See Jersey City’s $500M plan to redevelop a public housing complex into massive mixed-use community

An innovative plan to redevelop a public housing project in downtown Jersey City into a massive new community with over 600 units of housing is moving forward. The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) voted to select WinnDevelopment to oversee the revitalization of the 80-year-old Holland Gardens complex, which involves razing all five existing buildings and constructing four new high-rise towers that will be home to senior housing, for-sale condos, public housing units, market-rate rentals, and community space. The $500 million project will be about 50 percent affordable, Mayor Steven Fulop announced last week.

Built in 1944, the existing Holland Gardens complex is significantly outdated, with undersized apartments and a lack of accessible features, like elevators, despite being home to seniors and several residents with disabilities. Instead of spending $21 million to renovate the development, officials, with the input of Holland Gardens tenants and stakeholders, announced plans to demolish the existing buildings to construct a totally new complex.

Designed by PS&S Architects, the project will not only preserve all 192 existing public housing units but also increase the site’s affordability with 74 new affordable units for seniors and 56 two-bedroom condos for purchase, half of which will be designated for families earning between 60 percent and 120 percent of area median income. There will also be 309 market-rate rentals in the “North Residential Tower,” which will also be home to the public housing units.

According to the city, every unit will be built “equally in terms of the design and finishes,” offering all residents amenities like in-unit dishwashers and laundry.

Current residents will be temporarily relocated and have the right to return to the new complex upon its completion.

On Twitter, Fulop called the project the “most significant/transformational” in downtown Jersey City since Newport, the master-planned community on the neighborhood’s waterfront.

“As housing affordability and public housing shortages reach crisis levels across the nation, in Jersey City, we are punching above our weight once again to increase affordability and provide pivotal, life-changing opportunities to help our residents achieve financial stability and self-sufficiency,” Fulop said in a statement.

“Nearly half of the new units will be affordable housing with the addition of on-site services that are designed to fit the needs of our underserved residents who traditionally have limited accessibility. This redevelopment project is all-encompassing, and it serves as the standard bearer for what innovative public housing initiatives can accomplish.”

The redevelopment includes a new 14,000-square-foot community building with a Jersey City Public Library branch and offices for the housing agency’s Resident Empowerment and Community Engagement Department, which connects residents with resources and programming, like workforce development, afterschool programs, and senior services. The plan also includes a new pedestrian plaza that will reconnect 15th Street.

“By working closely Holland Gardens residents, listening to their concerns and their dreams, the JCHA cocreated a transformative vision with them to attract public-private investment that not only benefits public housing residents who will return to a new, revitalized home, but also enriches the surrounding neighborhood,” JCHA Executive Director Vivian Brady-Phillips said. “We believe this project will improve opportunities for residents who have made Holland Gardens their home and for generations to come.”

According to the mayor’s office, the $500 million project will provide $28 million in ground lease payments to JCHA over the next 30 years. The proposed 30-year PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) deal would generate $60 million in revenue for the city; the agreement must be approved by the Jersey City Council.

Demolition of the existing site could start early next year.

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 All renderings courtesy of PS&S Architects