Jersey City Rising [Archive] - Page 11

JCMAN320

November 27th, 2007, 03:53 AM

NEW CHILL SPOT
Waterfront ice rink is opening tomorrow

Tuesday, November 27, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Forget Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park. Jersey City now has another ice skating rink.

Newport Skates, operated by the same company that runs "The Pond" at Bryant Park in Manhattan, opens tomorrow night in the Newport section on the Jersey City waterfront.

"It is a very appealing amenity to the entire community," said Jamie LeFrak, a managing partner in the family run LeFrak Organization, the developer of Newport. "And the usage and rental charges are very low, half of what you'd pay in Manhattan."

During the week, the admission charge and skate rental fee is $5; on weekends and holidays, it is $6.

The underground plumbing for the 7,000-square-foot rink was completed in August, but the finishing touches - the application of the 3 to 4 inches of surface ice and adjustments to the cooling system - were completed Saturday, LeFrak said.

The plan is to keep the rink open until March, said Todd Schwartz, an ice technician with Ice Rink Events.

The rink, at 93 River Drive, will be open seven days a week - 4 to 9 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and school holidays, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

The goal, according to LeFrak, is to attract customers beyond the 10,000 residents who live in the waterfront community. The rink is hardly a money maker, he added, noting the admission charge essentially covers the cost of insurance.

"But that's not the point," LeFrak added. "While it may lose money, we hope it will gain attendance."

During its first season, HSBC Bank, which recently opened a branch at Newport, is footing the bill for a few nights of free skating for the public, including opening night tomorrow from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., LeFrak said.

Tomorrow night's activities begin at 5 p.m. with the lighting of the Christmas tree at Newport Town Square, located between Town Square Place and River Drive South.

For more information call (201) 626-7465 or go to www.newportskates.com.

Meanwhile, skaters also can glide across the ice at Pershing Field's semi-enclosed rink, with adult residents paying $3, nonresident adults $5, children who are residents $2, children who aren't residents $3, senior residents $1, and senior nonresidents $2.

ianmac47

November 27th, 2007, 10:57 AM

Also, Bryant Park is free.

JCMAN320

November 27th, 2007, 10:07 PM

Ivanka Trump makes a splash on the Jersey City waterfront

by Jeff Theodore Tuesday November 27, 2007, 8:10 PM

Donald Trump's little girl, Ivanka Trump, is out to prove that diamonds really are a girl's best friend.

Tonight, the 27-year-old daughter of the famed real estate magnate, showed up to show off her new jewelry line, the Ivanka Trump Collection, at the Montgomery Street sales office of her father's new property, Trump Plaza Jersey City, which is being built nearby on the waterfront.

The statuesque Trump says the jewelry is heavily inspired by her mother, Ivana, and reflects her personal style and that of old Hollywood glamour.

"I'm very proud of it," she said. "I've always loved jewlery and this project is something that happened organically. It's my one chance to be feminine after spending so much time with the boys: My father and brothers."

The average price range for the jewlery is between $5,000 and $50,000 but there are pieces on sale for millions. She opened a store on Madison Avenue in Manhattan a month ago and she plans to open stores in Japan and Las Vegas within the next year.

She added that she is happy about the positive response the jewlery line has gotten from editors at fashion magazines and looks forward to sales for the holiday season.

Trump says she played an influential role in designing Trump Plaza Jersey City.

"The Trump Plaza Jersey City is 42,000 square feet of amenities that is poised to become a phenomenal success," she said. "In my opinion the amenities here are second to none."

Dean Geibel, who is partnering with Trump on the building, said about 80 percent of the 444 units in the first of two planned towers have been sold. The first occupants are expected to move in April.

In addition to designing the jewelry and her real estate dealings, Trump is joining her father once again in a celebrity version of "The Apprentice," which is set to start in January on NBC.

Kari Busta, who works for Weichert Realty in Jersey City, was among the crowd of about 100 who turned up to see the jewlery.

"It's gorgeous and so is Ivanka," said Busta.

tbal

November 28th, 2007, 12:54 AM

So I sat through pretty much all five (5) hours of testimony at City Hall this evening relating to Toll Bros' plans for the Manischevitz and surrounding property. Here's the latest:

-They want to construct a 5-story building on the Northeast corner of the intersection of Bay Street and Marin Blvd. (the currently vacant lot infront of 150 Bay that borders Marin and is fenced in at the moment). This 5-story building will contain retail on the ground floor and 32 "workforce" apartments for people earning between 80% and 120% of the median income in the area (Toll's attorney defined "median income" in this case as ~$81,000 for families of 1-3 people and ~$91,000 for families of four - seriously!).

-They want to have 3 high-rise towers containing a total of about 950 apartments. The towers will be 395', 350', and 300'.

-There will be two towers, set back 5' upon the 80' high base, on the Manischevitz site. Part of the A&P Annex facade will remain intact and be incorporated into the 80' base. A parking structure will be housed within this 80' base, with an entrance & exit on Morgan Street.

-On the site where "the Hudson" was supposed to rise (by Fields Dev.), the 300' tower will rise, set back 15' on each of the sides bordering Morgan and Bay streets. It will be oriented East-West.

-Provost Street will be 'widened' by 70' to make a public plaza. Toll Brothers will initially remove the cobblestone street but will set some cobblestone back in place to create pathways through the plaza.

-To meet a requirement of 50 'affordable' apartments, they will either build an additional 18 'affordable' apartments offsite or give the city $150,000 as credit for each of these 18 apartments so that the city can use this toward the construction of affordable housing.

A decision was not reached, but another meeting is scheduled for January 6th at which the Planning Board's decision will be announced. Members of the Board contested that there was way too much material to review from both Toll Brothers and the various neighborhood associations that were present to counter Toll.

JCMAN320

November 28th, 2007, 01:13 AM

Tbal I denno it sounds fishy, any word on the performing arts center that they orginally wanted to include. I would like to see it for myself.

tbal

November 28th, 2007, 02:02 AM

Tolls' attorney mentioned a theater with 550 seats. He wasn't quite clear on how the theater would be managed/operated, stating only that representatives from Toll and the city/community would be part of some sort of "board of directors", and that it would be for use by a non-profit organization of some sort. He quoted two different square footages - at first I believe he said 19,000 sf, but later on in the presentation he mentioned a figure of 35,000 sf - which may have included gallery space as well (?). In any case, a member of the PADNA mentioned that the proposal did not account for a true 'black box' theater, and this is the type of theater the PADNA feels should be included.

ianmac47

November 28th, 2007, 10:27 AM

To me, it sounds like they should have shorter base structure, and wider setbacks. Also, any mention on the ratio of parking to units, and whether or not the parking structure will be disguised at all?

kljc

November 28th, 2007, 11:33 AM

A decision was not reached, but another meeting is scheduled for January 6th at which the Planning Board's decision will be announced. Members of the Board contested that there was way too much material to review from both Toll Brothers and the various neighborhood associations that were present to counter Toll.

I believe they said they'd meet again on January 16th not the 6th.

steveikin

November 28th, 2007, 11:52 AM

tbal: Kudos for the high quality summary.

macmini

November 29th, 2007, 03:43 AM

Plan Board mulling arts district's future
Thursday, November 29, 2007 By N. CLARK JUDD
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The struggle between one of the nation's leading developers of housing and residents of Jersey City's Powerhouse Arts District for the future of one of the city's Downtown neighborhoods will continue in January.
At a Planning Board meeting Tuesday night, representatives from Toll Brothers pitched changes to the district's redevelopment plan that would reduce the amount of affordable housing within the district and allow three towers, each over 300 feet tall, on two sites.

The developer would also build a 550-seat theater, 150 more seats than is called for in the current plan, and would replace cobblestone Provost Street with Provost Square, which Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Robert Antonicello bills as "Jersey City's Lincoln Square."
The theater would be ready for management by a nonprofit operator, officials at the hearing said.

Citing the large amount of testimony presented by Toll Brothers and Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association members, who vehemently opposes the development, the board elected to table making a recommendation to the City Council on the proposed changes until its Jan. 16 meeting.

Pointing to the Trump Tower, Grove Pointe, 77 Hudson and other nearby skyscrapers, Toll Brothers architect Aaron Schwarz made the case that the company's towers would make the arts district visually similar to the surrounding area.

But several residents who spoke at the five-hour hearing said it wasn't a good idea for a district that was supposed to be a place for artists to live and work.

"As far as I know, there is no high-rise arts district anywhere in the world," said resident Peter Delman.

Mike Shotz, who lives in the district with his artist wife, was also dissatisfied with the plan's emphasis on performance space rather than living and working space for artists.

"They want, to a certain extent, to substitute brand for substance," he said.

He later added, "They are abandoning the concept of the Powerhouse Arts District as a place where artists live and work."

Toll Brothers is also asking that a requirement that 10 percent of units be set aside for artists be changed so that the units would only have to be offered to artists for 180 days before being offered to the general public. Further, the developer is asking to build half those units elsewhere in the city.

The company would also build 36 fewer affordable units thanks to a credit for every 1,000 square feet of arts space and an artist-in-residence unit for Jersey City to use at Toll Brothers' expense.

But Antonicello, the city's redevelopment official, says the many transit options around the Powerhouse district makes it the city's best option for dense residential development. He says there's room elsewhere for affordable housing - and that the district was never intended to be an artist enclave in the first place.

"The district was not conceived and supported by the city of Jersey City for tax abatements and every other incentive for the benefit of the people who live in an eight square block radius," Antonicello said.

JCMAN320

November 29th, 2007, 03:52 AM

I had a great time at the holidays festivities with the girlfriend. The tree looks beautiful and they served hot choclate and treats dontated by Starbucks and the skating rink is beautiful and first class all the way and the rentals are not cheap looking at all, they are first class skates. It was great to Oksana Baiul perform and after her there was a fire dancer/skater on the ice and she was amazing. We really had a great time last night and will defiantely go back many times. The rink is close to the size of Rockafeller Center and was well made and maitained.

SEASON OPENER
Rink and tree greet Newport holiday crowd

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Rockefeller Center didn't have the only holiday party last night.

Jersey City's Newport section held its own tree lighting at Newport Town Square last night, followed by the opening of a new outdoor ice rink.

A crowd of hundreds, including Mayor Jerramiah Healy, packed the square just before the 6:15 p.m. tree lighting. A clown made balloon animals for kids and a man on a unicycle juggled glowing pins while Christmas carols played over loudspeakers set up in the outdoor plaza.

After the 25-foot Christmas tree was lit, the Ed Pulcer Brass Band led the crowd down River Drive to the ice rink, Newport Skates, for two hours of free ice time.

Just after the ribbon was cut on the rink, Oksana Baiul, the 1994 Olympic gold medalist in figure skating from Ukraine, performed on the ice.

"It looks fantastic," said Khateeta Brands, who waited with her two children to skate. "We don't have to go to Rockefeller Center anymore."

Skaters enjoyed the free ice time courtesy of HSBC Bank.

The final touches to the 7,000-square-foot rink, at 93 River Drive, were made last weekend.

It is operated by the same company that runs "The Pond" at Bryant Park in Manhattan.

Richard LeFrak, whose family-owned company, the LeFrak Organization, developed the mixed-use waterfront community, said it was gratifying to see this type of amenity open at Newport.

"This is personally significant to me because I was here in 1981 when this was a railroad yard," LeFrak said last night.

During the week, the admission charge and skate rental fee is $5; on weekends and holidays, it is $6. The rink will be open seven days a week: 4 to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and school holidays, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. It will be open until March.

PAUL KOEPP

JCMAN320

November 29th, 2007, 03:51 PM

Four-Alarm Blaze in Jersey City Under Control

by Journal Staff Thursday November 29, 2007, 10:42 AM

A four-alarm blaze that ripped through a four-story building on Newark Avenue this morning was under control by 10 a.m., officials said.

The fire started at 141 Newark Ave., a vacant building that was once the Studio Furniture Gallery business, and jumped next door to 143 Newark Ave.

When firefighters responded on the 1:14 a.m. alarm they found smoke billowing from the fourth floor windows and by 2:04 a.m. a fourth alarm had been called, Fire Director Armando Roman said. Heavy smoke rising above the building was lit brightly orange by flames breaking through the roof.

Newark Avenue and Christopher Columbus Drive were a maze of hoses, fire trucks and red lights flashing though the smoke. Firefighters poured heavy streams of water onto the buildings using four tall ladder truck ladders.

The buildings suffered heavy fire damage, Roman said, adding that the two adjacent buildings suffered less severe damage.

The structures contained some commercial properties but there did not appear to be any residences in the buildings, Roman said.

No injuries were reported.

As of 3 a.m. the fire on the Newark Avenue side of the buildings seemed to be dying. But firefighters continued battling flames on the Christopher Columbus side where they sent showers of sparks through the air as they cut through doors located in the large mural in order to access the building.

The Christopher Columbus side of the building has a mural featuring Lady Liberty.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined early this morning

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fire-damaged buildings to be razed, streets shut down

http://blog.nj.com/hudsoncountynow_impact/2007/11/medium_zfouralarm2.jpg

by Michaelangelo Conte Thursday November 29, 2007, 12:35 PM

Jersey City police say the demolition of three buildings damaged in an early morning fire will begin this afternoon and two Downtown streets will be closed for at least 24 hours.

Demolition of the buildings, a half a block west of the Grove Street PATH station, is to begin between 2 and 3 p.m. today, said Lt. Edgar Martinez, a spokesman for the police department.

During the demolition Newark Avenue will completely closed form Grove Street to Erie Street
and the westbound lanes of Christopher Columbus Drive will be closed between Grove Street and Barrow Street, Martinez said.

Demolition crews are currently waiting for Public Service Electric & Gas workers to turn off gas and electric service to the buildings, Martinez said. Razing the four-story building and two smaller adjacent buildings is expected to take a minimum of 24 hours, Martinez said.

ianmac47

November 29th, 2007, 04:02 PM

These were two potentially beautiful buildings.

JoeSas

November 29th, 2007, 08:21 PM

I will not be sad to see that mural go. That whole strip was a mess. It is a shame that the two potentially beautiful buildings were destroyed, but maybe they can raze that whole block now.

JCMAN320

November 29th, 2007, 10:40 PM

UPDATE: Parking extended, police detail added near movie set

by Paul Koepp Thursday November 29, 2007, 6:18 PM

Residents of Kensignton Avenue in Jersey City, many of whom were upset that parking has been eliminated on their street to accomodate a movie set, will get more parking than originally planned, as well as a 24-hour police presence for people walking back from their cars.

Trucks for the movie, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joaquin Phoenix, were parked along Kensington, between Kennedy Boulevard and West Side Avenue, today as crew members unloaded equipment in preparation for filming the romantic drama "Two Lovers" at the Gloria Gables apartment building.

Residents were informed tonight by fliers distributed to them that they will be allowed to park on the north side of Belmont Avenue, between Kennedy Boulevard and West Side Avenue, and on Belmont between West Side and the fountain in Lincoln Park during filming, Monday through Friday.

Residents can also park in Lincoln Park up to but not in the traffic circle, and after tomorrow, the crew's roughly 80 trucks will be parked in the park to reduce the disruption.

The fliers also said that a 24-hour police detail, at the film prodcuer's expense, will provide security on Belmont and Kensington for residents walking to and from their cars.

The building being used for the movie was chosen, in part, because it has an interior courtyard, across which Paltrow and Phoenix's characters will talk from their rooms, crew members said. New Jersey locations -- the crew filmed in Hoboken earlier this week -- are also desirable because the filmmakers are getting a tax break for shooting in the state, they added.

Signs have been posted telling resdients that parking on the street is forbidden around the clock each weekday until Dec. 21.

And in what city officials have since said was a mix-up, the Parking Authority posted signs Monday restricting parking from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m., residents said. In fact, parking is restricted all day and it did not go into effect until today.

Lisa Rivera said it's taken her hours after work the last few days to find a parking spot near her Kensington Avenue home.

"It's really ridiculous," she said. "What about our right to a peaceful life?"

A notice in the Gloria Gables building indicated that filming was tentatively scheduled for today and tomorrow and Monday through Friday the next three weeks.

