A vacant lot that has languished despite Journal Square’s building boom is slated to be revitalized into the neighborhood’s latest high-rise as yet another development proposal has been greenlit in Jersey City’s hottest area.
During their September 23 meeting, Jersey City’s Planning Board unanimously approved a plan to revamp a vacant lot at 54 Jones Street. The property, which sits on the street’s corner with Sip Avenue, is just a few minutes in walking distance from the area’s PATH station.
A 10-story building had been proposed for the lot by a company with ties to KABR Group back in 2021, but those plans never came to fruition. The new approved proposal comes courtesy Yellowstone Development LLC, a Carlstadt-based entity and subsidiary of the Manchanda Group.
Designed by Emara Ghobrial Architects, the development is referred to as 54 Casa in documents submitted to the city. The 29-story high-rise will top out at just over 311 feet and include a total of 190 residential units ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments along with a penthouse residence.
The residential breakdown of Casa 54 skews a bit smaller, with 64 studios, 108 one-bedrooms, 12 two-bedrooms, five three-bedrooms, and the aforementioned penthouse. 21 units at the future complex will be designated as affordable housing, meeting the requirements of Jersey City’s inclusionary housing ordinance.
No parking for vehicles is included in the plan, but space for 97 bicycles will be featured in the new building. The high-rise will include a 780 square foot retail space at the ground level at the corner of the lot, adding to the storefronts that are already prominent along this stretch.
The building’s design recesses the tenth and eleventh floors to vertically break up the massing and create a cornice line at about the same height as the adjacent building at 57 Sip Ave. As a result of the divide, it allows the development to both dedicate its 9th and 10th floors entirely to amenities.
The ninth floor will sport a co-working lounge, library, media lounge, while the 10th floor will boast a fitness lounge, yoga mediation area, and spa facility with outdoor spaces. Additional perks can be found on the roof of Casa 54, which will feature almost 1,000 square feet of outdoor lounge space boasting sprawling views all the way to Manhattan.
The development is in the Journal Square 2060 Redevelopment Plan – Zone 3 and was granted a boatload of variances during approval, all of which are fairly minor.
They include deviations for insufficient lot width, insufficient lot depth, several for insufficient front yard and tower setbacks, insufficient ground floor storefront facade transparency, insufficient non-residential ground floor ceiling height, and insufficient building base ground floor storefront facade material.
A potential groundbreaking date for Journal Square’s latest tower has not been announced.
