The path has been cleared to transform a post-industrial lot in Jersey City’s Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood into an eight-story industrial-inspired project that will add new affordable housing and retail space to the landscape.
During their January 13 meeting, the Jersey City Planning Board approved a proposal to revamp about half an acre of land at 33 Pacific Avenue. The property was purchased in 2020 for $2.315 million by GND Pacific Holdings LLC, a holding company based out of Morganville.
The parcel is within the Canal Crossing Redevelopment Plan, one of the last major redevelopment areas in Jersey City, which has seen little activity despite significant revitalization elsewhere in Bergen-Lafayette. But the latest approvals hope to change that narrative with a 90-foot-tall development designed by Monteforte Architectural Studio.
Sporting an industrial look in keeping with the area, 33 Pacific Avenue is slated to include 99 dwelling units and 29 ground-floor parking spaces in a garage. 15 of the residences will be set aside as affordable housing under the approved plan.
The entirety of the unit breakdown at the development includes four studios, 39 one-bedroom, 46 two-bedroom, and ten three-bedroom spaces. The first floor at the development will also include 56 spaces for bike storage.
Speaking of the ground floor, the streetscape along Pacific Avenue will gain 5,188 square feet of retail space, split among three storefronts, as part of the project. The building’s roof is slated to include amenities such as a covered deck, a gym, an outdoor patio, and a lounge.
The project is utilizing the Affordable Housing Overlay included in the redevelopment plan and was granted minor variances from the board related to the number of driveways and curb cut widths.
A potential groundbreaking date for the development has not been announced, but the approval makes it one of the first projects to get the green light in a neighborhood still mostly defined by post-industrial vacant lots. However, a large charter school is being built nearby, notable businesses like 902 Brewing Company call the area home, and the property is located within reasonable walking distance of the Garfield Avenue Light Rail Station.