-----------------------------------------------------------

That rediculuous that is not band neighborhood at all where they need a police presence

JCMAN320

November 30th, 2007, 03:05 PM

Photos courtesy of Ianmac:
http://newyorkssixth.com/newyorkssixthphotoblog/2007/11/newark-avenue-fire.html

Mural is a monument to Jersey City history

Friday, November 30, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A landmark mural on Christopher Columbus Drive in Jersey City will be damaged by the demolition of a four-story building gutted by a fire early yesterday morning, officials say.

"It feels like the end of an era," said Leon Yost, who oversaw creation of the mural, which memorializes Jersey City's history. "It was painted in 1997 and 10 years later, the center of the mural will be gone."

The fire broke out in 141 Newark Ave., which runs through the block to Columbus Drive, where its rear wall makes up a portion of the mural, which spans 10 buildings. The image of a 50-foot Dixon pencil runs up the 60-foot-tall building and near its top the image of a section of the Pulaski Skyway cuts horizontally through clouds.

Yesterday afternoon, workers began demolishing the building because the fire rendered it structurally unsound. The fire spread to two smaller adjacent buildings and an engineer will determine if those four-story buildings are unsafe as well, Jersey City Police Lt. Edgar Martinez said.

The mural was completed on Oct. 31, 1997, after 21/2 years of planning, three months of wall preparation and three months of painting. It is 350 feet long and 350 gallons of paint were used to cover the 15,000-square-foot area, which has 105,000 bricks. It was executed by a team of 13 artists and prep crew members.

The mural includes images of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Barrow Mansion, the Pulaski Skyway, the Dixon pencil factory, an American Flag, the Colgate Clock, a ferry named Jersey City that operated between Exchange Place and Lower Manhattan, the Central Railroad of New Jersey ferry slip in Liberty State Park and purple violets, the state flower.

investordude

November 30th, 2007, 04:21 PM

Its weird to me they are just demolishing the structures. Shouldn't they investigate the cause? Given the historic mural would have made it harder for the owner to get approval to do something else with the property, this is a convenient accident. I'm not accusing - I'm just finding it odd there is no police investigation of what started a 4 alarm fire.

JCMAN320

November 30th, 2007, 05:12 PM

Newark Avenue to reopen this weekend, then shut again, for demolition after fire

by Jason Fink Friday November 30, 2007, 3:36 PM

Newark Avenue between Barrow and Grove streets in Jersey City will reopen tomorrow and Sunday after being shut down for the demolition of a fire-damaged building but it will be closed down again on Monday, police Lt. Edgar Martinez said.

Martinez said the street will be close once again on Monday to allow workers to continue demolishing the four-story building, 141 Newark Ave., which was badly damged during an early morning fire yesterday.

The cause of the fire, which also damged two adjacent buildings, has not been determined, said Fire Director Armando Roman.

injcsince81

November 30th, 2007, 05:30 PM

injcsince81

November 30th, 2007, 05:31 PM

JCMAN320

November 30th, 2007, 05:54 PM

Injcsince81 it was done by 13 artists and it meant something to the city, it wasn't declared a historic landmark, but it was a landmark none the less and it represented the city and was something that showed of Jersey City's pride. It meant something to the people who did it and would you rather a giant long blank wall or public art that represented the city. Why so dismissive?

injcsince81

November 30th, 2007, 06:07 PM

Why so dismissive?

Because good art beautifies a city, and bad art (kitsch) diminishes it.

Unfortunately, Jersey City being a poor city, cannot affort good art on its streets.

So we are stuck with amateurish productions like this mural. I can name a couple of other monstrosities, but that would be OT.

giselehaslice

November 30th, 2007, 06:53 PM

I would definatley not say that Jersey City is poor. Millions of Dollars for a condo isnt a rarity anymore in JC, and I wouldnt call anything worth millions poor.

JCMAN320

November 30th, 2007, 09:45 PM

Thank you gisele took the words right out of my mouth. Also why is it a bad thing that local amatuer artists get the spotlight and have roots in the city to do a large piece of art, that mural is also the largets on the East Coast. I'am all for amatuer artists getting the spotlight in my opinion.

JCMAN320

December 1st, 2007, 05:07 AM

Skate free today - it's Pershing Field rink's 40th year

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Pershing Field Ice Rink in Jersey City will celebrate its 40th anniversary today with free skating sessions for city residents.

Sessions will run from 12:15 to 2 p.m., 2:15 to 4 p.m. and 4:15 to 6 p.m. Residents will be required to show proof of Jersey City residency, such as a driver's license or utility bill. Each person will be allowed to skate for one session.

Rental skates are available for $3 a pair. For more information, call (201) 547-6886.

JOURNAL STAFF

tophatter

December 2nd, 2007, 12:12 AM

Hi gang. First-timere here! I am a former JC-an and used to use the Grove Street PATH station for years, entering and exiting not from the now "pavilion" styled Green-awning entrance in the small park, but rather to/from an old stairway that was later enclosed in a "glass tube" across the street. I haven't been to JC in several years but through WONDERFUL web cites like this, keep in touch. Is that "glass-tube" exit still there or has it all been dug up given the new construction activity in the area??? Thanks.

tbal

December 2nd, 2007, 08:45 PM

Walking down Baldwin Ave the other day, I noticed that the site of 205 Baldwin Avenue has been cleared, presumably in preparation for construction. A 9-story building is to be built at this site, which is only a few blocks from the Journal Square transit hub. Over the summer, the development was approved by the Planning Board and the developer stated that he intended to begin construction before the end of the year.

tophatter - welcome to the board! That 'glass tube' entrance/exit is still there, next to 95 Columbus Drive.

citybooster

December 4th, 2007, 05:19 AM

ianmac47

December 4th, 2007, 12:14 PM

Whatr did you guys think about the editorial in the Jersey Journal ripping the Healy Administration's abandonment of the whole concept of an artistic,Soho-like neighborhood in the Powerhouse area?Development is fine and good,but Jersey City is all about maximumm ratables now,luxury housing with a lack of commitment to the needs of those who aren't wealthy ior upper middle class.the Piwerhouse could have been special,unique and a distinct destination point for tourists,along with the gleaming office towers and luxury apartments providing a strong economic base.Balance is lost in the equation,the city really does seem to be losing its soul.

The powerhouse district as an "arts" neighborhood was flawed from the beginning. For one thing, its too artificially. While I can agree public policy choices can encourage certain industries to grow or shrink, the process used in the PAD comes across as disingenuous. An artist for one thing, should never need to be certified by a government body. Nor should art have a definition written by a bureaucrat.

Second, from the city's standpoint, the former warehouse district seemed at the time to be of little value and the artists were intended to attract more people to Jersey City by creating a cultural center. In one respect, it worked too well. The PAD became popular and now people want to live there so big developers are coming along and building things there.

As far as balance, the trouble really here is that as much as townies want to deny it, Jersey City has become an extension of New York; its economy is interwoven; the housing market, the cultural market, its all one in the same. Its like building a second rate theme park in Orlando and then wondering why the tourists still wants to go to Disney World. As an artist community, Jersey City might become a breeding ground for up and coming talent like many neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens or Harlem, but the most successful are going to end up in Manhattan because that's where the money is, where the buyers are.

Think of it....it's true we have virtually NO cultural destination points truly worth a growing,dynamic mid-sized city.As the Journal pointed out,Newark has the magnificent Prudential arena,the Newark Symphony and Performing Arts center....they are a true cultural oasis,not the phony one the Healy Administration wants to pretend Jersey City is,at least under its list of priorities.We have an arts district that artists are priced out of increasingly.The city now wants to maximize population density there to squeeze maximum ratables.As much of a showboat Steven Fulop may be at times,maybe we need to put him in the Mayor's office in 2009 and get a really balanced,thought out,rational growth and development policy in place,before we waste a historic opportunity to stamp something unique and dynamic on the national consciousness.

Once again, stop thinking of Jersey City as a regional urban center in the middle of nowhere. Within the city limits there are limited cultural destinations, but only a subway ride away is one of the largest collections of world class museums in the world. If there were no alternatives, no other urban centers for a 100 miles, I would agree Jersey City needed to develop better cultural institutions. But its not isolated in a big square state. Its 7 minutes from arguably the greatest cultural destination in the world.

Also, the PAC and Newark Arena really are not a cultural oasis. They are both designed for Suburbanites to pop in, and pop out. They absolutely do not represent Newark or the people of Newark, and neither has made an significant contribution to the city of Newark.

As far as the city maximizing population density, this is a market driven force. More people are moving to the region, and a major shift in where populations are looking to live, from suburbs to cities. The PAD is actually a very good place for high density development because of the proximity to the PATH train. Imagine that same density built out over on 12th - 18th streets, 3/4 of a mile from the PATH or even further from the ferries. At least in the PAD, most residents will end up using mass transit-- light rail, ferry, or subway. Or worse, imagine 2,000 new homes built out in the suburbs along 78-- those people would all end traveling through Jersey City, probably by single occupancy car into the Holland Tunnel.

66nexus

December 4th, 2007, 01:27 PM

Also, the PAC and Newark Arena really are not a cultural oasis. They are both designed for Suburbanites to pop in, and pop out. They absolutely do not represent Newark or the people of Newark, and neither has made an significant contribution to the city of Newark.

While I agree that the PAC and the Rock do not necessarily represent Newark and residents, I disagree in part about the contribution of the two to the city. While the Rock may not have made an actual contribution, it's not even 3 months into its existence. The Rock has attracted tens of thousands and the surrounding restaurants are doing better than ever. Granted, if this were 3yrs from now and the area looked the way it did I'd say nothing. But the arena master plan needs time.

The Rock and PAC aren't really a 'Newark' thing, it's a New Jersey thing. Newark needs suburban money to inject life into it. A cultural structure like it may be a pop-in and pop-out affair, but the Rock wasn't made for that.

there have been plenty of times where myself (and I'm sure a lot of folk) hop right back on the train after a Broadway concert, or a game at MSG...or even a trip to LSC. Certainly, MSG's surroundings offer much more than the Rock's surroundings...and the Rock wants to emulate MSG area vibrancy

ps: JC does have its own culture/destination w/ LSC, Ellis island, lsp
I do think that JC can find that character that makes it culturally identifiable by its own means and not its proximity to good amenities. Precisely what makes Manhattan Manhattan, and what makes Brooklyn Brooklyn, etc. Just because

injcsince81

December 4th, 2007, 02:06 PM

The powerhouse district as an "arts" neighborhood was flawed from the beginning. For one thing, its too artificially. While I can agree public policy choices can encourage certain industries to grow or shrink, the process used in the PAD comes across as disingenuous. An artist for one thing, should never need to be certified by a government body. Nor should art have a definition written by a bureaucrat.

Second, from the city's standpoint, the former warehouse district seemed at the time to be of little value and the artists were intended to attract more people to Jersey City by creating a cultural center. In one respect, it worked too well. The PAD became popular and now people want to live there so big developers are coming along and building things there.

As far as balance, the trouble really here is that as much as townies want to deny it, Jersey City has become an extension of New York; its economy is interwoven; the housing market, the cultural market, its all one in the same. Its like building a second rate theme park in Orlando and then wondering why the tourists still wants to go to Disney World. As an artist community, Jersey City might become a breeding ground for up and coming talent like many neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens or Harlem, but the most successful are going to end up in Manhattan because that's where the money is, where the buyers are.

Once again, stop thinking of Jersey City as a regional urban center in the middle of nowhere. Within the city limits there are limited cultural destinations, but only a subway ride away is one of the largest collections of world class museums in the world. If there were no alternatives, no other urban centers for a 100 miles, I would agree Jersey City needed to develop better cultural institutions. But its not isolated in a big square state. Its 7 minutes from arguably the greatest cultural destination in the world.

Also, the PAC and Newark Arena really are not a cultural oasis. They are both designed for Suburbanites to pop in, and pop out. They absolutely do not represent Newark or the people of Newark, and neither has made an significant contribution to the city of Newark.

As far as the city maximizing population density, this is a market driven force. More people are moving to the region, and a major shift in where populations are looking to live, from suburbs to cities. The PAD is actually a very good place for high density development because of the proximity to the PATH train. Imagine that same density built out over on 12th - 18th streets, 3/4 of a mile from the PATH or even further from the ferries. At least in the PAD, most residents will end up using mass transit-- light rail, ferry, or subway. Or worse, imagine 2,000 new homes built out in the suburbs along 78-- those people would all end traveling through Jersey City, probably by single occupancy car into the Holland Tunnel.

I am actually crazy enough to have written to the Chairman of the Guggenheim Foundation proposing that the Foundation buy the Powerhouse Building and make a Guggenheim Museum Annex there.

I just cannot express how an awesome venue that would be for a world-class art museum, on par with Musee d'Orsay in Paris which is housed in a converted train station.

Sadly, I received no reply, and we'll be getting an ESPN Zone and maybe a Starbucks in the Powerhouse if the structure survives at all.

citybooster

December 4th, 2007, 03:46 PM

I wish I had your balanced,well-reasoned approach to the development scene here in Jersey City ,especially concerning the Powerhouse District...my Italian blood riles up too much,as I still think the City gives too much to the developers.Yet I read your reply and also the Corporation Counsel's editorial in the Jersey Journal this morning,and he made really strong points in defense of the emphasis on maximizing density and public transportation opportunities.

Going by his thoughts,if they really intend to see it through the plans are ambitious,vibrant and actually would make the district a real; cultural destination place.Large arts oriented spaces in the Toll Brothers plan and 111 First with restaurants,plazas,and cafes would bring a welcome nightlife to a pretty dead area....and the influx of large numbers of wealthier residents attracted to both the dostrict and the downtown waterfront area would be very positive in maximing the visibility and livelihoods of the artistic downtown community.It may not be Soho,but we may really have a cultural impact on the area as the residents themselves as well as tourists this would bring would really bring tangible benefits to the economic life of the city.Not just as in the Newark experience you describe that mainly is geared towards suburban patrons who would not significantly bring inn anything but limited benefits for Newark as a whole.

One question,Ian...your opinion on whether the Hyman revised plan for the Embankment really is a genuine improvement over his original proposal.He says he needs up to 1,500 residential units to make this work...code for four or five towers?

ianmac47

December 4th, 2007, 04:31 PM

One question,Ian...your opinion on whether the Hyman revised plan for the Embankment really is a genuine improvement over his original proposal.He says he needs up to 1,500 residential units to make this work...code for four or five towers?

I think "preserving" the sixth street embankment is perhaps the greatest folly the city has made since they allowed the construction of the Newport Mall. I think the best use for the land would have been a light rail line extending from Washington Blvd out through the Bergen Arches and the remainder of the land partially reserved for open space and partially reserved for private development.

From the stand point of creating a vibrant urban landscape, the embankment deprives the neighborhood of a living streetscape. For six blocks there is a 14 foot high stone wall. The wall is cold, and not particularly interesting to look at. It also creates a physical barrier between neighborhoods.

Connecting the embankment as a park would mean overpasses over each street. Building a light rail line on top of the embankment would do the same thing. Overpasses do not create good public spaces; overpasses create creepy spaces that are dark and become a place for vagrants and thieves to congregate in.

Further, the "compromise" of building a light rail line AND a park AND housing on top of the embankment will be a failure. If th embankment were removed, the total width from the southern border of the embankment to the northern curb on Sixth street would be about 150-160 feet wide. That's a lot more space to work with than is there with the preserved embankment. The embankment is about 100 feet wide, but also tapers toward the top, and there is about 10 feet between the embankment and sixth street, which is really unusable as anything other than a sidewalk. So basically, without the embankment, there is a lot more room to build a park and light rail line and maintain traffic flow on Sixth Street, but with the embankment, it breaks the property up into two smaller units with neither unit really big enough for a combination function.

As far as Hyman's claim that he needs 1500 units to make the project viable, I don't doubt this is the minimum number of units he needs to reap the same profit margins he would have earned had there not been a big fuss about all this. As far as the density, I don't think density is ever a problem as much as design, as I said earlier on this thread.

