Mayor Steven M. Fulop has announced the redevelopment of a former industrial site on three acres of land in the city’s Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood can finally move forward to construction.
A Superior Court Judge’s ruling to dismiss a “meritless” lawsuit filed by June Jones and the Morris Canal Redevelopment Area Community Development Corporation has cleared that legal obstacle to the project beginning.
Despite opposition from Ward F Councilman Frank Gilmore, the proposed 17-story residential and commercial redevelopment project will include over 20 affordable housing units, a community recreation center, public outdoor space, new off-street parking spots, and a retail incubator for minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses.
“While this baseless lawsuit has done a tremendous disservice to our community, it is my hope that residents now hear the full truth with the court’s dismissal so that we can move forward on this important neighborhood improvement project together,” said Mayor Fulop.
The Fulop Administration is the first to implement affordable housing requirements in Jersey City, the administration said, adding that no other administration in decades has invested more in parks and open space than Mayor Fulop.
Plans to redevelop the former industrial site have been amended numerous times over the last two decades, leaving the three acres of land adjacent to Berry Lane Park unused. In 2019, the Fulop Administration put forth a proposal to revitalize the underutilized property, located at 417 Communipaw Avenue, with a residential and commercial building that include numerous community benefits and affordable housing units.
The new 17-story residential and commercial project will include the following:
- 20+ New Affordable Housing Units
- 22,000 sq. ft. Community Recreation Center
- 20,000 sq. ft. Public Outdoor Recreational Space & Plaza
- Historic Building Preservation
- Retail Incubator for Minority-, Women-, and Veteran-Owned Businesses
According to a press release, the city’s requirements for the site redevelopment include the following:
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Maximum of 420 residential units, of which 21 units shall be Affordable Housing Units with a mix of very low, low, and moderate housing.
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22,000 square foot Recreation Center to be dedicated to the City for public use which must include a fully functional basketball court and areas to host other extracurricular activities such as classrooms, media,dance, administrative offices, storage, and the like.
- 14,000 square foot retail component, no less than 40 percent of which will be designated as retail incubator space for certified Small, Minority, Women, and Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises (SMWVBEs) or Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs).
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20,000 square feet of public outdoor recreational space and plaza.
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40 off-street public parking spaces for park and rec center visitors.
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Installation of improvements along Woodward Street.
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Historic preservation and adaptive reuse of the Steel Tech Head House.
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Additional on- and off-site improvements.
“This redevelopment project is a win for the community as we incorporate numerous benefits that were put forth by the City as well as residents,” said Diana Jeffrey, director of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency
