A high-rise residential development currently under construction in Jersey City is adding 20 more stories and dozens of affordable housing units to its plans.
Construction of the mixed-use skyscraper by the Hoboken-based company MVMK Architecture began in 2023 and is nearly halfway complete.
The development, known as Imperial Tower, is located on Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City’s Journal Square. It was initially planned to be 35 floors with hundreds of apartment units, hotel rooms, event spaces and a sky-high restaurant.
Representatives from the developers appeared before the Jersey City Planning Board earlier this month to ask for approval to nearly double the size of the tower.
The board unanimously approved the proposal and the necessary variances, allowing the developers to expand the project. It is now set to have 55 stories and a total of 542 housing units.
The building will be among the tallest in Jersey City, where several building are 70 floors or taller.
An artistic rendering of the entrance of a 55-story high-rise tower being built by MVMK Architecture on Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City.MVMK Architecture
MVMK Architecture did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
As part of the conditions of the variance, developers will set aside 63 units for affordable housing.
The changes were made in response to the city’s redevelopment plan for Journal Square, which includes mandatory affordable housing requirements to meet state standards.
By 2035, New Jersey municipalities are expected to add or rehabilitate more than 146,000 affordable housing units, according to state calculations. The quotas for each town in the state stem from the Mount Laurel Doctrine, a set of New Jersey Supreme Court decisions requiring municipalities to provide their fair share of affordable housing.
Jersey City has a “present need” to renovate over 3,700 affordable housing units that have been deemed “substandard,” according to state figures.
Aside from the newly added affordable units, much of Imperial Tower’s development plans are similar to what was originally proposed two years ago.
Apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, along with two penthouses, will be built throughout the tower, according to final site plans.
About 150 rooms will be set aside for an on-site hotel with valet parking.
The first six floors will be for parking and amenities for hotel guests, including a bowling alley, children’s playroom and cafe. Other amenities for residents will include an infinity pool, Jacuzzi, banquet hall and rock-climbing wall.
The development will also have two restaurants, including one on the rooftop with outdoor seating, according to planning documents.
Stories by Nyah Marshall
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