When the Jersey City Planning Board meets Tuesday to discuss a soaring residential/commercial complex that could change forever the land- and skyscape of the city, protestors from Hoboken and from downtown Jersey City will be there. When the Jersey City Planning Board meets Tuesday to discuss a soaring residential/commercial complex that could change forever the land- and skyscape of the city, protestors from Hoboken and from downtown Jersey City will be there. The board plans to discuss a height increase to the Jersey Avenue Redevelopment Plan, a change that will allow a proposed two-tower complex to rise up to 475 feet. Presently, the plan allows construction only up to 110 feet. At stake for many is increased traffic congestion, obscured views of the Manhattan skyline, and a tax-abatement plan that would discount some of the $1 million in back taxes presently owed by the developer on the property. The proposed Millennium Towers would be located off 18th Street between Jersey Avenue and Grove Street at the base of the Palisades Cliffs. Bordering the property on the north is a New Jersey Transit trestle, and to the south property owned by the Lefrak Organziation. The property is close to Hoboken’s southern border. The location of the property is crucial, in that United Diversified, LLC of Bayonne, the developers, have proposed creating a light rail stop if the Planning Board agrees to the scale of the project. Mike Galella of United Diversified said his group has been in negotiations with NJ Transit to create a stop at the site. To date, NJ Transit officials have not commented publicly on plans for a train stop in the area. At present, the property is a thin 3.1-acre strip of land that stretches among hulks of warehouses. It is, in other words, ripe for development. Resident groups agree that the area should be developed, but they disagree with the scale of the current plan. Afraid of a precedent What Riverview Neighborhood Association (RNA) Chairperson Vito Brunetti would like to see is “human-scale low-rise projects” which “complement the surrounding communities,” he said last week. He cited smaller projects in Hoboken or townhouse-style residences as a good template. Brunetti said the high rises might set a precedent, opening the door for similar projects. But the developer and planning board have said they would agree to neighborhood group demands for future projects of a smaller scale, with provisions for open space and playgrounds, with the exception that the Millennium Project remain intact. Brunetti bristled at this counter-offer, describing it as a “quid pro quo.” Millennium Towers would include a 170,000 square foot mall space, and would make room for approximately 550 luxury residences and a six-story base that would include parking and shops. Residents also fret that Towers denizens would be living in self-contained residential/shopping bubbles, with no need to venture outside to get involved in the community or patronize already-existing stores. But Galella insists that he needs to provide these “additional amenities” to attract residents. He notes the site is further from the waterfront than most new development. The towers could create major problems on the roads surrounding the site, residents said. Holland Tunnel and Turnpike traffic grinds to a halt at the corners of Jersey Avenue, Grove Street, and Observer Highway during rush hour. Galella, however, contends that the project will not “impact any traffic.” Hoboken annoyed, too The location of the project has drawn Hoboken into the fray. In a March 13 letter to the Jersey City Planning Board, Hoboken Mayor Anthony Russo said the project was too high and dense. The Hoboken City Council also approved a non-binding resolution for Jersey City to reevaluate the Jersey Avenue Redevelopment Plan, of which the Towers proposal is part. Brunetti’s hope is that the Planning Board will defeat the current plan, which would effectively end the Towers proposal, and at the same time send the redevelopment plan back to the council for reexamination. If, on the other hand, the plan is passed, the council will then take up the question of both the amendment to the redevelopment plan and the site proposal. On Tuesday, the Planning Board will hear testimony and discuss the height amendment to the redevelopment plan, which would allow the complex to rise. They may vote after the testimony. A date for discussion of the site plan has not yet been set. Should the plan pass, Galella hopes to begin construction in July. The Planning Board meeting will be held this Tuesday, May 9, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 280 Grove St., Jersey City.
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