Hudson County Community College Prepares to Begin Site Work for New Tower Facility in Spring 2023
November 7, 2022
HCCC soliciting bids for the 11-story building in Journal Square.
November 7, 2022, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Board of Trustees Chair, William J. Netchert, Esq., announced that the College plans to begin accepting bids for the construction of a new, 11-story, 153,186 square-foot academic tower facility in the Journal Square section of Jersey City.
“Urban college campuses such as ours require special considerations for students and neighbors in the surrounding community,” Mr. Netchert stated. “This new tower will substantially accommodate those needs.”
The mixed-use academic tower will be constructed on an existing, HCCC-owned parking lot located between Enos Place and Jones Street in the heart of Journal Square. It will replace a handful of the College’s segregated, aging buildings along Sip Avenue from Jones Street to Tonnelle Avenue, and consolidate programs and services provided in those buildings.
Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise said the County has been a partner on the complete development of HCCC and has committed $35 million to help bring this project to fruition.
Pictured here, an aerial-view rendering of Hudson County Community College’s 11-story, 153,186 square-foot academic tower facility that will be constructed in the Journal Square section of Jersey City, NJ.
“We value our ongoing partnership with Hudson County Community College and its continued growth in the many ways it benefits our residents and assists in the County’s economic growth and development,” County Executive DeGise stated. “Among my proudest accomplishments over the last 20 years has been the expansion of our College and its facilities.”
Dr. Christopher Reber, HCCC President, said that the new tower facility is the culmination of the HCCC Facilities Master Plan. “The vision established by our Board of Trustees is for this building to create a central, vertical, technologically advanced urban campus in the heart of Journal Square,” he stated. “The new tower will enhance the overall quality of the academic experience for our students and serve our community in new and exciting ways.”
Situated just a block from the Journal Square PATH Transportation Center, the new academic tower will include 24 state-of-the-art classrooms; expanded spaces for student services; expanded and centralized offices for Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD); a full-size National College Athletic Association (NCAA) gymnasium and fitness center; University Center for sister colleges and partners to offer baccalaureate instruction at HCCC; a new CEWD healthcare lab; exercise science lab; black box theater; student common areas; and administrative offices, among others.
According to Dr. Nicholas Chiaravalloti, HCCC Vice President for External Affairs and Senior Counsel to the President, the new HCCC academic tower will continue the technological progress of the College. “This building is designed – and will be constructed – for maximum efficiency, and the care, comfort, safety, and benefit of our students and our community.”
Dr. Chiaravalloti noted that over the years the College received several awards for its from-the-ground-up building projects. These include New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) “New Good Neighbor” awards recognizing economic benefit/job creation, architectural merit, and community involvement in 2009 for the HCCC Culinary Conference Center; in 2012 for the North Hudson Higher Education Center; and in 2015 for the Gabert Library. HCCC buildings were also recognized with the Hudson County Planning Board 2010 Smart Growth Gold Award for the Culinary Conference Center, and 2015 Green Emerald Award for Urban Green Projects for the Gabert Library.
In addition to the County’s funding, Chairman Netchert said HCCC has applied to the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) for funding from the Higher Education Facilities Trust Fund (HEFT) to cover the CEWD classrooms, health laboratory, offices, as well as learning laboratory and classrooms; Higher Education Technology Infrastructure (HETI) fund for technology infrastructure; and Higher Education Equipment Leasing Fund (ELF) for the Fitness/Wellness Center and Fitness Laboratory. “We have responded to the most recent OSHE process and submitted applications valued at over $18 million,” added Netchert.
“HCCC has long been one of New Jersey’s best kept secrets,” Mr. Netchert stated. “The construction and utilization of this tower will bring visibility to the life-changing benefits of higher education and will be another point of pride for our students and the people of the County.”