New Jersey & New York Construction Law Blog

New Jersey residents may have heard that a leading construction company in New York has been selected to lead the $400 million expansion of Resorts World Casino New York City. Plaza Construction will manage phase two of the expansion project underway in Jamaica, Queens. Resorts began building the casino expansion in July 2017, and construction is expected to stretch through 2020. The enlargement will add nearly 500,000 square feet to the gaming property, and the first portion of the new construction is scheduled to open in summer 2019.

The new construction will include a 400-room, 10-story hotel offering five-star suites and a grand entrance. In addition to the hotel accommodations themselves, the property will also include conference and meeting facilities, retail shops, restaurants and bars. There are approximately 1,000 construction workers employed in the building of the expanded casino property. Resorts officials describe the construction project as creating an "unrivaled entertainment and hospitality destination" that will include gaming as well as an array of dining and shopping facilities. Plaza Construction touted its experience building other large, luxurious hotels and high-end real estate.

Modular construction may be a growing trend in the market for new projects in New Jersey and New York. In a modular construction process, a building is constructed away from its final location inside a plant or other controlled facility. It is then assembled on site. While modular construction could present an array of benefits for busy, crowded city locations, it has run into difficulties in the past. Construction delays and other issues have plagued urban modular projects in recent years, including the tower project at Pacific Park in Brooklyn.

Modular construction has been touted as a way to boost construction of affordable housing projects, given the savings that developers can reap by using off-site construction. However, technical concerns have been an issue, as some taller modular projects require the construction of a steel frame on-site to provide stability and strength to the overall building. One 167-unit affordable housing project in East New York is slated for a modular approach. Thorobird Companies and Bangladeshi American Community Development and Youth Services proposed using the technique to construct the building, and their proposal was selected by the city government.

A collapsed retaining wall is the latest setback for a shopping center development in a New Jersey community that never wanted the project in the first place. The mayor of Parsippany said that the wall had not appeared on the building plan that the town approved. He said the builder, RD Management, would be held responsible for the unauthorized construction and its subsequent collapse during heavy rains.

Cleanup of the failed retaining wall will require the temporary closure of one lane of Route 46, the mayor said. Residents could expect traffic delays during rush hour. He expressed his gratitude that the collapse did not hurt anyone.

The state of New Jersey has decided to start 2019 with a bang by planning to spend more than $1.1 billion in construction, revitalizing the state's infrastructure. Furthermore, the New Jersey Department of Transportation has more than $500 million issued in construction contracts from the beginning of the year till March. Additionally, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority is issuing new construction contracts, the value of which are in excess of 600$ million. More than two-thirds of that money is going to new projects being designed.

According to the governor of New Jersey, these construction projects will improve the state's transportation infrastructure. In turn, this will act as an invitation to the business community to invest its money in the Garden State.