A planned green space for Jersey City’s burgeoning Journal Square neighborhood took a needed step towards reality this week as approvals were granted dividing the property that will allow the park’s construction.
During their August 26 meeting, Jersey City’s Planning Board approved a subdivision application for 595 Newark Avenue. The property, owned by Hudson County, is currently home to the Administration Building but is planned to house Courthouse Park, a greenspace that would replace the aging building plus surface parking surrounding the property.
Announced in 2019, the new park would span about 3.4 acres and sit in a neighborhood that currently lacks significant open space. The amenities scattered throughout the proposed Courthouse Park include an outdoor gym, a children’s play area, a dog run, and a picnic forest.
The approved subdivision application creates two lots to make way for the creation of a public park on the westernmost portion of the land. The first lot, on the eastern section of the property, will be 116,796 square feet and preserve the Brennan Courthouse and outbuildings for continued use.
Interestingly, the subdivision application includes a one-story powerhouse building along Pavonia Avenue as part of the historic Brennan Courthouse parcel. Early plans for the park had shown a re-imagining of the structure into a café space complete with restrooms, but the building is no longer included in the proposed park property.
Nonetheless, the planned park parcel still spans 120,709 square feet. The Planning Board granted the subdivision application a variance required due to provisions in the existing Preservation Zone, which prohibits the subdivision of existing lots.
The approval comes a few months after the Courthouse Park Advocacy Group voiced concerns to the Hudson Reporter about funding and coordination issues with the planned greenspace. Hudson County will maintain the park once it is built, but the city is responsible for funding the park’s construction.
Jersey City plans to demolish the existing Administration Building when the new Frank J. Guarini Justice Complex opens across the street. The county had planned to launch the facility last year, but delays have pushed it into 2025.
An inquiry Jersey Digs placed to a press contact for Hudson County Executive Craig Guy shed some light on when the new courthouse could open, but the plans are still fluid. According to Guy’s office, the courts are still working out some tech and IT issues that have been responsible for delays that emerged earlier this year.
Additionally, the county is waiting for a Sheriff’s Office plan for the building. The moving parts mean that there is still no exact date set in place for the opening of the building, but Guy’s office says the county is hoping the move-in takes about three months.
