Excavation work is underway at 20 Columbus Drive, which will eventually be home to a 50-story mixed-use development. Photo by Chris Fry/Jersey Digs.
A former parking lot just a few blocks from the Hudson River has turned into Jersey City’s latest construction site as another 50-story tower is slated to rise in the city’s Downtown over the coming months.
Heavy equipment has shown up at 20 Columbus Drive for a development known as Harborside 4. Jersey City approved the project back in May 2024 after the land changed hands about a year before for $58 million.
The property was bought by The Related Companies, who are perhaps best known as the developer behind Hudson Yards across the Hudson River in Manhattan. The company is partnering with Panepinto Properties on the development, which was once planned as an office tower years ago.
Rendering of the approved Harborside 4 tower. Image courtesy of Handel Architects.
The project will now instead be Related’s first high-rise residential rental project in New Jersey. The design of the development, drawn up by Handel Architects, features an L-shaped tower toward the north and west sides of the block on top of an eight-story podium.
The northern portion of the tower is set to rise 38 stories, while the eastern portion will top out at 50 stories and just over 684 feet. The building’s lobby will be situated along the southeast section of the property, which will get a new plaza with landscaping under the approved plan.
Image courtesy of Handel Architects.
12,374 square feet of ground-floor retail split between three storefronts will adorn the Columbus Drive side of the property, livening up a block that is otherwise a bit of a dead zone. The exterior of the development is slated to utilize bronze colored aluminum panels and glass materials.
Harborside 4 will include a total of 800 residential units, breaking down as 161 studios, 432 one-bedrooms, and 207 two-bedroom units. No affordable housing component is included in the plan, as it does not trigger Jersey City’s inclusionary housing ordinance.
Image courtesy of Handel Architects.
399 parking spaces will be included in a garage in the project, as will 411 bicycle spots on the ground, 4th, and 5th floors. The parking entrance will be located mid-block to the north side of the site on Pearl Street.
Amenities at the future complex include a 9th-floor roof deck on the development’s base that will boast a landscaped common deck area outside, along with several indoor spaces. Other perks inside the development will include a second-floor health club and a 39th floor devoted to indoor and outdoor amenities, the centerpiece of which is an outdoor pool.
Image courtesy of Handel Architects.
With Harborside 4 now underway, this neighborhood of Jersey City has quickly become the epicenter of development. The 68-story Harborside 8 residential complex is currently under construction just up the road, while work has also begun on the second phase of the two-tower Urby phase two development.
Just a few blocks south, Tishman-Speyer’s 50 Hudson and 55 Hudson developments will add other 2,000 units to the area. Other proposals that haven’t gotten off the ground just yet include a 90-story tower at 100 Bay Street and a trio of high-rises at a Washington Street parking lot.