I'm glad they are making good use of this building. It used to be the old Block Drug place. As county executive Tom DeGise keeps things moving along. The board of elections is located there as well.

Hudson County Plaza gets its ribbon cutting

Thursday, October 29, 2009
By CLAIRE MOSES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Hudson County officials cut the ribbon yesterday on Hudson County Plaza, the new headquarters for county services located on Cornelison Avenue in Jersey City.

The county complex - at one time an industrial research facility owned by the Glaxo Smith-Kline Corporation - actually opened in May.

But with 1,000 county workers now in place, 700 of whom work for the county's Department of Family Services, officials felt yesterday was the right time for the ceremonial ribbon-cutting.

"This is one of the best investments the county of Hudson has made," said Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise. "We've decided to go into home ownership."

The county purchased the 12 acres of land the building sits on for $14 million. Renovations of the McGinley Square complex cost roughly $44 million, DeGise said.

The Department of Family Services used to be housed in three separate buildings in Journal Square. One of those buildings has been taken over by Hudson County Community College. The county is still paying rent on the other two buildings, which are now empty.

DeGise said these leases expire in the next two years and the county is helping the landlords find new tenants.