The Jersey City Planning Board voted Tuesday night on a proposal to turn the first three buildings of the old Jersey City Medical Center into a mixed-use facility with 314 residential units and 64,821 square feet of office/retail space, as well as a parking garage with 1,049 spaces.
Ultimately, according to the redevelopers of the site, Metrovest Equities, the entire project could include a $350 million renovation of the hospital buildings, including 1,200 rental and condo apartments, shops, a central courtyard, a dog run, a restaurant, a grocery store, and the parking garage.
The buildings to be redeveloped in phase one will be the center building at the Baldwin Avenue main entrance to the hospital, and two buildings adjoining the center building. The main entrance for the new project will be on Montgomery Street.
Sixteen zoning lots at the site will be re-subdivided into 10 lots.
The Planning Board voted unanimously to approve the re-subdivision and the site plan for the first phase of construction, with several conditions that have to be met before construction proceeds.
The development will be called the “Beacon,” the developers said.Now it’s the Beacon
The old Jersey City Medical Center on Baldwin Avenue closed on May 16 of last year after 70 years of operation, with hospital operations moving to the new building on Grand Street.
The hospital was once considered one of the largest buildings in the state of New Jersey and a landmark of Art Deco architecture. It was built under the direction of legendary Jersey City mayor Frank Hague with funding provided by then U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt.
Between 1928 and 1941, construction of the old Medical Center took place with 11 buildings being erected including the general hospital, Margaret Hague Maternity Center, Pollack Hospital, and Murdoch Hall. It was a fulfillment of Mayor Hague’s vision to provide the best medical care possible to Jersey City residents who could not afford what was thought of at the time as a luxury.
But the hospital was a money-losing proposition from its earliest years, costing at least $3 million per year initially and bringing in very little in payments.
In its later years of operation, most of the buildings that comprised the old Medical Center complex were closed, with most medical care taking place in the general hospital. Developer designated
The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency in 2003 designated Metrovest Equities, a New York City-based development firm, as the developer of eight of the Medical Center’s buildings.
Since being named the developer, Metrovest Equities president George Filopoulos and others involved in the redevelopment project have presented their plans to city officials. Keeping the architecture
Tuesday’s Powerpoint presentation by the development team gave glimpses of an endeavor that will retain much of the original architecture of the old buildings while creating a new market-rate complex.
A series of experts on matters ranging from architectural planning to structural preservation spoke during the nearly one-hour presentation.
Ulana Zakalak, a historic preservation expert working on the Beacon project, said during the Planning Board meeting that the effort to preserve the original elements of the old medical center would make it recognizable to “Frank Hague if he rose from the dead.”
Zakalak said that she has worked with the developers for over a year in studying the historic elements of the building in order to ensure preservation since the building is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Frank Ricciardelli, a restoration expert whose firm is working on the project, explained that the original terra cotta design of the building will be duplicated and there will be extensive cleaning of the existing masonry.
Architects Brian Ahern and Howard Abel said there would be a town center; a community room for residents to watch movies (to be named after Frank Hague), a dog run, and a number of different trees and vegetation.
Also, there is an arrangement being worked out with the Jersey City Police Department to place a mini-precinct in Pollack Hospital once it has been rehabilitated. The developer
Filopoulos also spoke during the presentation, answering questions from the Planning Board.
He said the Beacon will have features accessible to local residents. He said there will be a museum dedicated to the history of the Medical Center, as well as a supermarket and an early child care center.
Filopoulos also said that the size of the residential units being built in the first phase will average 900 square feet because of the way the original medical buildings were designed and constructed. Future units being built in the other phases will average 2,000 square feet. Concerns and approvals
City residents living in the vicinity of the old Medical Center brought up a number of issues, addressing them to Filopoulos.
Some residents such as Mariuz Gunieniak, a homeowner on nearby Clifton Place, were worried about the scarcity of parking on his street when construction begins. Filopoulos said people working on the construction will be parking on-site.
Others such brought up issues of noise, health safety and relocation.
Laverne Webb-Washington and Dania Caballero, both residents of the city’s Bergen-Lafayette section where the old Medical Center is located, asked Filopoulos about the hiring of local residents for the first phase of the construction. They echoed a constant lament that developers working on major projects in Jersey City do not live up to agreements with city officials to employ locally.
Ward B City Councilwoman Mary Donnelly, also a Planning Board member, broke in that she believed that Filopoulos, unlike other developers, will live up to the agreement since “we know where to get you.” Donnelly meant that Filopoulos is working on another project in Downtown Jersey City.
Filopoulos said that he is committed to hiring locally as long as qualified labor is available.
The Planning Board then voted 8-0 to approve the site plan, commending Filopoulos and his development team on their presentation, especially the preservation of the historic elements.
But some conditions have to be met, such as the developer working out agreements with city agencies furnishing further details on the development of the project; revisiting the design of the parking garage to make sure it blends in with the overall design of the project, and providing the board with traffic studies of the area.