METRO'S ROLE:

Metro provided a variety of consulting services as part of a professional team working on the large-scale West Campus Master Plan.  The team was comprised of architects, real estate experts, civil engineers, environmental consultants, traffic engineers, and parking consultants.  

Metro was actively involved in the developer identification, solicitation and selection process, prepared a student and faculty housing feasibility analysis, and also studied the redevelopment prospects of two adjoining properties on the corner of West Side Avenue and Culver Avenue, adjacent to the western portion of the existing campus.

WEST CAMPUS MASTER PLAN

New Jersey City University’s vision is to join with the surrounding community and restore the urban fabric of Jersey City’s West Side. This goal is an outgrowth of the University’s mission and extends well beyond fulfilling the stated program of developing housing, retail, parking, and academic facilities. The project is an ambitious and long-term initiative that will provide an ideal place to live, work, shop and learn on the West Side of Jersey City. 

UNIVERSITY HOUSING FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS

Metro analyzed the financial feasibility of developing student and faculty housing on the West Campus and worked closely with KSS Architects in coming up with schematic drawings of the proposed site and building plans.  Metro was also responsible for financially analyzing the feasibility of a mix of student and faculty apartments, and market-rate condominiums above ground floor retail space in a five story multiple building configuration surround by a separate parking garage.  The mix of uses consisted of 64 two and three bedroom apartments, 40 two and three bedroom for-sale duplex condominium units and approximately 30,000 SF of ground floor retail space. 

WEST SIDE AVE. AND CULVER AVE. DEVELOPMENT STUDY

Metro studied another property for NJCU that contained a two-story masonry structure that was a former hardware store and lumber yard covering a majority of the site. The southeastern portion of the property contained a one-story masonry building that was formerly a fast food restaurant, and then converted to a video store, with a large paved parking lot.

The goal of this study was to formulate and determine the viability of a redevelopment program that focused on the greatest economic value consistent with university needs, surrounding land uses, market demand for various potential uses and the needs of the immediate and periphery neighborhoods.

The most feasible and recommended redevelopment program consisted of a mixed-use and mixed-income building with 44 residential units on three floors above 16,500 SF of retail on the ground floor at a development cost of approximately $13 million.

Renderings by KSS Architects LLP and LWDMR & Associates PC