City planning staff on Dec. 8 asked the Municipal Council to authorize a planning-board preliminary investigation of parcels around Hudson County Plaza for possible designation as an area in need of redevelopment without the power of condemnation.

Planning staff said the county requested the designation and that the parcels under consideration include parking lots around Hudson County Plaza, the former PSE&G transformer site and sliver properties owned by the Port Authority that could tie the site together. Staff emphasized the sites are largely publicly owned and that the packet included a county letter asking the city to study residential redevelopment that would include a significant percentage of income-restricted and rent-capped units.

Council members asked whether the county had submitted a fully developed proposal with massing or unit counts; planning staff said no finalized redevelopment plan had been provided and that the council’s action would simply forward the county’s request to the planning board for study and review. The planning-board review will provide an opportunity for staff analysis and public outreach under the redevelopment process before any legislative action is taken.