Jersey City Approves 400-Unit Tower at 80 Journal Square

The Jersey City development party will be getting another guest as one more tower has been greenlit for a lot across the street from the Journal Square PATH station.
During their December 13 meeting, Jersey City’s planning board unanimously approved a plan to vertically expand 80 Journal Square. Jersey Digs first revealed images of the plan back in February, which was revised and enlarged before gaining final approval.
The parcel is currently home to a one-story CH Martin store and backs up to the trackage for the PATH trains. BH3 Management and Hope Street Capital are joining forces on a plan for the property, which is set to rise 28 stories and has been designed by Hoboken-based MHS Architecture.
The development of the property will keep the current 3,030 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and the plan includes space for an outdoor café area on the sidewalk. 17,625 square feet of office space is set to occupy the second and third floors, while the remainder of the project will consist of 400 residential units.
The overall unit breakdown of the tower sits at 125 studios, 150 one-bedrooms, 100 two-bedrooms and 25 three-bedroom spaces. The expanded footprint triggers Jersey City’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance and therefore 10% of the living spaces, or 40 units, will now be set aside as affordable housing.
Most of the affordable units, or 24 of them, are slated to include two bedrooms. The spaces will be designated for individuals or families who make 80-to-120% of the Area Median Income, which makes the project one of the few developments in Journal Square to include an affordable housing component.
No parking for vehicles is included in the plan for 80 Journal Square, but 203 bicycle spaces are incorporated into the proposal. The application also mentions an “enclosed amenity space” spanning 2,945 square feet that will adorn the building’s rooftop.
The look of the tower will consist of aluminum components and glass components, an architectural element that looks to invoke ‘curtain-like’ ambiance of the adjacent historic theater while allowing for additional light into the space. The plan also calls for a pedestrian walkway along the south side of the building next to the Loews’ Jersey Theater.
Journal Square has become a busy area in terms of construction, but a groundbreaking date for the neighborhood’s latest high-rise has not been announced.