“This will be one of the most exciting projects ever built in this area,” says Applied's David Barry. “It will have state-wide, if not national significance.”

The site is between the Harrison PATH station and the Passaic River, and plans call for a first phase of two four- and seven-story buildings with 477 rental apartments atop 35,000 sf of retail and a five-story parking garage. Phase two will have a four-story building with 250 residential units over 15,000 sf of retail and the rest will come on line in the three subsequent phases.

Plans call for a series of streetscapes, waterfront parks and an improved street network. As part of the development plan, primary thoroughfares Middlesex Street and Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard will be widened with new landscaped islands and Middlesex will be extended to the river to create waterfront access.

Harrison Commons is being designed by planners Torti Gallas and Partners and Minno & Wasko Architects. The overall architectural theme for the mix of four- to 15-story buildings is described by the designers as, “a modern take on the late-19th century style” found in neighboring cities Hoboken, Jersey City and Newark.

Pegasus, Applied and Canyon Johnson are the site's designated redeveloper by the Harrison Redevelopment Agency. The project is part of a larger redevelopment plan by officials of this city of 50,000 residents that includes Advance Realty Group's MetroCentre project.