A developer who is almost single-handedly transforming several blocks near the Journal Square PATH station has been greenlit to bring the next tower of redevelopment that includes more additions to a pedestrian plaza.
During their January 28 meeting, Jersey City’s Planning Board approved an application to revitalize several lots at 32-38 Cottage Street. The properties, which form an L-shape, are owned by Great Neck-based The Namdar Group.
The company has been busy in this stretch of Jersey City, as they have a total of six towers planned for the area. Several of the high-rises are already completed or under construction, being branded under the CMPND umbrella.
The next phase of Namdar’s plan would be built along Homestead Place, an emerging pedestrian plaza just a stone’s throw away from the Journal Square PATH station. The former cut-through street is envisioned as a two-block public space that aims to be the neighborhood’s answer to the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza.
Designed by C3D Architecture, with a glass-heavy look like Namdar’s other towers in the area, 32-38 Cottage Street is set to rise 27 stories and top out at 293 feet. The latest tower aims to diversify the company’s offerings a bit by including 40 hotel rooms on the second and third floors of the property to be accessed via a separate lobby.
The remainder of the project includes 648 residential units that skew smaller. The residences break down as 528 studios, 96 one-bedrooms, and 24 three-bedroom spaces.
Namdar’s application for 32-38 Cottage Street was submitted in January 2024 prior to the most recent amendment to the Journal Square 2060 Redevelopment Plan, which introduced mandatory inclusionary housing requirements. Therefore, there is no affordable housing component obliged at the project.
Perks for residents at the future tower include a gym and yoga studio on the third floor plus a roof-top deck with enclosed amenity space. The second-floor hotel is set to feature lounges and offices, while storage space for 332 residential and 20 hotel/retail bicycles is included in the project.
The ground floor of the development will feature 4,200 square feet of retail space on the road’s corner with Cottage Street. The project utilizes the Homestead Place Bonus within the Journal Square 2060 Redevelopment Plan, which allows developments of a qualifying size along Homestead Place to build with more height and bulk in exchange for the improvement of the pedestrian plaza.
The board granted 32-38 Cottage Street variances during approval related to minimum off-street loading berths and maximum height of roof deck enclosure. A groundbreaking date for the project has not been announced.
The approvals further guarantee that Cottage Street will continue to see heavy construction in the coming years, as other developments like The Cottage are still under construction in addition to projects in the pipeline.
