Pile driving began today. Oh, joy!

I was surprised to learn they were building on top of the embankment instead of tearing it down. Cheaper, I guess. Leaves 10th St. facing blank walls where there could have been stores and restaurants.

The redevelopment plan for that building is under the Hamilton Square Redevelopment Plan which can be downloaded via the link I posted. I haven't heard anything official but imagine as soon as the Silvermans finish phase 2 of Hamilton Square they will start on that.

Jersey City also finally posted this:
http://www.jerseycitynj.gov/data.aspx?id=14834

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Thanks for posting the link. Do you happen to know what is happening with the Silverman redevelopment of the parking lot on the corner of Erie and Ninth?

According to their plans, Hamilton Square, 210 Ninth (both of which are now completed) were supposed to be joined by a redevelopment of the old St. Francis Hospital parking garage.

It's still in business (a lot of neighborhood people park in there) and I'm wondering whether this element has been dropped from their plans...?

Info about that development can be found here:

http://hamiltonparkdev.wix.com/hamilt ... h-street-embankment/c14q8

Looks like they are starting the construction of the Ulysses S. Grant apartment building on the old railroad embankment on 10th St. between Jersey Ave. and Coles St. The embankment has been fenced off and there's some heavy machinery removing dirt from the top of the embankment.

Planning Board tells developers: Meet with residents
Public opposed to pair of buildings on 10th Street

Ricardo Kaulessar -- Hudson Reporter -- 12/08/2006

This is a sketch of one of two apartment buildings proposed for construction on 10th Street in Jersey City by Newport Associates Development Company.
The Jersey City Planning Board at its Tuesday meeting was besieged by a public outcry over the proposed construction of a pair of 10th Street buildings.

The buildings, totaling 326 units and 260 parking spaces, will be constructed on 10th Street from Jersey Avenue to Monmouth Street.

Some neighborhood residents claimed the developers did not meet with them to discuss the project, and worried that the buildings would take away street parking.

The board postponed the ruling on the project until the developers could meet with the community.

On the railroad embankment

The two six-story buildings, named respectively the Grover Cleveland and Ulysses S. Grant apartments, would be built on top of stone walls that were once the Tenth Street Embankment, remnants of the old Erie Railroad that once ran through Jersey City.

The project includes widening Coles Street, which runs between the two buildings, to allow for two-way traffic for cars coming out of the buildings.

Not everyone was opposed to the project.

The project impressed resident Janet Allen, a member of the neighborhood association Friends of Hamilton Park, who read from a prepared statement.

"When I learned that the big-name developer Newport Associates had submitted plans to build on 10th Street and Hamilton Park, I was ecstatic," she said. "Six stories is no big deal."

But the prospect of building 58-foot buildings on top of Embankment walls between 12 to 13 feet high disturbed several residents who live across from the site.

Nancy Mahoney, a 10th Street resident, objected to the "factory" design of the buildings and to their presence in the area.

"I don't want a factory across the street from me - that is absurd," said Mahoney. "I am strongly opposed to over 66 feet above this wall. It would overshadow me and my neighbors."

Doug Herman, a Ninth Street resident, was concerned about the overflow of cars on city streets from residents of the proposed buildings.

Planning Board commissioners Roseanne Petruzelli and Michael Sottolano also objected to the developer not creating a parking spot for each unit. Planning Board Commissioner Leon Yost suggested to the developers that they build a two-story garage.

Other attendees were unhappy with not being fully informed about the project by the developers.

Differences of opinion

Bill Wissemann is a project engineer for Newport Associates Development Company, a subsidiary of the Lefrak Organization, which is constructing the buildings. He defended himself by saying he met with the board of the Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association, some of whose members live on 10th Street, and showed the plans for the project. He said the Association's board rejected the plans.

Sam Stoia, president of the Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association, said that Wissemann refused to meet with the other residents of his group, besides the board.

Planning Board Commissioner Leon Yost admonished Wissemann for not meeting with residents.

The board voted to carry the application until the next meeting this Tuesday to allow the developers to meet with the community beforehand.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

Please be advised the following items will be heard at a Regular Meeting of the Jersey City Planning Board, scheduled for Tuesday, December 5, 2006 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 2 floor at 280 Grove Street, Jersey City.

14. Case: P06-124 Preliminary Major Site Plan with ?c? variances
Applicant: Newport Associates Development Co.
Attorney: Charles Harrington

Address: 270 & 310 Tenth St.

Block: 323 Lot: 1

Block: 360 Lot: 1

Zone: Jersey Avenue Redevelopment Plan Area

Description: Two new 6-story multi-family residential buildings atop the 10th Street embankment. 163 units per building (total 326 units) and 260 parking spaces. Also included is the widening of Coles Street.

Deviations: parking, front yard setback (above embankment wall), horizontal visual cue

With all the building works in the area - residential and business why can't council with all the tax relief / abatements on offer, request all new developers to contribute to dog runs, road repairs or donations to community projects.

If I got a tax break of a few million, I'd be happy to offer and contribute to a 'one off' $100,000 community development project.
It would also be tax deductable!

Why don't the clowns at City Hall take advantage of this situation - even if the city is near bankrupt, stuff can still get done.

Thanks for the reply. I'll see you at the next HPNA meeting.

DMH

HPNA has been all over this issue. Come to the meetings on the 1st Wed of the month to keep up.

These are being built by LeFrak on top of the existing 10th st embankment with breaks for driveways on Monmouth St. They tried for far higher density than allowed but were forced back by HPNA and other interests.

The bright side is at least one is a nice retro "loft conversion" design reminiscent of the large warehouse on Coles at 15th St with large, many paned windows. Personally I'm disappointed that Lefrak builds hundreds of new apts on 10th without putting in one storefront, so the residents will need to get in their car to get anything at all.

It appears that they are. Based on the location and the very limited space along that side of 10th, I'm sure that they are going to have to take out the embankment.

Also, if I have the location right, it sounds like one whole side of the apartment building will be looking directly over the entrance (feeder TPKE and 1 & 9) to the Holland Tunnel. I'm not sure that would be a great view.

DMH

Are they going up on the site of that other railroad embankment?

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Condo cancer metastasizes. It is everywhere.
Pray for a cure.

Does anyone know anything about two new apartment buildings that are being proposed for #270 10th St. (between Jersey Avenue and Coles) and #310 10th St. (between Coles and Monmouth) in JC?

I got a registered letter the other day, noting that the builder is asking for several variances to the building codes.

The letter says that each of the two buildings will have 163 apartment units each, with parking for only 80% of the units.

DMH