Also, it's good to see JC capitalizing on the marina industry in the NYC area. The NYC area attracts so many boaters from Long Island-suburban NJ-Westchester-CT from May-October, and I'm surprised there aren't more marinas in Manhattan for transients, and more restaurants on the water to dock and dine at. Frankly I think the 3 marinas in JC are nicer than any in the city.

As a boater, my philosophy is the more marinas in JC the better. The more competition, the more it keeps the marina owners from hiking up the rates each year, which are extraordinarily high as is. That spot on 2nd Street is a natural location for a marina ... but in my opinion they would have to make it really nice to draw boat owners away from the existing 3 marinas. They would have to offer some nice amenities, and maybe a casual dock and dine bar/restaurant on site (which would benefit boaters and non-boaters).

Any updates on this project? It is located between 2nd Street and 6th Street at the waterfront.

http://www.thejcra.org/index.php?p=pr ... =%22jersey+city+marina%22

I don't know details but I heard the project is going forward.

This sounds like a good idea to me, I'm tired of hauling all the way up to City Island every time I want to party on my 100' yacht.

It's not being negative about the idea. It's just being realistic and knowing from experience that if the Jersey City powers-that-be have any of their grubby, bribing hands in this project it will end up like the Newark Avenue Street Scape project......a prime example of what a low bidder and nefarious sub-contractors end up doing and how the complacent JC populous just excepts it. Thinking, "well, it is better than what it was I guess." Look at the original plans and drawings that were touted a few years back and then take a stroll over there. Lets' see if come spring they actually replace those 4 old trees they cut down at the corner of Jersey and Newark. If I think about it, the fake blue stone they paved all over is really quite appropos for this city.

I am far from being negative about innovative design, fresh ideas that benefit us, inspire, reduce traffic, bring business here and cause less stress on our shoddy, out of date infrastructure. No, no, no....I have simply lived here long enough and have been to enough council meetings to know that the majority of the JC council doesn't care. They don't have backbone and I guarantee you have zero sense of design. How Fulop, who I really think has our best interests in mind, stays sane surrounded by such utter, contemptable morons is amazing to me. They don't care about a buildings longevity, what the final product looks like or why ripping down old, historic structures is a wrong. Look at how they routinely cave to all these big developers. One after the other. Go back over the council minutes regarding the height density issues in the PAD where Vega, who we all know is a iying crook, did a complete 180 in about 365 days when it came to his feelings about the 111 Building. Turncoats. Who got paid off there I wonder? They have zero integrity when $ is to be grabbed and a potential doner could be greased.

All the best to this designer and the team he puts together....Just don't get your hopes up, the zip code will still be in JC.

I'm all progress. and for for thinking big. but unless I'm missing something... that beautiful view of the new york that he mentions will disappear behind his giant floating marina. I cannot picture a way to realize his vision w/o creating an insult to the city he's claiming to *save.* we've finally gotten a nearly finished walk/riding path all along this beautiful river front and now it will become 2nd city to whatever commercial venture he plops down in the water? I don't want to have to pay to get out to the (new) riverfront. the thin channel of water that will be left between his mega-raft and the shoreline is hardly a consolation prize.

I don't understand why everyone is always negative anytime someone wants to improve the image, quality life or amenities of JC. I whole-hearted agree to this concept. The city needs to have something for others to actually come too. This would trickle down by the ways of added revenue to the city as well as increased property value (see Brooklyn). This proposal in conjunction with the Powerhouse building made into a cultural center / shopping center would be great. Actually, I would even go further and hope that someone takes an underutilized pier at the end of 6th street and build an indoor/outdoor market similar to that of Terminal Market in Philly, Pikes Market in Seattle or Granville Island in Vancouver. The closest thing to it in NYC is Chelsea Market, but it pales in comparison to those I mentioned. Anytime you go to one of these places, they are absolutely packed with tourists and locals. That equals $$$ for the local community (and jobs).

It seems that the comments on here as opposed to the website where the article was first published are very opposing. Though i do not agree with every little thing on this proposed project and somethings seem a little far-fetched at the moment but this is definitely what this city needs, something to distinguish itself from others. This is the type of thinking we need in this city that allows for "outside the box" thinking. Granted this project will most likely be expensive so somethings will need to be cut out but i appreciate how he is thinking BIG. This is better than the constant generic buildings going up that have no type of feel to them.

They would just have to handle this carefully from start to finish, which i know this city doesn't have a good record of having. Hopefully this could lead other developers to finally start realizing that JC is not just last resort for people who don't make it in ny but rather start becoming a priority.

