1-5 MLK is a new 6-story 50-unit building at McAdoo Avenue with ground floor retail and parking. The project is at the southern end of the Jackson Hill Redevelopment area in Jersey City and as such anchors the plan while negotiating a gateway into the city from Bayonne, challenging the traditional separation created by the western extension of the NJ Turnpike and creating a building where there was once void. The project is the first large-scale new construction in this part of the southern area of the city. The 7,500 SF of retail promises to address the condition of “food-desert” seen along this part of the MLK corridor, a recurring comment from the community; whom unanimously supported the project. Formally, the project’s facade is sculpted to address the scale of the surrounding buildings while wholly engaging the large corner site. Outdoor space, in the form of triangular patios, help embellish the perspective reading of the building as it’s holds this important urban corner. The building’s base is clad in brick, a common material on the corridor. Above, the brick is mixed with cementious fiber panel to squarely position the building as “new”. A mix of studios, and one- and two-bedroom units are proposed with an affordable component. Amenities in the form of common deck and recreation spaces are imagined at the rear corner of the site, where the upper floors of the building set back for light and air. Construction is set to begin in summer 2023.