From left: Elizabeth Cain, executive director of the Exchange Place Alliance; Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop; Michael DeMarco, board president of the alliance; Jersey City Council President Joyce Watterman; Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon and Martin Schmid, director of development and operations for the alliance, were among those on hand Oct. 4 to mark the opening of Exchange Place Plaza on Montgomery Street in Jersey City. — Courtesy: Exchange Place Alliance
By Joshua Burd
City officials and business leaders in Jersey City have debuted a new waterfront park for the public and daily office users in the PATH train-anchored Exchange Place district.
The 1.8-acre space, which is six years in the making, has brought new lighting, landscaping, seating and playground space to an area at the end of Montgomery Street, all aimed at boosting foot traffic and the daily worker population in the neighborhood. Those offerings were on display last week as the Exchange Place Alliance welcomed Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and others last week to mark the completion of the $7 million project.
“Investing heavily to rebuild Exchange Place to transform it into a unique waterfront park is a huge calling card for helping to revitalize a challenging office environment post-COVID,” said Elizabeth Cain, the organization’s executive director. “Given the interactive space for residents, visitors and workers of all ages, this will surely help attract more employees to the workspace.”
The plaza, which boasts improved security and a flood-resilient design, also has enhanced wayfinding, information kiosks and free secure bike parking. The alliance noted that, already, it has hosted several jazz events with hundreds of musicians, more than a dozen food trucks and thousands of visitors.
Plans also call for a kids run, a winter market and city challenge.
“It’s an overused term but one that applies here: The neighborhood is now a truly live, work and play community,” Cain said. “Our summer programming is unrivaled on the waterfront. Our new wayfinding, public art, self-guided historic tours, playgrounds and spots to simply relax and chat are welcome additions to any working community. That’s what the Alliance has focused on and why our members invested so heavily in this project. They have the expertise to know what is needed for employers to attract increased attendance of their teams in the workspace. The Alliance is dedicated to doing our part in the public space to reach these goals and is what this plaza and our programming will help achieve.”
