Kushner Real Estate Group isn’t walking away from the Artwalk Towers in Jersey City’s Journal Square neighborhood, but it is abandoning one of the more notable components of the project.
The developer will replace the space at 808 Pavonia Avenue that was earmarked for a museum, Gothamist reported. Jersey City Mayor James Solomon claimed that the previous administration, led by Steve Fulop, left them “with no financially responsible way to move forward” with the museum concept.
Affordable housing and community space will be slid into where the outpost for Centre Pompidou — the iconic Paris modern art museum — was supposed to be. Specifics on that replacement, such as the number of housing units, were not disclosed.
“We want what is best for the neighborhood and all of Jersey City and reimagining this project as affordable housing pushes forward our long-term dedication to building a better Jersey City,” Jonathan Kushner said.
The Pompidou space was initially sited for the Pathside Building in Journal Square when it was announced in 2021. Political support declined, however, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority pulled state funding in 2024, leading to its relocation to Artwalk Towers.
The Jersey City Council approved a 30-year tax abatement for the museum that same year, though then-Council member Solomon voted against the plan.
KRE received approval for the project from the Jersey City Planning Board in October 2022. The two-acre site is across from the Journal Square PATH Station and behind the historic Loew’s Jersey Theatre.
In November 2024, Kennedy Wilson provided $175 million in construction financing for the beginning of Artwalk Towers, financing that only applied to the first of two buildings going up in the development, or 595 units of the broader 1,189-unit project.
The first phase of the development will stand 49 stories tall, featuring units ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments. Planned amenities include a gym, coworking spaces and a rooftop with a pool and sundeck. There will also be a gallery with 6,000 square feet of commercial space.
Handel Architects is designing the luxury development, which is expected to have its first phase completed next year. The 55-story adjacent building is expected to begin construction after.
— Holden Walter-Warner
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