The New jersey Transit (NJ Transit) Board is advancing three transit-oriented development (TOD) projects in Jersey City, Bound Brook and Morristown to further New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s Housing Strategy and NJ Transit's LAND Plan. When complete, the projects are projected to deliver more than 1,000 new homes, including hundreds of affordable and workforce homes.

“You can’t make New Jersey more affordable without making housing more affordable," Sherrill said. "That’s why the Housing Strategy I released in September calls for putting state-owned property to work and building more homes near transit. These projects in Jersey City, Bound Brook and Morristown advance that commitment, creating more housing choices near jobs and revitalizing our downtowns. Working with NJ Transit and our local partners, we’re building communities where young people can put down roots, families can grow and seniors can afford to stay.”

NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri says all three TOD projects are "critical to creating walkable, livable and vibrant communities in New Jersey while at the same time providing a meaningful source of non-farebox revenue to NJ Transit." 

Jersey City

In Jersey City, the agency issued a request for qualifications/proposals from developers interested in developing approximately 11 acres of agency-owned land adjacent to the Liberty State Park Light Rail station in Jersey City across Communipaw Avenue.

“Jersey City has an important role to play in advancing the broader housing goals of the state of New Jersey, and we welcome opportunities to work with NJ Transit to ensure that projects like the Liberty State Park HBLR lot contribute to the future of our city and state,” said Jersey City Mayor James Solomon. “As we move forward, we remain committed to pursuing development that expands access to affordable housing, supports our residents and creates lasting benefits for our communities. We look forward to continuing our partnership with NJ Transit to help deliver housing opportunities that work for Jersey City residents."

The project, advanced in collaboration with Jersey City and the local community, is envisioned as a mixed-use, mixed-income development, creating a vibrant station area with retail, public spaces and rental apartment homes with at least 20% designated affordable housing and 10% workforce housing. The project is expected to maximize access to the light-rail station, providing exceptional facilities ensuring safe, convenient access for all, including commuter parking and integration with the city’s sidewalk and bicycle network.

Bound Brook

As part of its unsolicited request for development (URD) program, where the agency enters strategic partnerships to realize compelling initiatives it could not otherwise advance independently, NJ Transit says it expects its development partner, Capodagli Property Company, to begin construction next year on property assembled by the parties called The Meridia Downtown Project at the Bound Brook Station on the Raritan Valley Line. The mixed-use project will feature 218 apartments, a common amenity space sitting atop 3,600 square feet of ground floor retail space and a structured parking facility to support station area infill development and Bound Brook’s central business district.

“Six years after the tragic fire that devastated our borough, it's exciting to finally have this project moving forward,” said Bound Brook Mayor Dominic Longo. “It will go a long way to solving our parking issue, as well as bring additional residents to help with our downtown revitalization."

Morristown

Last month, also as part of its growing URD program, NJ Transit and V Fee Lafayette Realty, LLC executed an exclusive negotiation agreement (ENA) to develop two parcels of land adjacent to the Morristown train station. The parties will now collaborate with the town of Morristown, N.J., to finalize the development program, which will potentially include Class A office space, multi-family residential, ground floor retail, parking and supporting uses. The ENA allows pre-development planning, community engagement and necessary due diligence to proceed.

“For too long, Morristown’s landmark train station was a park-and-ride island, not a center of activity. That’s finally changing,” said Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty. “Roughly $250 million in transit-oriented development is now underway. We appreciate NJ Transit's work freeing up excess property for reinvestment, and we see real opportunity ahead to partner on the stewardship and beautification the station area deserves. Morristown is helping turn this cut-through into a vibrant neighborhood, and we welcome NJ TRANSIT alongside us.”