While the scope of Hoboken’s building boom is somewhat dwarfed by neighboring Downtown Jersey City, several major developments are underway, including one that is overhauling the city’s transit hub.
Perhaps the biggest endeavor in the Mile Square City is Hoboken Connect, a public-private partnership between NJ TRANSIT and Philadelphia-based developer LCOR. The most obvious work is underway at the century-old Lackawanna Terminal, which is being revamped while the neighboring Warrington Plaza is being converted into a pedestrian market.
The end product is slated to include amenities such as an outdoor market space and the restoration of the terminal’s second floor, which has been closed to the public for decades. Work ramped up last summer on the project, with portions of the building’s exterior getting removed for refurbishment.
Those sections are now being reinstalled, with the original copper starting to shine through. A portion of the northern-facing part of the property has spaces cut out for large windows, which provide a view into the long-closed second floor slated for retail.
Just west, the Hudson Place Pedestrian Plaza opened earlier this summer. The space provides new benches, bicycle parking, and a revamped bus terminal, with additional work ongoing on the next block that is being redesigned.
The second phase of Hoboken Connect consists of Charlie, a 386-unit building along Observer Highway near the train tracks, featuring sustainable design and 20% affordable housing. Exterior work has begun on the 27-story development, which will include 14,900 square feet of amenities such as co-working spaces, a pet spa, an outdoor pool, a resident lounge, a fitness center, and a rooftop deck.
Heading east, Ironstate’s Hoboken Urby is starting to rise at 256 Observer Highway. The future 16-story building will feature 307 market-rate apartments plus 38 affordable units, complemented by 17,425 square feet of retail space, including a signature café, and a 152-space parking garage.
Heading north, a new development at 301 Washington Street has topped out. The future five-story building, rising at the site of a former drive-thru bank branch, will include 45 residences plus five storefronts, totaling 9,775 square feet on the ground floor and in the building’s cellar.
Hoboken’s west side is also seeing significant growth. A five-story development at 122 Adams Street has broken ground from the Hoboken Community Center. The endeavor will include eight residential units on the top floors, along with a ground-floor food pantry spanning over 3,700 square feet.
After years of delays, a pair of projects are finally moving forward at 5th and Madison Street. Originally reported by Jersey Digs way back in 2017, a five-story mixed-use project at 501 Madison Street is finally topped out.
The ground floor will feature a storefront space, and the property across the street is also being revitalized. The same developer is constructing another project at 423 Madison Street, the former site of Chickie’s Luncheonette.
Heading uptown, another mixed-use project has topped out at 700 Madison Street. Formerly home to the now-demolished Mission Pentecostal Antioquia, the five-story building is designed by MVMK Architecture + Design and will comprise six residences, 1,250 square feet of commercial space, and six parking spaces.
Uptown Hoboken has become the epicenter of development in recent years, with a modern complex at 1404 Willow Avenue recently wrapping construction. Advance Realty is bringing a 52-unit development with 6,800 square feet of ground-level retail space to the site, which has already secured Starbucks and CorePower Yoga as tenants.
The buildout of the retail space continues at the property, which recently unveiled a mural on the southern side of the property from local artist Ricardo Roig.
Just a block north, long-suffering residents of the area’s road work rejoiced over the summer when 15th Street finally looked like a proper street again. The road has been paved and the street redesigned, and a dedicated bike lane added.
That work was done in large part to facilitate several developments, with 1500 Clinton Street the furthest along. The endeavor from Bijou Properties calls for two buildings, 382 residential units, and a 7,800-square-foot storefront facing a 15th Street streetscape.
A 1,740 square foot retail space will front a wider pedestrian plaza of the development set to include seating areas and lawns as part of the project, which will feature a ground floor “community flex space” spanning 9,450 square that could possibly serve as the uptown branch of the Hoboken Public Library.
Just a block away, underground work continues at the former Poggi Press site at 1500 Grand Street. That property is set to house two buildings with 423 residential units plus retail space separated by a linear park spanning 11,680 square feet.
No city is complete without green space, and Hoboken will be welcoming Harborside Park next year. The effort, along the waterfront near the Weehawken border, is part of the larger Rebuild by Design project that aims to create greenery that will double as a flood-proofing effort.
Amenities at the future park include a new amphitheater, playground, dog park, and more. Various structures are starting to emerge at the park, including the amphitheater and an elevated section that will overlook a cove and the Manhattan skyline.
Despite all the construction, Hoboken still has a few “mystery” projects that have long been discussed and even approved but have never materialized.
Hoboken Hilton
Originally pitched in 2016 (no, that is not a misprint), the property envisioned to be a 20-story hotel is still a parking lot for Post Office vehicles. However, the development did secure a tax break last year.
1300 Jefferson
This 357-unit development was bogged down by lawsuits against former Mayor Ravi Bhalla in 2021 but is nonetheless still a vacant lot with little activity.
The Boundary
An ambitious effort to bring several buildings to the Hoboken Business Center and a parking lot partially in Jersey City has languished since gaining full approval in 2021.
Windsor Wax
A foundation has been laid for this 60-unit redevelopment, but the site has been dormant since the property was listed for sale in 2024.
