Good news for Jersey City residents looking for another food market – one that hopefully brings shorter lines – to get their weekly groceries. Whole Foods will be opening in downtown Jersey City, as depicted by signage that recently went up and city officials giving the last clearance needed.
The organic retailer has posted a “coming soon” sign on the corner of Washington Street and Columbus Drive. Whole Foods will take up approximately 47,542 square feet of space, which had formerly been occupied by HopsScotch and Five Guys. In addition, the grocery store will also build its new Northeast headquarters in the 10-story building.
“We are very excited that Whole Foods Market selected Harborside for its future Jersey City store,” Mack-Cali Realty Corporation’s Senior Vice President of Communications, Deidre Crockett, said in a press release.
President of the land-use consultancy Dresdner Robin, Fred Worstell, stated further, “This development at Harborside introduces necessary retail space into Jersey City’s rapidly growing downtown, at a key transport hub.”
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While there’s currently no estimated date for the opening of Whole Foods – aside from talk of it being sometime in 2021 – it appears there’s progress and work being done on the new space that will occupy the first two floors of Harborside 4A and part of the parking deck that spans seven stories.
Bringing Whole Foods to Jersey City will sure cause just as much excitement to locals as did the Trader Joe’s that opened in Hoboken on Willow Avenue in May 2017.
This will be the second Whole Foods in Hudson County. The first location opened in Weehawken’s Lincoln Harbor in July 2019 and brought an abundance of fresh produce from over 50 local producers including D’Ottavio Farms, Hepworth Farms, and Ark Foods, as well as a local bakeries such as Balthazar Bakery, Abe Muffins, and Om Sweet Home.
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The Austin, Texas-based chain has been in talks to be built in Jersey City for more than a decade. It wasn’t until early 2019 when deals were confirmed by Mack-Cali Realty’s 2019 First Quarter report. Finally, just last month the City Council passed resolutions that involve “parking and other issues including converting Pearl Street Between Washington and Greene streets into a one-way road in order to accommodate deliveries,” as reported by TAPinto.
“Jersey City has been anticipating the arrival of Whole Foods Market, and our ability to creatively retrofit Harborside 4A will make that a reality,” Crockett added. “Dresdner Robin’s survey informs the overall reconfiguration of the building, and their work securing approvals has allowed development to proceed.”
Upon opening, Whole Foods Jersey City will bring an estimated 400 jobs to the area.