I also think the block at Sixth and Marin and the block at Sixth and Brunswick would only benefit from mid to high rise buildings. Is a 10+ story tower appropriate for the middle blocks (erie, Jersey, Monmouth)? Probably not. But the Metro Plaza (east side of Sixth and Marin) has a plan for an eventual 8 high rise towers; two other midrise towers already exist on Manila/Grove, so I don't think a 10-30 story tower would be out of place at Marin and Sixth. But again, it depends on the actual design of the building. For example, Grove Pointe's Marin blvd facade is fairly awful; no setbacks, just a giant vertical wall from the base to the apex. On the other hand, the Newark Avenue facade has setbacks and rises slowly, and really isn't terribly out of place, although aesthetically I still don't think highly of it. So design ultimately plays a big role, more so than density.

Ultimately I think Hyman's plan really is just a bargaining tool. He is trying to appease a lot of different people, and under the guise of creating open space is looking to up zone a few other lots.

I don't think Hyman's plan is an improvement over removing the embankment.

I don't know if Hyman's new plan really is an improvement over his old plan because numbers don't tell the whole story, and all I know is the numbers rattled off in the papers.

ianmac47

December 4th, 2007, 04:47 PM

While I agree that the PAC and the Rock do not necessarily represent Newark and residents, I disagree in part about the contribution of the two to the city. While the Rock may not have made an actual contribution, it's not even 3 months into its existence. The Rock has attracted tens of thousands and the surrounding restaurants are doing better than ever. Granted, if this were 3yrs from now and the area looked the way it did I'd say nothing. But the arena master plan needs time.

My problem with the Arena is the same problem with the gateway centers. It basically connects right to Penn Station and while the arena may not have interior skyways like many of the office towers, the street between the arena and Penn really isn't that much different than the corridors connecting the office towers.

I think the bigger issue with the arena and the PAC is that there is an expectation that these facilities will miraculously fix Newark's problems without addressing the underlying issues with the city. Specifically, the biggest issue with Newark is crime. Part of the arena plan is creating a "college town" for all the college students with bars and pubs around the arena. But guess what? Its not the lack of bars and pubs that keep the college students from living in, spending money in, and being in Newark, its the crime. Seton Hall Law is two blocks from Penn Station and their students still get mugged in front of the school; Rutgers, NJIT, UMDNJ-- they have little bubbles around their campuses but students can't leave without getting mugged. Literally, robbed. No amount of bars around the arena is going to fix that problem, only police, more police, and a lot of beds in the state pen.

citybooster

December 4th, 2007, 05:11 PM

Well Ian,ultimately we'll have to see greater details on the plan,and what the city and Hyman can ultimately agree upon...Vega is starting a commission.How long do you think we'll know where it all stands,and if it will be realistic for the near future to begin work if at all?

ianmac47

December 4th, 2007, 05:41 PM

After the lawsuits? And the counter suits? And the new zoning? And more lawsuits? I doubt anything serious happens to the sixth street embankment in the next 3 to 5 years.

66nexus

December 4th, 2007, 06:32 PM

My problem with the Arena is the same problem with the gateway centers. It basically connects right to Penn Station and while the arena may not have interior skyways like many of the office towers, the street between the arena and Penn really isn't that much different than the corridors connecting the office towers.

I think the bigger issue with the arena and the PAC is that there is an expectation that these facilities will miraculously fix Newark's problems without addressing the underlying issues with the city. Specifically, the biggest issue with Newark is crime. Part of the arena plan is creating a "college town" for all the college students with bars and pubs around the arena. But guess what? Its not the lack of bars and pubs that keep the college students from living in, spending money in, and being in Newark, its the crime. Seton Hall Law is two blocks from Penn Station and their students still get mugged in front of the school; Rutgers, NJIT, UMDNJ-- they have little bubbles around their campuses but students can't leave without getting mugged. Literally, robbed. No amount of bars around the arena is going to fix that problem, only police, more police, and a lot of beds in the state pen.

But people who think the arena and the PAC alone will save Newark are in a dream world. However, those structures are supposed to serve as catalysts for further development, much the way the structures on JC's waterfront inspired the waterfront development boom.

Newark needs more retail and I remember Booker saying that Jersey City had much more retail and the two cities are roughly the same size. JC has a more stable tax base than Newark

More cops is great, but if your city has no stable tax base than more cops is more of a dream than a goal.

I worked in the quad for awhile but in Gateway area (GWII) int. and ext. for years. I've never heard of students getting mugged in front of Seton Hall. Downtown and the ironbound are Newark's most decent areas

ianmac47

December 4th, 2007, 08:32 PM

There was at least one in front of seton hall in September or October. My better half is in RU Law and they send alerts via email anytime there is an incident. The seton hall incident stands out in my mind because of its location; there is a constant stream of other incidents involving rutgers students and UMDNJ.

66nexus

December 4th, 2007, 08:58 PM

I would no doubt yield that it happened, but even University heights doesn't suffer from Newark's higher-crime area symptoms:

http://rbp.wliinc3.com/pdf/StudentSafety.pdf

If it were this type of crime that would deter patrons then Drexel in Philly and especially Pace in NY would have the same issues of bringing people in.

I think in Newark's case it is more about perceptions. Murders are more common in Newark than a place like JC, and though it may happen south or west ward, people hear 'Newark' and associate every inch to the mile with it.

Newark needs a more vibrant downtown that will bring in more affluent people with money (1180's great but not enough). More money more taxes more cops less crime

ASchwarz

December 5th, 2007, 01:40 AM

^
Pace is near Wall Street, and almost across the street from Police Headquarters. There probably isn't a safer campus anywhere.

I have friends at Seton Hall law and the downtown Dental and Medical schools, and I have never heard ANYTHING about safety.

A few random incidents does not equal lack of safety. We had all sorts of incidents at my undergraduate school, which was in idyllic small-town America.

66nexus

December 5th, 2007, 02:11 AM

^
Pace is near Wall Street, and almost across the street from Police Headquarters. There probably isn't a safer campus anywhere.

My point exactly, few incidents do not a dangerous place make, this type of crime will not turn away folk.

wander118

December 5th, 2007, 09:55 AM

Crime is definitely a big issue on the campuses. the rutgers campus is relatively safe (probably less than NJCU), but there is crime that happens on a weekly basis there. That part of Newark is a ghost town after 5pm, and even worse on the weekends.

They have started renovating a large tower at (Raymond Blvd, and Broad St) into luxury rentals in that area, and also they put up really nice dorms near NJIT, an the rutgers newark campus. There's also the Newark bears minor league baseball staduim, which is not far from the PAC.

Overall though, as someone that went to school in newark, and works here now, its light years behind jc.

66nexus

December 5th, 2007, 01:44 PM

Crime is definitely a big issue on the campuses. the rutgers campus is relatively safe (probably less than NJCU), but there is crime that happens on a weekly basis there. That part of Newark is a ghost town after 5pm, and even worse on the weekends.

I must've had a protective shield because I often went to Rutgers dorm parties off of MLK. 1180's been open for awhile now

I just realized I've never been to NJCU's campus, even when I supposed to transfer there from Middlesex lol

Malcontent

December 6th, 2007, 12:17 AM

http://www.thejcra.org/index.php?p=project-details&pid=72

Does anyone have any background on this project? Is it located within the Liberty Harbor redevelopment area? Where was this water treatment facility that it will be built on? Where within LHN will it be if it is in fact inside LHN?

JCMAN320

December 6th, 2007, 12:58 AM

This convention center and hotel will be across Jersey City Blvd from the Liberty Science Center, on an old water treament plant that is getting knocked down and cleaned up. There are banners for the development around the site. The JCRA has it labeld wrong it techniclly is in the Lafayette/Liberty State Park neighborhood.

JCMAN320

December 6th, 2007, 10:53 PM

Bargain prices, new development stir interest in Jersey City's Journal Square
Harwood Properties building tallest towers in Jersey City

By John Celock

http://www.therealdeal.net//issues/December_2007/images/1196822600.jpg
Harwood Properties' Journal Square Towers will have 1,500 residential units.

Jersey City is beginning to look inward. As the city sometimes called "New York's Sixth Borough" grows, it is expanding westward from its waterfront. As part of this trend, developers are turning their eyes to Journal Square, a historic neighborhood located three PATH stops from Manhattan. A hub for the city's burgeoning Indian American community, Journal Square is filled with small shops and low-rise buildings -- but two planned residential towers will set a height record not only for the city, but for New Jersey overall.

A middle-income area of the city -- named for the Jersey Journal newspaper, which has been headquartered there since 1912 -- Journal Square has also been attracting growing commercial interest, as demand for Class B office space for back-office operations rises.

In the past, Journal Square had not seen the same boom as the city's waterfront, which is dotted with luxury condo and office towers, or downtown, which has attracted new shops and cafes as well as residents. However, with prices going up on the waterfront, and land running out, Journal Square, historically a retail and commercial center, is generating more interest.

"There are a lot of people looking for close proximity and larger spaces for less money," Lynda Lee, a sales associate with DJK Residential, said. She noted that she has been doing more work in Jersey City as young professionals look for lower prices than those they find in Manhattan. "It's 11 minutes from the city, and for a lot of New Yorkers, it feels like they never left Manhattan," Lee said.

"They are running out of property on the waterfront," added Lowell Harwood, managing partner of Harwood Properties, which is developing the new complex. "The cost is higher on the waterfront."

Harwood Properties is planning a two-tower, 1,500-unit residential complex, with 150,000 square feet of retail space, slated to start construction in the first quarter of next year. According to Harwood, the project will consist of a 60-story and 40-story tower on top of a seven-story parking deck. The 60-story tower will stand taller than the Trump Organization's much-heralded condominium project in the Powerhouse Arts District along the Hudson River.

Currently, Journal Square is a relative bargain as existing condos run approximately $300 a square foot, while Jersey City's waterfront has been selling at roughly $500 a square foot for new construction. Manhattan condo prices, by contrast, ran nearly $1,350 a square foot in the third quarter, according to numbers from Miller Samuel appraisers.

One-bedroom rents in new construction on the Jersey City waterfront average $1,600 a month. Harwood has not yet announced whether units in the new complex will be for rent or for sale.

Yeon Benkovitz, a real estate agent with American Homes Realty, said that she is seeing more clients willing to look at Journal Square. She said the demographic that had been looking at the waterfront five years ago has been turning its head toward Journal Square in recent months. This includes young professionals, young married couples and suburban empty nesters.

Harwood identified all of these groups as key demographics he hopes to lure to his project. He also said that transit options played a key role in his selection of the site, along with the historic aspects of Journal Square. The neighborhood has long been known as Jersey City's transit hub, with a PATH Station providing service to both Lower Manhattan and Midtown, along with a New Jersey Transit bus depot providing service to the rest of northern New Jersey.

The project will sit across the street from the PATH station and steps from the bus depot. It will be sited on a bluff high above Jersey City's downtown, with Manhattan and Hudson River views from each unit.

Harwood plans to start demolition on the project in January, with groundbreaking slated for March. Completion is scheduled for the summer of 2010. Building amenities will include a fitness center, residential courtyard, rooftop pool, child care and a playground -- amenities that are lacking in many of the existing buildings in the neighborhood.

Architect Bruce Becker of Becker and Becker Associates, the designer of the Octagon on Roosevelt Island, said the design will incorporate the existing historic elements of the neighborhood such as the Loew's Jersey City Theatre. That approach is similar to what the firm did with the Octagon, where it incorporated historic elements from an old mental hospital into a modern luxury building.

Plans for the complex's retail component include recruiting an upscale grocery store, a Starbucks, a bank and several restaurants. There have also been recent talks about bringing a Staples to the area. There are currently no large bookstores and upscale grocery stores in Jersey City, though there have been unconfirmed reports that Whole Foods will be opening a store in the Jersey City waterfront district.

Harwood said that while service retail, such as banks and dry cleaners, will be brought into the new complex, he does not want it to be a main aspect of the site.

On the commercial front, the financial services clearing operation Pershing LLC has been a longtime presence in Journal Square. The square had been a commercial center since the newspaper moved there in 1912, but fell behind the 1990s boom when new Class A office buildings sprouted along the waterfront. In recent years, six Class B buildings have been constructed and rehabbed, and are being marketed for the back offices of financial services companies.

Jonathan Merrill of Time Equities said the square's reputation as a mass transit center, along with the new development interest in the square, contributed to the area being a destination for some office space.

Merrill said that while Journal Square remains in demand, it is lagging behind the burgeoning waterfront commercial space because of the lack of Class A buildings and the fact that waterfront properties are closer to Manhattan.

So even as new development comes into the square and more buyers show interest, the question is whether Journal Square will take off like the downtown and waterfront neighborhoods or remain an afterthought.

"Clients do not come looking for Journal Square; they come looking for downtown," said Lauro Arantes, an agent at Weichert Realtors. "I've shown them Journal Square when they are priced out of downtown."

66nexus

December 6th, 2007, 10:57 PM

^Finally! I was waiting for tall development inward. Put some meat on that city;)

wander118

December 7th, 2007, 12:41 PM

there are two staples in jc already! and they aren't really bookstores..a barnes and nobles would be nice, tho..

injcsince81

December 7th, 2007, 07:20 PM

JCMAN320

December 8th, 2007, 01:16 AM

Last I heard it will happen. I saw 2009 as well.

LeCom

December 10th, 2007, 02:52 PM

I passed 70-90 Columbus last week, but I was in a car so I didn't get a real good look but it look like they have started some work on the foundation. Also found a great photo on flickr taken by hammernet you can see progress on the condo side of 77 Hudson.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2379/1880506907_a9d5148197_b.jpg
Is anything planned for the lot between 77 Hudson and Liberty View (or whatever their name is) Towers?

66nexus

December 10th, 2007, 03:12 PM

^I think Goldman Sachs is planning another tower there but I'm not 100% sure

citybooster

December 10th, 2007, 08:52 PM

I would highly doubt Goldman Sachs would build,or need,a third Jersey City tower after 50 Hudson gets built,hopefully starting by 2010 but God knows that isn't a sure bet.The 55 Hudson lot should either be sold for another residential tower complex as Hartz Mountain did for the 77 Hudson lot,or made into the hotel/conference complex that 50 Hudson was originally planned as before GS decided to build a second ,500 foot office tower as part of their planned building towards their future in the region.I think that area will need something more that doesn't empty during the weekends and after five o'clock rolls along as 77 Hudson and 70 Greene will provide.

66nexus

December 11th, 2007, 03:47 AM

citybooster

December 11th, 2007, 05:59 AM

Goldman's second tower was the one I thought may get built adjacent to their current tower. Didn't know:confused:There are two sites Goldman Sachs owns in addition to 90 Hudson,their current tower.The lot that will be 50 Hudson,right next to it which is the proposed 30 story,500 foot tower that GS got the approval and abatement for earlier in the year(Originally supposed to have been a 185-ft office/training complex/plaza,and the plaza will still be a part of the new plan)

Across the street,in between Liberty Towers and what is going to be 77 Hudson,GS owns another lot,which it is impossible to believe will be used for another office tower.That will be known as 55 Hudson,and it is a big waste of space doing nothing good for anyone in its current state.Let somebody build there please,either GS with a hotel/conference center(Which was originally slated for the 50 Hudson location where the new tower will be built)or sell it for residential tower development.

66nexus

December 11th, 2007, 11:14 AM

There are two sites Goldman Sachs owns in addition to 90 Hudson,their current tower.The lot that will be 50 Hudson,right next to it which is the proposed 30 story,500 foot tower that GS got the approval and abatement for earlier in the year(Originally supposed to have been a 185-ft office/training complex/plaza,and the plaza will still be a part of the new plan)

Across the street,in between Liberty Towers and what is going to be 77 Hudson,GS owns another lot,which it is impossible to believe will be used for another office tower.That will be known as 55 Hudson,and it is a big waste of space doing nothing good for anyone in its current state.Let somebody build there please,either GS with a hotel/conference center(Which was originally slated for the 50 Hudson location where the new tower will be built)or sell it for residential tower development.

