The Jersey City City Council, at its meeting Wednesday, formally introduced the Journal Square Redevelopment Plan. The plan is up for final adoption at the council’s Feb. 25 meeting.
The plan is meant to revitalize the Journal Square area of town, adding 10,000 to 15,000 new residential units including two towers next to the existing bus/train station within a 244-acre area. Also, the city envisions thousands of square feet of commercial and retail space and 9 acres of park space.
The centerpiece of the plan is the two $400 million towers (68 and 50 stories) to be privately built on land adjacent to the Journal Square Transportation Center by longtime Journal Square businessman Lowell Harwood and Washington D.C.-based pension firm MEPT. That project is expected to break ground this spring.
But some council members were concerned about the plan allowing developers to build taller buildings because of contributing revenues to special fund for improvements to the Journal Square area.
Residents brought up issues of responsible development by noting the plan allows for skyscraper-type buildings and could prompt the employment of eminent domain that would force people from their homes. – Ricardo Kaulessar