Interview: Dana Redd, Chief

( ) The Michaels Organization calling the county home, for example, a strong infrastructure is vital to continue to attract and retain economic growth in a post-COVID world. From parks to transportation projects, the county has a strong pipeline of ongoing infrastructure developments slated to reshape the local landscape.

On the transportation front, ambitious projects such as the overhaul of the Walter Rand Transportation Center and the ongoing work on the Glassboro-Camden Line are set to catalyze transportation and mobility options in Camden County and South Jersey as a whole. As the county’s largest transportation hub, the Walter Rand Transportation Center (WRTC) serves as a vital convergence point for multiple transit systems in the region and it is the Delaware Valley’s gateway to New Jersey. In February, Gov. Phil Murphy announced a $250 million overhaul of WRTC. “We’re making a lot of investments across South Jersey. We are entirely redeveloping the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden, which is desperately needed and will reimagine transportation in the region,” Murphy told Invest:.

With 26 bus lines, intermodal connectivity with the PATCO Speedline subway system and the River LINE Light rail, as well as supporting intercity independent bus services, the overhaul of WRTC will not only streamline intermodal connectivity in Camden County but also guide transit-oriented development in the burgeoning business and healthcare districts that immediately surround the transportation center. “We are especially excited for the redevelopment of the Walter Rand Transportation Center. This will be a game changer and will bring a world-class transportation center to Camden City while creating opportunities for both commercial and residential real estate,” Cappelli told Invest:.

The project is still in the planning stage but NJ TRANSIT recently completed approximately $2.8 million in repairs that include work to its five-story parking deck and electrical, lighting and concrete patching needed to help facilitate future construction at the WRTC, according to the governor’s office.

Just as visionary as the WRTC, the Glassboro-Camden Line, an 18-mile light-rail line proposal, is expected to leverage the infrastructure investments happening at the Walter Rand Center to expand regional transportation options through Camden County going as far south as the Glassboro township in Gloucester County. The GlassboroCamden Line project moved a step forward in February when the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection reportedly finished its environmental impact study, a decisive measure in the feasibility of any ambitious infrastructure project.

Now in the preliminary engineering design and project Dana Redd

Chief Executive Officer Rowan University/ Rutgers-Camden Board of Governors

What makes Camden great for businesses?

Location, location, location. Camden has the thirdlargest and busiest transportation hub in the state of New Jersey, not to mention our eds and meds research institutions and assets, which have a global reach. We also have a very active port, as well as a diverse and highly skilled workforce. The partnership and collaboration opportunities presented to the city have really helped transform Camden. Camden is definitely a place to look at regarding investment and growing your business.

What is the outlook for Camden’s eds and meds sector and what is the role for Rowan and Rutgers?

I’m really excited about the future of the eds and meds sector in Camden. The Joint Board is engaged in an urban planning process for the third phase of the health sciences campus, which will be directly across from the Walter Rand Transportation Terminal. When we started this process earlier this year, it wasn’t too long after our launch that the governor came down and announced $250 million to revitalize the transportation terminal. The Joint Board, in collaboration with both universities and other anchor institution partners, is really envisioning what this next phase could potentially look like contextually and in relationship to the development at the WRTC.

I also want to emphasize the importance of community engagement since any visioning process that happens in Camden really embraces responsible redevelopment. We plan from the bottom up, meaning we include the voices and ideas of our residents. We involve them at the front end of the process.

In terms of the outlook for both Rowan and Rutgers, I’m certain that the leadership will position their universities to be competitive in this region, making sure that we are attracting students to both campuses and to the Southern New Jersey region. I believe that not only will they play a significant role in expanding Camden’s research footprint but they will also play a role in preparing the workforce to respond to the growing demand for healthcare professionals.