Liberty Harbor

When we start talking in my planning class about the timeline for new developments, many of the students don't seem convinced when I tell them that larger projects can take a couple of decades.

Well, after 24 years of planning, Liberty Harbor in Jersey City is finally going to have its first tenants in a few weeks.

"All finished surfaces, streetscapes, bluestone sidewalks and decorative pavings are being installed at this moment, so the project visually is really coming to life," he said.

The 80-acre Liberty Harbor - which will take a total of about 15 to 20 more years to fully complete - was heralded in the 1980s as a cross between New York's Greenwich Village and the Upper West Side. It was also hyped as the project that would lead the way in the redevelopment of the Downtown area.