NJ Transit pushes 1,000 new homes near train stations in three towns

NJ Transit, New Jersey's statewide public transportation corporation, is advancing three transit-oriented development projects in Jersey City, Bound Brook, and Morristown. When complete, the projects are projected to provide more than 1,000 new homes, including hundreds of affordable and workforce apartments. The projects also represent a reinvestment in the state's infrastructure while driving new revenue to the Transit agency and municipal partners.

According to ROI-NJ, the announcement represents another step in Governor Mikie Sherrill's housing strategy to address affordability and production through the agency's LAND plan. The Transit agency issued a request for qualifications and proposals from developers interested in building on 11 acres of agency-owned land adjacent to the Liberty State Park Light Rail station in Jersey City across Communipaw Avenue.

That project is envisioned as a mixed-use, mixed-income development with retail, public spaces, and rental apartments, with at least 20 percent designated affordable housing and 10 percent workforce housing. Meanwhile, the agency expects its development partner, Capodagli Property Company, to begin construction next year on the Meridia Downtown Project at the Bound Brook Station on the Raritan Valley Line.

That mixed-use project will feature 218 apartments, common amenity space, 3,600 square feet of ground floor retail space, and a structured parking facility. Last month, the agency and V Fee Lafayette Realty LLC executed an exclusive negotiation agreement to develop two parcels of land adjacent to the Morristown train station.

Those parties will collaborate with the town to finalize a program potentially including office space, multi-family residential, ground floor retail, and parking. The agreements allow pre-development planning, community engagement, and necessary due diligence to proceed across all three locations. State officials say the projects will help revitalize downtowns and create housing choices near jobs.