Harrison Redevelopment

[tbal]

I thought it would be appropriate to start a new thread related to overall construction in Harrison, to include all redevelopment from Harrison Commons to the new PATH station (I felt like the title of the old thread suggested a focus on the Red Bull Arena). I also feel that we are on the brink of many, many years of large-scale construction of new residential, hospitality, parking, public transportation, and other facilities, as well as an influx of new restaurants, retailers,and other businesses (and in the long-run the potential even for the re-opening of a NJ Transit train station and/or lightrail connection as the population increases and the town draws in sports enthusiasts and other tourists). With the first of several large buildings within Harrison Commons under construction and residential construction within the Riverbend District anticipated to start within the next 12 months, as well as the recent opening of Red Bull Arena, we are at a historic turning point in Harrison's history (think Newport in the late 1980's). I will start off with Building I of Harrison Commons and take it from there as new developments break ground.

You can see the first post I did related to construction re-starting at Harrison Commons here: http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showth...l=1#post333812

Here's a quick update on construction:

It looks like the new rig that was brought to the site last week is being used to drill holes for the pilings to be driven into:




Crushed stone is being spread across the street, perhaps to build the foundation of the building directly ontop of:




The site has been extremely busy with activity, as you might be able to tell based on the amount of heavy equipment present:

[tbal]

For the first time in 3 years, demolition has resumed to make way for future phases of Harrison Commons. They are razing the abandoned buildings just west of where Building I of Phase I is under construction. In other news, they are almost completely done with the pilings at Building I, and the forms to be used for creating the foundation have been delivered to the site. I'll try to get new pics tomorrow if the weather isn't too rainy. There has got to be far more money pouring into this site than any other residential construction site in Hudson County right now; the amount of equipment moving daily there is incredible.

Side Note: part of the Westbound PATH station building was recently reconstructed to match the appearance of the adjacent parking deck. It's looking pretty good. My sources at the PA tell me that reconstruction of the stairwell will begin within the next few months.

[Nexis4Jersey]

Good , when will all those Factories be torn down ? any timeline? And when will the New PATH station open.

[tbal]

Some of the factories will remain (i.e. the ones across the street from Harrison Commons and next to the PATH); these are planned to be converted to loft apartments. I'm not sure about the gutted factory buildings by Red Bull Arena though. As for the permanent new Harrison PATH Station, construction is to be completed within the next five years, but I'm not sure when construction will actually start (maybe in 2013?). Phase I design work was completed for the station, but the project was put on hold because a new budget needed to be worked out to factor in the cost of acquiring land for some of the station buildings (estimated to be tens of millions of $$).

[tbal]

Prep work for the foundation continues, as does work for connecting Harrison Commons into Harrison's utilities network. As I noted in a previous post, work with pilings is almost 100% complete:

(Eastern portion of site):


(Western portion of site):


The first parts of the building's foundation will be poured sometime within the next two weeks. You can see the shapes of these carved out of the site below:



Demolition of another building just west of the site of Building I took place earlier this week:



One last look at this site with it's rapid progress:

[tbal]

Some major work has taken place over the past two weeks. All the site prep work with pilings has been completed; the first foundations have been poured and the first walls are beginning to go up. The electrical service has been routed and the pistons for the hydraulic elevators have gone in. Pics below:

Hydraulic elevator pistons going in:


Overview of the eastern half of the site of Building I:


Electrical service has been installed:


A look at the forms set up for molding the foundation:


A look at the first foundation:

[stache]

I'm glad they're keeping some of the factories.

[Newarkguy]

Bravo to Red Bull and Harrison Commons.

• They started this project AFTER the RED BULL Metrocenter Riverbend project was well underway.
• Not only did they cath up,they have overtaken Harrison Metrocentre-Riverbend,because that is nothing more than 5 square blocks of wild tall grases and weeds, never getting past the street construction,while Harrison Commons is now in the concrete pouring phase.

