Perth Amboy Approves $200M Waterfront Plan With 602 Apartments and Public Spaces

Perth Amboy's planning board greenlit a $200 million waterfront project on Jan. 13. The massive undertaking will transform a contaminated brownfield site into 602 rental apartments for market-rate tenants.

Kushner Companies plans to construct five buildings over three years. The new district will be called Sea Gate.

The 15.75-acre property will feature a waterfront esplanade stretching from Front Street to the bulkhead at Washington Street. Public amenities include a playground, landscaped plazas, and a dog park — all accessible to everyone, not just residents. Kushner Companies will fund streetscape improvements, landscaping work, and lighting installation.

"We have been working closely with the redeveloper to create the type of plan that can benefit the entire Perth Amboy community, not just the residents of Sea Gate," Mayor Helmin Caba said, according to the Daily Voice.

The developer purchased city-owned land for $4.6 million. These parcels sit on Front, Commerce, Rector, Broad, High, and Fayette Streets.

Annual payments will reach about $1.2 million under a long-term payment in lieu of taxes agreement. That's a huge jump from the current $113,000 in yearly tax revenue the area brings in now.

Kushner Companies will contribute $1 million toward building or fixing up affordable housing units in Perth Amboy. The project also honors Thomas Mundy Peterson with a memorial — he was the first African American to cast a vote in an election after the 15th Amendment was ratified on March 31, 1870.

"This site has long presented environmental conditions that limited its use," Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Tashi Vazquez said. "Through the redevelopment process, the city is addressing those challenges and expanding public access to the waterfront."

An archeological review will determine whether any structures or areas require preservation. State and city historians will collaborate with the developer's consultants during this assessment, which is required under state redevelopment law.

One- and two-bedroom apartments will fill the five buildings. Parking? There will be 909 spaces for residents and guests.