The former home of the C.F. Mueller Pasta Company at 180 Baldwin Avenue took a recent step towards redevelopment under a new plan. Image courtesy City of Jersey City.
A new proposal to revitalize a massive property that has been vacant for almost a decade recently took a step forward as an initial hurdle was cleared for a sprawling proposal with office space, retail, and a new pedestrian plaza.
During their November 25 meeting, Jersey City’s Planning Board unanimously granted preliminary approval for an application to revamp 180 Baldwin Avenue. Plans to develop the property have been in the works since at least 2015, but no vertical construction has ever begun.
The property was once home to five buildings that comprised the C.F. Mueller Pasta Company. A previous plan had called for a four-building complex at the property, but the recently approved plan has been supersized from that.
The new six-tower proposal comes courtesy DVORA. Rendering by MHS Architecture.
The new proposal comes courtesy a company called 180 Baldwin Avenue LLC, who are a subsidiary of Dvora and Shuster Management. The lot, which spans about six acres, is situated in the Journal Square 2060 Redevelopment Plan as well as the Palisade Preservation Overlay District.
The development includes a total of 2,088 residential units that would be built in six phases, the first would rise just off the corner of Baldwin Avenue and Academy Street. All of the 27-story towers in the plan would rise 293 feet tall.
Rendering by MHS Architecture
Designed by MHS Architecture and engineered by Dresdner Robin, the project will occupy roughly two-thirds of the block bounded by High Street to the north, Rock Street to the south, and Baldwin Avenue to the west. A plaza will be built below the tower’s base, sections of which will be built on a suspended platform due to the land’s sloped topography.
A look at the planned pedestrian plaza at the development. Rendering by MHS Architecture
The approved application was revised to include ground-floor retail space. Four of the buildings will now feature retail components, including the first three towers that would be built under the plan.
In addition, the development will also now include four retail “kiosks” along a pedestrian plaza between the six buildings. Other amenities slated for the plaza area include green spaces, a carousel, and a kids’ play area.
The overhead development, retail, and kiosk plan. Rendering by MHS Architecture
Inside the actual buildings, office space would be located on the first, second, and third floors of all the towers. The office component will total roughly 114,000 square feet, pursuant to the office space bonus included in the redevelopment plan.
The project includes 658 car parking spaces in a garage and 1,216 bicycle parking spots. The basement spaces in the garage portion of the development will feature amenities like gyms, pools, and more.
The streetscape along Baldwin Avenue. Rendering by MHS Architecture
The total breakdown of the project’s residential component will consist of 698 studios, 943 one-bedrooms, 333 two-bedrooms, and 114 three-bedroom units. No affordable housing is included in the project.
The development at night. Rendering by MHS Architecture
All six buildings in the complex will sport both a rooftop deck and a greenroof space. On October 28, the Planning Board took testimony on the project and granted a single variance to the minimum tower setback, reducing it to 12 feet from the base façade.
Rendering by MHS Architecture
180 Baldwin Avenue was granted preliminary approval only by the board, meaning that the developers will need to gain further green light for final approval before moving forward with any construction.