A Downtown neighborhood that is one of Jersey City’s most historic will be getting a new development with nods to the past hoping to blend in with the streetscape.
Jersey City’s Planning Board officially green-lit a proposal last month for 215 Van Vorst Street. The property, which spans several lots and sits in the shadow of the athletic facility for St. Peter’s Prep, currently houses a one-story industrial building across the street from the Lenox development.
A historic report submitted with the project’s application notes that while the building was probably constructed in the 1930s, it holds little historic significance. The company behind the project is simply called 215 Van Vorst Development LLC and is partially owned by Joseph Caulfield of Hoboken-based engineering firm Caulfield Associates.
The 5,000-square-foot property sits just outside the Paulus Hook Historic District within the Tidewater Basin Redevelopment Plan. Weckenmann Architecture’s project slated for the land calls for a building that rises five stories and just over 55 feet.
The design of the development is intended to emulate a historic industrial appearance consistent with structures that once occupied the area. The ground floor of the project will include an amenity space plus parking for 11 cars and 10 bicycles.
The remainder of 215 Van Vorst Street will consist of six residences that skew a bit bigger by Jersey City standards. The complex will sport four three-bedroom units plus two four-bedroom spaces.
The roof of the building will provide three private decks for residents, a sauna, a steam room, and a common rooftop amenity space.
The Planning Board granted variances to the project related to the number of stories and for exceeding maximum allowable building height by about six feet. Two other deviations were granted related to lot coverage and the development’s front yard setback.
A potential groundbreaking date for the project has not been announced. The development is located not far from a large two-tower project from local developer Silverman that was also approved by the Planning Board last year.
