A large tract of land just south of the Garfield Avenue Light Rail Station could finally be showing some signs of life after decades of planning as Jersey City has advanced the first portion of the Canal Crossing Redevelopment.
Jersey City’s Planning Board has fully signed off on a proposal for 880-900 Garfield Avenue. The application for the project was submitted by subsidiaries of Boraie Development, who have owned the land for many years.
Jersey Digs reported on plans to bring as many as 1,200 units to the sites back in 2021. The post-industrial land, which includes an abandoned portion of Dakota Avenue, once housed a chromium production plant during the 1950s before the facility was shut down in 1963.
The initial portion of the property’s redevelopment includes about 1.7 acres and sits in the Mixed-Use District (Zone A) of the Canal Crossing Redevelopment Plan. Boraie’s application initially envisioned all planned structures rising to five stories at the site, but the first approved portion is slightly taller.
Designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, 900 Garfield Avenue is slated to rise 10 stories and include 293 residential units. 59 of the living spaces would be designated as affordable housing, with the total unit breakdown consisting of 39 studios, 160 one-bedrooms, 80 two-bedrooms, and 15 three-bedroom homes.
The first phase of the Canal Crossing endeavor will include 11,426 square feet of ground floor retail split between three storefronts plus 212 parking spaces in a garage and 168 bicycle parking spaces.
Perks at the future first phase of the project include an indoor courtyard on the fourth floor sporting a pool, amenity bar, grill stations, and lounge seating. The development features a tiered design that will allow for green roofs on portions of the structure.
Further details were revealed about the future of Canal Crossing during testimony to Jersey City’s Planning Board. Phase two calls for a six-story mixed use building consisting of 215 dwelling units (including 43 of affordable housing) plus another 6,818 square feet of ground floor retail, 68 parking spaces, and 113 bicycle parking spaces.
The third phase of the project is set to consist of improvements to the planned public right-of-way, including an activated portion of the Morris Canal Greenway and creation of a public park spanning about 33,155 square feet. A total of six phases are planned by Boraie for the entirety of their Canal Crossing properties.
The Planning Board granted the first phase of the project nine variances, mostly minor. They include deviations for the minimum floor height of ground floor residential, required loading access, minimum stepback on the 6th floor, minimum setback front rooftop appurtenances, maximum one-way curb cut width, and minimum percent of glazing required along ground floor commercial facades.
A groundbreaking date for the project has not been announced, but after years of inactivity at the parcels, the approvals signal that a true revitalization might not be that far away.
