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The basics:

• Perth Amboy planning board approves Kushner Cos.‘ $200M Sea Gate project
• Five-building waterfront redevelopment will add 602 apartments
• Project includes 35-year PILOT generating about $1.2M annually
• Agreement includes historic memorial, archeological review, public improvements

More than 600 market-rate apartments will officially rise along the shoreline of the Arthur Kill in Perth Amboy, following approval for Kushner Cos.’ Sea Gate proposal.

The Perth Amboy Planning Board said Jan. 13 it approved a $200 million plan to transform a brownfield site into a new waterfront neighborhood. The five-building project will add 602 residential units to the Middlesex County municipality.

The city’s redevelopment agency announced the plan from the New York-based Kushner last February.

An application from Kushner affiliate Perth A Urban Renewal received unanimous approval during a Jan. 7 planning board meeting, MyCentralJersey.com reported. According to an agenda for the meeting, the city council had requested a review of amendments to the city’s Focus 2020 Redevelopment Plan.

The plan includes a 35-year payment in lieu of taxes, approved last year. Under the PILOT, the city will receive approximately $1.2 million annually. According to city officials, the redevelopment area currently generates about $113,000 a year in net revenue.

The redeveloper will purchase the 15.75-acre redevelopment area properties for $4.6 million. The plan includes parcels on Front, Commerce, Rector, Broad, High and Fayette Streets, according to Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Tashi Vazquez. Kushner will also contribute $1 million for the construction or rehabilitation of affordable residential units in Perth Amboy, Vazquez added.

Big picture

The Sea Gate proposal has faced some local resistance, with concerns regarding the loss of historic properties, and effects on the school system and parking. Last year, the NAACP of Perth Amboy launched a petition to grant access to explore the homesite of Thomas Mundy Peterson, located within the designated plot. Peterson holds distinction as the first African American to vote in the U.S. under the 15th Amendment.

According to the latest announcement, the new agreement includes a memorial to Peterson. Additionally, the city said an archeological review is planned, as part of the state-mandated redevelopment process, to assess if properties should be preserved for historical significance.

Sea Gate will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Along with housing, the project will introduce landscaping, streetscape improvements and lighting, funded by the developer, the city said. It will include upwards of 900 parking spaces. MyCentralJersey reported applicant representatives indicated parking would come at an additional cost to tenants.

“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,” commented Mayor Helmin Caba. “We are directly addressing unused, under-taxed waterfront property and creating the type of development that will benefit Perth Amboy for years to come.”