In October, Jersey City’s city council voted unanimously to adopt amendments on the Canal Crossing Redevelopment Plan, a master plan for the remediated site of a former paint factory. The plan for the 111-acre site, located in the city’s Bergen-Lafeyette neighborhood, calls for a mixed-use development of up to 7,590 new homes spread across a proposed street grid, which would stitch the new neighborhood into the broader city. In addition to several new parks, a proposed greenway will connect residents to a nearby Hudson-Bergen light rail station. The council’s vote came exactly two weeks after New York City leaders infamously scuttled the long-contemplated Industry City plan for Brooklyn.
A masterclass in physical planning, Canal Crossing would be a flagship redevelopment in New York City today. In Jersey City, it’s just another project. Along the Hudson River, there’s Hudson Exchange West, a plan for 5,500 new homes, plus parks, retail, and office space. Along the Hackensack River, construction will soon start on the first phase of the Bayfront redevelopment, which will eventually yield 8,000 new homes, of which 35 percent will be income-restricted. Not to be outdone, Liberty Harbor—a massive site within eyeshot of the Statue of Liberty—still has zoned capacity for an impressive 20,000 homes.
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