Originally, when the Hyatt House hotel at One Exchange Place was granted Preliminary and Final Major Plan Site Plan approval by the Jersey City Planning Board in 2012, the building was slated to be 13 stories tall. Now, according to a legal notice, project developer One Exchange JC Urban Renewal, LLC has applied for Final Site Plan Amendment approval with deviations to allow the building to be 14 stories tall. Plans for the top floor of the building call for a rooftop restaurant and bar with a movable roof canopy. The restaurant will be open to both hotel guests and the general public.
According to roof designer OpenAire, “guests can take in beautiful skyline views while enjoying fine dining or a great selection of drinks any time of year, thanks to OpenAire’s double-sloped roof divided into three telescoping sections and the bi-folding glass doors”.
Jersey City’s Hyatt House will be the first in Hudson County, though there are other locations in Manhattan and Morris County. The 258-room Jersey City hotel is now accepting reservations from customers for stays beginning on September 1, 2017. Additional amenities will include an exercise room, breakfast omelet bar, public computers, and a guest market.
An additional restaurant, called HBar, is planned for the terrace level and will serve craft cocktails, premium beers, and wines, as well as small plates. Along Montgomery Street, on the ground floor, will be another yet-to-be-named restaurant. And last, on the York Street side of the hotel will be host to a Dunkin Donuts and a Subway sandwich shop.
One Exchange JC Urban Renewal, LLC is registered out of Columbus, Ohio-based Rockbridge Capital, LLC, according to Bloomberg, but the building is owned by Raleigh, North Carolina-based Concord Hospitality. The developer acquired the property, which is located adjacent to the Exchange Place Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Station, for $14 million in 2012, according to the Jersey Journal.
As part of the project, the nearly 100-year-old existing 10-story building at the site is being expanded upwards. Previously, the building, also known as the First National Bank Building, contained locations of Cosi, Subway, Dunkin’ Donuts, and other businesses. City records show that “the Jersey City Fire Department issued a Building Vacate Order on April 28, 2011 along with a list of violations, prompting the order after a ceiling collapse on the ground floor, revealing unstable plaster finishes”.
The proposal will be heard by the Jersey City Planning Board today, December 20th at 5:30pm at City Hall.
Meanwhile, another new hotel will soon be finished in Jersey City. A Residence Inn by Marriott location, the second in Hudson County, will open to guests in March of 2017 at 80 Christopher Columbus Drive, at the corner of Marin Boulevard, steps from the Grove Street PATH Station. The site previously contained a parking lot. True North Hotel Group will manage the property, which will include 152 rooms and a fitness center.
