Plans Revealed for 1,000 New Residences in Up-and-Coming New Jersey Neighborhood

By Andie Lowenstein, Associate Editor

Jersey City, N.J.—A mixed-use redevelopment in Journal Square officially received site plan approval.

Plans for the nearly six-acre Baldwin Place were revealed by Genova Burns LLC’s Attorney Eugene T. Paolino at the Jersey City Planning Board meeting on June 23. Redevelopment plans include 980 market-rate rental apartments spread among four buildings, two of which are seven stories and part of Phase I and two are 25 stories and part of Phase II. Upon completion, the project will open long blocked view corridors and include luxury amenities such as rooftop pools, 36,447 square feet of ground floor retail, a 502-car parking garage and bike storage.

The development will showcase an extensive, landscaped promenade with unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline, the Jersey City waterfront and the Statue of Liberty. The project will be incorporated into the Journal Square neighborhood and will provide convenient access to numerous public transportation lines.

“My take is that the design and development of Baldwin Place is an exciting and imaginative approach, not only in addressing the remains of our industrial heritage, but in doing so in a way that is appreciative and sensitive of the neighborhood,” said Paolino. “The redevelopment is thoughtfully designed to grow alongside the surrounding community, infusing quality housing options in a redevelopment site that has long needed attention in Jersey City.”

Purchased by Argent Ventures in 2012, the property currently houses five commercial buildings originally under the ownership of the C.F. Mueller Pasta Company. Mueller vacated the site in 1997 and the building has deteriorated over time, leaving an eyesore at the heart of Jersey City. Argent Ventures will fully demolish each of the structures prior to the first phase of redevelopment construction.

Within a 10-minute walk of the Journal Square PATH station and bus depot, Baldwin Place provides easy access to Manhattan and other New Jersey cities. PATH commuters can reach the World Trade Center or downtown Newark in 11 minutes and Midtown Manhattan in just 20 minutes. The site is also within nearly one mile of both the New Jersey Turnpike and Routes 1 and 9.

Several new major developments in the Journal Square community have been popping up, and Baldwin Place’s renewal is following along. The city designated the neighborhood as an “area in need of rehabilitation” in 2008 and formally adopted the Journal Square Redevelopment Plan in 2010. This plan was designed to nurture progress of transit-oriented development of new housing, offices, commercial, and public open spaces. More than 4,000 new residences are planned for the neighborhood in addition to Baldwin Place, including One Journal Square, a newly announced redevelopment of 1,500 apartments and 100,000 square feet of retail and parking space. Genova Burns serves as counsel on the project as well.