Crews have started work on five affordable housing units in Newark's Clinton Hill neighborhood, part of a South Ward project that city officials say will soon expand with 14 more homes nearby. Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka broke ground on Phase 1 of Badger-Madison Homes on November 9 at 128 and 130 Badger Avenue, where construction is now underway.
The project is being developed by Badger Madison Community Partners, LLC, according to TAPinto Newark. Phase 1 will consist of one three-family home and one two-family home, totaling five units — four three-bedroom units and one two-bedroom unit, per the outlet's report. The homes sit in the Clinton Hill section of Newark's South Ward, an area Patch also identifies at 128-130 Badger Avenue, describing the planned housing as a two-family home and a three-family home designed for residents earning between 20 and 80 percent of area median income.
Who Qualifies, and What It Costs To Qualify
Phase 1 is deed-restricted to renting to families collectively earning up to 80% of area median income, according to TAPinto Newark's reporting. Using 2026 HUD figures cited in that report, 80% AMI in Newark equals $74,800 for a one-person household, $85,450 for a two-person household, $96,150 for a three-person household, and $106,800 for a four-person household.
TAPinto Newark reported that the council passed a resolution supporting the funding application for the two homes. Alonzo Goulbourne is quoted in that report as saying the development received no subsidy for the project, with Badger Madison Community Partners instead awarded $1.625 million from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York in partnership with Columbia Bank.
A Long List of Partners Behind the Project
The development draws on a wide roster of partners. Patch's report names Clinton Hill Community Action, POIĒMA Development Group, TMA General Contracting LLC, Creative Development Real Estate, Tactical Development Group, the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York and Columbia Bank as project partners, a list TAPinto Newark's coverage corroborates.
Per Goulbourne's account in TAPinto Newark's report, Badger Madison Community Partners obtained the lots through a competitive RFP process under Mayor Baraka's Equitable Investment in Newark Communities initiative, which aims to address Newark's affordable housing shortage and close the racial wealth gap. South Ward Councilman Patrick Council said Clinton Hill has been rebuilding from upper to lower Clinton Hill, and said home-grown developers should reinvest in community residents, according to the same report.
Phase II Would Add 14 More Units
City officials have already outlined what comes next. Phase 1 homes are anticipated to be complete in July 2027, and according to Goulbourne's comments in TAPinto Newark's reporting, those homes will catalyze a Phase II that deepens affordability further. Phase II is planned to consist of 14 units at 33, 35, 37 and 39 Madison Avenue and 136 Badger Avenue, with construction slated to begin in the third quarter of 2027.
Patch's coverage similarly notes that city officials said the development would continue on five more lots at 33, 35, 37 and 39 Madison Avenue and 136 Badger Avenue. Phase II will be deed-restricted to families earning between 30% and 80% of AMI, and per Goulbourne's account, those units will be offered on the market to everyone, with the city helping identify potential tenants.
Part of a Broader Affordability Push
The Badger Avenue groundbreaking supports Newark's Keeping Newark Affordable initiative, which seeks to address rising housing costs, protect tenants and expand local homeownership, according to TAPinto Newark. The stakes behind that push are laid out in an August op-ed published by NJ Spotlight News, which put Newark's area median income at $138,400 while the city's own median income sits at $58,490. The same op-ed noted that 74% of Newark residents are tenants.
