Author Topic: Journal Square development plan  (Read 12126 times)

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
To hear public and vote on Square plan tonight
« Reply #13 on: 02-25-2009, 08:33am »
JJ:



To hear public and vote on Square plan tonight
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
By AMY SARA CLARK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The plan to bring skyscrapers, parks and a revamped transportation hub to a 244-acre site around the Journal Square Transportation Center is scheduled to be voted on at tonight's Jersey City City Council meeting.

The plan will be anchored by a mixed-use development next to the transit hub made up of two towers, one 68 stories, the other 50.

Other aspects of the plan - such as several acres of new parks, a new transportation center, a narrow-gauge trolley from Route 139 to McGinley Square, and a Light Rail spur to Journal Square - are envisioned, but not funded.

The plan is not without controversy, including a provision that would allow developers to build taller buildings than zoning laws allow if they pay certain fees.

Also, there is the thought of making the heart of Journal Square a revenue allocation district, which would allow the city to use tax money generated in the district to secure bonds to pay for improvements within the district.

At Monday's council caucus, several council members suggested tabling the ordinance to give them more time to digest the details.

Residents will have the opportunity to comment at tonight's meeting to be held at 6 p.m., City Hall, 280 Grove St.

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
Journal Square ‘vision’ closer to adoption
« Reply #12 on: 01-19-2009, 10:25pm »
Journal Square ‘vision’ closer to adoption
Planning Board recommends City Council approval
by Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter Staff Writer

The Jersey City Planning Board voted at its meeting on Tuesday to recommend the Journal Square Redevelopment Plan for final adoption by the City Council.

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.

The plan calls for a 244-acre area to be redeveloped covering Vroom Street to the south, Tonnelle Avenue to the west, State Highway 139 to the north and Baldwin Avenue to the east. The plan is known as the Journal Square Center City Plan or “Jerramiah T. Healy’s Vision for Journal Square.” It is currently posted on the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency’s website.

Within the area, the city envisions thousands of square feet of commercial and retail space and 9 acres of park space. As part of the plan, the existing Journal Square transportation station might be replaced with a newer model. Implementing the plan is estimated to take upwards of 50 years and billions of dollars.

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.

In November, the City Council approved a resolution declaring Journal Square an "area in need of rehabilitation", a necessary step before any adoption of a comprehensive redevelopment plan, which calls for improvements to properties by their owners.

Now that the Planning Board approved the plan, the council may vote for final approval within a month’s time.

Watching closely
A truncated version of the plan was presented to the board by veteran urban planner Anton Nelessen, who along with Hoboken architect Dean Marchetto was commissioned by the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency earlier this year to develop a plan based on input from city officials, and from community meetings that were held since July. Longer presentations on the plan were given last fall.

In those community meetings, there has been both praise and opposition from people living in the Journal Square area. At Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting, there was a little of both from longtime Journal Square resident Richard Boggiano, a former Jersey City police officer and president of the Hilltop Neighborhood Association.

Boggiano said he did not object to the plan but wanted the city to make improvements to infrastructure and city services, which will be impacted by future Journal Square development. He also does want any large-scale parking garage or skyscrapers built in the vicinity of his block of Magnolia Avenue, both concepts which were proposed in the plan.

“We have one of the last neighborhoods in Jersey City … we are a tight neighborhood and we will be watching,” Boggiano said.

‘A model’
Mayor Jerramiah Healy. Healy, as expected, touted the plan.

“We think it is a great plan and it is a great vision,” Healy said, “and we really think it’s going to be a model for the United States.”

But Healy admitted that the financing is not readily available to fulfill many of the goals set out in the plan. The city is currently exploring the idea of designating the Journal Square Rehabilitation Area as a revenue allocation district (RAD) where the revenues generated in that district is dedicated to capital improvements within the district and/or retiring debt incurred due to redevelopment within the RAD. But the city has to wait for the state Legislature to pass a pending bill that would also allow RADs in an "area in need of rehabilitation" not just in “an area in need of redevelopment.”

After Healy’s speech and some other business, the audience was treated to a slide show containing numerous images of Journal Square at the present time, with its wide-lane roads, surface parking lots, and lack of greenery. Then images were shown of a future Journal Square, with narrower roads, more pedestrian walk space, and an abundance of trees.

