The owners of a storage facility next to one of the Garden State’s most scenic parks have been given the go-ahead to transform a 1.82-acre parcel into Jersey City’s newest event space.
We broke the news back in April about the owners of Liberty Storage submitting plans to redevelop their property at 302 Morris Pesin Drive. Located within the Liberty Harbor Redevelopment Plan, the land is just off the entrance to Liberty State Park, overlooks a boat launch, and is near Liberty National Golf Course.
During their November 17 meeting, Jersey City’s planning board unanimously approved a proposal to build an eight-story lodging facility at the property dubbed the Liberty Harbor Hotel and Conference Center. Drawn up by Blase Weimer of Newark-based The Architects Alliance, the development would cover about 50% of the lot, with an additional 35% being covered by either paved asphalt or walkways.
The first floor of the facility would include a reception area, front office, and lobby lounge along with a parking garage complete with 151 spaces. The hotel’s 123 guest rooms would start on the building’s fifth floor and sport three different layouts: single occupancy, double occupancy, and suite.
Records submitted to the city indicate that the maximum guest capacity at the conference center would run about 336 patrons. Other highlights of the proposed conference center include a third floor Grand Ballroom with a 344-person capacity.
The fifth floor looks to take advantage of the scenery around the property, as it is set to feature another 3,870-square foot ballroom and reception area that includes a south-facing outdoor terrace area totaling 3,960-square. An additional bar and lounge area with another 600-square foot outdoor terrace dubbed a “courtyard café” rounds out the floor, which is slated to include a gym and spa complete with east-facing terrace.
A final 3,060-square foot bar and lounge space is planned for the top floor of the building, which will rise just over 100 feet at its highest point. A timeline for the project has not been announced, but the approvals are another sign that the area bordering Liberty State Park is undergoing a bit of a renaissance that includes the restoration of the park’s western interior.
Just up the road from the future conference center, Criterion Group is overhauling a nearby warehouse into Caven Point Studios. Two more filming facilities are slated for the area and Liberty Science Center’s massive SciTech Scity project should break ground on its first phase sometime early next year.
