A developer that was once hoping to build four towers and transform the fringes of Downtown is still working on a proposal for properties they own in the neighborhood, but their latest vision is on a much smaller scale than the previous plans.
Last summer, Jersey Digs broke the story about a massive rezoning effort being pitched by Jersey City-based Manhattan Building Company. The changes would have potentially allowed the company, as master redeveloper within the Bates Street Redevelopment Plan, to construct up to 2,360 units along several acres of land just off the I-78 Turnpike Extension.
While the proposal had included a 20% affordable housing component and would have seen several community amenities built, it generated significant pushback from the community during meetings that Manhattan Building Company held detailing their ideas.
The company has since announced that they have moved on from that proposal and they have officially submitted new plans for several parcels that were once included in the high-rise project. A total of 11 lots with the addresses of 12-24 Brook Street and 34-40 Center Street would see their industrial structures demolished and replaced with Bates Lofts, a 10-story project that would rise 105 feet before stepping down to six stories.
Bates Lofts would include 95 residential units that skew towards larger spaces. The development would include 29 one-bedrooms, 30 two-bedrooms, 34 three-bedrooms, and 4 four-bedroom apartments. None of the apartments would be set aside as affordable housing units as none are required to be, but the project would feature a garage with 105 parking spaces.
A 745-square foot corner retail space is included in the plans and the development is set to include “various amenities” that aren’t specified in the initial application. Jersey City-based Urban Architecture designed the building, which will go for a two-toned brick look with black roofs.
Public improvements to the properties in the plans include new utility laterals, decorative paved sidewalks, new streetlights, the addition of street trees, and various site furnishings. Manhattan Building Company will be utilizing both “A” and “B” height bonuses in the Bates Street Redevelopment Plan and will be requesting variances related to minimum yard setback and maximum permitted building coverage.
Jersey City’s planning board has not yet set a date to hear the new proposal for the land, which falls in a neighborhood that is starting to see some activity after years of being somewhat dormant. Besides the outcry over the four tower plan, the area’s recent drama includes a lawsuit filed against the city back in 2018 over a project at 448 Grand Street that remains stalled.
The developer of another project at 100 Colden Street, set to rise 12 stories and include 128 units, also took the city to court last year over amendments they wanted to make on the project. However, that development has since been issued construction permits and a separate 10-story, 82-unit project at nearby 460 Grand Street has been rising for many months.
Additionally, a Monmouth county-based company is planning another 100-unit development along Center Street, although those plans appear to be in the preliminary stages.
