Dive Brief:

• Land-use consultancy Dresdner Robin has completed the $10 million first phase of environmental remediation at The Cove project in Jersey City, N.J., a joint venture between Argent Ventures and H&R REIT that was designed by Ennead Architects. Significant public infrastructure improvements will enable the construction of a live-work-play, mixed-use campus featuring residential, retail and life sciences laboratory components, according to a news release.
• The 18-acre parcel represents one of the largest development sites near downtown Jersey City, sitting adjacent to Liberty State Park with clear views of Manhattan. The site currently consists of vacant brownfields and is bisected by a tidal ditch that receives a combined sewer outfall. Dresdner Robin is providing environmental, civil engineering, surveying and planning services on the project, and has remained closely involved with the development for over a decade. 
• “This is not a typical redevelopment project; as a matter of fact, there is nothing typical about this project,” said Douglas Neumann, director of environmental services at Dresdner Robin, in the release. “It is without question the most complicated remedial project that I have been involved with.”

Dive Insight:

The Cove is a joint effort between Argent, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency and the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority to mitigate combined sewer overflows, provide tidal flood resiliency for a large portion of downtown Jersey City, conduct environmental remediation activities, and build a 2-acre public park and other infrastructure. Argent engaged Nancy J Kelley + Associates to conduct an extensive market study for the project.

Construction on the two-tower, mixed-use buildings is expected to commence in 2022. The next phase of activity includes a series of land-use permits that are expected to be submitted to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The next phase of the project, beginning later this year, will focus on infrastructure improvement design and permitting. Most of Jersey City relies on a combined sewer system, where sanitary sewage and storm runoff use the same pipes, which can become overwhelmed in rainstorms.

To improve water quality, a large subsurface overflow storage chamber is being designed. The chamber will be used to temporarily store discharges during significant precipitation events, which will then be pumped back into the system for treatment. Currently, discharges end up in the nearby marina basin and eventually the Hudson River.

“The sewer improvements are a crucial early component to The Cove and its eventual completion,” said Chris Collins, project manager at Dresdner Robin. “This type of storage is an effective mitigation method employed by other large cities and municipalities across the country — from New York City to Boston to Washington, D.C. It will be the first of its kind in Jersey City and will provide significant water quality benefits to the surrounding waterways.”

Other nearby revitalization efforts include a $10 million project from the New Jersey Department of Transportation extending Jersey Avenue into Liberty State Park, expected to be complete by February 2022, and the 32-story 88 Regent Street tower, which is also under construction.