I think if they really want to make this successful, they’ll need to provide a full sized grocery store. There are small stores throughout the neighborhood but not a single full sized one. Hopefully that changes in a few years.
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I think it also helps that JSQ is an opportunity zone making it an easier decision than other neighborhoods to invest in.
Probably means there were deeper issues with the stop work order a few months back. Hopefully this starts up again soon…
It has nothing to do with the stop work order. Here’s what I’ve pieced together from various sources:
Multiple contractors onsite have informed neighbors that the owner has been negotiating with the city to build a taller tower under the new zoning rules approved in the summer for Journal Square. Unfortunately the progress has been slow. The rules are a bit too costly in terms of income-restricted housing requirements (in relation to the amount of extra height allowed) for it to make enough financial sense to attract a construction loan. Unlike almost every other city in the region (NYC, Hoboken, Newark, Yonkers, White Plains, New Rochelle, etc), Jersey City does not offer abatements for mixed-income buildings, so the options to make it work are quite limited. As a way of balancing things out, the owner has sought additional zoning variances. The city has been reluctant to support these variances…a lot of difficult negotiations. Hence the months-long delay. Unclear at the end of the day whether they’ll build the taller version of this, or walk away and build the version that’s already been approved.
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Plus the question if engineering would allow a taller structure.
^^
The answer seems to be yes, but only with some structural accommodations to transfer the load of the extra floors. That was a big sticking point, because it meant extra setback variances. The new proposal is now public record. They are asking the city to grant them 4 additional variances in exchange for pursuing the mixed-income plan:
Applicant proposes fifty-five (55) story (including one permitted mezzanine level) mixed used 542 residential units, 154 hotel rooms, two (2) ground floor retail spaces, office use (pursuant to office use bonus), banquet hall, two restaurants, and 202 parking spaces, four (4) additional floors including (2) utilized for parking.
Variances Being Sought: Building height in stories; tower front setback; side setback abutting a lower density zone; setback from adjacent property’s rear property line. Previously granted: valet parking; head in/head out loading with no change in condition.
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The 55-story version is on the Jan 28 planning board agenda.
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Wow they just plonked an extra twenty stories on top and called it a day
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Not exactly. The metal panel curtain wall extends to the 40th floor, which is 6 floors higher than it did before. But above that, it’s true that it’ll be a sheer glass curtain wall.
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This is quite defining and unique for a neighborhood. Hope the material colors will look nice. Good for Journal Square. LIC could never. 
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lol @ LIC could never… It’s true, hard to believe that inland Jersey City getting better towers than prime waterfront/neighborhood NYC.
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This is actually something I’ve been wondering about. Do we know why waterfront LIC is developing only relatively short towers? Is it just zoning restrictions?
Yes, kind of.
The limit is generally floor-area ratio, not height per se.
The sort of residential floor-area ratio (FAR) that this building has is not even legal anywhere in NYC right now. The densest part of Hunters Point is zoned with a residential FAR of 12 (an R10 zoning district). In comparison, this building has a residential FAR of 30.8.
NYC obviously gets some taller residential skyscrapers than this, but those sites are only able to go tall by building skinnier narrower towers and buying air rights from neighboring properties (or from underwater sites just offshore like in Greenpoint). In very expensive areas like Billionaire’s Row, developers even added empty floors in between residential floors to increase the height while keeping the FAR below the limit. To achieve the same residential density as this building, a skyscraper project in NYC’s highest-density residential district (R10) would have to buy air rights from an area three times the size of the actual building.
None of this applies to office towers in NYC. There are office districts with FAR up to 33, like Hudson Yards.
Recently a NY state FAR cap that limited residential zoning districts to 12 FAR was removed. That means NYC can now create higher density residential zones, but none have been mapped yet.
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