Fields Grade and Alpine Residential have announced the topping out of 270 Johnston Avenue at 262 feet, providing visual context for what will be the tallest building in Jersey City’s revitalizing Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood.
Development officials joined a team of tradespeople from KL Masters Construction Company to celebrate the building reaching its full 24-story height, marking a significant milestone toward the project’s completion in early 2024.
When fully constructed, 270 Johnston will comprise 169 residential units, roughly 9,000 sf of street-level and 2nd-floor retail space, and indoor/outdoor amenities including an impressive, panoramic rooftop deck. The well-appointed residences will feature studio-to-three-bedroom floorplans, with ten units designated as affordable.
The building is rising in a location near the 1,200-acre Liberty State Park and across from its light rail station.
“We envisioned 270 Johnston Avenue as a gateway building into Jersey City as it soars high above the NJ Turnpike extension and is highly visible to drivers entering the City,” said Robert J. Caulfield, a Partner with Fields Grade. “We’re excited to see that vision moving closer to a reality as we reach the full height of the building and recognize the collective efforts of our construction and design teams who have helped get us here.”
270 Johnson Avenue is the latest collaboration between Fields Grade and Alpine Residential who have teamed up for multiple mixed-use projects throughout Bergen-Lafayette. The new properties are all rising on former industrial and vacant sites concentrated around the light rail.
“We’re creating more residential and neighborhood retail, not replacing what’s existing,” said Alpine Residential Managing Partner Bill Rosato of the partnership’s commitment to the community, which already includes several completed residential buildings, with more in the pipeline. “270 Johnston is a key part of a series of developments that are helping to enhance the urban lifestyle afforded to residents in this neighborhood. We’re excited to be a part of the growth of Bergen-Lafayette and look forward to continued investment in the community.”
Designed by Hoboken-based MHS Architecture, with interiors from GRT Architecture, 270 Johnston will serve as a new landmark that will amplify Jersey City’s growing skyline west of the waterfront. The building’s design draws inspiration from the post-industrial roots of the burgeoning Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood while also engaging with the Jersey City waterfront and the New York City skyline. The building’s east facade is pulled back featuring an open grillwork of residential balconies with magnificent views. At grade, the building transitions from the scale and rhythm of the adjacent two-story masonry townhomes to 24 stories.
A comprehensive offering of amenities and social spaces will include 24-hour concierge, state-of-the-art fitness center with Cross-Fit equipment and a package room. The 24th-floor amenity level will feature an indoor resident lounge, communal kitchen, co-working spaces, and a gaming room, while the outdoor landscaped deck will offer a plunge pool, grilling stations and dining areas.
Lying just west of Downtown Jersey City, Bergen-Lafayette continues to attract substantial investment and interest from developers as the once heavily-industrial neighborhood transitions to residential and mixed-use. City-backed infrastructure improvements including the $13 million extension of Jersey Avenue for pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicular traffic have created better connections to downtown, while existing light rail service links the neighborhood to PATH trains and ferry terminals and ultimately, Manhattan. Meanwhile, new retail is beginning to blossom on and beyond the existing Communipaw Avenue commercial corridor.
For outdoor recreation, Liberty State Park offers a green oasis in the middle of the metropolis with more than 1,200 acres of open space, a two-mile waterfront promenade, an outdoor performance area, and a restaurant with sweeping views of the Hudson River, Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty. The park also offers a full-service marina, ferry service to Manhattan, charter boat excursions and maritime sightseeing tours. Also anchoring the neighborhood is the Liberty Science Center with its ever-evolving interactive museum experience, and future SciTech Scity.
