Bayonne’s east side will be home to a hotel that will serve Royal Caribbean Cruise line passengers and New York City tourists if city officials and any one of a number of developers vying for such a project have their way.
Bayonne already has one motel, the Hudson Plaza, on Route 440 on the west side of the city, by Newark Bay.
Although there have been constant discussions about building a hotel on the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor, the former Military Ocean Terminal, the talk has shifted recently to one on Route 440, on the South Cove Commons shopping center property. The Commons currently houses Frank Theatres, Stop & Shop, TJ Maxx, Staples and other retailers.
Although there is no proposal for a hotel currently before any city board, that may soon change.
Vincent Alessi of the Alessi Organization, owner of South Cove Commons, is considering developing a hotel on the northern end of the South Cove property, according to City Planner Sue Mack.
Alessi has been discussing the idea with the two most recent city administrations, and talks continue with Mayor James Davis’s representatives, she said. The hotel would be built just in front of the Bayonne Golf Course.
“It is something that he’s looking at,” Davis said.
“They have gotten a waterfront permit in hand,” Mack said.
Mack said that she has seen concept plans for the hotel, and that renewed talks have been under way since January.
“They have gotten a waterfront permit in hand.” – City Planner Sue Mack
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“It’s still on their list of projects that they want to pursue,” she said.
If the hotel plans for Rt. 440 don’t move forward, there still are a number of developers who are hoping to build one at the Peninsula.
“The other thing going on is the Harbor Station South [request for] proposals that went out and said you can do anything you want on this site,” Mack said. “We [said] we have 64 acres and you propose to us what you want to do.”
In at least a couple of those proposals returned earlier this year, a hotel was a part of the mix.
At the ceremony opening the new Royal Caribbean cruise port terminal in October, Davis said his vision of Harbor Station South included the building of a hotel for passengers to stay at before and after their cruises.
Davis said the city’s goal was to have a 700-room hotel built on the former MOTBY site within three to four years.
Like the cruise line and cruise port, Bayonne government and business leaders believe a hotel would be a boon for the city, as travelers staying there would likely eat and shop at Bayonne establishments while in the area.
In terms of a possible hotel’s impact on the area, Mack said she is already working on a highway action plan.
“I’m figuring out how many rooms would fit,” she said, “and how much traffic it would generate.”
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.