I thought their current tower was 30 Hudson. lol now I'm really confused

macmini

December 11th, 2007, 02:52 PM

In the Region | New Jersey
Two Projects Claim Street Savvy
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/12/09/realestate/09njzo-600.jpg
DEFINED BY DETAILS The centerpiece of Liberty Harbor will be a street shaped like a giant reverse S.
“Old streets were built for cars, and then altered to accommodate people,”
said Peter Mocco, Liberty’s developer. “These streets are for people, but will accommodate cars.”

By ANTOINETTE MARTIN
Published: December 9, 2007

JERSEY CITY

TWO new housing developments here are being designed to have maximum street smarts — or, to put it in planner lingo, “smart streets.”

Liberty Harbor is an enormous mixed-use project stretching 28 blocks between historic Paulus Hook and Van Vorst Park, with plans to include 10,000 housing units. Hamilton Square is a 300-unit complex being carved out of the former St. Francis Hospital on Hamilton Park. The overall success of both hinges on intelligent street design, the developers said.

Peter Mocco, the developer of Liberty Harbor, brought in a Princeton architecture professor to design one special street in the first phase of construction, which includes 667 homes and dozens of just-below-street-level shops. The architect, Mario Gandelsonas, produced a half-dozen designs for the single block running north-south from Grand Street to a new PATH train stop on Avenue B looking out at the Statue of Liberty.

The design that struck Mr. Mocco and his other architects — there are a number of them for the giant project — as “perfect genius” has an ever-so-slight reverse “S” curve to it. The “wavy street,” Mr. Mocco called it.

The street, which will be named Liberty View Drive and is about half-finished, stands out from the rest of the grid, and is designed to influence the look, feel and “livability” of the neighborhood, Mr. Mocco said. Its wavy shape, accentuated by extra-wide granite sidewalks, will slow traffic, allow for gardens set in its curves and showcase the view of the Statue of Liberty, he added.

At Hamilton Square, the focal point will be Hamilton Square Park, a two-acre oasis in a neighborhood now made up of mostly Victorian brick and brownstone row houses.

St. Francis Hospital was built 70 years ago at the park’s eastern end, on top of what had once been a cobblestone street full of neighborhood shops that opened directly onto the park.

Now, the developer, the Exeter Property Company, plans to recreate the street, cobblestones and all (including some original excavated stones). It is intended to be a “neighborhood shopping promenade,” the developer said, central to the 300-unit development.

Hamilton Square’s six buildings will include an 11-story condominium tower as well as several reconfigured hospital structures, two of them expanded. They will be clustered on either side of the pedestrian street, which will reclaim its old name as an extension of Pavonia Street, now an avenue for car traffic on the west side of Hamilton Park.

“We’ve discovered it’s crucial to have real street life if you want to have a real neighborhood,” said Paul Silverman, who along with his brother Eric is an Exeter principal.

The park is already popular with dog walkers and children, said Sawyer Smith, a longtime neighborhood resident, who opened a coffee shop on the site a few years ago and directs the marketing of Hamilton Square.
The Silvermans say they think a pedestrian street, with all-local stores — no chains — situated directly on what is a walking route to the Seventh Street PATH station, will be a lively community gathering spot.

“People don’t choose to live in an urban environment as opposed to a suburban one for the anonymity,” Paul Silverman said. “They want a place that feels both communal and diverse.”

At Liberty Harbor, Mr. Mocco said, there should be something new to discover every time someone walks down a street.

The style of the houses is eclectic: one block of attached houses features the work of five different architects, including traditional brick and glass-fronted. Different colors of granite are used to demarcate the corners of the sidewalks, and a distinctive “LH” logo is etched into streetlamps, carved stone pediments and front-stoop steps.

Small gardens are nestled in the curves of the street, and more will be created throughout the project, carefully planted to show off color in all seasons and at a height that flatters the building facades.

Mr. Mocco said he and his architects had studied long and hard to try to discern the elements of a great urban street, looking to old European cities and the streets of Boston for inspiration.

“It’s a struggle, and we just stumble onto things that may be right in many cases,” he said. “Nobody put all the answers in a book.”

“But after two generations of suburban sprawl,” Mr. Mocco added, “people knew there had to be something better and started returning to the cities. What they are very clearly looking for are places that are friendly, with human scale and built-in sociability, where the streets are pleasant and entertaining to walk.”

All the streets at Liberty Harbor will have two-way traffic, Mr. Mocco said, and space to park on both sides.

“But their essential nature is different than traditional streets,” he said. “Old streets were built for cars, and then altered to accommodate people. These streets are for people, but will accommodate cars.”

JoeSas

December 11th, 2007, 04:19 PM

I saw this via an advertisement on the kannekt forum

http://mmhomes.com/Home/NJ/294/_Properties_AUTH.htm

citybooster

December 11th, 2007, 08:02 PM

I thought their current tower was 30 Hudson. lol now I'm really confusedSorry,66nexus,my big goof:oI did mean 30 Hudson,my apology!

JCMAN320

December 11th, 2007, 10:28 PM

To build supportive housing on Bergen Ave. near Bidwell

Tuesday, December 11, 2007
By PAUL KOEPP
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Ground was broken yesterday morning for an affordable housing complex on Bergen Avenue in Jersey City.

Mayor Jerramiah Healy, Councilwoman Viola Richardson and state Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Joseph V. Doria Jr. were on hand for the ceremony at the site, two vacant lots at 155-157 Bergen Ave., near Bidwell Avenue.

The All Saints Supportive Housing Development, to open next fall, will provide one-bedroom apartments for eight people with low or no income, according to the Jersey City Episcopal Community Development Corporation, which is building the units through its Corpus Christi Ministries Housing program.

Each 700-square-foot unit includes a bedroom, full bathroom, kitchen, living room and dining area, according to the JCECDC. They will also share a social hall, front porch, rear patio and four parking spaces, officials said.

To cover the project's $1.9 million tab, the state Housing and Mortgage Financing Agency is contributing $1.1 million, while $416,000 is coming from the city's affordable housing fund and $400,000 will come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, officials said.

"This project is a perfect example of how a number of entities can come together to form partnerships that address the needs of some of the most vulnerable in our society," said John Restrepo, JCECDC real estate director, in a news release.

CCHM already operates three developments housing 41 Jersey City residents who receive help with job training with the goal of independent living, according to the JCECDC.

--------------------

Saw renderings in paper very attractive development!

JCMAN320

December 12th, 2007, 06:22 AM

Healy: State may help buy embankment

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy told City Council members Monday the state is willing to pay half the cost to purchase the Sixth Street Embankment, according to people at the meeting.

But there's a catch: The selling price would have to be between $3 million and $7 million, Healy's spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill confirmed yesterday.

DOT spokesman Timothy Greeley said last night the agency is "aware" of Healy's interest in the property, but added: "It's a bit premature to talk about land acquisition. We have not agreed to anything as of now."

According to people who attended Monday's closed-door meeting, and did not want to be named, Healy said he spoke with state Department of Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri earlier in the day about the state paying to expand the Hudson Bergen Light Rail to the elevated site.

Kolluri reportedly told Healy the state doesn't have the money to commit to such an undertaking at this point in time, but that if the city could secure this transportation corridor for a reasonable price, the state would pay half the bill.

In the wake of a ruling in October by the federal Surface Transportation Board stating Conrail did not properly abandon the property in July 2005 when it sold it to Manhattan businessman Steve Hyman for $3 million, Charles Montange, the city's attorney, believes the city will be given the chance to buy the embankment for the same price Hyman paid.

Its "historic" designation will further diminish its selling price, Montange reportedly said at the meeting.

Hyman's attorneys strongly disagree with Montange, and have said the city would have to pay between $10 million and $20 million - the range of recent appraisals - for the property.

Before Monday's meeting with the mayor and council, Hyman - who wants to build 1,100 to 1,500 housing units at the site - met with members of the Embankment Preservation Coalition, the volunteer group that wants the embankment preserved as open space.

JCMAN320

December 12th, 2007, 06:25 AM

Tutoring help only a click away

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Forgot how to calculate the area of a triangle? Need to know the scientific abbreviation for zinc? How about the definition of a continent?

Have no fear if you're in grades 4 to 12, have a Jersey City Free Public Library Card, and access to a broad-band Internet connection.

Thanks to "Homework Help, NJ" you can now log on between 3 and 8 p.m. any day of the week and receive help from a tutor online.

The program, being piloted in Jersey City, Camden, Elizabeth, Newark, New Brunswick, Paterson and Willingboro, is made possible by a $265,000 grant from Public Service Electric & Gas. Officials held a news conference at the Newark Public Library to promote the program.

"Kids deserve equal opportunity to succeed, and this program helps to provide that," said Ralph LaRossa, president & CEO of PSE&G. "We see tremendous potential in this program and are providing substantial funding to bring it into communities that we serve."

Victor Enriquez, network administrator at the Jersey City Free Public Library, said Jersey City libraries have had the program for three months, but couldn't provide numbers on usage last night.

"I've spoken to a couple users and they were happy about it," Enriquez said.

Students can use computers at the local libraries or log on from home, Enriquez explained.

The busiest hours are between 3 and 5 p.m. If the tutors are all taken, students will be placed on hold, he said.

Callers are not limited to a specific amount of time, he said, noting the tutors are all professionally certified.

For further information about the program, call (201) 547-4501 or 547-4526

JCMAN320

December 13th, 2007, 05:58 AM

Cancel shuttle? Some owners rap 'burden'

Thursday, December 13, 2007
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Residents at Droyers Point in Society Hill have a decision to make: Whether or not to continue a shuttle service from the Hackensack River waterfront community to Journal Square.

Supporters say that convenient access to the transportation hub helps to attract the well-healed Manhattan crowd and add value to their gated community - one of three developments operated by different condominium associations in the 1,400-home Society Hill.

Critics, many of whom say they don't use the shuttle, don't want to see their condo maintenance fees increase by $540 a year.

So the residents of the 380-unit development are putting the question to a vote. Ballots, sent to each unit owner, must be returned to the management office by tonight at 7. The estimated ridership of the shuttle service is 120 people a day.

"The shuttle is great for those who use it, but it should not be a burden on the others," resident Paul Nolan said. "The users should be willing to pay for it."

David Bartz, resident and Re/Max Harbor View real estate broker for Droyers Point, said he proposed the shuttle service after being asked how to boost property values. He said the shuttle could increase property value by as much as 5 percent, which would more than compensate for the bump in maintenance fees.

The shuttle operates weekdays every 20 minutes from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. It saves residents a long walk to the NJ Transit bus stop, which was relocated outside the gates on Route 440 when Society Hill residents voted to halt bus service through the development. Droyers Point is the furthest community from the stop.

The shuttle service started a couple of months ago and was funded by a surplus in the condo association coffers. With the cost of the shuttle service estimated at $206,000 per year, residents' maintenance fees would be bumped up from $245 a month to $290.

"I think service is a good thing, but I can understand people not wanting to pay for the service," said George Peters, a Droyers Point Condo Association board member.

JCMAN320

December 13th, 2007, 06:03 AM

Planning Board's vote is 6-0 to landmark St. Johns' Church

Thursday, December 13, 2007
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Preservationists hoping to save the St. John's Episcopal Church in Jersey City have won another round in their effort to save the vacant church.

After hearing spirited testimony from preservationists and the owners - who oppose the landmark status - the Jersey City Planning Board voted 6-0 to recommend the building be added to the municipal landmark registry.

Commissioner Leon Yost recused himself because of connections with the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy. The application will now go to the City Council for a final vote.

"We are very happy the Planning Board affirmed the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Commission," said Joshua Parkhurst, president of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, after the meeting.

Debra Perry, an attorney representing the Trustees of the Episcopal Fund & Diocesan Properties, said the owners, who are eager to sell, can only get top dollar for the land without the church.

The property is ready to collapse and would cost at least $1 million to shore up, Perry said. It will only deteriorate further because the Diocese can't afford to repair it

The Diocese and the Conservancy disagreed on how close the church is to collapsing. Parkhurst said that the further deterioration could be prevented by installing a temporary roof and gutters, for less that the Diocese claimed.

"It is not in danger of imminent collapse," said Dennis Doran, the treasurer of the Bergen Hill Neighborhood Association. "There is nothing here that can't be fixed at a reasonable cost."

Supporters of the landmark designation said the unique Gothic Revival structure, built in 1870, is too important to Jersey City and the historically rich Bergen Hill neighborhood to lose. They want to see it renovated as a church or developed while maintaining the structure.

The Diocese closed the church in 1994 because of a dwindling congregation and has been unable to find another denominations to take it over, Perry said.

citybooster

December 13th, 2007, 01:59 PM

Nice progress on the 77 Hudson project,but since the fire and cleaning up nothing going on at the 70 Greene site.When are they going to resume constuction?Also,great news regarding the saving of St.John's,JCman!

JCMAN320

December 14th, 2007, 09:55 PM

Yea it is great citybooster!

Come meet Santa, see holiday movies at the Loew's

by The Jersey Journal Friday December 14, 2007, 3:13 PM

The Loew's Jersey Theatre is celebrating Christmas this weekend with holiday films and a visit from Santa.

Tonight at 7:30, the classic "Miracle on 34th Street" will be shown and tomorrow, Santa himself will be at the Journal Square theater from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Everyone, including pets, are welcome to meet Santa. Pets can come between 2:20 and 3:30.

A digital photo is $3 but if you bring a new, unwrapped toy for a needy child the photo will be free. Every child will receive a coupon for $1 off admission to that evening's screening of "Mary Poppins."

That film be shown at 6 p.m. --

Movies are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and children 12.

tbal

December 16th, 2007, 02:43 AM

(Sorry I didn't post this update earlier!)

Demo work resumed at the west tower of 77 Hudson (aka 70 Greene Street) on Friday, after several weeks of the site sitting idle:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/121407007.jpg?t=1197786966

View to the Northeast of the overall complex:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/121407004.jpg?t=1197787011

View to the Northwest:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/121407006.jpg?t=1197787099

View to the Southwest:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/121407008.jpg?t=1197787054

And, finally, a look at Trump with it's nearly-completed exterior (no work has begun at the Tower II site yet, and it unfortunately doesn't look like anything will happen there for at least a few more months... :[ ).

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/121407009.jpg?t=1197787311

JCMAN320

December 17th, 2007, 04:04 PM

Designer maps and signs guide tourists around city

Monday, December 17, 2007
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A $3.6 million project to put Jersey City on the map for tourists is nearing completion, as a new crop of designer way-finding markers are popping up all over the city.

A coalition of 30 local organizations that make up "Destination: Jersey City" have been installing 228 maps and signs for pedestrians, pointing out museums, parks, theaters, shops, galleries, historic buildings and other must-see destinations for visitors to the city.

In the first phase of the project, about 500 road signs were installed to steer sightseers around the city's 10 neighborhoods, including Liberty State Park, Journal Square, Historic Downtown, McGinley Square, the Heights and Bergen/Lafayette.

The signs - designed by Princeton-based Hiller Group architects - work in tandem with the group's Web site, destinationjerseycity.com, which provides information about where to shop, dine out and relax in Jersey City, said Elizabeth Romanaux, vice president of communications at the Liberty Science Center, one of the founding organizations.

Eight grants from the state Department of Transportation paid for the design, construction and installation of the signs, officials said.

Not everyone is happy with the placement of the signs however. Clifford Waldman, executive director of the Jersey City Parks Coalition and founder of Friends of Van Vorst Park, says there should have been more consultation with community groups.

Waldman said a map on Jersey Avenue at Montgomery Street unnecessarily obstructs the sidewalk and is embedded in white concrete that does not match surrounding paving slabs designed to look like historical blue stone.

Romanaux said there was extensive public consultation, and any problems can be fixed.

JCMAN320

December 19th, 2007, 11:41 AM

Embankment fights continue with new plan

by Ken Thorbourne Tuesday December 18, 2007, 7:49 PM

Monday was a night of legal punting and video presentations as the saga of the Sixth Street Embankment in Jersey City rolled on
.
Members of Jersey City's Historic Preservation Commission told Manhattan businessman Steve Hyman they don't have the jurisdiction to allow him to demolish the Embankment's historic walls to build townhouses.

That power lies, they said, with the federal Surface Transportation Board, which ruled in August that Conrail hadn't properly abandoned the unused railroad turnaround when it sold it to Hyman in July 2005 for $3 million.

