The owners of 144 First Street – current tenant, Parlay Studios – presented a new design on October 30th, 7pm, based on the immediate feedback from attendees of the August 6th presentation. The architects moved the height on Second Street side of the building to the First Street side, reducing the height, but the unit count stayed the same. The design is almost identical to initial presentation – glass blocks and brick abstract section on Provost and rectangle on the lower portion four floors of First Street facade. Not industrial looking at all, very contemporary, similar to Toll Brothers down the street.
One important issue has not been addressed – the density and height. A majority of this block (transition zone) has a maximum written into the PAD Redevelopment Plan stating 90 feet and FAR:7. The owner, Nino Cohen, is presenting a height approx. 125+ ft. and FAR:11-12. This lot is unsuitable to include a parking garage – so new residents would be parking on the public streets; closest parking garage is three-four blocks away. An amendment to the PAD Plan will be needed to allow for any height and density increases from the original structure, as well as design changes other than an industrial look. The Rehabilitation Zone is quite clear in its wording as to what is allowed in current plan.
I guess? Kind of cool, if it works. Bit of info from the article:
Under the proposal, Epire’s building would include 10% affordable units. The developer is seeking a height variance to build up to 12 floors.
The Planning Board will hear Epire’s application July 7.
Looks like this development’s neighbor (a company called DVORA) is trying to block this:
Quote of the article from Epire Founder and CEO Alessandro Bonati: "“Unfortunately, everyone in Jersey City knows [DVORA CEO] Eyal Shuster by now and his litigious and arrogant behavior,” said Bonati. “He might have a business model based on wasting judicial resources and attorney fees.”
Can anybody shed some light on whether or not they have a case?
I’ll leave that to the legal experts. I will say that clearly, many buildings in the redevelopment zone exceed 11 stories - I don’t know what that will mean for this particular case though.
Oddly, there’s some equipment on site - so it seems that Epire was looking to get started pretty soon.
Some movement on the site, but full excavation hasn’t started yet. In the past two weeks, looks like some fencing was delivered (first picture is from around a week earlier than the second)
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