Nelessen also talked about the other transportation elements of the plan, including the Hudson-Bergen light rail running through Journal Square, and buses that stop in the Square rather than inside a station.

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
A SQUARE THUMBS UP
« Reply #11 on: 10-27-2008, 08:20am »
A SQUARE THUMBS UP
Residents, biz owners like city revamp plan
Monday, October 27, 2008
By PAUL KOEPP
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Journal Square residents and business owners said they were impressed by the city's plan to revamp their neighborhoods that was presented Thursday night at School 11 on Bergen Avenue.

But they also said it's difficult to foresee any quick progress toward the "vision" that Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said would make the square and the surrounding 244 acres "cleaner, greener, more prosperous and more affordable."

"Very positive," was the verdict of Ken Graham, owner of office space and a parking lot on Pavonia Avenue, after a two-hour slide show that pictured a redesigned PATH station, a cluster of skyscrapers, new swaths of green space and tree-lined streets.

"Something is going to happen, I know that," Graham said. "If you build it, people will come."

The plan displayed Thursday is the result of feedback consultants received at two public workshops earlier this year, officials said. It calls for up to 15,000 new housing units, nine acres of parks, a new light rail line to the waterfront and a trolley to McGinley Square.

The first element of the project to move forward will be the two-tower, mixed-use development next to the Journal Square Transportation Center, which is expected to break ground within six months.

The City Council will need to declare Journal Square an "area in need of rehabilitation" before a complete redevelopment plan can be adopted, officials said. The city could then use eminent domain to take private properties to create parks or expand roads, but there are no plans to use it for private developments, said Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Robert Antonicello.

For Patricia Kelly and her husband, Galen Gaarder, who moved to Duncan Avenue in February, the plan was cause for cautious optimism.

"This got me more excited about staying," said Kelly, adding that she hopes to see "more restaurants that we really want to go to."

Gaarder said that while the plan was "an amazing vision," he was "curious about how it will all happen in reality."

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
Pushing 'vision' much too hard
« Reply #10 on: 10-22-2008, 10:45am »
JJ editorial:



Pushing 'vision' much too hard
Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy's unveiling earlier this month of his administration's "vision" for Journal Square seemed more like "pie in the sky" than the promise of New Urbanism.

At an invitation-only "press conference," administration officials gathered to reveal planner Anton C. Nelessen's and architect Dean Marchetto's somewhat blurry vision of the area called the Heart of the City.

There were some very impressive - if not unbelievable - artist renderings of a completely "rehabilitated" Journal Square area, roughly bordered by Route 139 in the north, Garrison Avenue in the west, Vroom Street in the south and Baldwin Avenue in the east.

Those drawings and explanations revealed skyscrapers, with one as tall as 100 stories - near Empire State Building dimensions. Gone is the PATH Transportation Center as we know it, replaced by a taller structure of glass and steel that would also house an underground bus depot with a glass ceiling.

Besides having everyone bike or walk, people would get to McGinley Square and perhaps beyond by using a narrow-gauge modern trolley. Healy would also like to see an extension of the Light Rail to Journal Square.

This new Heart of the City would have no need for motor vehicles. They would be banned - a problem for other neighborhoods, although there is some discussion about parking garages on the outskirts of the Square.

All that is missing from the renderings is Magic Mountain.

This newspaper has championed the rebirth of Journal Square and welcomes change, but the city has already missed its chance to do something more people friendly and thought-provoking on its waterfront. This administration should not repeat the mistakes of the past. It should take lessons from how Hoboken has been developing its riverbank - with people and quality of life a priority.

This "vision" seems more forced by the administration. It is not an orderly process where the public has much say. It smells of the kind of Xanadu development that is occurring in the Meadowlands, where the mega-mall, backed by powerful politicians, was rammed down the throats of residents of the surrounding communities.

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
'Vision' for Square going on display at School 11 tomorrow
« Reply #9 on: 10-22-2008, 08:16am »
'Vision' for Square going on display at School 11 tomorrow
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy is inviting the public to review his ambitious "vision" for the Journal Square area tomorrow at 6 p.m. at School 11, 886 Bergen Ave.

Dubbed the "Did We Get It Right?" session, officials say the plan to be displayed takes into account the feedback consultants received from residents and major property owners at two meetings earlier this year.