At the same time that meeting was taking place, across the hallway at City Hall, members of the Embankment Preservation Coalition, the volunteer group dedicated to preserving the Embankment as open space, were making a video presentation to the City Council.

The 20-minute video included neighborhood association leaders supporting preservation of the Embankment as open space, and showed some landscape designs and a model that showed the scale of Hyman's planned development compared to the Embankment.

When the video ended, Council President Marino Vegas asked council members for questions or reactions. There weren't any.

"Everybody expected more. We all sat there and thought this was going to get better," said Ward D Councilman Bill Gaughan. "There was no plan. It was kind of like 'What the hell was that?'"

Maureen Crowley, the Preservation Coalition's coordinator shot back: "Our landscape architect ... illustrated a three-part design: a reserved strip for light rail, an East Coast Greenway (bike trail) segment, and a nature-oriented park."

According to the Coalition, the property could be developed for $3 million to $5 million.
The city's Seattle-based attorney, Charles Montange, has assured city officials that in the wake of the STB ruling, the city will be in a position to buy it for $3 million -- a point Hyman's attorney strongly disagrees with.

The coalition has already helped the city raise $3.7 million toward the purchase price, Crowley said.

Since the STB ruling -- which Hyman and Conrail are challenging in court -- Hyman has floated another concept for property: Preserving the wall and 75 percent of the elevated footprint for open space, but developing 1,100 to 1,500 residential units to pay for it all.

"Yes, they will be big buildings," Hyman conceded yesterday. "But someone has to pay for a park, leaving 75 percent of the land open ... and an East Coast Greenway. ... Across the street they are building 40, 50 stories high. Is this a holier than thou site?"

Hyman said he planned to file a motion on Friday challenging the Historic Preservation Commission's ruling.

MikeW

December 19th, 2007, 01:01 PM

Are JC prices holding up?

JCMAN320

December 19th, 2007, 01:20 PM

CLEAN SWEEP
$1.5M makeover to begin at City Council Chambers

Wednesday, December 19, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

No more sweaty nights. No more straining to hear speakers. No more squinting to the see the renderings of various presenters.

It's all expected to come to an end in nine months when the 113-year-old City Council chambers at City Hall in Jersey City emerges from its $1.5 million makeover.

"Anyone entering the chambers is going to feel a restored sense of pride in this building and the community at large," said Glenn Wrigley, the city's chief architect.

Employees with Jim Loungo Construction, of Nutley, have begun taking measurements to build scaffolding for the renovations. Work begins in earnest Jan. 2, city officials said.

Holt, Morgan, Russell Architects, of Princeton, has been paid $60,000 for the design work, Wrigley said.

Completed in 1894, City Hall is not on the federal Register of Historic Sites, but is part of the Van Vorst Park Historic District, and as such, its Gothic French facade is protected by law from tampering, city officials said.

But the work inside the chambers will be carried out as if the entire building is protected. The chambers' wood benches for example, will be taken apart, cleaned, and then reassembled. Workers at some point will be hoisted to the ceiling and work on their backs to clean the stained-glass dome.

"Sound soak," a material applied to the walls in the 1970s to improve the acoustics in the chambers, will be removed and the walls replastered. The most clamored-for improvements are the new heating and air conditioning system and sound system, which represents roughly half the project's budget.

The council dais will feature built-in computer monitors and a drop-down screen for PowerPoint presentations, city officials said.

"The people of Jersey City deserve a first-class space to conduct public business," said City Clerk Robert Byrne. "That's what they are going to get."

The chambers were officially named the Anna Cucci Memorial Council Chambers in 1989 in honor of former Mayor Anthony Cucci's wife, who was killed during a goodwill trip to Peru in 1988 and had led efforts to improve the facility.

---------------------------------

Meetings change locations

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Several Jersey City governing agencies have changed the location of their meetings because of the coming renovations of the City Council Chambers.

The City Council will hold meetings in the auditorium of the Frank R. Conwell Middle School 4, at 107 Bright St.

Council caucuses, which are also open to the public, will continue to be held in the council caucus room at City Hall.

The Jersey City Planning Board, Jersey City Zoning Board of Adjustment and Historic Preservation Commission plan to hold meetings in the 14th-floor conference room at 30 Montgomery St.

The Division of Tenant/Landlord Relations will hold its meetings in the council caucus room at City Hall.

JCMAN320

December 20th, 2007, 02:07 AM

NBA star donates basketballs to Jersey City

by The Jersey Journal Wednesday December 19, 2007, 11:48 AM

Jersey City's Department of Recreation has received 200 basketballs for youth athletics, thanks to NBA star LeBron James, who donated the balls as part of Nike's Let Me Play program.

The city received the basketballs this week and they will be used in after school activities sponsored by the city.

"Jersey City has a rich tradition of excelling in the sport of basektball and this donation will further provide the opportunity for our youth to partake in an activity that promotes hard work and camaraderie," Mayor Jerramiah Healy said in a statement.

NYatKNIGHT

December 20th, 2007, 12:03 PM

JCman, I don't want to discourage you at all, you're a valued member, but look where this Jersey City Rising thread has gone. When it started it was about it's building boom.

Feel free to start another thread about other happenings in Jersey City, like getting a donation of basketballs.

JCMAN320

December 20th, 2007, 03:44 PM

Ny you right I have thought about a new thread for events in JC but couldnt figure out a title. I'll do that once a new event coems out. I still feel though that development is the core of this thread.

JCMAN320

December 20th, 2007, 04:14 PM

Jersey City to sell Newark Avenue building

by Ken Thorbourne Thursday December 20, 2007, 1:57 PM

A city-owned commercial property in downtown Jersey City will soon have a "for sale" sign.

City officials said they intend to sell 121-125 Newark Ave, a four-story building that houses nonprofit and government offices, including the Jersey City Employment and Training Program.

A redevelopment plan for the building will be adopted by February, and a request-for-proposals for interested developers will be issued shortly after, said city Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Robert Antonicello.

"What we are looking for is a use that would activate and re-energize that that lower part of Newark Avenue," Antonicello said. "There could be a retail/entertainment use, a restaurant. There could be a number of different things."

City officials believe the property can fetch more than $4 million on the open market -- in time, they hope, for this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

JCMAN320

December 20th, 2007, 04:19 PM

20 acres of ick to be gold patch

Thursday, December 20, 2007
By PAUL KOEPP
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The state will give Jersey City up to $15 million to clean up a 20-acre parcel next to the Jersey City Medical Center for eventual development as a mixed-use community, city officials said yesterday.

Under the grant - set to be announced this morning at City Hall - the city will receive $5 million each year for the next three years from the state Department of Environmental Protection's Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund, through the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, officials said.

The site, called the Grand Jersey Redevelopment Area, is envisioned as a "gateway to Liberty State Park" with housing, retail and open space, officials said. Located just west of the 80-acre Liberty Harbor mixed-use project, it's bounded by Grand Street, the New Jersey Turnpike and Jersey Avenue.

The Environmental Protection Agency performed an initial cleanup in April, removing more than 2,200 tons of contaminated soil and debris - including hundreds of buried and abandoned barrels of waste - according to the EPA's Web site.

In addition, barrels removed from the site in the early 1990s - some of which had leaked - contained hazardous substances including laboratory wastes, sludge, powdered dyes, scrap metal and petroleum products, according to the EPA.

"The city stands to gain a tremendous land asset which has been dormant for years," said JCRA Executive Director Robert Antonicello in a news release.

Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy added that the cleanup "is pivotal to the success of the entire area."

The JCRA's plans for the site include a parking garage, more than 1,000 residential units - in three 30-story high-rises and two five-story buildings - and open space, according to the JCRA Web site. The JCRA is also considering a restoration project for nearby Mill Creek.

City officials said the state's designation of the parcel as a Brownfield Development Area elevates it to high-priority status.

tbal

December 20th, 2007, 09:24 PM

I smell eminent domain - I wonder how soon the two convenience stores, McDonald's, and real estate office next door to the Training building will be shutting up shop. It will be interesting to see what types of proposals pop up and how high the city will let a developer build there...

JCMAN320

December 21st, 2007, 06:11 PM

Setback for developer on Sixth St. Embankment

by Ken Thorbourne Friday December 21, 2007, 12:58 PM

In the latest development in the ever-evolving legal dispute between Manhattan businessman Steve Hyman and Jersey City over control of the Sixth Street Embankment, the federal Surface Transportation Board has denied Hyman's petition to review a previous STB decision that favored the city.

The STB ruled in August that Conrail never properly abandoned the old railroad turnaround -- a property Hyman bought from Conrail in July 2005 for $3 million and plans to build townhouses on.

That decision, according Charles Montange, an attorney representing the city, means Hyman's deed will be invalidated and the city will get the opportunity to buy the elevated six-block stretch for $3 million -- the same price Hyman paid.

Hyman had asked for reconsideration on the grounds that the STB relied on materials that weren't officially part of the record. In its decision Monday, the STB stated that most of the records were public and Hyman's attorneys didn't dispute their validity during the case.

Hyman and Conrail have both appealed the original decision in federal court.

Conrail spokesman John Enright said the company plans to file papers with the STB in January to properly abandon the site.

The city, he said, would have the right to seize the property through condemnation but if that happened, the city would have to pay market value, he said.

The property is worth between $10 million and $20 million, according to appraisals by the city and Hyman.

Advocates for the embankment to be preserved only as a park have been fighting for the city to buy the property.

JCMAN320

December 21st, 2007, 11:28 PM

Hey what happened to Hazard's post on Newark Ave?

hazard1

December 22nd, 2007, 07:14 AM

http://www.villagevoice.com/generic/show_print.php?id=78503&page=&issue=0750&printcde=MzU5NDA2NjAyNA==&refpage=L2FkbWluL2VkaXQvZWRpdC5waHA/JmNhc2U9dXBkYXRlJnNlY3Rpb249JmlkPTc4NTAzJmlzc3VlPT A3NTAmbXNnPQ==

Newark Ave. Nights
"Restaurant Row" might be a stretch, but Newark Ave. is blowing up
by Sharyn Jackson
December 18th, 2007 6:53 PM

http://images.villagevoice.com/issues/0749/bars.jpg
You can keep Manhattan
Mollye Chudacoff

This is not an argument about why you should live in Jersey City, where the commute to Manhattan takes eight minutes and

costs less than subway fare, and an apartment goes for two-thirds of what you pay in the boroughs. Jersey City locals are

tired of defending themselves against outdated perceptions that Jersey is a land of big hair and mob bosses, backed by a

Springsteen soundtrack. Get over it. If we're always expected to jump on the bandwagon to the next hot spot deep in

Brooklyn, the least you can do is cross the Hudson once in a while before Jersey-phobia causes you to completely miss the

rapid rise of the gritty sixth borough.

Downtown Jersey City's metamorphosis from downtrodden fringe city to desirable alternative neighborhood has, for the past

several years, been bound to Grove Street—a quaint three-block stretch of restaurants and cafés. On the intersecting, aptly

named Newark Avenue, something more desolate once greeted those emerging from the PATH. That's changing, though, with

recent laws extending drinking hours. The strip of 99-cent stores and discount shoe retailers (and one lone bar) that till now

has been referred to almost laughably as "Restaurant Row" is finally beginning to look the part. Hair nets and laundry

detergent are still the hottest commodities here, but a sprinkling of high-end establishments is brightening the face of Newark

Ave. The newest addition, itself a former shoe store, is Skinner's Loft (146 Newark Avenue), a two-story bar and restaurant.

Crowded in the early evenings with commuters, and then with the late-night crowd returning from the city and seeking one

last round, Skinner's Loft is a stop-by kind of a bar. But with close to 50 beers on the menu (from $4) and fruity cocktails

(from $6), it's no dive. The crisp autumn martini, made with house-infused apple vodka and pear Grey Goose, is insanely

strong, while the elderflower Belvedere martini, with sweet, flowery syrup, tastes like spring-flavored candy. Small plates,

served until 11 p.m., include baked macaroni and cheese ($8), coconut chicken tenders ($6), and the surprisingly light and

fluffy crab-and-corn hush puppies ($7). (Complete lunch and dinner menus are also available at the bar.) As for the décor,

gilded mirrors, antique Jersey City maps, and artwork by local painters adorn the exposed brick walls, and scavenged items—

including dusty floor tiles, church banisters, and a grand door frame—lend the look of an old-fashioned brownstone speakeasy

The patrons are as diverse as the neighborhood—and the state. Early on a weeknight, an older writer pecked away at his

laptop plopped down on the bar while Spanish-speaking sports fans cheered at the two wide-screen TVs. On a weekend, a

loud table of dreadlocked drinkers nearly drowned out an argument between two white kids about whose Bon Jovi concert

was better. Elsewhere, a couple of prim single gals brushed off a few frat boys, and by last call, frisky lesbians taunted

greasy-haired Irishmen and Brazilians with a little boob-play for beer. It may not sound like much, but next to big, bad,

segregated NYC, Jersey City's limited offerings actually bring people together. Places like the family-owned Skinner's Loft are

gems that quietly make this city the best little neighborhood in New York.

RYinNJ

December 23rd, 2007, 12:52 AM

some great images of what the completed towers will look like at www.sotawall.com/proj_popup/USA_77Hudson.html (http://www.sotawall.com/proj_popup/USA_77Hudson.html).

nafco

December 25th, 2007, 12:51 AM

RYinNJ great pics, thanks. i cant seem to get image 3 and 4 to work, but the first two look good.

macmini

December 27th, 2007, 11:20 PM

some great images of what the completed towers will look like at www.sotawall.com/proj_popup/USA_77Hudson.html (http://www.sotawall.com/proj_popup/USA_77Hudson.html).

The rental side of the building still looks the same as the rendering I don't think they changed the design but they have completely change the design of the condo building. I was watching Open House NYC and the architect gave a tour of 77H sale center. The building is now in the shape of a triangle and the glass is much lighter then in the rendering.

You can see the sales center & the model of the new design here.
http://openhousenyc.tv/squarefeet/2007/12/23/77-hudson-jersey-city-nj/

nafco

December 28th, 2007, 10:17 AM

fancy stuff. thanks for the post macmini. i like that new design a lot better than the old one. it looks like they really are seperating themselves almost into two different projects judging by the model in that video where everything else but the condo tower was just grey block.

RYinNJ

December 28th, 2007, 01:23 PM

thanks for the update macmini, the lighter glass is more appealing.....

New Guy

December 31st, 2007, 01:14 AM

Does anyone know what construction is going up on the empty lot between Gray Street and Mill Rd (Academy runs along and changes into Mill Rd after Baldwin).

I live in the area and I am getting everything from a some sort of Department of Welfare to the Sheriff's office. I dont know the address since it technically intersects Academy//Mill and borders Gray Street and its an empty field. Its not the Red Cross, they are already here. Its not the mid rise condos at slated for construction at 147-151 Academy street...someday...as they have not broken ground.

Anyone want to take a shot? I cant find it via the internet. Thanks.

macmini

January 4th, 2008, 12:24 AM

Last week their was a story in the Jersey Journal " Eight to Keep Your Eye On" about big things that would be happen in Hudson county in 2008. They mention that the Trump project got it's financing and the second tower is back on track. I thought the second tower was on hold dose any one know if any thing has change.

The Donald puts his stamp on the skyline

The skyline of Jersey City is evolving Trump-style.

In June, city officials "topped off" the 55-story Trump Plaza Jersey City. Construction on the smaller, 50-story second tower, which was slowed by financing concerns, is now back on track.

The two towers of Trump Plaza Jersey City will be the two tallest residential buildings in New Jersey - that is until the nearby Metropolitan is built.
Rising at a shopping area off Marin Boulevard, the $200 million Metropolitan would become the state's second tallest building, after the 781-foot Goldman Sachs building on Hudson Street.

tbal

January 4th, 2008, 04:05 PM

macmini - I have no idea whether the second Trump tower is still active; as of this afternoon, there was nothing going on at the site.

