$7M Revamp Of 'Restaurant Row' Area In Jersey City Is Complete

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop announced this week that years of improvements along Newark Avenue in downtown Jersey City — including creating a pedestrian plaza and luring new, unique restaurants — have been completed.

Fulop, town officials, and residents marked the event with a ribbon-cutting on Monday afternoon.

“In 2015, we had the vision to maximize this space by creating a pedestrian-friendly plaza and establishing a sought-after shopping and dining destination and overall economic driver that has since exceeded our expectations,” said Fulop.

The pilot program to create that plaza expanded and became permanent.

Since then, the city has been cited as a "next great foodie city" by Food & Wine Magazine. A release from the city referred to the area's Restaurant Row.

And new restaurants are coming. A Greek eatery opened this month.

“Today’s ribbon-cutting is the final piece to accomplishing a permanent, community-driven pedestrian mall that boosts local business, attracts investment, and, most importantly, establishes a premier location to foster community with various free public events throughout the year, weekly entertainment on the new concert stage, and daily foot traffic," Fulop said.

There were a total of $7 million in improvements within the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza to give “Restaurant Row” permanency, he said.

Permanent structures installed include:

• 24 new trees planted
• 20 planter boxes with shrubs and landscaping
• 14 large square planters with built-in seating under trees
• 30 recycling and garbage combination units
• 16 bike racks
• 40 benches

“Today marks the culmination of many years of hard work. The pedestrian mall has become a vital point in the area, and I couldn’t be happier,” said Rachel Sieg, Executive Director of the Historic Downtown Special Improvement District.

The Pedestrian Mall was first closed to vehicles in 2015 as a pilot program to limit traffic and create a pedestrian destination. The plaza was expanded to a second block in 2018.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the plaza was lengthened to Grove Street between Montgomery Street and Christopher Columbus Drive, as well as 1st Street and Newark Avenue. The expanded outdoor capacity helped restaurants and small businesses stay afloat and safely reopen sooner, the city said.