As many of the larger parcels in Jersey City are becoming the site of massive new towers, some developers are looking at the smaller lots that lie in between. The latest example of this can be seen in Downtown, where there are plans for a new residential structure.
City records show that the building is planned for 218 Bay Street, between Grove Street and Erie Street, in Ward E. The proposal calls for the building to be five stories tall, and for it to contain four residential units, as well as three on-site parking spaces. According to the Harsimus Cove Association, the project will be designed by Hampton Hill Architecture.
It is not yet clear if the units will be apartments or condominiums. What is known is that the developer, Ismael Cruz of Bergen County, is seeking Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan approval for the project in this Multi-Family Attached Housing Zone, with variances for height, density, parking spaces, rear yard setback, lot coverage, and building coverage. Cruz is the owner of several properties across Jersey City in addition to this one, according to NJ Parcels records, including the Cruz Furniture Store building on Grove Street, the Grove Street building that contains X-Press Cuts and Amazing Nutrition, and other properties in Bergen-Lafayette, Downtown, and Greenville.
Currently, the Bay Street property, which is located across the street from the new Bay Grove Arms apartment building, contains a gated vacant grassy lot, though there previously was a car repair shop on the premises. Residents of the new development will be within close walking distance of the Newark Avenue business district, the Grove Street PATH Station, the Harsimus Cove Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Station and the Metro Plaza ShopRite.
