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Mixed-Use Development Approved for B’nai Jacob Site in Jersey City

The path has been cleared to redevelop a Jersey City building that had been home to a religious congregation, as a large property along West Side Avenue is slated for a major overhaul.

During their March 21 meeting, Jersey City’s planning board voted 5-2 to approve an application to revamp 176 West Side Avenue. The land, which stretches all the way to Fulton Avenue and sits across from a baseball field, is still owned by the now-shuttered Congregation B’nai Jacob despite closing their facility late last year.

The former sanctuary’s stained-glass windows have already been installed at Temple B’nai Shalom in West Orange and a letter the congregation submitted to the city noted that the modest brick building has “no known significant architectural or historic features concerning the building or site.”

Redevelopment plans were submitted by 176 Westside Avenue Development LLC, an entity associated with Parsippany-based Rappaport Properties. The project, designed by Jarmel Kizel Architects and Engineers PC, consists of a five-story mixed-use building set to rise 55 feet along almost half a block.

The new version of 176 West Side Avenue is slated to include 67 residences and triggers Jersey City’s Inclusionary Zoning ordinance. As a result, ten affordable units will be included in the project, with five set aside for low-income applicants and the other five designated for those with moderate incomes.

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JC Digs