New proposals seem to be popping up every other week near Jersey City’s westernmost PATH station and the latest project in the pipeline would construct a mixed-use high-rise and facilitate the creation of a new pedestrian plaza.
On September 12, a company called 618 Pavonia LLC submitted plans to Jersey City that would build a 27-story structure on four parcels that are currently home to a surface parking lot. The addresses of the land, located directly across from the Journal Squared development, run a whole block along Homestead Place and are officially listed as 33-35 Van Reipen Avenue and 616-618 Pavonia Avenue.
618 Pavonia is a subsidiary of the Namdar Group, who is based out of Great Neck, New York, and is the company behind the 87 Newkirk project. Their latest development was drawn up by New York-based C3D Architecture and would rise 293 feet if built.
The first floor of the development’s mixed-use would include a residential lounge and café plus a street-level retail space spanning about 5,500 square feet. The building’s second floor would feature a large office space complete with a showroom, gym, yoga space, and party room. The third and fourth floors would also consist of offices that run about 11,300 square feet each.
The remainder of the proposed high-rise would include 376 residential units breaking down as 24 studios, 264 one-bedrooms, 80 two-bedrooms, and eight three-bedroom spaces. The development would feature a significant rooftop amenity space that features a pool, an outdoor kitchen, common pantry, an outdoor recreation area, and a resident’s club.
While 618 Pavonia would have a bicycle storage room with a capacity of 203 bikes, no parking for cars is included in the development. There are also no affordable housing units included in the proposal and both of those points fully conform with what’s allowed under the Journal Square 2060 Redevelopment Plan, which the property falls within.
Namdar Group will be utilizing what is known as the Homestead Extension Bonus within the redevelopment plan for the project, which allows property owners to build higher if they contribute land to a pedestrian plaza the city envisions along Homestead Place.
The purpose of the bonus is to encourage the extension of the road from its intersection with Pavonia Avenue through Van Reipen Avenue and Cottage Street, potentially ending on Newark Avenue.
618 Pavonia will be handing over the rights to a portion of their property near Homestead Place for the possible plaza and is also requesting two deviations from what’s allowed under current zoning. The departures are related to the ground floor ceiling height and the maximum height of the roof deck enclosure.
Namdar Group is already playing a big role in the creation of Homestead Place, as the company’s nearby three-phase development at 26 Cottage Street also contributed land toward the plaza under approvals they obtained. Their latest endeavor at 618 Pavonia Avenue doesn’t have a date scheduled to be heard by the planning board, who would need to approve the application before it moves forward.
