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McGinley Square in Jersey City

The Jersey City Planning Board voted unanimously last night to recommend amending the McGinley Square East Rehabilitation Area plan to allow Saint Peter’s University to add 100 feet to its planned building there and to include a park in the plan.

“I feel for the people who came here and spoke tonight because, yes they will live in the shadow of this building,” said board member John Seborowski before voting yes. “I don’t know that it is in the best interest of the people who live there, but it sounds like it is a positive for the city.”

The proposed building, to be built across Montgomery Street from the Jersey City Armory, was originally to be 175 feet tall and 17 stories but Saint Peter’s now wants it to be 275 feet with 21 stories.

Numerous residents spoke against the amendment and said they had concerns about the project in general. A handful spoke in favor.

The board’s recommendation must go before the city council. If the council votes to amend, at some point Saint Peter’s will provide a site plan for the building to the planning board for approval. At that time, a far more extensive examination of the proposal will be undertaken, including traffic studies and other issues that will affect residents.

At street level, the building would have 45,000 square feet of retail space, including an organic supermarket, a bank and a fast-food restaurant and other stores. Inside would be a grand lobby for a 13-screen cinema on the second floor. The floors above would include areas of apartments and a dorm area. On the 20th floor would be two penthouse restaurants with 20-foot glass windows facing Manhattan. It would have a rooftop swimming pool, Saint Peters officials said.

The original proposal did not consider the cinema’s 32-foot-high ceiling and the penthouse restaurants’ 20-feet-tall ceilings.

Also, because the $220 million project will include the cost of building a 4-story underground parking deck with more than 700 parking spaces at a cost $40 million, some additional apartments will be added to offset the cost, Saint Peter’s officials said.

They also seek to include a park at the intersection of Montgomery Street and Bergen Avenue. An artist’s rendering of the park was shown, including a lawn, fountain in summer, ice skating rink in the winter.

“This project we are building and a companion project, the park, which the city is building, will be transformational for the area and then the rest of the area will fill in, as well as the corridor on Bergen to Journal Square,” said Michael Fazio, vice president for external affairs for Saint Peter’s, who called the university’s building “the anchor of the redevelopment.”

Resident Rigo Rodriguez cautioned board members, saying, “They have gone to great length to say this park is not part of this project. They are only using it as a selling point. They are not going to pay for it, support it, maintain it. I urge you not to consider the park at all as part of this.”

“They are not offering to enhance the infrastructure … what are they giving the community?” said Kara Hrabosky of the Duncan Avenue Neighborhood Association.

Numerous concerns were raised by residents, including an increase in density in an already crowded area and its impact on traffic, schools, residents and businesses already underserved by public transportation.