New Guy - it appears that the construction you mentioned is for a park, and I believe it is being financed by whatever company is financing the renovation of the office building across the street:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1508003.jpg?t=1199476869

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1508002.jpg?t=1199476903

Building across the street (under renovation); this is located near The Beacon:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1508004.jpg?t=1199476947

Other construction pics from this afternoon:

197 Academy Street
If I had to guess, I'd say this building will probably be 6 stories when topped off:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1508001.jpg?t=1199476806

Liberty Harbor
Overview of the Phase II area:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1508006.jpg?t=1199476838

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1508007.jpg?t=1199477018

Another midrise building with a concrete structure is rising at the end of a cluster of low-rise buildings close to the Jersey Ave Light Rail station:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1508009.jpg?t=1199477040

77 Hudson
View to the Northeast:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1508011.jpg?t=1199477062

View to the Northwest:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1508013.jpg?t=1199477081

JoeSas

January 4th, 2008, 08:07 PM

Last bit in the news was the the second tower will go ahead once the first one sells out. Right now it is about 80% sold. I would think the people who bought in the first tower would want the second one started right away so they aren't living in a construction site forever, plus I wonder if they have to wait for that tower to be built to get any of the anticipated amenities. I mean, is the pool going to be open with cranes over it?

I am surprised they even mention the Metropolitan. It doesn't seem like this will be built for yeears, if ever.

Last week their was a story in the Jersey Journal " Eight to Keep Your Eye On" about big things that would be happen in Hudson county in 2008. They mention that the Trump project got it's financing and the second tower is back on track. I thought the second tower was on hold dose any one know if any thing has change.

JoeSas

January 5th, 2008, 11:06 AM

City, Honeywell to write new West Side story

Saturday, January 05, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City has tentatively agreed to enter into a joint partnership with Morristown-based Honeywell International Inc. to develop roughly 100 acres of chromium-contaminated land on the west side of the city as residential, commercial, and open space.

The agreement, which city officials announced yesterday and must pass muster with the state Department of Environmental Protection, would resolve a lawsuit the city filed against the company in May 2005.

The city claimed it had lost more than $10 million in tax revenue due to the chromium sites, which Honeywell, as the court-assigned "responsible party," is on the hook to clean up.

The deal would essentially create a new city on the west side of Jersey City with roughly 80 acres dedicated to residential and commercial space and the balance of land devoted to open space, officials said.

Under the terms of the agreement, the land to be used for open space would receive an "impermeable cap," while tainted soil on the parcels slated for commercial or residential development would be dug up and removed.

"This agreement to create a public-private partnership with Honeywell is a momentous event in the history of Jersey City," Mayor Jerramiah Healy said yesterday.

"Honeywell's clean-up of the former West Side industrial sites will be to the highest level of environmental standards and bring about exciting new urban development that will provide attractive new housing opportunities, commercial and retail space, new parks, public access to the Hackensack River waterfront and thousands of jobs."

Honeywell spokeswoman Victoria Streitfeld said the agreement "would unlock the redevelopment of the West Side, creating the possibility of new communities by establishing incentives for investment and job growth."

The land involved stretches from Route 440 on the east, to the Hackensack River on the west, from Kellogg Street to the south, to where the city Department of Public Works complex ends to the north.

Under the terms of the tentative deal, Honeywell would purchase 41 acres from the city for land now occupied by the DPW, the Municipal Utilities Authority and the Jersey City Incinerator Authority.

Honeywell would then sell this land and roughly 60 acres the company already owns to builders who agree to develop according to an "area in need of redevelopment" drawn up by the city.

The city would share in the profits.

The deal would generate total sales revenue between $144 million and $384 million, of which the city would reap between $80 million and $160 million, said Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis.

Under the terms of a 2005 settlement with the community group Interfaith Community Organization, Honeywell is already excavating tainted chromium soil from the 32-acre plot known as the Roosevelt Drive-In site.

And when the "Bayfront Area" is fully built, the city would collect $50 million a year in property taxes, Matsikoudis said.

In addition, the plan would also create 10,000 new construction jobs with 5,000 construction workers on site every year for 20 years, he said.

A closed-door discussion of the agreement by the City Council is scheduled for Monday.

BrooklynRider

January 6th, 2008, 03:15 AM

TBAL,

Great pics. Please keep them coming!

JCMAN320

January 6th, 2008, 02:18 PM

Yes tbal excellent pics. I' am very excited about the site proposal between the city and Honeywell. That site is across 440 and literally a 10 minute walk from my house, across 440. That site for years has been blight and now with the ongoing cleanup this can only be positive as long as it is done responsibly.

The office building undergoing renovation with the steps leading down through and u/c park is the old Block Drug Co building that housed Merck at most recently I believe. That building will become the Hudson County Office Building and will have all of Hudson County's offices and agencies housed there. That will be a boon for the area. Looking real good thus far.

JCMAN320

January 6th, 2008, 02:28 PM

Well it is official, Starbucks is coming to Grove Pointe next to the Grove St PATH as confirmed by Ianmac. Also a blogger has also said there is a Starbucks coming soon sign near the Exchange Place PATH station and finally to top it off there is a Van Houtte Cafe coming to the base of the Montgomery-Greene condo building. That might hurt the Flamingo Diner across the street.

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?p=207902#post207902

macmini

January 7th, 2008, 09:22 PM

BYE BYE TO BURGERS, PIZZA
Journal Square eateries on the move to make way for demolition

Monday, January 07, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

While the rest of the world was ringing in 2008, a McDonald's employee was flipping the last Big Mac in the Journal Square eatery.

And Three Guys from Italy pizzeria, a Jersey City landmark for 50 years, also closed up shop on New Year's Eve - both to make way for a $500 million two-tower development rising on the old Hotel on the Square block.

But have no fear, McNugget and pepperoni pizza lovers. Both establishments - the last to close to make way for the highly anticipated development - will reopen within the shadows of the towers-to-be.

McDonald's is relocating just across the square to 2873 Kennedy Blvd., the site of the former "Queen Bee" beauty supply store and next to Lord's Men's Shop, a McDonald's spokesman said. They are hoping to open in that location in April.

Three Guys is moving to 2854 Kennedy Blvd., a ground-floor commercial space at the State Square apartment complex, which contains 130 rental units and opened about two years ago.

"We look forward to serving our loyal customers in the Journal Square area as we have done for many years," Dan McVeigh, real estate manager for McDonald's NY Metro Region, said in a statement.

The burger maker didn't go without a shove. The city sought and received a court order requiring McDonald's to vacate the premises at 15-16 Journal Square by Dec. 31, city officials said.

The city also is still in litigation with McDonald's over the value of equipment McDonald's had to leave behind, said Christopher Fiore, assistant executive director of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency.

Even though they are moving, Three Guys from Italy aren't changing landlords.

Harwood Properties of Jersey City, which is a development partner in the new project and therefore part-owner of entire block next to the PATH Transportation Center, is also part-owner of the State Square complex.

"We don't feel good about it, but at least were not going too far," said Three Guys owner Andre Greco about vacating his space next to the PATH station.

"The location by the train, you couldn't beat it," Greco added. "But we have no choice to leave. We're lucky to find a location and we took it."

Greco said his rent will be a little less than he was paying and he hopes to be cranking out pizzas at the new location in six to eight weeks.

With McDonald's and Three Guys gone, demolition of all the structures still standing on the old Hotel on the Square block should be finished by April, Fiore said.

The new development, to be built over the course of two years, will have a 65-story north tower and 45-story south tower. The two towers will contain 1,500 market-rate rental units, 150,000 square feet of retail space, and 600 parking spaces.

New Guy

January 7th, 2008, 11:09 PM

Tbal,

Thanks for the info. regarding the Mill Rd area! Great pictures too. I appreciate you taking them. If it is indeed a park this would only be a huge improvement for the street and the area. :)

Any idea what the building is being rennovated to become? I believe it was previously owned by Glaxo, Smith, Kein (health care company).

JCMAN320

January 8th, 2008, 12:29 AM

JCMAN320

January 9th, 2008, 12:56 PM

Healy wants west side plan approved tonight

Wednesday, January 09, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy urged City Council members Monday night to approve a tentative legal settlement tonight with Honeywell International Inc. - a deal the mayor says will jump-start development of 100 acres of chromium-contaminated land on the city's west side.

"We're opening the doors to great things," said Healy, as he ticked off benefits of the agreement, including up to 8,000 housing units, 1 million square feet of retail and commercial space, 20 acres of open space, and when fully built in 20 years, $50 million a year in taxes.

The tentative settlement resolves three lawsuits filed by the city against Honeywell and countersuits filed by Honeywell, which absorbed the company that originally polluted the land.

The agreement, which the council will consider at its meeting tonight at 6 at City Hall, calls for the city to pool 41 acres it already owns with 60 acres already owned by Honeywell.

Honeywell would sign a "master redeveloper's agreement" to sell this land to builders who would develop it according to an "areas in need of redevelopment" plan formulated by the city.

Honeywell's share of the land sales revenue would be 60 percent and the city's 40 percent. This division is based on the percentage of land contributed, city officials said.

The city stands to reap between $60 million and $156 million, city officials said Monday.

The deal calls for Honeywell to dig up and remove chromium-tainted soil on the 80 acres slated for residential and commercial purposes. In accordance with state Department of Environmental guidelines, the 20 acres of open space would receive a synthetic, impermeable cap. As result of a 2005 settlement with the community group, Interfaith Community Organization, Honeywell is already excavating contaminated soil from a 34-acre plot known as the Roosevelt Drive-In site.

Joe Morris, ICO's director, slammed the city and the DEP for being party to a deal that allows some chromium to remain on site.

"We're disappointed that DEP is implementing this policy with such broad loopholes, such as open space," Morris said. "The result will be lots of cancer-causing chromium remains in the ground."

Bill Matsikoudis, the city's top attorney, shot back that the city's environmental consultants signed off on the plan, as have lawyers and consultants representing the Hackensack Riverkeeper, who also sued Honeywell and is on the brink of settling.

hazard1

January 10th, 2008, 07:39 AM

50 Columbus Luxury Rental Building Suprasses 75% Leased In downtown Jersey City

http://www.prweb.com/releases/50/Columbus/prweb613081.htm (http://www.prweb.com/releases/50/Columbus/prweb613081.htm)

50 Columbus (http://www.50columbus.com (http://www.50columbus.com/)) is more than 75% leased as renters are quickly snapping up the new luxury rental residences located in the heart of Jersey City, N.J.'s vibrant downtown district. More than 300 upscale residences have been rented in less than four months in the striking 36-story residential tower which features 400 premium homes and an elaborate amenity offering adjacent to the recently-renovated Grove Street PATH Station.

Jersey City, NJ (PRWEB) January 10, 2008 -- 50 Columbus (http://www.50columbus.com (http://www.50columbus.com/)) is more than 75% leased as renters are quickly snapping up the new luxury rental residences located in the heart of Jersey City, N.J.'s vibrant downtown district.

More than 300 upscale residences have already been rented in the striking 36-story residential tower which features 400 premium homes and an elaborate amenity offering adjacent to the recently-renovated Grove Street PATH Station.

The impressive leasing milestone was accomplished less than four months after 50 Columbus opened to the public, according to hApplied Development Company (http://www.appliedco.com/properties/rentals/50columbus.shtm (http://www.appliedco.com/properties/rentals/50columbus.shtm)) and Panepinto Properties, the joint venture partners developing the building.

In addition, more than 200 residents have already moved in.

"We were confident that 50 Columbus (http://www.50columbus.com (http://www.50columbus.com/)) would appeal to sophisticated, discerning professionals seeking luxury high-rise living and resort-like amenities amidst the exciting ambiance of Jersey City," notes David Barry, President of Applied Development Company. "The extraordinary pace of leasing activity certainly validates that. It also underscores the tremendous value offered here."

Designed by world-renowned architect Costas Kondylis, with interiors by celebrated designer Andres Escobar (http://www.50columbus.com (http://www.50columbus.com/)), the building is notable for a soaring, 24-hour-attended lobby with 19-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling glass, a professional concierge and a unique water feature.

"Residents also enjoy an upscale, hotel-like recreational experience stemming from a full-floor amenities space that includes a lounge, theater/screening room, card and billiard rooms, children's play area and business center," points out Stephanie Panepinto, a principal of Panepinto Properties.

"A private landscaped rooftop deck features a swimming pool, cabanas, BBQ area and tennis court. In addition, the on-site Club H (http://www.clubhjc.com (http://www.clubhjc.com/)) Fitness Center and Spa offers state-of-the-art fitness equipment, a Juice Bar with an expansive menu, nutritional advisors and Personal Trainers. There's also the convenience of an enclosed parking garage."

A wide mix of elegantly-designed floor plans is available at 50 Columbus, ranging from studios to three-bedroom residences - including eight lavish duplex townhomes -- at monthly rents starting at $1,825. The homes enjoy an abundance of natural light, as well as spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, the Hudson River, the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor.

Gourmet kitchens offer sleek Euro-style cabinets with Richelieu hardware in brushed nickel, antique pearl quartz countertops and Whirlpool and GE appliances. Lavish bathrooms feature walnut vanities with Carrera marble vanity tops, ceramic tile floors, white running bond ceramic tile walls and polished chrome fixtures. All homes have wood flooring in living areas and carpeted bedrooms.

JoeSas

January 10th, 2008, 09:06 AM

I wonder if this means they will be forging ahead with the other two towers next to 50 Colombus. My bet is on yes.

JCMAN320

January 10th, 2008, 04:56 PM

City council OKs 100-acre development deal on west side

by Ken Thorbourne Thursday January 10, 2008, 12:59 PM

http://blog.nj.com/hudsoncountynow_impact/2008/01/large_bayfront.jpg
A rendering of a development project that was approved Wednesday night.

The Jersey City City Council has approved a tentative settlement with Morristown-based Honeywell International Inc. that promises to spur the development of thousands of housing units, plus commercial, retail, and open space on the city's west side.
The deal, negotiated over the course of a year by city officials, settles at least three lawsuits filed by the city against Honeywell and a counter-suit against the city filed by Honeywell, the successor company to Mutual Chemical, which polluted roughly 100 acres of land with chromium, a known carcinogen.

"I look forward to the west side of the city being developed," said Ward D Councilman Bill Gaughan, joining with colleagues Wednesday to unanimously approve the agreement. "This is a landmark project."

City President Mariano Vega called the deal, which still must be approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection and the courts, a "historic settlement." The biggest initiative of Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy's administration, the deal would spur up to 8,000 units of housing, along with more than 1 million square feet of commercial and retail development. Twenty of the 100 acres would be open space.

Honeywell would be named the "master redeveloper" and charged with cleaning up the tainted sites and selling development rights.

The city, which owns 41 of the 100 acres, would reap 40 percent of the revenue from land sales. This amounts to $60 million to $150 million coming into city coffers over the 20-year period, city officials said. When fully built, the project will contribute $50 million a year to taxes, officials said.

Initial plans called for relocating the Jersey City Incinerator Authority and Department of Public Works to land owned by Edwin Seigel at the PJP landfill site. But Ward B Councilwoman Mary Spinello objected and the city is looking at alternative sites. Honeywell is chipping in $13 million toward relocation, officials said.

The Municipal Utilities Authority, also located on the tainted land, would remain on site, but it would be rebuilt to take up less space, officials said.

This deal also offers an immediate payoff for an administration trying to cope with this year's budget that ends June 30.

Honeywell has agreed to upfront payments of $15 million this year and $10 million next year, money that would come out of the city's 40 percent share on the land sales.

JCMAN320

January 10th, 2008, 08:22 PM

Concrete chunks falling off county administration building

by Charles Hack Thursday January 10, 2008, 5:26 PM

Workers began hastily putting up scaffolding today at the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City after chunks of masonry had fallen from the crumbling facade.

Several chunks of concrete, including half-moon shaped pieces three feet long are missing from overhangs near the roof along the Newark Avenue side of the nine-story building.

A crack can be seen over the Central Avenue entrance and workers said there is danger that more concrete will fall there.

Today, JTG Scaffolding, Inc., of Linden, built scaffolding over the entrance on Central and along the eastern side of building to protect people who are walking below.

