The development team of Fields Grade and Alpine Residential have topped out a new 24-story, 169-unit luxury apartment building at 270 Johnston Ave. in Jersey City. — Courtesy: Fields Grade/Alpine Residential
By Joshua Burd
Developers have completed vertical construction of what will become the tallest building in Jersey City’s burgeoning Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood near Liberty State Park.
The partnership, which includes Fields Grade and Alpine Residential, are on track for an early 2024 delivery after topping out the 24-story structure at 270 Johnston Ave., the site of what will be 169 luxury apartments. The building has reached its full height of 262 feet, marking a milestone that the developers touted recently during a ceremony alongside tradespeople from KL Masters Construction Co.
“We envisioned 270 Johnston Avenue as a gateway building into Jersey City as it soars high above the New Jersey Turnpike extension and is highly visible to drivers entering the city,” said Robert J. Caulfield, a partner with Fields Grade. “We’re excited to see that vision moving closer to a reality as we reach the full height of the building and recognize the collective efforts of our construction and design teams who have helped get us here.”
Located directly west of Interstate 78, the property is near the 1,200-acre Liberty State Park and a short walk from Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service. Plans for the completed building also include some 9,000 square feet of street-level and second-floor retail space, plus amenities such as a high-end fitness center and a 24th-floor amenity level with an outdoor landscaped deck.
The developers added that the upscale apartments, which comprise a mix of studio to three-bedroom floorplans, will include 10 units that are affordably priced. Hoboken-based MHS Architecture designed the building, with GRT Architecture spearheading interiors, drawing inspiration from Bergen-Lafayette’s post-industrial roots while also engaging with the Jersey City waterfront and the New York City skyline.
To that end, the partners noted that the east facade of 270 Johnston is pulled back, featuring an open grillwork of residential balconies. At grade, the building transitions from the scale and rhythm of the adjacent two-story masonry townhomes to 24 stories.
“We’re creating more residential and neighborhood retail, not replacing what’s existing,” Alpine Residential Managing Partner Bill Rosato said. “270 Johnston is a key part of a series of developments that are helping to enhance the urban lifestyle afforded to residents in this neighborhood. We’re excited to be a part of the growth of Bergen-Lafayette and look forward to continued investment in the community.”
Alpine in recent years has delivered more than 200 apartments across several projects in Bergen-Lafayette, with a pipeline that includes hundreds more units. Its completed projects, which have risen on former industrial and vacant sites near the light rail station, include previous collaborations with Fields Grade.
The firms are part of a growing list of developers flocking to Bergen-Lafayette, thanks in part to its location just west of downtown Jersey City, mass transit and highway access and investment by the municipality. Alpine and Fields Grade also cited its proximity to Liberty State Park, adding that the area’s retail is beginning to blossom beyond the existing Communipaw Avenue commercial corridor.