First unveiled last week before a group of roughly 100 politicians and real estate industry members, the plan covers 244 acres and calls for between 10,000 and 15,000 new housing units, nine acres of parks, and a Light Rail link connecting Journal Square and the waterfront.

Much of the plan is pure "vision," with no money available to implement it. The most concrete element of "Vision Journal Square" is the two-tower, mixed-use development approved for the block adjacent to the Journal Square Transportation Center. The developer said last week he expects to break ground within six months.

The City Council will be asked to declare Journal Square an "area in need of rehabilitation" before the end of the year, said City Planning Director Robert Cotter.

Assuming that happens, the council will be asked to approve this redevelopment plan, Cotter said.

The city could use eminent domain to take private properties to create parks or expand roads, noted Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Robert Antonicello.

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
Jersey City mayor unveils Journal Square redevelopment plan
« Reply #8 on: 10-15-2008, 06:51pm »
Jersey City mayor unveils Journal Square redevelopment plan
by Russell Ben-Ali/The Star-Ledger
Wednesday October 15, 2008, 4:01 PM



(See more images here)

New parks, pedestrian-friendly streets and thousands of new apartments would surround Journal Square if a multi-billion dollar plan unveiled today by Jersey City's mayor is approved.

The plan suggests the creation of nine acres of park space, configured to connect with existing city parks to stretch from Journal Square to the Jersey City waterfront, making it "the longest single urban greenway in the United States," Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said.

The plan also calls for an extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to Journal Square and the revamping of the Journal Square Transportation Center, including the PATH station and buses that carry some 8 million passengers per year. Trolley cars would carry commuters to shops and businesses, according to the designs.

Journal Square, once a center for shopping and entertainment for Jersey City, has been on the decline for decades, noted Healy, who said he remains hopeful that the city can repeat in the square its redevelopment success on the waterfront.

The mayor acknowledged, however, that the credit crisis has slowed the building industry and said it could take as long as 15 years for the Journal Square vision to be realized.

"The issue is can it be accomplished," Healy told local, state and regional officials this morning at the Hudson County Community College Culinary Institute. "I think it can. And if you don't have a vision nothing can be accomplished."

Earlier this year the city commissioned two firms, A. Nelessen Associates, Inc. and Dean Marchetto Architects, P.C. to develop a plan known as "Vision Journal Square." The firms based their designs in part on responses to surveys taken of residential and business communities in the area.

The study cost about $400,000, with $150,000 paid through a Department of Community Affairs grant and the balance from Urban Enterprise Zone funds, officials said.

A public hearing on the plan is scheduled October 23.
« Last Edit: 10-16-2008, 10:44am by MCA »

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
Re: Journal Square development plan
« Reply #7 on: 10-14-2008, 04:48pm »
From GlobeSt.com:



Journal Square Will Get Major Makeover
By Eric Peterson

JERSEY CITY-Mayor Jerramiah Healy has scheduled a press conference for Wednesday morning to unveil the details of what he terms his Visionary Plan for Journal Square. The latter is a section of this city’s downtown surrounding a major PATH light rail station that has struggled economically for a number of years.

“We have had a major renaissance in Jersey City on our eastern waterfront, the Hudson River, but it has been my priority to see that this rising tide lifts all boats,” Healy says, in a statement. “In my quest to make [this city] greater, I have requested that this vision for Journal Square incorporate my principles of making Jersey City greener, safer, more affordable and more prosperous.”

To accomplish that, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency earlier this year commissioned the Belle Mead, NJ-based A. Nelessen Associates to work out the details. The land planning firm is no stranger to this city, having previously drawn up plans for the 100-acre Bayfront Redevelopment Plan involving 100 acres along this city’s New York Bay waterfront, as well as a redevelopment plan for the area surrounding the campus of New Jersey City University.

City officials would not release details of the Journal Square plans prior to tomorrow’s press conference, but general information released by the Mayor’s Office envisions development of “thousands of new housing units and millions and sf of retail and commercial space in what is the geographic heart of the city….”

“The Healy administration has begun the process of turning things around and restoring Journal Square to its former prominence as the commercial and entertainment center of the city,” says a spokesman. “The plan incorporates smart growth in Journal Square, which is a state-designated transit village where eight million commuters utilize PATH light rail and bus transportation annually.

