**Manhattan Building Company is about to open Cast Iron Lofts II, a 26-story luxury rental that will house 232 apartments. Located at 837 Jersey Avenue, the building will pioneer a new Jersey City neighborhood being called “SoHo West,” which stands for south of Hoboken and west of Manhattan. Tenants are expected to move in as early as March. —Jersey Digs
**Panepinto Galleries has teamed up with 70 Columbus for a month-long pop-up art gallery held inside one of 70 Columbus’ penthouse apartments. “Mementos” will showcase the work of local artists and artisans. Art will be displayed on the walls of the penthouse whereas crafts and accessories will be on display throughout the rest of the apartment. The opening reception is Friday, February 5th from 5pm till 9pm (cocktails will be served after sunset). The gallery will also be open to the public Saturdays and Sundays (through March 6th) from 1pm till 7pm and via private appointments. —Panepinto Galleries
**City officials will pay a third-party consultant $50,000 to test Jersey City’s water supply. Although water tests are already conducted by Suez Jersey City, the city is taking extra steps in light of the Flint, MI, water contamination scandal. Water samples will be taken from locations citywide and especially in locations close to schools. —NJ.com
**New York City-area airports saw a record number of passengers last year. According to the Port Authority, 124.2 million passengers traveled through all three major tri-state airports — JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark. That’s a 6% increase over 2014, generating $80 billion total in revenue. Newark saw a record 25.7 million domestic passengers in 2015. —Curbed
**A public school in Jersey City’s Greenville district could be renamed after President Barack Obama. Assemblywoman Angela McKnight (D-Jersey City) told NJ.com that it would offer a “positive inspiration” to the school’s students. —NJ.com
(Image: Manhattan Building Company)
