Newark Sells Six City Properties for Deeply Affordable Housing Amid Transparency Demands

Newark's Municipal Council voted 8-0 on Aug. 5, 2026, to sell six deteriorated city-owned properties to developers who must keep the homes affordable at or below 50% of area median income. The vote came only after residents demanded to know which properties were being sold, which pushed council leaders to promise property addresses and staff briefings on future agendas. The same meeting eased a Newark-only cannabis security rule, kept city payroll flowing with a $64M stopgap, and saw the council reverse itself on a Newark Alliance fee after extracting an accountability pledge.

• Six rehab properties sold 8-0 with deed restrictions at or below 50% AMI. Future agendas will list sites ward by ward.
• Cannabis shops no longer need overnight armed guards after a 7-0 vote over residents' safety objections.
• Newark Alliance fee hike failed, then passed 7-1 after the business administrator promised a September presentation.
• $64M August emergency appropriation approved while Newark's 2026 budget remains unadopted.
• Seniors at 1060 Broad Street described fumes, pests and residents found dead days later. Separately, a councilmember reported more than 100 messages about unpaid summer youth workers.

The basics: The ordinance authorizes the sale of six properties: 34 Wright St., 483 Leslie St., 650 South 11th St., 55 Kent St., 850 South 19th St. and 307 South 18th St. AMI, or area median income, is the regional income benchmark used to set affordable rents and sale prices.