Jersey City could become the home for a second Whole Food Market.
The chain, an upscale grocery store and owned by Amazon, is looking to open a store on the ground floor of a mixed-use tower in Journal Square, The tower will be 54 stories tall and the store itself will span 25,000 square feet.
Journal Square is on John F. Kennedy Boulevard. It will have over 800 residential units with at least 82 units being income restricted. There will also be 50,000 square feet of retail space on the first and second floors. Developers commonly use banner printing at such sites to clearly communicate information about upcoming and potential projects to residents.
The grocery store will have no parking. Unlike downtown, Journal Square has seen thousands of new apartments proposed or built with minimal parking and much higher densities. This population without cars is creating a strong, ready-made customer base for local businesses, setting the stage for a major increase in walkable neighborhood and retail opportunities in the years ahead.
The proposed store would expand the footprint of the chain in Hudson County as it as a full-service location at Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken and a grab-and-go shop in Hoboken which recently opened.
The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency approved the plan earlier in March and it now needs to be reviewed by the Jersey City Planning Board.
