A former Capital One branch in the heart of Downtown Jersey City is slated to be transformed into a hospitality project despite some controversy and a potential legal challenge.
During a Special Meeting held by Jersey City’s Zoning Board on March 27, plans were unanimously approved for a hotel development at 201 Newark Avenue. The project has been in the works for years and was expanded from a seven-story version that first emerged late last year.
The development comes courtesy of Landmark Hospitality, who own a variety of other high-end hospitality venues in New Jersey including Jersey City venues Liberty House, Hudson House, and The View at Lincoln Park. The current building at the site, first constructed in the 1930s by the Trust Company of New Jersey, was purchased by Landmark in 2019 for $5.35 million.
Most of that structure will remain and be preserved under the plans, which call for a nine-story expansion that will rise nearly 120 feet tall. The project was designed by Hackensack-based architect Michael Graves to include 72 hotel rooms, a founder’s suite and numerous amenities such as a recording studio, a Peloton studio, and a rooftop with a bar and pool.
The approved plans for a two-level Asian-inspired restaurant called Anzu Social to occupy the two floors of the existing bank building. The mezzanine floor will also include an art gallery and a green roof as part of the revamp, while the development will expand on the current parking lot portion of the property to include 36 spaces for cars.
The Albion has proposed partnering with legendary names in art for the spaces inside the hotel. The third floor recording studio will be dubbed The Stone Pony Studio in partnership with the famous Asbury Park venue, who are set to host a robust live jazz music calendar on the building’s rooftop per a presentation made to the Zoning Board.
Speaking of that rooftop, it is set to feature an indoor theater space plus an outdoor rooftop deck that includes a bar plus an indoor grand room.
The Albion has agreed to partner with Mana Contemporary on the artwork component of the hotel, which will be highlighted on the roof deck and throughout the interior of the building. Landmark says they will additionally feature an artist-in-residence program at the hotel in partnership with The Monira Foundation.
The approval of The Albion was not without some controversy. The March 27 meeting featured several hours of public comment speaking both in favor and against the development, which is almost double the allowable height of 64 feet under current zoning.
The Harsimus Cove Association, Van Vorst Neighborhood Association, The Village Neighborhood Association, Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association, and Paulus Hook Neighborhood Association all came out against the plan, as did Ward E Councilman and Jersey City Mayoral Candidate James Solomon.
While the Zoning Board’s approval of the project is significant, a possible legal challenge could still be in the cards. Legal counsel for The Saffron, a condo development just west of the proposed hotel, told Jersey Digs that they are likely to appeal the board’s decision to approve the project in New Jersey Superior Court.
