Jersey City Zoning Board Meeting Summary – September 23, 2026

The Jersey City Zoning Board held an in-person meeting on September 23, 2026, with five board members present. The board unanimously approved two applications—an amended project at 577 Jackson Avenue and a new one-family dwelling at 285.5 Third Street—and adopted several resolutions memorializing prior votes.

Administrative Matters

• The chair announced that notice of the meeting was posted with the city clerk in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
• Roll call showed five commissioners present, establishing a quorum; staff members were sworn in.
• The board announced that new cases will not be heard after 10 p.m.; if a case cannot be reached by then, it will be carried to the next regularly scheduled meeting with preservation of notice.
• Two cases were carried to the October 1 zoning board meeting at the applicants' request: Z2026-0046 for 2 Hoboken Avenue and Z2026-0025 for 240 Fremont Avenue.

Case Z2026-0037: 577 Jackson Avenue

• Applicant's counsel described the request as an amendment to a 28-unit building approved by the board in 2019 with use and height variances; the building is currently under construction.
• The amendment reduces the parking supply from 23 to 21 spaces, changing the parking ratio from 0.82 to 0.75 spaces per unit.
• The applicant testified that the change was driven by a pre-existing encroachment from the adjacent wood-frame structure discovered after demolition. The rear garage wall had to be moved in approximately 6–8 inches, causing the loss of two parking spaces, but the applicant stated the revised garage layout is safer and easier to navigate and allowed space for a sprinkler valve.
• Other amendments included adding a trash chute, enlarging the lobby and package room, adding an elevator lobby/area of refuge required by updated code, and changing some facade materials from aluminum composite panels to Hardie cement panels and cementitious stucco.
• The applicant argued the loss of parking is acceptable because the project has eight studio units and the wall movement was a hardship related to protecting the adjacent property.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Tiffany Taylor, a volunteer intern with the Ward F office, said the office accepts the proposal, has no opposition, and would like more developers to present their projects in a similar manner.

Case Z2025-0081: 285.5 Third Street

• Applicant's counsel said prior 2019 approvals for a two-family, four-story building had lapsed. The new request is for a one-family, three-story dwelling in the historic H District.
• The lot is severely undersized: 14.2 feet wide by 52 feet deep, totaling approximately 738.4 square feet, compared with a typical lot of about 1,800 square feet.
• Two C variances were requested: a 9.5-foot rear yard setback instead of the required 30 feet, and 72.4% building coverage instead of the required 60%.
• The property is in the AE flood zone, requiring the building to be elevated 3 feet 2 inches. The top of the building is 32 feet 2 inches, and no height variance is requested.
• The Historic Preservation Commission issued a certificate of appropriateness, application number H25494, dated August 17, 2026, and revised plans incorporated HPC comments.
• Planning witnesses testified that the variances satisfy C1 hardship criteria because the lot is unusually small, narrow, and shallow. They stated the proposal would replace a 100% impervious driveway with a home, pervious rear pavers, landscaping, and a 100-square-foot green roof, reducing impervious coverage and closing the curb cut.
• The proposed building footprint is 535 square feet and includes a private roof deck of approximately 270 square feet.
• Staff recommended approval subject to conditions in the staff memo dated September 2, 2026; the applicant agreed to comply.
• In response to commissioner questions, the applicant stated that the rear basement windows will remain and will have privacy landscaping, the front basement windows will be covered; the single-family building will not be sprinklered, but side walls will be two-hour-rated; total floor area is approximately 1,614 square feet; and construction will use platform framing with tilt-up methods because the site is so narrow.

Resolutions and Memorializations

• The board adopted an administrative resolution memorializing its August 6 voice vote to resume in-person meetings.
• The board voted to memorialize an earlier approval in case Z2026-0029, an extension-of-time matter, described as passing with seven in favor and none opposed.
• The board voted to memorialize the August 6 denial of a minor site plan with C variances at 82/84 Cole Street. That motion had failed 1–5, with Vice Chair Arroyo in favor and five commissioners opposed.
• The board voted to memorialize the August 6 approval of preliminary and final major site plan approval with a use variance and bulk variances for 12–14 and 16 Harmon Street, case Z2025-0023, which passed seven in favor and none opposed.

Key Outcomes

• Case Z2026-0037 (577 Jackson Avenue) was approved unanimously, 5–0.
• Case Z2025-0081 (285.5 Third Street) was approved unanimously, 5–0.
• All memorializing resolutions were adopted by voice vote.
• The meeting was adjourned to the October 1 zoning board meeting.