Second Street Marina

This is the new plan for the marina at the end of second street. It seems as though the development at Crystal Pointe will provide extra parking for the marinas use. The location of the new marina at the end of Second street.

Liberty Harbor North

The first floor has been erected with framework in place

The exterior work is finishing up on the Loft building

The West side of Gulls Cove from a distance

Work is going up all over the place at this development. This is an interesting way to frame a building too. Everything goes up before the front. Whatever works I guess.

A random undeveloped hole in the middle of Tidewater Street which is odd since the whole complex is under one developer.

The thing I like most about this project is the extra details they sprinkle in that most developers love to avoid, like street signs along buildings like the old school method, or the etching of the LH logo into the street lamp posts.

296 Grand

The windows are all into the facade of the building now and work is prepping for the exterior masonry of the building.

769 Montgomery

The openings where the windows are to be reveal the oddly placed flooriong within the building. It seems as though the floors or mezzanines within are irregular between unit to unit.

The rear of the building has framework going up with insulation board starting to fill its sides.

Ballys Journal Square

Ballys is coming to the Journal Square Area right on Bergen Ave by Newkirk. Sorry about the lateness on the posting, but the weather hasnt been cooperating too much these days. The gym should be a good addition to the area as there is really nothing else of its size this close to the PATH.

City Center Towers

$40M needed for $600M development
Lawyer explains financing plan for Journal Square towers

Jersey City-based attorney Eugene Paolino came to the Feb. 13 City Council meeting with a letter that refuted recent criticism of a financing plan involving the city and a group of developers. The money is intended to go toward a proposed $600 million two-tower project that is part of the rebirth of Journal Square.Paolino's letter criticized an article in the local daily newspaper reporting that MEPT-JS, the developers designated by the city to build the project, were seeking a loan for more than $40 million. MEPT-JS is the collaboration between Journal Square-based Harwood Properties and Multi-Employer Property Trust, a $7 billion real estate firm located in Washington, D.C. In the letter, Paolino slammed the article, claiming it "relied on information provided by the uninformed or the misinformed" and that the "loan" from the city would actually be a more complicated financing deal used often for projects in redevelopment areas, as is the case with the Journal Square project. It turns out the letter was timely, as longtime resident and activist Yvonne Balcer complained at the meeting that the developer should not be receiving any money from the city. At the meeting, Journal Square Councilman Steve Lipski defended the developer, saying the project will help revitalize Journal Square. And Mayor Jerramiah Healy, in his State of the City address on Tuesday, had promised a commitment by the city to jumpstart the project."In the near future, I will present the City Council with a plan that will increase the revenues received by the city and help facilitate the construction of those two new towers at the old Hotel on the Square," Healy said at the time. "The redevelopment of Journal Square is key to making Jersey City even greater." The two towers of Journal Square

It has not been announced if some of the units will be for sale or for rent.The project will be built on what was once dilapidated property that was eventually demolished as the result of the city taking the prior owners to court.The Harwood family, who has maintained their business in Journal Square for the last 70 years, was originally supposed to develop the project on their own. But as one longtime city official said recently, "they lost their nerve" and realized the project was too costly to build on their own. The project site is adjacent to the Journal Square Transportation Center.


-Jersey City Reporter
see full article

West Side Redevelopment

Redeveloping west side gets plan board backing
Friday, February 22, 2008
CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Jersey City Planning Board unanimously voted Wednesday to make roughly 100 polluted acres on the city's west side a redevelopment zone.
The city has struck a deal with Morristown-based Honeywell International to clean and develop the chromium-tainted land.

Project designer Anton C. Nelessen, of A. Nelessen Associates, outlined the Bayfront I Redevelopment plan that would replace old industrial buildings, vacant land, a concrete plant and three city complexes with homes, shops, restaurants and offices along tree-lined streets with parks and a waterfront walkway.