A spokesman for JTG Scaffolding, Inc. said that the company received an emergency call to erect the scaffolding. The structure, which stretches 16 feet from the wall is designed to withstand blows of 300 pounds square foot.

An employee looked out the window last Thursday and saw a chunk of masonry had fallen on metal awning on the southern side, over the entrance to Central Judicial Processing Court, Hudson County spokesman James Kennelly said.

Structural engineers from Warren-based Paulus, Sokolowski & Sartor inspected the building Tuesday and recommended putting up the scaffolding and restricting access to the entrance on Central.

The county then declared an emergency that evening so it could free the money immediately to pay for the work, Kennelly said.

County Executive Tom DeGise said the building is badly in need of repair and he hopes to begin major renovations in the fall.

"It is not a good building," DeGise said. "It was pretty run down by the time I got there."

injcsince81

January 10th, 2008, 10:33 PM

This is a pic I took a few days ago. The clubhouse should open in 2008. While the club is private, the word is that there will be an upscale restaurant in the clubhouse, open to the public.

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z175/acxent/clubhouse003.jpg

brunfuss

January 10th, 2008, 10:43 PM

not to bring up an old topic but here's some food for thought:

if you were to combine Newark, Irvington, Belleville, Orange and East Orange, you'd create a city that is pop. 472,975, 38.5 sq miles and a density of 12,285.

if you were to combine Jersey City, Hoboken, Union City, West New York, Weehawken, Guttenberg and North Bergen, you'd create a city with a population of 472,573, 37.9 sq miles and a density of 12,548.

New Jersey could use 2 geographically dominating major cities

investordude

January 11th, 2008, 12:02 AM

JCMan, that west side rezoning looks exciting. Is there an associated plan to ensure adequate public transit for that thing?

ASchwarz

January 11th, 2008, 02:16 AM

JCMan, that west side rezoning looks exciting. Is there an associated plan to ensure adequate public transit for that thing?

The Hudson Bergen Light Rail is being extended to the site.

hazard1

January 12th, 2008, 03:48 AM

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/realestate/13njzo.html?_r=1&ref=realestate&oref=slogin

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/nytlogo153x23.gif
January 13, 2008
In the Region | New Jersey
Condos With Deco in the Details

By ANTOINETTE MARTIN
JERSEY CITY

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/01/13/realestate/13njzo-600.jpg

Alex di Suvero for The New York Times

ART DECO GRANDEUR RESTORED The walls of the billiard room at the Beacon, a condo conversion in Jersey City, are encircled by a frieze called “From Myth to Medicine.”

CONSIDER the process involved in the historical restoration of just one detail — the gilding on beams and moldings in the theater — at the former medical center here, now being transformed into the Beacon residential complex.

“Paint ages over time, and it discolors,” said Ulana Zakalak, a restoration specialist who is a consultant on the project.

Because the eight Art Deco buildings at the complex are designated landmarks, and the developer, Metrovest Equities, is applying for historic preservation tax credits, it was essential to discern and reproduce precisely the original colors and sheens, Ms. Zakalak said.

“For every surface, an X-Acto blade was used to carve out a small sliver of paint, down to the wood,” she said. “The paint sample was pasted in Lucite and filed down to the edge to get a stratification of the layers. The cross section was put under a microscope to examine every paint layer, and matched to a color guide for modern paints.”

“The gilding was the most tricky to match,” Ms. Zakalak said, because it was not true gold leaf, but some sort of alloy.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/01/11/realestate/13njzo-3-650.jpghttp://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gifhttp://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif
The former grand theater area has been turned into an event and movie-screening space for residents.

The towering medical center buildings were built during the Depression — at the behest of the legendary Jersey City mayor Frank Hague, who leaned on his “good friend,” Franklin D. Roosevelt (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/franklin_delano_roosevelt/index.html?inline=nyt-per) — at a time when gold was too precious to use as mere décor.

The paint and plaster foreman, Johnny Hilares of Evergreen Studios, experimented for weeks with various mixtures and glazes before he hit on the right formula, Ms. Zakalak said.

Meanwhile, the chipped and crumbling plaster moldings on the theater’s ceilings and walls each had to be repaired or reproduced, and the bronze Deco light fixtures — some painted over and covered with globs of melted plastic that had replaced the original glass — had to be cleaned, reglazed and rewired.

Today, the theater looks resplendent — as it did 70 years ago, Ms. Zakalak said. Beacon residents use the once bedraggled space, which served as a makeshift triage center after Sept. 11, for community events.

Two hundred people are now living in the first building restored at the complex, set atop the Palisades ridge near Journal Square. Seventy more have signed purchase agreements for condominiums in the building, which is 90 percent sold, according to Metrovest’s chief executive, George Filopoulos. Sales are to open soon for a second building.

Eventually, 1,100 units will be created inside the tall stone structures — some of them rentals — and 80,000 square feet of retail space will be added. This makes the Beacon the largest historic renovation project currently under way in the country, according to officials with the National Park Service (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/national_park_service/index.html?inline=nyt-org), which oversees the federal tax credit program.

“The project is both monumental in size and intricately detailed,” said Mr. Filopoulos, whose company began the restoration effort four years ago. “It can be overwhelming at times.”

But, in the words of Ms. Zakalak, who bought a condo at the first building shortly after she began working on it, “it gets under your skin.”

She and Mr. Filopoulos imagine this must have been the case for the workers and artisans who created the original buildings.

A magnificent bas-relief frieze, circling the walls near the ceiling of what is now the Beacon’s billiard room, was recently cleaned and restored.

The sculpture, called “From Myth to Medicine,” has hand-carved images ranging from cavemen to Pandora opening her box, from the grim reaper to the foo dog, from the Native American medicine man to the hospital surgeon.

Fashioned by out-of-work artists hired through the federal Works Progress Administration, the bas-relief was evidently unsigned — as was the custom with W.P.A. work.

“It is such an incredible piece, though, we constantly looked for a name,” Ms. Zakalak said. “All during the cleaning process, over four years, we looked.”

Then, literally at the last moment — 8 p.m. on a Friday, when the work was being given a final dusting because of a public event scheduled the next day, and Mr. Hilares was up on a lift checking for errant specks — he spotted a minuscule signature carved in script at the edge of the image of a cloud: Allen George Newman.

Mr. Newman was a prominent sculptor in the 1920s and ’30s. He created the Henry Hudson monument that stands at the corner of 72nd Street and Riverside Drive in New York City (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/?inline=nyt-geo), as well as various war memorial statues for cities around the country.

“Obviously,” Ms. Zakalak said, “he put his heart and soul into this project — done in anonymity, too.”

JCMAN320

January 13th, 2008, 05:38 PM

The Beacon (aka as the old JC Med Center) is truly an Art Deco treasure that we have here in Jersey City is on par with Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building and those pictures show it off beautifully I would love to get in there and explore more of itand take more pictures to post. Those pictures only show a sliver of the grandur and opulence of this complex.

Also of note the Beacon is largest historic restoration and preservation project ever in New Jersey history, and is one of the largest restoration and preservation projects in the United States.

Radiohead

January 13th, 2008, 06:15 PM

Here is a photo slide show of the Beacon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwQR5ESelTQ

Dagrecco82

January 14th, 2008, 12:43 AM

Wow!There really isn't anything like Art Deco.

JCMAN320

January 15th, 2008, 01:59 PM

Fights over heights, history - and juice

Tuesday, January 15, 2008
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF REPORTER

As Jersey City's vision for a historic low-rise enclave for artists in the Powerhouse Arts District unravels, officials say they are drawing a line at two historic buildings.

The city is determined to preserve the height and character of the national landmark Powerhouse on Washington Street and the century-old Butler Brothers warehouse on Warren Street, said Bob Antonicello, executive director of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency.

Jersey City's goal is to turn the Powerhouse into a retail and entertainment mecca, but the transformers that power the PATH trains from Newark to New York are currently on the property, owned jointly by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the city.

The city wouldn't mind if the P.A. moved the transformers to city-owned land at Second Street and Washington Boulevard next to the Powerhouse, but open space advocates want that land kept for a park.

The other options are relocating the transformers within the Powerhouse site or relocating them to the Butler Brothers property across the street.

Bob Lehrer, owner of the 1905 brick Butler Brothers warehouse, at 350 Warren St., wants to shelve earlier plans for a single layer of penthouse suites atop his nine-story brick building, and instead build a 40-story residential tower atop the building.

But the city has balked at Lehrer's plan. If Lehrer agrees to relocation of the transformers to his property, the city will allow him an extra 100 feet in height on the development of the site he owns south the warehouse.

The city's focus on saving just those two historic buildings is under fire from both property owners and conservationists.

Jill Edelman, president of the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association, points to the Toll Brothers plan to build 40-story towers on the Manischewitz building property in exchange for preserving just part of the building's facade, saying it will lead other developers to demand the same.

"The city has shown itself as weak protecting their own laws," Edelman said. "I don't understand why the city is under the delusion that other developers wouldn't want to do the same thing."

Lehrer says he can't understand the city's stance, with Donald Trump's 55-story Trump Plaza, Lloyd Goldman's 52-story tower and now the Toll Brothers high-rise proposal all going up around him.

"Originally, this was the biggest building in the district and now it's going to be the smallest. That changes everything," Lehrer said in his office, at 350 Morgan St. "No one wants a penthouse in a valley."

Although the majority owners at the Port Authority refused to comment, city officials say that the Port Authority has agreed to let the Redevelopment Agency lead how the Powerhouse is redeveloped.

The Planning Board will be holding a public hearing on the development plan tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at Middle School 4, at 111 Bright St.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

For some only goal is a park

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

A city-owned, undeveloped triangular property next to Downtown's old Powerhouse has become a bargaining chip in the redevelopment of a national landmark and a century-old warehouse, officials said.

Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop says he is committed to supporting a group of local property owners who want the city to create a public park on the 18,000-square-foot site at Second and Washington streets.

But the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency wants the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to consider the land as an option to relocate their transformers for PATH trains when the Powerhouse is converted into an entertainment and retail center.

Last year, the Port Authority released a draft report that concluded that it would cost $52 million to replace and relocate the transformers either within the Powerhouse or to a 10,000-square-foot space in the Butler Brothers building across the street.

The report did not consider the triangular plot. The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency and Port Authority expect to come out with another report looking at additional locations for the transformers in six months, says JCRA Director Robert Antonicello.

David Weltz, president of the Portofino Homeowners Association, whose high-rise is near the Powerhouse, said the members were promised that the mound of dirt on the site would be converted to a park, and said he is prepared to go to the next City Council meeting to lobby for open space.

"We worked hard to get a park there," Weltz said. "The last thing we would want as opposed to a park is electrical transformers."

Although Fulop backed down from plans to introduce a resolution at two recent council meetings that would add the land to the city's open space inventory, he wants the transformers buried below ground and supports a campaign to keep the land as open space.

CHARLES HACK

JCMAN320

January 17th, 2008, 09:20 PM

OK for 3 towers in arts district

Thursday, January 17, 2008
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Jersey City Planning Board last night gave its unanimous approval to the Toll Brothers plan to build three high-rise towers around the Manischewitz property in the Powerhouse Arts District, pleasing developers but disappointing artists and conservationists.

In voting 8-0 to recommend that the City Council approve an amendment to the Powerhouse Arts District Redevelopment Plan that would allow for building residential towers of 30, 35 and 40 stories, it determined the proposal is consistent with the Jersey City Master Plan.

"We worked very hard on the project and are obviously very pleased with the decision," said James C. McCann, attorney for Toll Brothers. "I think it will change the Powerhouse Arts District in a good way."

Toll Brothers is offering to build a 550-seat performing arts theater with gallery space and 25,000-square-foot Provost Square in return for allowing it to build 950 apartments in the three high-rise towers, and for the right to knock down two warehouses and all but the façade of the former Manischewitz plant. The builder could also be allowed to dedicate less housing to artist's live/work spaces.

The decision left around 70 members of Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association and other preservation groups which turned up at Middle School 4 on Bright Street last night disappointed but vowing to fight on.

"We have nothing against the plaza, but at what cost?" asked Jill Edelman, president of the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association, after the meeting. "We bought into a very specific plan, which we have seen succeed, and we are the beneficiaries of that success."

There was no public comment at the meeting, but a few shouted their objections to the Planning Board.

Toll Brothers and the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association made their opposing presentations at a five-hour meeting in November.

The neighborhood association did, however, win one small victory when the developer said he would reuse Provost Street cobblestones in the plaza - but not old railway tracks.

Under the proposal, Toll Brothers can market 10 percent of the housing to "working families" rather than artists for the first 180 days after the units are built. Half of those could be built off site. Just 12 units will comply with requirement for live-and-work loft space, and one of those will be dedicated to artists.

Robert Cotter, director of the Planning Department, spoke in favor of the plan, saying that it would create a vibrant theater and arts district.

----------------------------

More comentary from Ianmac at newyorkssixth.com:
http://www.newyorkssixth.com/

I have to see more of the proposal for me to make a call so I' m mixed on this.

JCMAN320

January 18th, 2008, 11:14 AM

Clash over future of PJP acres

Friday, January 18, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The owner of a good chunk of the PJP landfill site in Jersey City confirmed yesterday he wants to sell some of his property to a Jersey City recycling business.

But city officials, who want Edwin Siegel's 32 acres at the environmental cleanup site for their own purposes, trashed that idea.

A recycling plant "is not in accord with the city's vision with that section of the city," or in line with the city's redevelopment plan for the area, said Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis.

Plus, Matsikoudis could have added, the city wants to build new headquarters for the Jersey City Incinerator Authority and the Municipal Utilities Authority on Siegel's property, along with developing 17 acres of open space.

Asked why putting the JCIA and MUA there is more acceptable than a recycling plant, Matsikoudis dubbed the recycling station "a much more intense and noxious use."

Siegel had no comment, except to confirm he's in discussions with Galaxy Recycling of Jersey City. A former lawyer of Siegel's estimated the value of the land at $16 million.

Gary Giordano, manager of the fourth-generation recycling firm on New York Avenue near the Hoboken border, also declined to comment.

Wary of "increased traffic congestion," Councilwoman Mary Spinello opposes both the recycling facility and the city's garbage collection agencies coming to her ward.

The city had whacked Siegel with roughly $17 million in fire code violations. But the Jersey City Construction Board of Appeals, a group of private citizens appointed by the mayor, whittled those fines down to roughly $137,000. And Siegel is challenging those fines in court.

After an epic battle in 2006, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy and the City Council pushed through a redevelopment plan for the PJP landfill to allow a warehouse to be built on 47 acres of it owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

But the only other permitted uses for the site are "light assembly," in keeping with what's already there, or open space, city officials said.

Siegel has sued the city to buy his piece of the landfill on the grounds that zoning changes have so devalued his property that the city should be forced to compensate him at pre-zoning change prices.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trucks gone, but appealing $6M fines

Friday, January 18, 2008

A state appeals court has cleared the way for an out-of-business Jersey City used-truck company to appeal fines of almost $6 million handed down by city officials, who said it maintained an illegal junkyard next to the former PJP Landfill site.

The company, Trophy Trucking, saw its original appeal dismissed in 2006 by the Law Division of Superior Court because it couldn't post a bond of $11.6 million - twice the amount of the fines - as required. But a two-judge panel of the Appellate Division of Superior Court said yesterday that the Law Division didn't give sufficient reasons for dismissing the appeal.

Fire officials and the Jersey City Incinerator Authority cited Trophy Trucking several times from 2003 to 2005 for storing vast piles of truck trailers and other equipment on the property at the foot of Sip Avenue, at Routes 1 and 9.

Trophy leased the property from Edwin Siegal, who has been a long-running dispute with the city over the land he owns on an around the landfill.

Robert J. De Groot, an attorney for the company, said the fines were issued in Jersey City Municipal Court in February 2006 without a trial.

"It was just like Alice in Wonderland," he said. "First the sentence, then the trial."

De Groot said the company has shut down and is clearing the equipment from the site. "The city had a major desire to get them off (the property) as quickly as possible," he said.

An attorney for the city shares that view.

