Plans have been approved for the third and final phase of the HELIX redevelopment in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects and developed by the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DevCo), the 39-story tower will span 563,000 square feet and yield 265 apartments, including 53 affordable units. The $468 million project will also include research space, laboratories, and 31 student housing units for Rutgers University, as well as office space for the Middlesex County government. The property is located between Kirkpatrick and Spring Streets.
The above aerial rendering looks south at the tower within the 1.5-million-square-foot HELIX complex. The development, an acronym for Health + Life Science Exchange, includes two existing phases built along French Street. The new tower is shown rising behind them with a glass curtain wall.
The following axonometric diagrams offer a better perspective of the building’s massing. The structure will begin with a multi-story podium, followed by a straightforward rectangular tower culminating in a flat roof with a raised bulkhead.
The third and final phase of HELIX. Diagram courtesy of Elkus Manfredi Architects.
Homes will occupy levels eight through 39. The 212 market-rate units will be comprised of 38 studios, 148 one-bedrooms, and 26 two-bedrooms. The 53 affordable housing units will be consist of four studios, six one-bedrooms, 32 two-bedrooms, and 11 three-bedrooms. Residential amenities will include a fitness center, a coworking space, multiple lounges, a communal kitchen, billiards room, and an outdoor terrace.
The research space for Rutgers WINLAB & ESRG will span roughly 36,000 square feet, and Rutgers School of Medicine will have more than 52,300 square feet of specialized laboratories and student housing. The government offices for Middlesex County will occupy 178,500 square feet on the first seven floors.
The third phase of HELIX is being developed with an Aspire Program tax credit award that was approved by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) in November 2025. The project site measures more than 30,000 square feet and consists of five combined parcels at 57, 65, 69, 71, and 73 Paterson Street.
The complex is located one block to the south of the New Brunswick train station on NJ Transit’s Northeast Corridor and Amtrak’s Northeast Regional and Keystone Service lines.
The $2-plus-billion three-tower HELIX master plan replaces the former Ferren Mall and is expected to generate long-term job creation and economic opportunity in New Brunswick. An anticipated completion date for the third phase has yet to be announced.
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Very nice for NB!
Love the density and the downtown area being transformed. That old mall was so dreary and depressing to walk through and never felt safe.
Is this property in Jersey
Would you know 9f any in Manhattan NY?
Great News For New Brunswick
It’s fastest Growing City in Central NJ