The plan calls for up to 8,100 residential units, 1 million square feet of office space, 600,000 square feet of retail space and 12,000 parking spaces.
Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Bob Antonicello said negotiations have started with NJ Transit to extend the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail from the West Side Avenue Station to the area. The development would include "green" buildings and a network of bicycle paths. Parking would be incorporated into the buildings, officials said.

Two block-wide parks, listed on renderings as Central Park and the Promenade, would cross the width of the site from a new boulevard along Route 440 West to the waterfront, with space available for playgrounds, dog parks, ball courts, a grass amphitheater and other amenities.
The development area stretches from Route 440 to the Hackensack River and from the northern edge of Society Hill at Kellogg Street to Culver Avenue.

Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis said he received word that the state Department of Environmental Protection has approved Honeywell International's remediation plan for the site.
"This is really just the start," said Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano, who represents the area. "From what I have seen it will be a first-class community if it keeps in the direction it is going."

-The Jersey Journal

New Bridge and ramps

This area on the west side of the city by the Hackensack river is being cleared away to make room for a new mess of on and off ramps leading to an eventual new bridge in the future.

The bridge is to be phased in next to the existing bridge after the ramp system is complete. Then the existing bridge could be demolished.

The ramps require the removal of existing run down houses and factories which for the most part have been removed.

Demolishing continues along St Pauls Ave for one of the turn arounds.

The giant field where the main turnaround is going down.

Factory being taken down along the small streets where most buildings have already been torn down.

Duncan Avenue Housing

The old mid-rise projects on Duncan Ave by Route 1&9 have been removed to make way for new low rise housing to take its place. Some of the midrise buildings still remain as construction begins.

View from Duncan Ave.

Im not sure how this new plan will layout in terms of new streets/parking or open park space in between, but the lack of the ugly 50's and 60's style brick projects is defenitely a step in the right direction.

110 1st Street

As reported, the renderings have been released for the plot of land directly to the west of the almost complete Athena tower at 110 1st Street. The planning board approved the site for the 35 story, 452 unit tower. The tower looks as if it will be taller than the Athena when complete.

Im not anti-development, but for a second, got excited at the prospect of a new open area of some kind in that area which is much needed at the time.

369 5th Street

The project is coming along pretty quickly adjacent to the old gas station.

Im not really sure why these ground floor windows are so low to the ground, but I assume someone has it figured out.

The View

This is the plot of land for the proposed "View" project at the edge of Liberty State Park.

The View," is a $135 million, three-tower, 575-unit condo complex on a three-story base overlooking Liberty State Park.The three towers are respectively 30 stories, 25 stories, and 19 stories. The project is to be built by Bayonne developer Lance Lucarelli.

This is the site plan of the project which doesnt seem to be the most effecient use of land mostly because its in a bazaar crescent shape and removes any pedestrian activity at its base. It should however connect Jersey Ave with the existing Mill Creek Lane which would remove the sketchy and narrow footbridge that currently connects Jersey Ave with the Park.

Maybe its my imagination, but it seems as though a lot fo the weeds and bushes have been cleared away from this site, possibly in preperation for site work or testing for the project.

For better or worse, the area will eventually be developed because of an increasing demand for residential units. It would be nice if the area was subdivided with some new streets and people friendly developements, but in this case, an isolated three tower block seperated from the rest of the city.

Canco Lofts

The entrance by Dey Street

One of the more Western portions of the buildings still needs to have exterior and interior work to be completed. Framing of partitions are still going on inside.

The Northern face of the building

Newark/Waldo Apts.

The top row of windows are finally going up and all the brickwork is now complete.

The North facing elevation is nearly complete except for the bottom windows and doors.

767 Newark Ave

Located on the edge of Little India by Journal Square, this new ground up project squeezes in with new retail and residential units.

New Field at Lincoln Park

New turf has been laid down at the Western Edge of the site, and here is the small baseball diamond that sits adjacent to the new football field.

The bleachers have been recently installed and the field work is near completion.

The Ivy House

The framing continues on the facade of the building