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A proposal to turn a portion of West Side Avenue into a restaurant row is set to go before the City Council this week.

(Jonathan Lin | The Jersey Journal)

A proposal to restructure the zoning along Jersey City's West Side Avenue to create a restaurant row on the commercial thoroughfare is set to go before the City Council this week.

An ordinance, which will be introduced on first reading at the City Council's meeting Wednesday, will add a roughly one-mile stretch of West Side Avenue to the city's Restaurant Overlay Zone (ROZ). The ROZ is an alternative-zoning category meant to encourage the creation of sit-down and take-out restaurants in order to increase economic activity, draw pedestrian traffic, and revitalize commercial corridors.

"Longtime residents of Ward B will recall that West Side Avenue was once home to numerous restaurants: Ilvento's, Jules, the Family Tree, the list goes on. They are all gone," Ward B Councilman John Hallanan said in a press release announcing the proposal.

"This restaurant overlay legislation which I am proposing will incentivize new restaurants to open along this vital business corridor in the heart of Ward B and inject some much needed street life to the area," Hallanan added.

By easing the zoning restrictions on restaurants along West Side Avenue, city officials say business and, ultimately, job growth can be spurred in the area.

"As Jersey City continues to grow, it has been a priority for my administration to ensure that that growth and prosperity is shared by residents all over this city," said Mayor Steve Fulop. "We have seen the benefits of Restaurant Row legislation in downtown and now we want to bring that opportunity to the west side of the city, which will benefit greatly from new restaurants, cafes, and the jobs and economic activity that come with it."

Since Fulop took office in 2013, the ROZ has been expanded to include additional parts of Downtown, the Heights, and the Junction at Communipaw Avenue and Grand Street in Ward F.

The 14 blocks where zoning requirements will be amended under the plan fall between Montgomery and Claremont streets. In addition to support from Fulop, the proposal has also earned the endorsement of the West Side Community Alliance.

"WSCA strongly supports this first step in an eventual restaurant row," said Jodi Drennan, President of the West Side Community Alliance. "As Jersey City's most diverse community, the possibility for great restaurants is really exciting. We have the best housing, the most beautiful park, and we look forward to boasting the City's best restaurants!"