The basics:

• West Side Square tops off 12-story residential tower
• Project includes 834 rentals, retail and public space
• Development aims to revitalize Jersey City‘s Marion neighborhood

West Side Square topped off its first residential tower in Jersey City last month.

The 12-story mixed-use building will introduce 834 rental residences, expected next summer. Along with project partners, a June 11 celebration drew out elected officials, city leaders, creative collaborators and community members for a unique introduction to the ambiance and aesthetic WSS seeks to establish. Work started in 2023.

The development aims to bring the space into the present – tapping into the activity throughout the city, and especially in nearby Journal Square, while also working to become a true part of the Marion neighborhood.

Additional features across the development reinforce that connection between the larger, existing community, West Side Square and its potential impact. At 800,000 square feet, WSS also includes ground-level retail along with open public spaces and accessibility to a potential PATH stop.

Collaborators on West Side Square include Lanterra Developments, Westdale Properties, Lantree Developments and Altree Developments. SOCO Construction provides construction management for the project, designed by MHS Architecture (formerly Marchetto Higgins Stieve).  

In the future, Phase 2 of West Side Square is slated to add a second rental tower. Plans call for it to rise from a podium that preserves the cultural heritage of the existing site. Between the two, a cobblestone piazza, pet-friendly amenities, a lobby café, restaurants and public art installations will come together to establish a destination, as well as connect to an existing one.  

Dream work

The ceremony took place in the shell of the Phase 1 building’s developing amenity deck. Just outside the floor-to-ceiling windowpanes, work continued.

When complete, residences surrounding the outdoor rec and relaxation space will open onto it directly. The area will include a resort-style inground pool and private cabanas. Inside, amenities include a screening theater and a dedicated podcast room.

Altree Developments President and CEO Zev Mandelbaum, Lantree Developments Principal and Vice President Raphael Mandelbaum, WSS Trustee Mitchell Cohen and WSS Chief Financial Officer Natalie Leibowitz offered remarks within the space.

Throughout, an emphasis on storytelling emerged: What has happened thus far to build to this point – both structures and relationships – as well as the future lore that residents will bring to the space themselves. 

“There are many, many pieces of this business that are beyond our controls. It’s up to God,” Raphael Mandelbaum said. “I don’t control cap rates, I don’t control interest rates, I don’t control tariffs. We don’t control any of that stuff. There’s one thing that we can control – one thing – and that is cooperation.” 

Speaking with NJBIZ at the event, Leibowitz said the project is fully funded from an equity perspective. Earlier at the site, she detailed the “very cool single purpose vehicle IPO on the Canadian stock exchange” – according to her, the first of its kind.

“It was a single perfect asset, closed the vehicle, no distribution built in throughout the endowment time period. So really revolutionary, really novel,” she said. In June, the project closed on a $169 million construction loan through Bravo Capital.

After beginning the morning at WSS, the gaggle took a short walk to Mana Contemporary for an introduction to the neighborhood. Additional attendees included a diverse mix of local entrepreneurs, artists and small business owners, reflecting the vibrant creative ecosystem that West Side Square is designed to support. 

Local influence

Located across 2 million square feet at 888 Newark Ave. in Jersey City, the large contemporary arts organization also has locations in Miami and Chicago.

Speaking on the front lawn, with West Side Square in the background, state Sen. Raj Mukherji, D-32nd District, and Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea joined representatives from WSS in delivering remarks. The visuals – and sentiments – focused on the synergy West Side Square seeks to foster. 

Zev Mandelbaum noted Mana Contemporary‘s scale and its significance in the context of WSS. “It creates a destination, it creates a culture, it creates a hub,” he said. Beyond its substantial footprint, he noted the space supports more than 200 working artists.

“The Arts district of New York and New Jersey is right here where we’re standing. And we are the cornerstone of that with the first major project. And our project will feature things that will add back to the community, not just a place for residents to live, but a place for the entire community to come,” Zev Mandelbaum added.

Catching up with NJBIZ at Mana following the ceremonies, he pointed across to WSS to highlight West Side Square’s potential impact and commitment to the neighborhood. “The idea here is connectivity,” he explained, blurring boundaries between Marion and Mana.

The project also includes physical representations to expand on that, like the proposed Marion PATH stop, as well as plans for an updated pedestrian bridge to take visitors, residents and others over the rail tracks that traverse the space between the proposed anchors.

“Our job, and what we’re trying to do, is create … this Piazza, this ‘West Side Square.’ What you see in the renderings becomes an animated community. Not the high scramble you see in Journal Square, but instead includes local coffee shops, local flavor.”

PATH forward

There was much attention paid to that prospective PATH station, the convenience of which was reinforced by the train’s passage during the topping-off ceremony. 

Speaking with NJBIZ, Leibowitz said the potential, and long sought, Marion PATH Station is approved — but not funded. West Side Square is set back 30 feet to accommodate the potential station. Should it come to fruition, it would essentially set up door-to-door service for West Side residents.

O’Dea, also a Jersey City mayoral candidate, used his time at Mana to focus on the PATH project and affirm his support for Phase 2 of WSS. On the former, he said the justification is there, all that’s needed is action. 

“And what Manna offers certainly justifies it, and the development that you have well underway and the additional units that you’re going to create make the case,” he said.

“[T]hat’ll be a win for everyone — a win for the people that are going to live here, a win for the thousands and thousands that come here each week to view the art and exhibitions that occur at this location,” O’Dea continued.

Even without the Marion PATH, options in Journal Square are a short walk away.

“Speaking as an urban planner,” Cohen described the WSS project as “a perfect example of city building.

“For years, the West Side and the Marion neighborhood, which is rich and steeped in history, in my opinion, has been overlooked and a lack of investment,” he said. “And finally, as you see across the way, the investments are starting.”

Mukherji highlighted the community benefits that kind of work can bring, leaning into the need to create more supply.

“And in addition to that, we need density to fight skyrocketing rents and soaring costs of home ownership,” he said. “Supply and density helps with stabilizing the cost of housing for our community, So in Jersey City, we welcome more supply, more inventory, particularly by responsible citizens.”

Bridging the gap

In late June, the Jersey City Planning Board cleared an application for 166 Van Wagenen Ave. in the Marion neighborhood. That project would stand 15 stories, comprised of 321 apartments with a 10% affordable housing component, Jersey City Digs reported. Like WSS, the project would also include a new public plaza.

Cohen stressed WSS’s planned piazza and open space, describing it as inclusive.

“It allows the people in the neighborhood to take advantage of what we are building; to grow, to prosper. So planning’s not just about setback and zoning, it’s about building a community where the residents can grow and thrive. Not just the new residents, but the old residents.” 

Cohen capped the ceremony with a champagne toast. After, guests were invited inside Mana Contemporary for private access to the Andy Warhol exhibit as well as other activities. See our slideshow above for more.

Leasing opportunities for the property will be available starting in spring 2026. 

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:13 p.m. ET on July 8, 2025, to correct the number of stories at West Side Square to 12.