The transition of the Lafayette neighborhood of Jersey City from being an area with a mixture of industrial and residential properties to being solely a residential area with a denser housing stock is continuing. In the years since the Liberty State Park Station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail opened in the community, which is home to Lafayette Park and Pool and is within walking distance of Liberty State Park itself, the number of companies interested in developing nearby has soared. While many buildings have been open for several years, like the four-story development built at the site of a vacant lot at 445 Whiton Street and the Foundry Lofts on Communipaw Avenue, others, like the 104-unit building planned for 81 Monitor Street and a seven-story building coming to 323-325 Pine Street, are just getting started.
Now, another new project is set to join the ranks. According to documents from the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA), there are plans for a new market rate residential building to be constructed on several lots, including 426 Whiton Street, between Ash Street and Johnston Avenue, in Ward F’s Morris Canal Redevelopment Area. Currently, the 426 Whiton property, which is owned by the JCRA, contains a gated vacant lot that has been used to store vehicles. The proposal calls for the new building to contain 99 rental units, parking, and “associated amenities.”
Green on Pine, LLC, which was registered with the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services in August 2016 out of Denville, Morris County, is listed as the property redeveloper. The JCRA entered into a Redevelopment Agreement with Green on Pine back in December 2016, and during its meeting on June 20th, the JCRA Board of Commissioners voted to sell the property to the company for up to $100,000 “in order to assemble all parcels necessary to complete the project.”
The project is still in its preliminary stages and has not yet been heard by the Jersey City Planning Board.
