Work finally begins on Kushner’s One Journal Square project in Jersey City
All renderings courtesy of Kushner unless otherwise noted
Construction is finally underway at Kushner’s huge One Journal Square project in Jersey City. The nearly $1 billion mixed-use development consists of two 710-foot-tall towers with more than 1,700 rentals and 45,000 square feet of amenities and public space, including a new Target location as its anchor tenant. The developer was joined by Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop during a groundbreaking ceremony at the Journal Square site on Thursday.
“Today’s groundbreaking for One Journal Square has been several years in the making for us, and we are thrilled to begin the physical build-out of what we believe will be the crown jewel of this resurgent neighborhood and an important asset for all of Jersey City,” Laurent Morali, CEO of Kushner, said.
“Our steadfast commitment to moving this pivotal project forward was founded in our strong belief in Journal Square, both in its present and in its future, and we look forward to bringing our vision to life.”
Designed by Woods Bagot Architects, One Journal Square consists of two 64-story glass towers, each offering breathtaking views of the Hudson River, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and downtown Manhattan. The site, which conveniently sits next to the Journal Square PATH Station, has been vacant since 2009.
In total, the project will bring 1,723 rental units, 45,000 square feet of luxury amenities, and 40,000 square feet of pre-leased ground-floor retail space.
According to Jersey Digs, the rental apartments in the complex will consist of 493 studios, 972 one-bedrooms, 222 two-bedrooms, and 36 three-bedroom units. The development will also include 883 parking spaces in its base.
Amenities include an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool, cold plunge pool, whirlpool spa, sauna and steam rooms, a bowling alley, golf simulator, lounges, co-working space, and a chef’s kitchen and kid’s club. Other amenities include a fitness center, yoga room, spin cycle suit, full-sized indoor basketball court, rock climbing wall, and a squash court.
Outdoor amenities include two landscaped rooftop terraces and an outdoor lounge pool with a hot tub.
One Journal Square is expected to be completed by 2026.
The development, which is being built by AJD Construction, will include a new public plaza as the base of the towers facing John F. Kennedy Boulevard, providing green space and abundant seating areas.
“When you look at what’s happening in Journal Square, you’d be hard-pressed to find another city in the country that can point to the amount of development in this two-block radius,” Fulop said.
“This project is bar none the most significant project we have in Jersey City and probably the most significant project in New Jersey. It’s 900 units in the first phase, it’s 64 stories tall and we’re already close to 100 feet above the flood plain level so you talk about the size of this building and what it’s doing to the skyline is really significant.”
Fulop continued: “If you can imagine this being completed in the next 36 months and all the other things in Journal Square moving forward simultaneously you can get a little bit of a glimpse of what it will be in three short years and the most important project to make that a reality is One Journal Square.”
Rendering by Woods Bagot
Controversy has plagued the project since its inception. Kushner has had approvals to redevelop the site for roughly six years but faced several setbacks in actually starting construction and the plan was altered a few times over the years.
Nicole Kushner Meyer, the sister of Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former advisor, Jared Kushner, whose family runs the company, attempted to raise $150 million from Chinese investors by promising EB-5 visas and name-dropping her high-profile brother.
In response, Fulop announced the city would no longer allow for the 30-year tax break and $30 million in city-issued bonds Kushner had previously requested. Shortly after, co-working company WeWork pulled out as the anchor tenant of the development. In 2018, the developer sued the city, blaming the mayor’s “political animus” toward Trump and his affiliates. The lawsuit claimed that Fulop issued a default against the development to “appease and curry favor with the overwhelmingly anti-Trump constituents of Jersey City,” as 6sqft reported.
The developer and city reached a settlement agreement in October 2020 over the lawsuit, and the Jersey City Planning Board approved the project in January 2021, signaling an end to development and allowing construction to finally begin.
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