recorded as MBHA Resolution No. 1 for 2025, approves AST New Brunswick’s designation with conditions including execution of a redevelopment agreement and a guarantee within 120 days, and passed with five votes in favor and one nay.

The redeveloper and its consultants described an office building on roughly a 2.1‑acre site (Block 144, Lots 14.01, 16–19, 20.01, 22.01 and 37–44) with a footprint of about 27,200 square feet and a total gross area the applicants variously described as approximately 217,000 to 217,600 square feet. The developer said the county is expected to lease office space — public safety, health and human services, and community development functions were cited as potential tenants — but no lease or firm commitment has been negotiated.

“Upon completion, the developer states in its application that the building will be leased to the county,” Brian Nelson, attorney for AST New Brunswick LLC, told the board during the presentation. Nelson also said the application included a certification that the developer has 30% equity and a letter from Provident Bank showing financing capacity.

Why it matters: the designation clears the way to negotiate a redevelopment agreement and advance site‑plan review for a large office building in an area under the New Redmond 2 redevelopment plan. Commissioners pressed the team on parking, utilities, lighting and the project’s neighborhood impacts; a resident raised concerns that the city needs housing rather than more office space.

Project details and public responses

AST representatives led by Nelson and project consultants said the site is presently a surface parking lot with a…