A plan for a long-vacant property in Hoboken’s formerly industrial western edge could end years of affordable housing litigation while creating a new mixed-use complex with an indoor pickleball facility.
A new proposal for eight concurrent lots at 1417 Adams Street was presented during a community meeting on August 13. A previous plan, approved in 2020, called for a 56-unit development with 3,000 square feet of retail space to be set aside for the non-profit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties.
Advance Realty never broke ground on that project’s construction, although the existing buildings at the site have been completely torn down. Situated at 15th and Adams Street, the development includes a sliver of Grand Street in its scope.
Designed by MVMK Architecture + Design, the new project would rise nine stories along the Adams Street side and six floors on the Grand Street section. The residences in the development would break down as 35 studios, 35 one-bedrooms, 40 two-bedrooms, and seven three-bedroom spaces.
Significantly, the development would include the required 12 affordable housing units plus an additional five workforce units. The complex would set aside an additional 14 units as affordable if approved, the result of a court ruling from 2020 stating that Advance Realty violated Hoboken’s affordable housing when leasing their Harlow complex.
Per a settlement agreement reported by The Jersey Journal last year, the additional affordable housing units allow the developer to build higher on the Adams Street lot. Hoboken would additionally be getting $1 million as part of the deal when the project is completed.
Other components of the development include an 8,000-square-foot storefront on the Adams Street side of the property to be used by a privately run pickleball facility. The space would be connected to a set-back ninth-floor roof deck for pickleball customers.
The ground floor of the development would additionally feature a 3,000-square-foot storefront at the 15th and Grand intersection plus a 1,500-square-foot retail space on the Grand Street side of the project. Seven parking spaces are included in the plan.
Planned amenities at the development include a 1,400-square-foot lounge and a 2,000-square-foot roof deck. The project includes green components like a stormwater detention system and green roof, plus a mural on a blank wall that would be visible from the Pilsner Haus Biergarten.
The exterior of the project aims to bridge old and new, according to architect Frank Minervini. The brick components and archways pay homage to the area’s industrial past, while the upper floors reflect Hoboken’s more contemporary landscape.
The development, as pitched, would require a few amendments to the Northern End Redevelopment Plan. The most significant relates to the project’s 101 feet in height where 80 is the maximum allowed.
The proposal does meet requirements regarding density but would need deviations for no open space where 12% is required and no minimum rear yard where 30% is required. The plan amendments are intended to be put up for a vote at the next Hoboken City Council meeting, which is being held on August 20.
The landscape in this slice of Hoboken is slated to undergo massive changes in the coming years, with a slew of developments either underway or already approved within the surrounding blocks.
