The Jersey City Pedestrian Plaza is getting a major overhaul. The city will spend $6.7 million on the plaza to make it into one of New Jersey’s major business corridors.
The upgrades will include cafe lighting to improve visibility, decorative trench drains to line the existing curb, and rain garden tree planters. However, one of the biggest upgrades will include the addition of a stage area for community events. The Pedestrian Plaza has hosted many live events from the Jersey City Pride Festival to the more recent Jersey City Jazz Festival, so the stage area makes sense on many levels. The stage area is being proposed for the corner of Bay and Newark Avenue (on the triangular strip of land that houses the newsstand and Morlees).
In addition, the plaza’s green flooring will also be replaced with granite pavers. The pavers will elevate the street level to match the sidewalk and make it more stroller and wheelchair friendly.
“The creation of the Pedestrian Plaza was a risk our administration took when first elected as there was significant pushback, but I think over time it has become clear to everyone that the changes we made there have attracted more people, allowed more businesses to open, and created a destination spot for visitors and residents,” said Mayor Steven Fulop.
The Pedestrian Plaza first debuted in 2015 as an experiment to attract residents and visitors. The plaza was extended to Jersey Avenue back in 2018 and it was extended again in 2020 during the pandemic. The plaza now stretches to Grove Street between Montgomery Street and Christopher Columbus Drive as well as First Street and Newark Avenue.
The City Council will vote on Wednesday to award the $6.7 million contract to JC Contracting Inc. Construction on the plaza will then begin in April 2021.
