Kushner Real Estate Group and Northwestern Mutual joined local officials and other project team members on May 12 to mark the opening of 351 Marin, a new 507-unit luxury apartment tower in downtown Jersey City. From left: KRE Group Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Kaplan, KRE Group Founder Murray Kushner, KRE Group Partner Jeff Persky, Jersey City Council President Joyce E. Watterman, Northwestern Mutual Real Estate Senior Director Matt Ascher, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, KRE Group President Jonathan Kushner and KRE Group Design Director Marc Kushner. — Courtesy: KRE
By Joshua Burd
Marc Kushner stepped to the podium outside 351 Marin, a striking new apartment tower in downtown Jersey City, and quickly noted the significance of the building’s location. The structure, he said, is only blocks away from Grove Pointe Apartments, the first of what would be many ground-up projects that Kushner Real Estate Group has delivered in the city.

“That was 17 years ago that we opened that building,” said Kushner, KRE Group’s design director and a member of the design team for 351 Marin. “And although the city has changed, the world has changed significantly since we completed that building, one thing remains very much the same: People want to be here. People want to live in Jersey City, and I’m thrilled to announce that all 507 units in the building behind me are leased and we’re thrilled to have all these new residents here in Jersey City.”
The milestone comes only five months after the launch of leasing at the 38-story tower, in a sign of the relentless demand that continues to feed Jersey City’s apartment market. And it was a benchmark that KRE and its partner, Northwestern Mutual, were eager to tout on Thursday as they marked the opening of 351 Marin, joining local officials and members of the project team for a ceremony on the building’s landscaped, 4,500-square-foot public plaza.
All the more notable: The tower has opened around the same time as The Hendrix, a comparable building directly across the street, with thousands more units still to come in the downtown and across the city.

“You just need to look around us right here at 351 Marin and there aren’t many cities in the state that can absorb two 50-story buildings going up across the street from each other simultaneously and at the same time, a crane half a block away creating another building of similar size,” Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said. “It speaks to the vibrancy of Jersey City and the special place it is and that people want to live here and do business here, and KRE Group makes it very easy for us to be partners. We see a lot of developers come through with a lot of different proposals. The difference with KRE is that when they say they are going to do something, they execute on it and that makes it very easy from an administration side.
“On behalf of all of us, congratulations and we look forward to more ribbon cuttings in the future.”
Designed by Hollwich Kushner and HLW Architects, 351 Marin features a distinctively angled base and a corresponding geometric crown overlooking the public plaza and freestanding pavilion. Amenities at the building include a 37th-floor lounge with co-working spaces, banquette seating and an outdoor, landscaped patio with a tiered theater and views of the Manhattan and Jersey City skylines, along with a 24-hour fitness center, an entertainment kitchen, and a movie and screening area.

The Marketing Directors spearheaded leasing at the property, which also recently welcomed the Australian-inspired Wattle Café. Both were among several professionals, consultants and other stakeholders that KRE highlighted during the late morning ceremony on Thursday, about a block north of Christopher Columbus Drive and the Grove Street PATH station.

“351 Marin continues our longstanding commitment to Jersey City through developments that provide first-class residences, public amenities and neighborhood retail services near mass transportation,” said Jonathan Kushner, president of KRE Group. “We’re proud to have once again delivered a building that has successfully attracted residents to the area at an historic rate while also building on the unique character and energy Jersey City is known for.”
The building is also the latest success story in Jersey City for Northwestern Mutual, a longtime KRE partner, which has invested some $3 billion in debt and equity in the city over the last three decades. As the company’s Matt Ascher noted, “truly we have a major interest in the future of this city and its continued development.”
“When I look at the landscape in Jersey City, it’s really starting to rival Manhattan,” said Ascher, senior director at Northwestern Mutual Real Estate. “If you are on the river and you look on over at night, it’s really spectacular what’s been done here.”
Leasing activity soars at 507-unit Jersey City rental tower built by KRE, Northwestern