In just two months, Jersey City plans to open its City Hall annex on Martin Luther King Drive, a $20 million project that the Fulop administration hopes will help revive an area of the city in need of an economic jolt.

The annex, located in a 45,000-square-foot building at the Hub shopping center, will house offices for the city's health, planning, zoning and landlord-tenant relations departments. The three-story building is emblazoned with quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. One of them reads, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

Mayor Steve Fulop has touted the annex and Berry Lane Park as two of his administration's major initiatives for the city's south side. On a recent tour of the annex, Fulop said the influx of 200 to 300 city workers daily will attract more retail stores, coffee shops and restaurants. He also said moving the planning and zoning departments here -- they currently work out of a waterfront high-rise -- will bring real-estate developers to Martin Luther King Drive.

"A lot of people are going to see this part of the city, and hopefully invest as well," he said.

The building is a project of developer Brandywine, which also manages the Hub. Brandywine is building the annex and leasing it to the city, which will pay $36 million in rent over 20 years. After that, the city will own the building.

The ribbon cutting for the annex is scheduled for late October, just before Fulop faces voters in the mayor's race (Fulop is seeking a second term). The initial opening date was February 2018.

Eric Moore, Brandywine's president, called the pace of construction "unheard of." The groundbreaking was in July 2016. Moore also singled out praise for project subcontractor Bees Construction, a minority-owned business based on Ocean Avenue.

"They're building in our community, which is what we've been fighting for a long time," Bees Construction owner Bernard Shivers told The Jersey Journal.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.