The Jersey City Council will consider sending the Liberty Harbor redevelopment to the planning board at tomorrow’s meeting, a topic that was briefly touched on during yesterday’s caucus.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
Jersey City Supervising Planner Matt Ward explained what the area consists of, and just as it sounds like, it is the industrial area behind Liberty State Park and the Liberty National Golf Course.
“Specifically, the residential mixed-use district,” Ward added.
The property owner is WA Golf Company, LLC and is represented by Connell Foley Real Estate and Land Use Partner and Co-Chair W. Nevins McCann.
“WA Golf seeks modifications to the Residential Mixed-Use District to permit a revised
development plan that may be developed in separate phases. The revised development plan replaces the low rise waterfront development with two (2) multi-family residential towers,” he wrote in a December 3rd letter to Division of Planning Director Tanya Marione.
“The proposed amendment modifies the plan to include separate, dedicated parking garages partially embedded in the ground for the two waterfront residential towers. The dimensional requirements for parking spaces on the site have been modified, and the maximum number of parking spaces per residential unit type have been modified with no increase to the total allowable parking on site.”
Back at caucus, Ward F Councilman Frank “Educational” Gilmore wanted more details about the plan.
“You said over by the golf course?” he asked.
“Yes,” Ward replied.
“Across the street from it?” Gilmore continued.
“There’s that long driveway, that area/ Right off of Phillips Street,” Ward answered.
Ward E Councilman James Solomon asked if that is the site of a shuttered diner, to which Ward said it is not, it’s across the street from there.
“Is that Paul Fireman?” Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh asked about the ownership.
“I believe so. I do not know. I don’t know if there is counsel here,” Ward noted.
The ownership disclosure form that is attached to the resolution says the land, located at 100 Caven Point Road, is 100 percent owned by Fireman Real Estate Management, LLC.
According to the resolution, the plan calls for six skyscrapers to be built around a plaza. There would also be two multi-level parking garages.
Buildings 1A and 1B would be 33 stories, Building C would be 20 stories, Building D would be 42 stories, Building E would be 51, and finally Building F would be 28 stories.
In the plan, skyscrapers would be built that would largely be residential with commercial space on the lower floors, with no affordable housing mentioned.
Fireman has come under fire in recent years for attempting to expand his golf course and/or develop certain portions of Liberty State Park, but none of those plans have come to fruition due to strong community pushback.
OMG. this is how the rich just get richer. 1. at the very least, there should have been a 20% Affordable Housing element and from the very beginning. Now 2. given the NATIONAL affordable housing crisis this target % for Affordable units should be raised to 35%. THEN we can talk…