Lackawanna Terminal in Hoboken — Courtesy: LCOR
By Joshua Burd
LCOR, the developer tapped to transform the sprawling rail yards in southern Hoboken, has unveiled its team of design, construction and leasing professionals for the project.
The New York-based firm said the proposal, now known as Hoboken Connect, would amount to some 1 million square feet of new mixed-use space adjacent to NJ Transit’s historic Lackawanna Terminal. It would also link the station to Hoboken’s waterfront business district and the broader community, under a plan that has seen a host of variations going back several years.
LCOR is still working with public stakeholders, including NJ Transit and the city of Hoboken, to determine the exact uses in the long-awaited project. But it’s doing so with a team that includes Beyer Blinder Belle, Cetra Ruddy, FX Collaborative and Matthews Nielsen Landscape Architects, which will lead all design efforts with respect to private development, public infrastructure improvements, resiliency initiatives and historic preservation.
The developer has also assembled an engineering and construction team that includes Colliers Engineering, ICOR Associated, MG Engineering, Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers, Thorton Thomasetti, Holt Construction and AECOM Tishman.
“Hoboken Connect represents a transformative economic development opportunity for the city of Hoboken, NJ Transit and the state of New Jersey,” said Brian Barry, senior vice president of LCOR. “We thank Governor (Phil) Murphy, Mayor (Ravi) Bhalla and our partner, NJ Transit for their leadership in stewarding a path forward that preserves this incredible opportunity to realize smart planning, resiliency, historic preservation, investment in NJ Transit and city infrastructure.
“We look forward to working with our incredible team of project partners involved to bring this job-generating, transit-oriented development and world-class transit hub to life once again.”
LCOR has been assembling its team since early last year, when it secured approvals for an amended, scaled-down redevelopment plan at the site. In an interview, Barry said the team is now coordinating with NJ Transit, Hoboken city leaders, the state Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies to develop plans for infrastructure improvements and to determine which types of buildings will occupy the site.
Past versions of the plan have included a mix of office, residential and retail space and public improvements along Observer Highway, which runs along the northern edge of the site. Along the way, the project has been tied to considerations for flood control and resiliency measures that have brought additional layers of complexity and controversy to the proposal.
While the mix of uses is still under consideration, Barry said LCOR hopes to begin predevelopment work at the site by midyear 2022. It will do so while hoping to minimize disruptions to the existing multimodal transit hub at the site, he said, adding that the project is still pending approval of a redevelopment agreement with the city.
Cushman & Wakefield’s Ed Duenas, Jon Fales and Ron LoRusso, along with Eric Reimer of Byrnam Woods, will lead the project’s leasing efforts.
