A revitalization effort over half a decade in the making is finally moving forward in one of Jersey City’s prominent neighborhoods as a plan to revamp the former Barcade outpost is coming to fruition.
A three-story building at 165 Newark Avenue officially has fencing around the perimeter and new permits posted. The property had been home to a Barcade before that business closed in June after a 14-year run.
The development plan for the property was greenlit way back in 2019, with the project being granted several extensions of the approvals from the planning board over the years. Molfetta is listed on the permit as the company performing the work at the property, which stretches south along Barrow Street down to Christopher Columbus Drive.
Designed by LWDMR Architects, the plan for 165 Newark Avenue calls for constructing a new development in two phases with a total of 51 residential units and 11,967 square feet of commercial space.
The development’s first phase will consist of a six-story building with a penthouse and “ground floor commercial mezzanine,” while the second phase involves the construction of a five-story building.
Much of the existing building is expected to be torn down to make way for the project, but some remnants of the structure will remain and undergo rehabilitation. The facade of the edifice along Newark Avenue and the northern part of the Barrow Street side of the building will be retained as part of the project.
The developers had hoped to keep Barcade as a tenant in their old location during the construction, but according to a 2023 extension request, they determined that the property would need to be completely vacant for the work. An estimated timeline for the development’s completion has not been announced.
This stretch of Newark Avenue and Barrow Street has become a bit of a construction hot spot as of late. A pair of mid-rise developments are underway at 155 Newark Street and 157 Newark Avenue, the latter of which will stretch onto a vacant corner lot along Barrow Street.
Just across Columbus Drive, the finishing touches are being put on the Barrow Residences, which is preserving and expanding a historic property.
