BRS Projects

Canal Crossing Redevelopment Area

BRS prepared the successful application for one of only 14 Housing and Urban Development (HUD)/Department of Transportation (DOT) combination planning grants awarded in 2010. JCRA was awarded over $2.2 million for planning efforts for the 111-acre Canal Crossing Redevelopment Area.

History

Surrounded by a residential population with high unemployment and high poverty rates, Jersey City’s revitalization had been hampered by outdated infrastructure, large tracts of contaminated industrial lands, a road system that fails to provide sufficient linkages for pedestrian access to the region’s regional rail networks, and a lack of open space amenities. However, this 111-acre dead zone in the midst of a thriving urban area also represented an opportunity to transform an entire neighborhood into a livable and sustainable community. JCRA, the City of Jersey City, and other stakeholders from the community collaborated to envision Canal Crossing’s next large-scale reincarnation: that of a predominantly mixed-income residential, intermodal, transit-oriented community with access to significant open space amenities. Grant funds were used to conduct a light rail stop feasibility study; stormwater, water, and sewer infrastructure planning, and open space design and community involvement in accordance with the Federal Livability Principles.

BRS’s role:

• Prepared and submitted the winning HUD Community Challenge Planning Grant/DOT Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) II Planning Grant application;
• Handled grant administration and managed the project;
• Prepared the HUD and the DOT work plans;
• Assisted with NEPA compliance;
• Prepared and submitted the project logic model;
• Conducted public outreach to the existing property owners;
• Prepared funding drawdowns via the LOCC;
• Assisted with all aspects of budget management to include JCRA and city in-kind contributions and contractor invoices; and
• Fulfilled all separate DOT and HUD cooperative agreement reporting requirements to include the SF PPR, SF 425, the OSHC Financial Report, and Form HUD 60002.

To read a white paper (A Framework for Land Readjustment and Equitable Redevelopment at the Canal Crossing Redevelopment Area and Case Study) that BRS, Inc. prepared about this project, click here.

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