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
Re: Journal Square development plan
« Reply #6 on: 10-01-2008, 07:55am »
JJ:



Hilltop neighbors get peek at Square renewal plans
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Home seizures and overtaxed city services led the list of concerns Monday night when two Jersey City officials briefed members of the Hilltop Neighborhood Association on plans to redevelop the Journal Square area.

"Absolutely, scout's honor," Planning Director Robert Cotter told a nervous questioner who asked if he could guarantee homes wouldn't be taken as development plans move forward.

Joined by Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Robert Antonicello at the meeting, held in the basement of St. Joseph's Church, Cotter gave an overview of several signature projects slated for the struggling center of the city.

The biggest of these projects is a $400 million, mixed-used development planned for the block next to the Journal Square Transportation Center.

Earlier this year administration officials rejected terms of a 30-year abatement the developer - MEPT Journal Square Urban Renewal, LLC - had sought. But MEPT has submitted revised plans to the city, lowering the cost of the project, officials said.

Antonicello said he expected construction to begin this year or early next year.

The city officials also mentioned plans to place office and/or residential buildings along Summit Avenue where the Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, and Verizon building now sit.

One resident in the 100-person crowd asked about increased city services, including new schools, to accommodate the newcomers.

Pointing to the Newport development as an example, Antonicello said urban professionals buying Jersey City real estate consume surprisingly few city services. At Newport, the city collects $35 million in taxes each year and shells out only $10 million in services, he said.

The city will unveil an overall plan for the area in about three weeks, Antonicello said. The goal is to have the City Council adopt an "area in need of rehabilitation" plan by the end of the year, he said.

Association President Richard Boggiano questioned the wisdom of erecting a parking facility across the street from the administration building on Newark Avenue that's emerged as part of the plan being developed by Belle Mead consultant Anton C. Nelessen. "They are crazy," Boggiano said. "No, not in our area."

Kelley Sander, an associate planner with Nelessen's firm, said yesterday the idea is to consolidate several city parking lots with county parking already on-site. But "there's no firm proposal," she said.

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
Re: Journal Square development plan
« Reply #5 on: 08-16-2008, 08:13am »
Square plans may be decided in four months
Saturday, August 16, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A comprehensive plan for the redevelopment of the Journal Square area in Jersey City should be in place by the end of the year, a city official said earlier this week.

According to a timetable prepared by Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Robert Antonicello, the City Council should be in a position to vote on final rehabilitation and redevelopment plans by the end of December.
 
This area is roughly bordered by Route 139 in the north, Garrison Avenue in the west, Vroom Street in the south and Baldwin Avenue in the east.

The rehab and redevelopment plans - a draft of which should be ready by the first week of November - will be based on the "Visioning Study" being carried out by architect/planners Anton C. Nelessen and Dean Marchetto.

Over the past two months, Nelessen and Marchetto have led two "charrettes," or workshops, with stakeholders in the area - one with developers and the other with community residents - complete with video images of what Journal Square could potentially look like.

The developer group, all of whom already own land in the area, included the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Joseph Panepinto, Harwood/MEPT Urban Renewal, Schenkman/Kushner, Hudson County Community College, Peter Mangin of Garden State Development, and Hartz Mountain Industries, Antonicello said.

The city is also on track to develop a "revenue allocation district" within this larger zone, in which some of the money collected from tax-abated properties would be used to pay for infrastructure improvements within the RAD, Antonicello said.

The RAD, which would overlap the area in need of redevelopment, is not likely to be in place before November 2009, he said.

Antonicello said the city shouldn't have to use condemnation to achieve its goals. State Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) money would be used to pay for restoration and facade improvements, he said.

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
More public input needed on 'visions' for Square
« Reply #4 on: 07-28-2008, 08:36am »
JJ editorial:



More public input needed on 'visions' for Square
Monday, July 28, 2008

Tuesday evening, there was a very interesting 21/2- hour presentation by Jersey City Redevelopment Agency at the Hudson County Community College Culinary Arts Building.

It was not only a glimpse into the future of the heart of the city, Journal Square, but of an area that is roughly bordered by Route 139 in the north, Garrison Avenue in the west, Vroom Street in the south, and Baldwin Avenue in the east.

