A neighborhood that has been neglected so long that locals can’t even agree on what to call it is continuing its ascent with a new round of residential development that is being complimented with streetscape improvements, new parks, and flood mitigation projects.
Some call it SoHo West, some call it Lackawanna, others call it the Horseshoe. Whatever the moniker, it decidedly fell on some hard times before signs of revitalization emerged at the end of the 2010s.
The latest project to break ground is at 290 Coles Street. A joint venture from The Albanese Organization, BXP, and CrossHarbor Capital Partners, it will bring 670 apartments and 13,000 square feet of retail space within two residential towers rising 14 and 21 stories above a six-level podium.
That new construction joins work across the street at 305 Coles Street, which has been underway since earlier this year. The U-shaped project is set to consist of two 12-story buildings featuring a total of 511 residential units that will directly connect to the adjacent Coles Street Park.
A new pedestrian plaza is being built along 17th Street between the development’s two buildings as part of the new plans, which will front the six retail storefronts set to total 9,790 square feet included in the complex.
Across the way from that endeavor, the second and third phases of Hudson House are almost complete. The entirety of the development consists of three new residential towers plus a five-story factory that was first constructed in the 1920s by the Continental Can Company.
The second tower is almost finished and is set to feature 338 units in a 26-story high-rise. The ongoing adaptive reuse of the six-story warehouse will feature 140 residences plus a sprawling 48,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.
Local favorite Cangiano’s has already signed on to occupy one of the storefronts, looking to bring a pizza oven, gelato, a fryer, and a dry-aged meat case to the larger footprint. Both portions of Hudson House are slated to begin leasing operations later this summer.
While the sheer amount of development in the area is impressive, several civic improvements are underway in the neighborhood as well. Jersey City recently renovated an underpass that connects the neighborhood to Hamilton Park by adding new lighting, sidewalks, and a dedicated bike lane to make the road more welcoming for those on foot.
Just north, the federally funded Rebuild By Design initiative looks to mitigate flooding in a variety of ways along the Hudson River. A portion of the work to build a flood wall along Jersey Avenue is well underway, with ongoing work near trackage for the Hudson Bergen Light Rail.
The area is about to get a new greenspace as well. Jersey City began renovating the underutilized 16th Street Park last year and the effort is almost complete. The revamped park includes new basketball courts, a playground, seating areas, and more that should be ready to welcome residents later this year.
Just down the road from the upcoming park, a major adaptive reuse project is getting started. Work to restore and expand the former St. Lucy’s Shelter began years ago, with a modern shelter facility opening in 2023 to replace the previous one that ran out of the historic building.
The former church and shelter is currently being cleaned out, with some construction equipment on site. Workers can be seen mulling about the property on a fairly regular basis, but no official timeline has emerged for when a planned vertical expansion could begin.
There’s a bunch more in the pipeline for this slice of Jersey City that hasn’t quite gotten started yet. Other notable approved projects in the area include the former Salvation Army site redevelopment, Lefrak’s Rampart House along a former elevated rail line, and another 322-unit, two-tower project on Jersey Avenue near the Hoboken border that was greenlit in 2023.