This is the best news yet concerning major Newark Harrison redevelopment. I drive there everyday and also see the progress.

[tbal]

(Courtesy of The Observer Online):

Piles & piles of activity at Harrison Commons
By Ron Leir


The persistent “kerplonk, kerplonk” of a machine driving piles into the ground suggests that the Harrison Commons waterfront development project is something more than just a vague promise.

Indeed, co-developer Richard Miller confidently predicts, “We’ll be going vertical by the beginning or middle of October and we’ll have the first delivery of apartments by July 1, 2011.”

Late last month, the partnership of The Pegasus Group and Ironstate Development Co., both of Hoboken, closed on the purchase of a 2 ½-acre vacant tract of land, immediately north of the Hoboken Parking Center and fronting on Frank Rodgers Blvd. South, for about $6 million.

On that site, as part of the initial phase of the project, will rise a four-story apartment building with 275 units, along with 14,000 square feet of retail space, a health club and an outdoor pool.

AJD of Leonardo is the general contractor on the job.

Although the development team has yet to close on a construction loan, Miller said it “has commitments from U.S. Bank and PNC Bank” for financing.

Meanwhile, there’s a whole lot of pile-driving going on.

Linde-Griffith Construction Corp. of Newark, a subcontractor on the project, is in the process of driving “between 900 and 1,000” long, rounded, treated lumber columns 20 to 30 feet deep into the ground, along with pile caps – concrete blocks into which the piles are embedded to help distribute loads heavier than one pile can support (thank you, Wikipedia) – and all those elements are further reinforced by concrete grade beams.

“You take the weight and spread it out,” Miller said.

Every time that “kerplonk” is heard, it means the pile driver engine is exerting 30 tons of pressure to push the timber column deeper into the ground. Each of those exertions is called a “blow,” Miller said.

“On the average, it takes 40 blows to completely drive each pile,” he said, “so they should be doing five (piles) per hour.”

The pile-driving portion of the project should be done by mid-September.

Other infrastructure improvements are taking place at the site.

“Somerset St. has been repaved and S. Third St., from Middlesex St. to Burlington St., has been widened by three feet for easier access,” Miller said.

All the unsightly telephone poles along that stretch of S. Third St. will be coming down and all new utilities – electric, water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer lines – “will be going underground,” he said.

Some “environmental cleanup” remains to be done before the S. Third St. work can be completed, Miller said. In the meantime, though, “you can see a (street) grid starting to take shape.”

“We’re also going to have some plantings along Middlesex St.,” he said.

Of the 275 apartments planned, two-thirds will be one-bedroom units, 15% will be studios and the balance will be two-bedroom units.

Rental fees have yet to be announced.

[tbal]

Sorry for the lapse in coverage - there is plenty going on in Harrison; I've just been out of town alot lately. As you can see in the photos below (from Monday 11/1), the first two floors (and maybe the first three floors now) of the western half of Harrison Commons' Building I have gone up. The footings for the eastern half were being constructed as well, and I would suspect that this half of the building will see vertical construction begin within the next two weeks. Steel is being used in the lobby and I would expect it to be used in the construction of the first-floor retail along Frank E. Rodgers Blvd as well. Enjoy the photos:

Looking at the progress that has been made on the western half of the building:


Looking to the West:


The remaining footings are under construction on the eastern half of the site:


View to the Southwest:


Overview of the eastern half of the site, where infrastructure is going in:

[JCMAN320]

Lookin good Harrison!!

[tbal]

Looks like we have steel going up now for the retail section of the building along Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. I will try to post pics on Sunday afternoon - this building may not be tall, but it is MASSIVE! Looks like we're going to have a grand 20 ft slab-to-slab span on the first floor. This building is really starting to transform the PATH station area.

[Nexis4Jersey]

yea i saw it form the Train yesterday , it really went up and fast , i just hope they can do the rest of the site that fast...

[Newarkguy]

Put a smile on my face! Hooray Harrison.

[gianni1212]

thanks for the updates tbal...big help!