They called it a workshop entitled "Community Visioning for the New Journal Square Public Visioning Workshop," which is somewhat redundant, but it may be because there has already been a "charrette," or planning session, with "stakeholders," or potential developers. In fact, there has been an advanced assessment of properties within this designated sector.

The city planners are trying to decide what will be built in the expanded Journal Square over the next 10 to 25 years. As the description of the Tuesday session says, "These (design) standards will serve as a framework for the creation of a cohesive vision for Journal Square. This vision will seek to incorporate green design and pedestrian forms, that will generate a place that is highly desirable to potential residents, corporations and retailers."

What it calls for is the potential to build a new and perhaps taller skyline along a section of the city's spine where skyscrapers could go as high as 80 stories and because of the odd-sized lots and sizes of tracts of land, there could be clusters of sliver or unusually shaped designed high-rise buildings.

This is not to say that there would not be the more traditional homes and buildings constructed on the side streets in this "vision," but with more setbacks allowing a 5-foot planting area along the curb edge. While semi-public space at office and residential locations will have landscaping elements, there is a sense that there is an emphasis on density.

To make it all more "humane" there is a desire to limit access to motor vehicles and make the area more pedestrian-friendly by having 15-to 20-foot-wide sidewalks, textured sidewalks and crosswalks.

A new Journal Square could include "remote" parking along the perimeter of the district, with access to the center by shuttle vans. There is even talk of a modern trolley of a special design that would run through Journal Square.

There are many more elements to the "Urban Design Standards/Journal Square," as put together by A. Nelessen Associates and Dean Marchetto Architects. What is not in it, but what was mentioned at conversations at the workshop, is the possibility of a new and bigger building to replace the present white structure at the PATH Transportation Center.

While some may consider this pie in the sky, there is a great need for changes in Journal Square. Yet, there is a sense that this area will become the city's special "revenue allocation district," or RAD, where some of the property taxes - or payment in lieu of taxes in the case of tax-abated properties - collected in the area will be used as leverage to raise larger amounts of money in the bond market.

It will do as much to help finance approved and pending Journal Square projects as it will to assist redevelopment 20 years from now. Some early projects would include the proposed mixed-use towers construction at the nearly demolished block that was once home to the Hotel on Journal Square and the KFC fast-food restaurant and an office tower on Summit and Magnolia avenues.

The 100 people who attended the "vision" workshop saw a screening of various designs, some from other cities from around the world, and then were asked to fill out a survey of questions and their preferences concerning the designs.

There should be a much more public input into this process. It should be noted that the word "redevelopment" was probably not used because it implies eminent domain, something that will eventually come into play. All the more reason that there should be a great deal more transparency as discussion and legislation go forward.

The people who live here are also stakeholders.

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
SQUARE VISIONS
« Reply #3 on: 07-23-2008, 08:00am »
SQUARE VISIONS
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
By ABRAM MANALASTAS
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Journal Square may be on its way back to becoming the thriving center of Jersey City.

A 21/2-hour public workshop entitled "Community Visioning for the New Journal Square Public Visioning Workshop" was held last night at the Hudson County Community College Culinary Arts Building, on Newkirk Street.

Sponsored by the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, workshop showcased images on what the Journal Square area could potentially become.

"For the past 20 years, Journal Square has been in a period of decline," Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said. "What we want to do is get rid of ugly, old, unproductive eyesores that have marked Journal Square for the past two decades."

The images of buildings and streetscapes - some of them taken from other cities - were prepared by A. Nelessen Associates, a planning firm based in Belle Mead, and shown to about 100 attendees on a large screen.

Workshop attendees registered their opinions on the designs by completing a questionnaire and visual preference survey. Their opinions will be incorporated into future plans, officials said.

"The key to making these plans happen is you (the community) telling us what you want to happen," said Anton Nelessen, founder of A. Nelessen Associates. "No one can know a community better than those that live and work there."

Jersey City resident Janey Rotondo oohed and ahhed as various images flashed on the screen.

"This project is going to bring in better quality (of living)," Rotondo said. "It's going to enhance the living quality and would make people actually want to live here."

Council members Bill Gaughan, Steven Fulop, and Journal Square Councilman Steve Lipski attended the workshop.

