A former church that has been vacant for several years could soon be home to a modern mixed-use development, as Bayonne officials will soon hear an application to revitalize a corner of Broadway.
The city’s Planning Board will hear an application for 15-21 East 23rd Street during an upcoming meeting. The property, at the road’s intersection with Broadway, spans about 0.6 acres and includes a cathedral, church hall, rectory, and a central courtyard formerly utilized as St. Michael’s Church.
The facility served a Lithuanian community in Bayonne for many years, but closed after being consolidated by the Archdiocese of Newark along with several other churches in the Peninsula City.
Bayonne’s Historical Committee offered “no comment or no objection” to the building potentially being torn down, according to documents included in the project’s application. The current ownership group of the land includes Bayonne-based Skye Development, who have worked with MHS Architecture on the plans.
The entire complex at the land would be demolished in favor of a six-story mixed-use building, including 114 residential units. The complex would feature 119 parking spaces utilizing a combination of standard parking and a mechanical system on the first two floors.
The basement of the development also includes bike storage, an amenity space, and a yoga studio. The ground floor of the property is set to feature a retail storefront spanning about 2,70 square feet.
The project’s second floor would feature an outdoor amenity terrace within the interior of the building’s footprint, while the top of the structure would sport a 1,700 square foot roof deck.
The potential development mostly conforms to a redevelopment plan Bayonne passed for the property several years ago and is seeking minor waivers for use of Hardie board as a façade material at the rear of the building and for having just a five-foot wide sidewalk along Church Lane.
Bayonne’s Planning Board is slated to hear the development’s application on Tuesday, August 12. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. and will take place in the Council Chambers within City Hall at 630 Avenue C. 6 p.m.
