Perth Amboy Approves $200 Million Waterfront Redevelopment Plan

602 Housing Units Approved on Arthur Kill

PERTH AMBOY – January 13, 2026 – The Perth Amboy Planning Board has approved a $200 million plan to clean up a blighted, brownfield site and create a vibrant waterfront neighborhood, to be known as “Sea Gate.”

Kushner Companies has approval to build 602 market-rate rental units in five buildings.

The project is filled with many public amenities funded by the redeveloper, such as a waterfront, tree-lined esplanade stretching from Front Street to the bulkhead at Washington Street, as well as a playground, landscaped plazas and dog park for public use.

“We have been working closely with the redeveloper to create the type of plan that can benefit the entire Perth Amboy community, not just the residents of Sea Gate,” said Mayor Helmin Caba. “We are directly addressing unused, under-taxed waterfront property and creating the type of development that will benefit Perth Amboy for years to come.”

Under the agreement, the redeveloper will pay the city about $1.2 million annually as part of a long-term “payment in lieu of taxes” agreement. City officials note the redevelopment area now generates only about $113,000 a year in net revenue – a key driver for this plan.

The redeveloper is purchasing properties from the city for $4.6 million; the plan will include parcels on Front, Commerce, Rector, Broad, High and Fayette streets, explained Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Tashi Vazquez.

Kushner Companies will also be contributing $1 million to Perth Amboy for the construction or rehabilitation of affordable residential units, she added.

As part of the agreement, the plan includes a memorial to Thomas Mundy Peterson, a city resident who was the first African American to vote in an election following the ratification of the 15^th Amendment. His vote was cast on March 31, 1870.

As part of the state-mandated redevelopment process, an archeological review is planned to ascertain if property needs to be preserved for historical significance, in concert with state and city historians, as well as the redeveloper’s consultants.

“This site has long presented environmental conditions that limited its use,” Vazquez said. “Through the redevelopment process, the City is addressing those challenges and expanding public access to the waterfront.”

The 15.75-acre redevelopment area, with landscaping, streetscape improvements and lighting funded by the developer, will include 909 parking spaces. The project, with one- and two-bedroom units, is expected to be constructed over a three-year period.