Plans for Sea Gate in Perth Amboy call for revitalizing a 15.75-acre stretch of waterfront property with 602 market-rate apartments, at least 5,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the Arthur Kill and public amenities such as a waterfront and tree-lined esplanade. — Renderings by Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners/Courtesy: City of Perth Amboy
By Joshua Burd
A proposal to bring more than 600 new apartments, public space and other uses to the Perth Amboy waterfront has taken another key step forward after a vote by the city’s planning board.
Local officials announced the approval on Tuesday, noting that the $200 million project by Kushner would clean up a blighted, brownfield site and create a vibrant coastal neighborhood known as Sea Gate. That includes a plan calling for 602 market-rate rental units across five buildings, as well as public amenities funded by the redeveloper such as a waterfront, a tree-lined esplanade stretching from Front Street to the bulkhead at Washington Street, a playground, landscaped plazas and a dog park for public use.
The 15.75-acre redevelopment area, with landscaping, streetscape improvements and lighting, will also include 909 parking spaces. Construction is slated to take three years.
“We have been working closely with the redeveloper to create the type of plan that can benefit the entire Perth Amboy community, not just the residents of Sea Gate,” Mayor Helmin Caba said. “We are directly addressing unused, under-taxed waterfront property and creating the type of development that will benefit Perth Amboy for years to come.”
According to a news release, Kushner will pay the city about $1.2 million annually as part of a long-term payment in lieu of taxes agreement, representing a major step up for a property that now generates only about $113,000 a year in net revenue. Officials added that the redeveloper is purchasing properties from the city for $4.6 million as part of a plan that includes parcels on Front, Commerce, Rector, Broad, High and Fayette streets.
Kushner will also contribute $1 million to Perth Amboy for the construction or rehabilitation of affordable residential units, the city said.
“This site has long presented environmental conditions that limited its use,” said Tashi Vazquez, the Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency’s executive director. “Through the redevelopment process, the city is addressing those challenges and expanding public access to the waterfront.”
As part of the agreement, the plan includes a memorial to Thomas Mundy Peterson, a city resident who was the first African American to vote in an election following the ratification of the 15th Amendment, the news release said. His vote was cast on March 31, 1870.
