A gas station at 425 Newark Street is envisioned to be the site of a new mixed-use development with larger residences. Image courtesy of Google Maps.
The southern entryway to the Mile Square City is undergoing a significant transformation and yet another development proposal with larger condos and retail space is slated to be heard by Hoboken’s Zoning Board.
A new plan has emerged for a large parcel of land at 425 Newark Street. Currently home to a gas station, the property sits next to the Hoboken Car Wash near the city’s southern border with Jersey City.
The property owners, Hoboken Service Center Incorporated, have filed an application for redevelopment. They’ve worked with Hoboken-based Nastasi Architects to develop a plan to demolish everything on site and build a 12-story mixed-use building with a glass-heavy design.
The 12-story development would utilize the property’s triangular shape. Rendering by Nastasi Architects.
The ground-floor retail space would span 450 square feet, plus a commercial patio at the corner of Newark Street and Observer Highway, proposed as a Class III restaurant. The remainder of the first and second floors would feature 12 semi-automated parking spaces.
Most of the remainder of the building would consist of nine residential units, all featuring four bedrooms. The trend toward larger residences in a condominium building follows a six-story development on First Street that gained approval earlier this year and consists exclusively of four- and five-bedroom units.
Perks for future residents include a second-floor amenity level with a lower roof deck in the front yard. The development’s 12th floor would feature an indoor amenity space and a common exterior roof deck with barbecue stations, gas grills, and more, along with green-roof trays.
The development would additionally feature a green roof. Residential access would be off Observer Highway, with parking garage entry via Observer Highway and egress onto Newark Street.
The development would require many variances to move forward. They include a deviation for a residential building not permitted in an Industrial-2 Zone; a taller building height (40 feet permitted while 132 feet is proposed); FAR greater than permitted; a density of nine units where 6.1 units are allowed; and a smaller lot than required.
Other deviations include 98% lot coverage where 60% is permitted, front, side, and rear yard setbacks less than required, aggregate coverage of rooftop appurtenance greater than permitted (10% permitted; 23.5 proposed), and providing less than 75% of masonry on the exterior.
Hoboken’s Zoning Board has historically been fairly strict, rejecting plans for a food hall, an Adams Street development, and a prominent Washington Street project in recent memory. They are slated to weigh in on the 425 Newark Street plan at their October 20 meeting, which begins at 7:00 pm and will be held inside City Hall at 94 Washington Street.