"....but if built correctly, we?ll be able to draw people from New York and even international tourists from around the world.?......."Built correctly" are the key words there. D'Angelis is no dummy, he knows what this city is capable of doing.......Thank God this is, "out of the scope of the JCRA." Another subtle dig at all the shoddly work around this town.

Take a walk past the Grove Pointe condos and feast your eyes on the concrete work, steps and broken hand rails. This building is not even 3 years old yet it looks 25. Embarrassing.

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I'm glad I didn't have any coffee in my mouth since it would now be dribbling out of my nose.

As soon as the Koolhaas building goes up they should get going on this.

True - but it would be great!

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Wow, that dude's been smokin some powful dope. Fortunately I doubt the DEP will approve it nor would anyone fund it.

By Ron Callari ? Mar 9th, 2011
The Jersey City Independent Writer


http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... na-complex-in-the-hudson/

Iconic architecture is often known to captivate one?s sense of wanderlust. It leaves its mark on the mind?s eye and adds to our collective desire for travel. The Taj Mahal is a marvel that certainly falls into this category, but a building doesn?t have to be historic to appeal to us. Dating back only 40 years, the Sydney Opera House has captivated our imagination with its dramatic architecture and sweeping lines, cascading out over Australia?s famous harbor. Its award-winning design, conceived by Danish architect J?rn Oberg Utzon, has been an inspiration for architects the world over.

Such is the thought process that led Jersey City resident Raphael D?Angelis and his firm Design Concept Depot to create a venue proposal that would literally put Jersey City on the map.

??Destination, Jersey City? is not an inconceivable proposition,? D?Angelis says. ?Often dismissed as the gauche side of the Hudson, Jersey City is the ?unofficial borough? of Manhattan that really has the best views of New York City ? it?s priceless.?

D?Angelis and his team, together with award-winning architect Carlo Frugiuele, have completed a design package to create a floating marina complex on 30 acres of land located between the Harborside Financial Center at the end of 2nd Street extending to the Newport Pier at the corner of 6th Street and jutting out approximately 100 feet from the coastline. Differing from the unique shell-like structure of the Sydney Opera House, the design elements of D?Angelis? plan is a visual delight, as the seven buildings to be constructed bring to mind a school of fish basking on the coastline of the Hudson River.

It?s long been D?Angelis? dream to change the perception of Jersey City.

?To accomplish this feat, you need fresh ideas, innovators, and a team that?s willing to push boundaries,? he says. ?Jersey City has an ideal location to build something spectacular for not only the residents, but if built correctly, we?ll be able to draw people from New York and even international tourists from around the world.?

So instead of adding just another marina to the Jersey City coastline (the city already has three that are presently underutilized) his ?out of the box? approach would feature a mixed-use complex of high-end retail shops (think Dolce Gabbana and Hermes Paris) and restaurants, a 5-star hotel, front-office corporate headquarters (as opposed to the back-office corporate facilities so prevalent in the city), an indoor/outdoor art park and a 3,000-seat performing arts center that could also be utilized for small-to-midsize trade shows and conventions. The 360-slip marina would be large enough to house 100 to 200 foot yachts that cannot currently be accommodated at any of Jersey City?s existing marinas.

In tandem with D?Angelis? proposal, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA), which owns the marina site, has issued a ?Request For Proposals? from marina developers to be submitted by today, March 9. According to the JCRA, the cost to build the marina would be absorbed by the developer and would not be disclosed until all proposals have been submitted. Less far-reaching in scope than D?Angelis? plan, the JCRA is looking solely at the marina component for the site that would cater to local residents and a convenient stop for yachters making the ?Great Circle? that commences with the Hudson River and circumnavigates the East Coast. The guidelines call for limited commercial outlets, which is one of the marked differences with D?Angelis? proposal.

D?Angelis says two factors led him to submit his proposal to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) rather than to the JCRA.

First, his design concept would require a build-out onto the Hudson River, which is owned by the state, not the city, and the DEP is the regulatory body that approves projects that incorporate water rights. D?Angelis also notes that his project is ?outside the scope? of the JCRA?s RFP, and so his advisors think it would be quicker to ?take the DEP route.?

With an estimated cost of $500 million, D?Angelis sees his proposal as having a significant return on investment and an instant benefit to other developers in the area. He also estimates that construction and temporary jobs created by the project would peak at 4,000, with more than 6,000 jobs created post-construction.

?Jersey City has seen five years of commercial real estate stagnation,? D?Angelis says, adding that there is a ?price to pay for inaction.?