The Journal Square building boom has somehow added yet another construction site to the landscape as a tower along an emerging pedestrian plaza has officially begun work.
Developer Nasser Freres, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, and other dignitaries were on hand June 28 for a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of work on The Cottage. Not to be confused with the market and eatery on Monticello Avenue with the same name, this version will rise 28 stories just steps from the Journal Square PATH station.
Jersey Digs reported on the approvals back in late 2021 for the development, which will invest over $300 million into the neighborhood. Designed by Handel Architects, The Cottage will sport an L-shaped design and consist of a three-story base intended to visually relate to the existing three-story rowhouses in the neighborhood.
The ground floor of The Cottage will front Homestead Place and add 3,823 square feet of retail space sporting large windows. The car-free plaza already has several sections completed and hopes to become a destination similar to the Grove Street Pedestrian Plaza in Downtown.
The second and third floors of The Cottage will be dedicated to 44,551 square feet of office space, with the remaining floors featuring residential units. Amenities at the future tower include an indoor and outdoor rooftop lounge area and pool with views over Journal Square and across Jersey City.
The exterior of the rectangle low-rise portion is set to utilize metal panels of blue, gray, white, and black, while the jagged high-rise section will sport glass curtain wall components. No dedicated parking spaces for cars will be built in the development, but space for 350 bicycles is included.
An estimated completion date for the project has not been announced, but the development adds to the huge growth taking place in the Journal Square neighborhood. Our reporting from last month documented a plethora of projects that will add over 4,400 new residential units to the area along with major retailers like Target, while a high-profile restaurant from the team behind the Bib Gourmand-awarded DOMODOMO just revealed their entry into the area.
