On Tuesday, November 26th, Trenton community leaders, stakeholders, and entrepreneurs gathered together to celebrate the next steps in breathing new life into the Capital City’s downtown region. Recently, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority announced that the City of Trenton would be the recipient of a $4M grant, which will be utilized to acquire the vacant property, located at 1 West Lafayette Street. This acquisition marks a major milestone for Trenton’s Downtown district, promising to breathe new life into this up-and-coming corner of town.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, Mayor Reed Gusciora was joined by a number of city officials, including Crystal Feliciano, City Council President, Councilwoman Teska Frisby, Councilwoman Jennifer Williams, and Arch Liston, Trenton’s Director of Housing and Economic Development. Mayor Gusciora was also joined by representatives of the Trenton Downtown Association, as well as a number of local business owners, who each shared their hopes and visions for this next chapter of Trenton’s renaissance.
The acquisition of the former Marriott Hotel comes at an exciting time for the City of Trenton, with America’s semiquincentennial looming in 2026. As America’s 250th draws near, Trenton hopes to catalyze the redevelopment of this property to attract historic tourism to our revolutionary community. In its redevelopment, this property will be utilized as a mixed-use facility, offering locals new residential housing, hotels, commercial space, and more. This formerly vacant hotel is now set for transformation, offering a vibrant path forward in attracting new residents, visitors, and businesses to town.
In his remarks, Mayor Gusciora shared, “Rest assured, we will continue to work closely with our state partners, include the NJEDA, to ensure this project is a success. We’re determined to make this a key part of our ongoing efforts to revitalize Downtown and bring new economic opportunities to our city. This investment is a critical piece of our broader strategy to breathe new life into Downtown Trenton with the opening of new restaurants, shop, and businesses, represented by our business owners right here today. Redevelopment of the Marriott Hotel will help to anchor this area is a vibrant, dynamic center.”
Council President Feliciano stated, “I thank the NJEDA for extending the funding and allowing this to happen. We look forward to seeing the qualified, capable, competent, dedicated people that come out with this project. We’re not looking for anyone to open it up to have it shut down again. We are looking for this to be something significant and sustainable, offering job opportunities for our people, offering entertainment, and offering us a wonderful attraction that will be able to be utilized.”
Roland Pott, a representative of the Trenton Downtown Association and local business owner, remarked “The hotel is another set of lights for the downtown – it’s another place that makes the downtown alive, that makes the downtown safe, and it’s another place that allows visitors of Trenton a place to stay. Then, they can go out, frequent our local businesses, and support our local economy. We appreciate the initiative on behalf of the City of Trenton to reinvigorate this property and what it will mean for our customers, for our businesses, and it will be a positive step in downtown.”
With plenty more excitement to come, this grant allocation marks a significant step forward in delivering new jobs, opportunities, and businesses to the people of Trenton. Making Trenton a destination begins with one decision at a time, and we cannot wait to see the wonderful things to come in the Downtown Trenton community.
