New information has been revealed about an upcoming development in Jersey City’s Lafayette neighborhood.
In December 2016, we first reported on plans by Hawthorne, Passaic County-based RUC Holdings, LLC to construct an eight-story building at 342 Johnston Avenue at the corner of Whiton Street in Ward F’s Lafayette Park Redevelopment Plan Area. At the time, the company was preparing to go before the Jersey City Planning Board as part of its proposal for the upcoming development to include 55 residential units, 2,246 square feet of commercial space, and 13 parking spots. A legal notice stated that a “resiliency room for the public’s benefit” was also proposed and that 15% of the units were slated to be designated as “affordable housing.”
Now, a Manhattan-based firm has revealed renderings for the project in its 2017 design profile. The document from GRO Architects shows that the top two stories will occupy a smaller footprint than the rest of the structure and that the resiliency space “will provide potable water and a generator-supported area where local residents can charge their phones and have access to blankets and medicine in the event of another flood event.” In addition, a courtyard will be provided for residents on the second floor and many one-bedroom and two-bedroom units will have their own balconies. The report describes the project as the “first of its kind” in Jersey City and states that construction is expected to start early this year. Dresdner Robin is listed as the engineer for the development.
In the time since our initial article on this development, NJ Parcels records show that the property was acquired from a Georgia resident for $1.18 million by 342 Johnston Ave, LLC, which is also registered out of a house in Hawthorne. Previously, the site contained a U-Haul Neighborhood Dealer called Grand Auto Repairs and an Exxon service station.
