Hoboken’s next wave of development is officially underway as the buzz of construction activity has emerged in both well-traveled main stretches and along the outskirts the city.
The most obvious work to those passing through Hoboken is taking place at the train station, where a revitalization effort is underway to renovate the historic terminal while adding new development to the surrounding blocks. But construction is perhaps most prominent if you head west, being spearheaded by Southwest Market.
The endeavor, being undertaken by The Taurasi Group, is revitalizing and expanding the historic My-T-Fine Pudding at 38 Jackson Street. The development is preserving part of the property while adding a nine-story section set to include 123 residential units plus office space on the upper floors.
The ground floor of Southwest Market aims to create a new community center, featuring four retail storefronts totaling 21,670 square feet. The project also includes an 11,780-square-foot publicly accessible interior atrium with a translucent third-floor roof plus smaller retail spaces.
A supermarket space on the Newark Street portion of the property has been discussed, but no firm plan has emerged just yet. A public pre-school space has also been pitched for the development, which is in the final stages of construction.
Just across the street, work is nearly finished on an extension of Southwest Park. The addition is set to feature pickleball courts plus a full basketball court, a playground, and a “social space” plaza with picnic tables to be situated in the center of the park.
The greenery serves an additional purpose of providing an underground water detention system with an 180,000-gallon storage capacity plus rain gardens and bioswales that can divert 46,000 gallons of stormwater from the city’s sewers.
Just two blocks down at 601 Newark Street, work is underway to revamp the former Windsor Wax site. The former industrial property is set to feature 60 residential units in a seven-story building that includes a 4,300 square foot roof top amenity space.
The ground floor of the development will include 4,290 square feet of indoor retail space split between three storefronts, while the rear of the development will sport a 2,015-square foot covered plaza. Foundation work has started at the project, which will include the name Windsor Wax on the front of the new building as a nod to the past.
Heading east, work on Hoboken Urby broke ground earlier this summer. Pile driving continues at the site, which will bring 345 high-end apartments within a 16-story building to 256 Observer Highway.
17,000 square feet of retail are included in the project, which is rising just across the way from Charlie, another 386-unit development included in the Hoboken Terminal revitalization plan.
Development in Hoboken isn’t limited to the outskirts of the city. Construction has also begun at 301 Washington Street, a parcel formerly home to a Capital One Bank branch. The future five-story building at the site will include 45 residences plus five storefronts totaling 9,775 square feet on the ground floor and partially in the cellar of the building.
Heading back west, another development at 931 Madison Street has topped out. The site was formerly home to Water Music Studios, who hosted a diverse list of artists including Dave Matthews Band, Beyoncé, Shakira, Sonic Youth, Social Distortion, R. Kelly, Taking Back Sunday, and Jimmy Eat World over several decades as a recording studio.
The new six-story development at the site will include 36 condominium units with four affordable spaces plus 10,900 square feet of ground floor commercial space and 34 garage parking spaces.
Heading back to the outskirts of the city but along the northern end, 1404 Willow Avenue has also topped out. Advance Realty is bringing a 52-unit development with 6,800 square feet of ground-level retail space to the site, which has already secured Starbucks as a tenant per a leasing brochure.
The next frontier of development is Hoboken is in this area, with 1300 Jefferson Street set to lead the way. The project, which had been the subject of various legal disputes, was recently granted a PILOT agreement by the City Council and demolition work has already been completed at the property.
Speaking of demolition, two large blocks uptown have officially been cleared for approved revitalization. The former Poggi Press site at 1500 Grand Street is set to house two buildings with 423 residential units plus retail space separated by a linear park spanning 11,680 square feet.
Just across the street, the lot at 1500 Clinton Street has also been cleared. Also to consist of two buildings, the endeavor from Bijou Properties includes 382 residential units plus a 7,800 square foot storefront facing a 15th Street streetscape that will have a widened sidewalk plus a two-way bicycle track.
A 1,740 square foot retail space will front a wider pedestrian plaza set to include seating areas and lawns as part of the project, which will feature a ground floor “community flex space” spanning 9,450 square that could possibly serve as the uptown branch of the Hoboken Public Library.
Just north of both of those properties, work has begun on Harborside Park. Part of the larger Rebuild by Design effort, the greenery will double as a flood proofing effort and include a new amphitheater, playground, dog park, and more.
Despite all these improvements, one block in the area remains a mystery. Two parcels that include the former Stahl Soap Corporation were purchased by the Rockefeller Group in 2008 and became the subject of a political controversy in the mid-2010s.
Despite owning the land for over 17 years, Rockefeller has done little work on the properties. No site plan has emerged, and the former factory at the site stands out like a sore thumb surrounded by other revitalization efforts.
