Jersey City approves 57-story renovation of Harborside 9

The future of the massive parking garage just a block from the Hudson River has become clearer as plans for the original three towers have been scaled back slightly but will still add hundreds of new residents.

At its July 9 meeting, the Jersey City Planning Commission gave final approval to the project, called Harborside 9. Located at 2 Second St., the 169,000-square-foot asphalt site will provide weekday parking for workers at the nearby Harborside 10 office building.

The site is owned by Veris Residential, which acquired the property from Mack-Cali. Harborside 9’s latest approval is part of a larger project that includes Marina 8a 68-story, 680-unit development approved by Jersey City in 2020.

Harborside 9 is planned to be built directly north of the 68-story Harborside 8 and will have 57 floors and a maximum height of 607 feet, including an 8-story base. The design for the second tower was drafted by Boston-based Elkus Manfredi Architects, which also designed the first tower.

The project’s second tower will include 579 residential units, planned to be classified as condos. The residences themselves will be slightly smaller in size, with 96 studios, 307 one-bedrooms, 166 two-bedrooms and 10 three-bedroom units.

Unlike Phase 1, Harborside 9 will include a 15% affordable housing component, with 87 units to be built. Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IZO), when the Harborside 8 line was approved in 2020, the line was not yet in effect.

In addition to housing, Harborside 9 will include 14,840 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor. The complex’s enclosed garage will include 555 parking spaces, 300 of which will be used by Harborside 10’s office workers to make up for the loss of their parking garage.

Harborside 9 will feature a variety of on-site amenities, including a pickleball court. The entire ninth floor, located atop the base, will serve as the main amenity area, including an indoor fitness area, a game room, co-working space, and an outdoor deck with a swimming pool.

In addition to parking spaces for cars, the new plan also includes 300 bicycle parking spaces. As part of the construction of Harborside 8 and 9, a new east-west cul-de-sac will be built between the two towers.

The project is scaled back from what Mack-Cali has been planning for years, but the development will still transform the area. Harborside 8 and 9 will add more than 1,250 residential units and 23,000 square feet of retail space to the neighborhood.

Harborside 9 received board approval related to minimum yards and parking spaces surrounded by the development’s primary use, triggering the IZO requirement.

As for when the two buildings will break ground, Veris Residential has not yet announced a specific timeline. The developer’s attorney did tell the Planning Commission at a recent meeting that construction permits are in place for Harborside 8, but the company is seeking financing for the project.

Harborside 8 and 9 are the latest of several large high-rise buildings planned along the Hudson River, including UrbiThe company received approval last year.

Tishman Speyer begins put up They launched the first phase of their own two-phase project late last year that will add more than 1,000 residences to Hudson Street at Exchange Place.