An aerial view of 400 Claremont Ave. in Jersey City — Courtesy: 400 Claremont Urban Renewal LLC
By Joshua Burd
A development group is moving forward with plans to build nearly 600 luxury apartments on Jersey City’s west side, following its purchase last month of a shuttered manufacturing complex.
The entity, 400 Claremont Urban Renewal LLC, said Monday that it was planning a six-story building with 598 rentals and retail space at 400 Claremont Ave. The plan looks to capitalize on the site’s location across the street from a Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station and three blocks from New Jersey City University, where several other projects are underway.
Details of the plan come after last month’s announcement that 400 Claremont had purchased the 2.73-acre site, the longtime home of a pigment and colorant plant. The developer acquired the site from Elementis Specialties Inc. for $17 million.
Demolition of the site’s current structures are underway, with construction expected to begin within the next few months, pending all required city approvals.
“While downtown Jersey City continues to thrive, many stakeholders, like ourselves, have recently shifted our focus to the west side, where reinvestment and redevelopment activity are reshaping this part of the city,” said Art Johnson, managing member of 400 Claremont Urban Renewal LLC. “There’s a lot to be excited about in this area, and we look forward to presenting our vision for this property which draws on smartly designed residences, amenities and services that meaningfully address the way people live today, and a price point that’s attractive for Jersey City.”
Plans for the building include 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor lifestyle amenities, the developer said, along with 15,000 square feet of street-level retail space, including a restaurant. Apartments layouts will range from studios to two-bedrooms, while the project also calls for 200 enclosed parking spaces and six electric car-charging stations.
Marchetto Higgins Stieve Architects is overseeing the design, which will feature a hotel-style lobby with seating areas and a full-size piano, according to a news release. One side of the lobby will open to a restaurant space, while the other side will offer a coffee bar and café.
Additional indoor amenities include a fitness center, golf simulator, a residents’ lounge and bike facilities, the news release said. Outdoors, residents will have access to a landscaped rooftop with a furnished deck and grilling area.
The project won’t be the first in Jersey City for Johnson and his team. The group most recently developed and leased up 25 Senate Place, a 265-unit luxury rental building across from Mana Contemporary in the Journal Square neighborhood.
Mixed-use project slated for ex-manufacturing site in Jersey City