Offline Kindelan

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 873
    • View Profile
My friends at CivicJC have informed me of a little-advertised public meeting about the so-called "redevelopment" of Journal Square. Tomorrow 7PM. Read on.
 


The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency was awarded a $100,000 “smart growth” grant, the largest in the state, to develop a comprehensive plan for Journal Square as an entertainment and retail hub.  The plan will be created by A. Nelessen Associates, a Princeton-based urban planning firm and Dean Marchetto, a Hoboken-based architect and urban designer.

A design charrette process, a technique for consulting with all stakeholders, is to be used to create a vision for the future of Journal Square.

For more information on the project, see - $100,000 State Grant for Journal Square Plan

First Public Meeting for Journal Square Redevelopment Plan
The first public meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 22nd, at the Hudson County Community College Culinary Conference Center.  This follows a previous meeting with area property owner stakeholders.

While the meeting time is listed as 7pm, we suggest arriving at least 30 minutes early as there is a discrepancy as to the starting time.

The HCCC Culinary Center is located at 161 Newkirk St., Building E. 


Many people see the Journal Square area as Jersey City’s true “Downtown” or “City Center.”  The public from all areas of Jersey City is encouraged to come out and participate in this and future related meetings.

The limited information available for this meeting reads:

"Wanted:  300 City Planners"
Mayor Jeremiah T. Healy, The JC Municipal Council and the JC Redevelopment Agency invite you to partake in "Redesigning Journal Square.  We Need You the People to Help Us Design The Future!!

Tuesday, July 22nd at 7:00pm
HCCC Culinary Conference Center

Refreshments and door prizes!! (Doors open at 6:30pm)
For more information go to http://www.thejcra.org  201 547 5810
« Last Edit: 07-23-2008, 08:02am by MCA »

Online MCA™

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5857
  • Take him to the Disintegrating Room.
    • View Profile
Journal Square development plan
« Reply #1 on: 04-05-2008, 05:32pm »
RAD plan a $quare boost
Saturday, April 05, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City officials are coming up with a RAD-ical plan for Journal Square - and right on time as far as some developers are concerned.

To spur development, city honchos intend to carve out a special "revenue allocation district" in the center of the city so a certain amount of property taxes - or payment in lieu of taxes in the case of tax-abated properties - collected in the area can be used to raise bigger bucks in the bond market.

The money raised from selling bonds would then be used to finance infrastructure projects within the district, officials said.

"We are already a transportation hub in Journal Square. Now we want to restore some of the magnificence to what Journal Square used to be," said Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. "It's an investment in infrastructure back in your city."

The concept is receiving rave reviews from developers who have projects brewing with the district, whose tentative boundaries stretch from Summit Avenue to Tonnelle Avenue, and from Sip Avenue to Pavonia Avenue.

Peter Mangin, president of Jersey City-based Garden State Development, is exercising an option to purchase air rights over the PATH rail lines to the west of Kennedy Boulevard. Needless to say, Mangin, who hopes to build a mixed-use development over the six-acre area, is "supportive" of the idea.

"I think that (the RAD) would ultimately assist us in helping to pay for infrastructure costs that would have a spill-over effect for the entire area," Mangin said.

Joseph Panepinto, who has built several projects in the Square, including the ADP Building with Mangin and Hartz Mountain, said if the RAD happens - and other projects in the Square take off - he might replace the Burger King and Dunkin Donuts that sits on land he owns on Magnolia and Summit avenues with a high-rise office tower.

"It makes a lot of sense," Panepinto said about the RAD. "If some of that money comes back to help us get a project started that's a good idea."

The complete plan should be ready in about eight months, said Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Robert Antonicello. The plan would have to be approved by the city council.

Current thinking is to use between 10 and 15 percent of taxes collected in the area for the RAD, he said.

The RAD is based on tax incremental financing (TIF), which has been used to raise money for projects in 49 states, including New Jersey, said Eugene T. Paolino, a prominent real estate attorney in Jersey City.

TIF money is currently being used to help finance infrastructure costs for Hudson Yards in New York City, a 350-acre development on the city's west side, Paolino said.
« Last Edit: 07-28-2008, 08:33am by MCA »

Jersey City, NJ Community Forums

Journal Square development plan
« Reply #1 on: 04-05-2008, 05:32pm »