Pedestrian Plaza could stretch to Jersey Avenue
Earlier this week Mayor Fulop tweeted a video that bought joy to some and pain to others. The video was a 28-second computer-generated simulation depicting a Pedestrian Plaza that expands from Grove to Jersey Avenue. It appears the city is exploring the idea of expanding the Plaza to Jersey Avenue, changing the street surface to something that’s more plaza-friendly, and increasing picnic benches throughout the area. The mayor also said the city is looking at ways to make Journal Square “less car focused.”
Car free areas are great for pedestrians and cities overall. Since we closed the lower part to cars I think it has been overall positively received by residents. We are exploring the Plaza expansion to Jersey, changing the street surface to a nicer plaza, and increasing furniture pic.twitter.com/TSSxI1zO5Z
— Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) April 23, 2018
One Journal Square in jeopardy
Plans to construct two, 66-story rental towers in Journal Square have come to a halt. Kushner Companies alleges that city officials have intentionally ended negotiations with Kushner Cos. because of the city’s politics (largely democratic) and the company’s ties to Jared Kushner. —AP
Second phase of VYV may not include affordable housing
The developers of the VYV tower — Forest City — claim they cannot afford to incorporate affordable units into their second tower without a state tax break, which is no longer available to them. The new 35-story, 432-unit tower was supposed to include 87 affordable apartments. —NJ.com
Ground broken for BelovED charter school
Construction has started on the BelovED Charter School, a new school for grades 6 through 9 located at 535 Grand Street. Designed by Urbahn Architects, the school will have outdoor recreational facilities, a parking lot, 20 full-sized classrooms, four half-sized classrooms, and more. —NY Yimby
Peek inside professional foodie’s Paulus Hook alcove studio
6sqft takes a look inside the home of Moira Sedgwick, a food and wine profession who just made the move to Jersey City. Sedwick lives in a 720-square-foot alcove studio in Paulus Hook. —6sqft
