Upgrade for the Hackensack River
The SWA Group/Perkins Eastman’s Bayfront Redevelopment Open Space Master Plan has been approved for construction in Jersey City, USA.
The project will feature 8,000 residential units, 340,000 square feet of commercial programming, 19 acres of public open space, a publicly-accessible waterfront, and a transportation hub including a water taxi service and light rail.
A much needed upgrade for a formerly contaminated, 40-hectare site on Jersey City’s Hackensack River has been approved.
SWA Group says the plan, “represents a paradigm shift towards more sustainable, resilient, and equitable local development,” and would, “act as a catalyst for the economic revitalisation of Jersey City’s underserved Westside and reconnect its diverse upland neighbours to the largely inaccessible Hackensack riverfront.”
Two linear parks will provide green connections between upland neighbourhoods and the riverfront. Central Park serves as a primary access corridor, with a pedestrian and cycle bridge at its east end that spans over Route 440. It features protected cycleways, meandering trails, sports courts, a playscape, adult fitness field, multi-use field, and additional play lawn.
SWA Group says the plan, “represents a paradigm shift towards more sustainable, resilient, and equitable local development.”
Promenade Park, on the other hand, is designed for more passive programming to serve the residential district. It includes both meadows and a length of gardens planted with native landscaping. Both parks sit atop engineered caps that isolate chromium-contaminated soil and prevent seepage into the water table.
The parks are designed to provide a continuous experience across park blocks, while also complying with strict loading and soil depth limitations that protect the cap system below. They connect to the waterfront from the city streets, running past new housing blocks in lanes.
SWA says the development would act as a catalyst for the economic revitalisation of Jersey City’s underserved Westside.
SWA Group describe the half mile Waterfront Park as the plan’s centrepiece, connecting with the Hackensack River and holing the Point, a plaza with public amenities. It will be anchored by piers and docks, and new marshlands that absorb rising tides, improve water quality and provide a riparian habitat.
Their planning process involved extensive stakeholder engagement with several community groups including the citizens Bayfront Advisory Committee, and multiple city and state agencies.
Currently, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency has reached an agreement with two private developers to begin the first phase of the Bayfront Redevelopment, which will include four development parcels totalling 16 acres, including two blocks of Promenade Park.
The plan aims to reconnect the site’s diverse upland neighbours to the largely inaccessible Hackensack riverfront.