In a few short years, the Bergen-Lafayette section of Jersey City near Liberty State Park will showcase two major residential/commercial developments.
In early December 2004, the Planning Board approved a $135 million project called “The View,” which will consist of three condominium towers that will include commercial space and possibly an upscale restaurant on the ground floor of the towers.
And two weeks ago, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency approved a unique redevelopment agreement between a community group and a developer that will result in the construction of a $25 million residential and commercial project located on three sites.
The groundbreaking for the $25 million project is expected to start early next year, and the $135 million “The View” project is slated to start construction this coming December.A ‘Landmark’ project
On Jan. 18, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA) approved a redevelopment plan for three sites located a few blocks from Liberty State Park.
A total of 197 units are to be built at three locations – 100 Monitor St., 317-319 Pacific Ave., and 406-420 Communipaw Ave. – with 57 of those units designated for affordable housing.
The project would be built by Landmark Developers in partnership with the Morris Canal Development Area Community Development Corporation (MCRACDC).
Landmark Developers is a redevelopment firm run by Frank Cretella, owner of the Liberty House Restaurant in Jersey City, while the MCRACDC is a branch of the Morris Canal Coalition, a community group that had been led by local activist and Bergen-Lafayette resident June Jones until she recently stepped down to avoid a conflict of interest.
The project is unique in that the partnership between Landmark and MCRACDC may represent the first time a development firm in Jersey City is working with a community-based organization to construct housing.
The partnership benefits the developer because the community group can be involved in the planning, rather than in criticizing the project later. And it benefits the community group because the group has a say in the development in their neighborhood. In this case, there are other benefits to the community group. For instance, along with the housing units, there are also plans to create retail space that would be offered for purchase to the MCRACDC, possibly to be converted into a children’s day care center. Also, MCRACDC would receive a percentage of the profits from the development of the sites.
It has been reported that the developer will spend more than $4.5 million to purchase 100 Monitor St. from the city and for environmental cleanup of that property.
However, June Jones, formerly of the Morris Canal Coalition, who has been at the forefront of this project, said last week that actually $2 million of the 4.5 million will be spent on the acquisition and remediation for 100 Monitor St., while the remaining $2.5 million will be set aside to acquire the Communipaw Avenue site.
Jones feels relieved about the approval of the redevelopment plan by the JCRA.
“All and all, I am happy,” she said. “It was a long process, very frustrating…it cost us a lot of money in legal fees.”
Jones also gave a bit of history, as she noted that the 100 Monitor St. site was once designated for the Latino organization PACO, who intended to build a charter school there.
Ward E City Councilman E. Junior Maldonado, also the chairman of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Board, said last week that the project is a model for future development collaborations between private developers and community organizations that serve the communities where projects are built.
But there have been questions raised about this project. One critic of the unique arrangement has been Ward C City Councilman Steve Lipski. In the recent months that the JCRA has been studying the project, Lipski said that there’s a conflict of interest since members of the MCRACDC have been critical of other developers who presented plans to the JCRA, but instead were in favor of a developer who would share some of the profits from the development.
Lipski was quoted in the local daily newspaper recently as saying that since the JCRA approved the project, he will not offer opposition to it as it moves forward. Bigger deal
In early December 2004, the Planning Board approved a $135 million project called “The View,” which will include three condominium towers located near Liberty State Park. A 30-story tower will have 328 units; a 20-story tower will have 86 units; and an 18-story tower will have 161 units.
There are also plans for underground parking with 1,197 spaces. There will also be commercial space and possibly an upscale restaurant on the ground floor of the towers. The land on which “The View” will be built spans over 5.75 acres. It will be bordered by Audrey Zapp Drive to the east, Johnston Avenue to the west, Mill Creek Lane to the north and Phillips Drive to the south.
The primary developer is Lance Lucarelli, based in Bayonne, who said the project could start groundbreaking at the end of the year, but that those plans could change.
“It depends on the market, and it’s possible that the job may never get built,” said Lucarelli. But during conversation, he remained adamant that the project will become a reality by saying, “What is approved is what’s going to be built.”
Lucarelli also said that he looking to hire a major construction company such as Turner or Bovis to build the project. He said the architect currently hired for the project is Hoboken architect Dean Marchetto.
When asked about the positives of this project, he mentioned the “view of Manhattan.”
Ward C Councilman Junior Maldonado said that eventually, Lucarelli met with the community about the project, but not at first. Maldonado said he knew nothing about the project receiving approval from the Planning Board and was not contacted by Lucarelli about the project, which is in his ward.
“I found out about the project from someone mentioning it at a City Council meeting, and when I looked into it, I made sure that the developer would meet with the community,” said Maldonado.
A meeting was set up at the Barrow Mansion a few weeks after the Planning Board approval, where representatives of various community groups in downtown Jersey City heard a presentation by Lucarelli about the project.