"The city's aggressive issuance of fines to Trophy Trucking, due to their improper operation of what amounted to a junkyard and hazardous dumping ground, compelled Trophy Trucking to clear the site of over a thousand rusting truck bodies and other hazardous debris," said Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis.

PAUL KOEPP

JCMAN320

January 18th, 2008, 11:19 AM

Block of Monticello has brighter look for 13 businesses

Friday, January 18, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

New awnings. Red brick facade. The name of her store, "Grace Bakery and Restaurant" artfully etched in the show window.

Yves Desir, who opened for business at 140 Monticello Ave. on Saturday, couldn't be more pleased with the $1.3 million facade makeover she and 12 other commercial neighbors have received, courtesy of a state program that kicks back sales tax money to the city.

"It's practically a new building," Desir gushed. "I am very pleased with the job they did. It makes the neighborhood look better."

Several city officials, including Mayor Jerramiah Healy, joined in a ribbon-cutting yesterday to celebrate the completion of the facade makeover along Monticello Avenue between Astor Place and Brinkerhoff Street.

Indeed, the block seems transformed from everything around it, with all the businesses on the east side of the street having received new signs, awnings, windows, wall repairs, security gates, lighting, and doors.

"The facade brings out the avenue very distinctly," said Tommie Cates, whose sister runs The Word Works, a store a few doors down from the bakery that sells Biblical materials. "It's definitely upgraded."

Completed in six months by Newark-based Admo Construction Inc., the work was paid for with state Urban Enterprise Zone funds. Roughly a third of Jersey City falls into a UEZ zone where store owners can arrange to charge half of the state's 7 percent sales tax. The 3.5 percent tax they do charge is recycled into the community through projects such as this, city officials said.

"We want this to continue," said Healy. "We are confident we will bring this kind of success to other parts of the city."

Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson called the project "a real uplift for this area. Much more needs to be done, but this is a real good beginning," she added.

Michele Massey, executive director of the Main Street Program, the group that oversaw the work, said her group has several other projects on tap, including building renovations and bringing a new supermarket to the area.

Six other similar projects have been completed across the city, said Eugene Nelson, executive director of the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation.

hell2heights

January 18th, 2008, 11:28 AM

I can't find a way to get an RSS feed of this thread. Am I missing something? The e-mail subscription works well enough but it'd be nice to keep all this in my RSS reader (netvibes).

JCMAN320

January 18th, 2008, 04:24 PM

Hell2heights I'm not sure you would have to speak with one of the admin's and ask them.

A citizen of the PAD offers his view on the Toll Bros deal and it is not as rosy as the city, the developers, and people who support this project would like to think. Check it out and feel free to comment on it and your view and if the BS card should be called and on who?
http://www.newyorkssixth.com/2008/01/toll-brothers-powerhouse-arts-district.html#comments

kljc

January 18th, 2008, 05:14 PM

OK for 3 towers in arts district

Toll Brothers is offering to build a 550-seat performing arts theater with gallery space and 25,000-square-foot Provost Square in return for allowing it to build 950 apartments in the three high-rise towers, and for the right to knock down two warehouses and all but the façade of the former Manischewitz plant. The builder could also be allowed to dedicate less housing to artist's live/work spaces.

The decision left around 70 members of Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association and other preservation groups which turned up at Middle School 4 on Bright Street last night disappointed but vowing to fight on.

"We have nothing against the plaza, but at what cost?" asked Jill Edelman, president of the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association, after the meeting. "We bought into a very specific plan, which we have seen succeed, and we are the beneficiaries of that success."

The current PAD plan already requires them to put in a 400 seat black box theater (a more flexible theater), so they are only providing 150 more seats to sit in. The 25,000 sq.ft. "plaza" is only possible because they are stealing 1/3 of Provost Street, something they don't own. The other part of the "plaza" is really a grand entrance to the tower on Warren Street. This plaza will feel very cramped once you see where it actually begins and ends (sandwiched between two buildings and Morgan/Bay Streets.) No where else on the two square blocks will there be any open space.
They should volunteer more space for the plaza, maybe even give the entire empty lot currently there PLUS the portion of Provost they want to take. Then I would see that something more like a plaza to offer the city.

Morgan Street will become an "alley" for the parking garages and trash dumpsters. One block south, Stueben Street has become the back alley for Columbus Towers and Grove Pointe; 24-hour prison lighting emitting from those hideous parking garages.

"The neighborhood association did, however, win one small victory when the developer said he would reuse Provost Street cobblestones in the plaza - but not old railway tracks. "

The city might also demand that all the streets in the district have the asphalt removed that currently covers all the Belgium block streets. This might make the neighborhood more distinctive, and possibly calm the traffic that uses the neighborhood as a bypass to avoid the traffic on Marin Blvd. and the crappy condition of Washington Street.

"Under the proposal, Toll Brothers can market 10 percent of the housing to "working families" rather than artists for the first 180 days after the units are built. Half of those could be built off site. Just 12 units will comply with requirement for live-and-work loft space, and one of those will be dedicated to artists."

Robert Cotter, director of the Planning Department, spoke in favor of the plan, saying that it would create a vibrant theater and arts district.

Less artists, less art district. Especially if the are "off site."

panda76

January 20th, 2008, 08:18 PM

Enjoy!

kljc

January 21st, 2008, 01:53 PM

Was out walking the dog in the neighborhood today, saw some movement in 110 First Street lot; and sure enough, construction (or digging) has started today.
They're placing the dirt in the middle of 111 First. Looks like a crane will be erected soon.

Does anyone know what this building is supposed to look like?

sidebar -- Worried that this construction might delay the new "little" park (behind A building) next to the light rail from opening. I see that there looks like there is a dog run within this little park! Ted took a romp around it last night -- very well lit at night.

UPDATE:
Equipment on site was actually a dismantled pile driver (not a crane) -- but as of 3:30pm they are already driving down the piles!

JCMAN320

January 21st, 2008, 09:11 PM

Panda great pics and the developer of the Athena put a sculputer on the outside of the main entrance to the building. This is part of the larger plan for the PAD to make out door sculputers part of the PAD. 110 is going to by Rem Koolhass and it will look very inovative.

http://www.jcedc.org/koolhaas.jpg

Pand great to see 110 move along finally.

tbal

January 22nd, 2008, 12:28 AM

That's good to hear that 110 First may be moving forward. They were doing soil testing back in August/September. But, I don't recall the Planning Board approving a plan for the site (?).

Anyway, here's a quick update with a few photos from the area between Journal Square & The Beacon, where a former pharmaceutical building is being renovated, and the park across the street brought back to life:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908002.jpg?t=1200975818

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908007.jpg?t=1200975858

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908006.jpg?t=1200975883

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908003.jpg?t=1200975916

And, an update photo of 197 Academy Street, which definitely does look like it's going to be in the range of 6-8 stories tall (it's supposed to hold a total of 20 residential units). This building has aluminum framed walls, a base constructed of heavy steel and poured concrete, and even contains steel staircases in it's main stairwell (which typically wouldn't be found on a building of 4-5 stories). If it does reach the 8-story mark, it will be the second tallest residential building constructed in the Journal Square area in a few decades:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908008.jpg?t=1200975993

JCMAN320

January 22nd, 2008, 12:27 PM

Great pics tbal. That Hudson County Office Building will be amazing and convient and to build that park is genious.

Here is some updasted photos with chains on the buildings at JSQ to be ready for demo. Coutresy of jcconstruction.blogspot.com

http://jcconstruction.blogspot.com/2008/01/city-center-towers_22.html

JoeSas

January 22nd, 2008, 01:00 PM

What exactly are they driving these piles in for? I can't remember any approval for 110. This picture was from the 111 proposal. Was 110 inlcuded in this?

Panda great pics and the developer of the Athena put a sculputer on the outside of the main entrance to the building. This is part of the larger plan for the PAD to make out door sculputers part of the PAD. 110 is going to by Rem Koolhass and it will look very inovative.

http://www.jcedc.org/koolhaas.jpg

Pand great to see 110 move along finally.

tbal

January 22nd, 2008, 11:43 PM

I passed by the 110 First Street site today, and yes, they are indeed doing preliminary site prep work for whatever they are planning to build there. A few pilings are in the ground and they are removing the first 5-10 feet of soil/rubble.

Like I said above, I don't recall the PB granting final approval for anything at this site, but I do remember that as part of the 111 First ruling, Goldman was given permission to build something of up to 350 or 400 ft (?) in height and with a specified maximum number of units (I think).

JCMAN320

January 23rd, 2008, 11:48 PM

Developer looks to change abatement agreement

by Ken Thorbourne Wednesday January 23, 2008, 2:43 PM

It's the second crack at the tax abatement apple for a developer in Jersey City, who claims that without a better break, he can't build.

In November 2006, the City Council granted Roseland Properties a 20-year abatement to build Monaco North and Monaco South, which was then a condo project on Washington Boulevard.The agreement called for payment in lieu of taxes of 16 percent of gross annual revenue.

But last night, Peter Mangin, a principal in the company, told council members that the development is a now a rental project and if he can't get an abatement deal for 15 years paying 12 percent gross annual revenue, he can't raise the money to build it.

The City Council seemed willing to agree to the new terms since it fits in with recent tax abatements deals, but wanted Mangin to agree to be in the ground by July 1. Mangin said he expected to start in May, but given the vagaries of construction, would only agree in writing to a Nov. 1 start date.

The stand-off continues at tonight's council meeting, 6 p.m., at the Frank R. Conwell Middle School No. 4, 107 Bright St.

-------------------------------------------------

This whole agreement doesn't smell right to me.

tbal

January 24th, 2008, 12:38 AM

I agree with you, JCMAN. Interest rates just dropped (and they'll be dropping even further shortly) i.e. - money is cheap, and it's becoming even cheaper to borrow. Since Roseland has a good financial track record, it shouldn't be hard for them to get a low interest rate on financing for this project. It would be nice to have a guarantee to have a developer fill in that ugly gap in the skyline, but it pisses me off that a developer can get away with such BS so easily. Rents in the Marbella - which is owned by Roseland - are among the highest (if not THE highest) in all of Jersey City. Roseland KNOWS that they absolutely don't need the abatement. They are just looking to inflate their profits even more, as if their disgustingly steep lease rates can't cover the cost of the project.

I hope it goes forward (and that they break ground this summer) but, I hope the city doesn't give in that easily.

ianmac47

January 24th, 2008, 10:34 AM

On the other hand, even with good credit and low rates, investors may be wary of pumping money into real estate projects considering how much value has been lost across the nation. Even though Manhattan and surrounding environs are still holding most of their value for now, it might still be difficult to convince investors the investment is sound. Indeed, the very fact that this area has not lost any significant value may frighten investors expecting a real estate correction over the next few months.

However, increasing the potential payout through a new abatement makes the investment more attractive, even if there is a higher risk. The economy is almost certainly headed for or already in a recession; real estate values may begin to follow the rest of the country and decline; all borrowers are currently receiving greater scrutiny in the wake of the credit crisis of the past year.

In the best case scenario, the recession is already ending, area real estate values continue to appreciate, and Roseland doesn't default on their loans -- netting huge profits for investors. But from an investor standpoint, there are three big issues that could blow up in their faces-- a deepening recession being the greatest challenge. But just like odds on sports betting, if the potential profit is big enough, the risk becomes worthwhile.

JCMAN320

January 25th, 2008, 12:56 AM

Jersey City rejects abatement deal on waterfront project

by Ken Thorbourne Thursday January 24, 2008, 12:12 PM

By a 6-3 margin, the Jersey City City Council shot down a request by a developer Wednesday night to change the terms of a tax abatement agreed to in November 2006.

The developer, Roseland Properties of Short Hills, claimed that without shortening the abatement from 20 to 15 years and paying the city 12 percent annual gross income instead of 16 percent, it couldn't raise the financing to build Monaco North and South, two rental projects on Washington Boulevard.

The new terms would result in roughly a $6 million loss to the city, council members said.
James McCann, the attorney representing Roseland, countered that newly proposed rental projects are being given 15-year/12 percent abatements, and the result of not sweetening the abatement could mean a vacant lot.

Council members didn't buy this argument and neither were they persuaded by a letter they received yesterday from the developer promising to start construction by Aug. 1 if the new terms were granted.

"I'm a little disappointed receiving a letter at 6:30 p.m.," said Councilman Bill Gaughan, one of the six "no" votes. "We would have hoped more consideration would be given this governing body."

After the vote, McCann called the project "stalled."

"With the existing abatement we cannot move the project forward," McCann said. "Since the council didn't like the proposal, we would probably change it in a way that might satisfy the financing and hopefully the council as well. We're planning on coming back to them."

The proposed buildings, to go at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Sixth Street, would contain 330 market-rate units.

City Council President Mariano Vega joined council members Willie Flood and Steve Lipski in voting to approve the developer's request.

"Jersey City isn't immune to the (worsening) housing condition we're in," Vega said. "We've asked them to move their deadline to get shovel in the ground and they've done that."

nafco

January 25th, 2008, 12:21 PM

"With the existing abatement we cannot move the project forward," McCann said. "Since the council didn't like the proposal, we would probably change it in a way that might satisfy the financing and hopefully the council as well. We're planning on coming back to them."

Boo, does this mean cut costs and make ugly ass compromised buildings? I actually liked the all-glass design of those towers on that site. I hope they dont settle on one of those old Newport style buildings that looks like glorified project housing.

JCMAN320

January 25th, 2008, 06:44 PM

Nafco I'm glad the city stood up to them. Why should I a taxpayer of Jersey City who does not live in a tax abated property keep pickin up the slack of people who will not pay taxes cus of abatements. Abatements aren't necssary anymore because JC is a very desirable place to be.

JCMAN320

January 25th, 2008, 06:45 PM

Duane Reade will open store at Grove Pointe in Jersey City

by Charles Hack Friday January 25, 2008, 1:54 PM

The drug store chain Duane Reade is opening a new store at the Grove Pointe development on Christopher Columbus Drive in Downtown Jersey City, the realtor on the deal has confirmed .

The 8,000-square-foot store is set to open in late spring or early summer, said the commercial realtor for the development, George Twill.

Officials from the New York-based Duane Reade would not comment and no further information about the store is available.

The chain has two other locations in Jersey City: on River Drive South in the Newport section and at the Journal Square PATH Plaza.

Last week, Starbucks confirmed that it will open at Grove Pointe as well.

JCMAN320

January 26th, 2008, 10:55 PM

Barclays Golf Tournament coming to Ridgewood

by Brendan Prunty/The Star-Ledger
Saturday January 26, 2008, 2:52 PM

It's official: The Barclays Golf Tournament is crossing the river to New Jersey a year early.

According to a letter posted on Westchester Country Club's internal site by the club's President and obtained by The Star-Ledger, Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus will host the PGA Tour's first event in the FedEx Cup playoff series in August.

An official announcement from the PGA Tour is expected this afternoon.

Ridgewood club President Alex Khowaylo could not immediately be reached for comment.

The move to Ridgewood ends a 41-year relationship between the PGA Tour and Westchester Country Club. However, as part of the settlement to move the tournament to New Jersey this summer, the Tour has agreed to return to Westchester at least one more time in either 2010, 2011 or 2012.

Prior to discussions of the move to Ridgewood this summer, the Tour had already decided to hold the 2009 Barclays at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City.

tbal

January 27th, 2008, 07:07 PM

I did manage to snap two nice photos of the site work going on at 110 First but for some reason they did not save on my memory card...

...So, I will start off this one with a look at 106 York Street, which is a proposed 10 (or was it 12?) story residential building that was approved by the Planning Board several months ago. Soil testing has taken place within the past few weeks, so ground should presumably be broken on this one within the next few months. Below are a few pictures of the sampling locations:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908025.jpg?t=1201474971

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908024.jpg?t=1201474990

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908023.jpg?t=1201474943

2 Second Street
A lot of progress has been made at 2 Second Street in the past few weeks. While crews continue to hammer in pilings, the foundation of the tower has been simultaneously under construction. As you can see below, the northern portion of the foundation has already been poured with rebar for a few of the northern walls extending upward:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908034.jpg?t=1201474865

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908035.jpg?t=1201474881

77 Hudson
Construction of the east (condo) tower has been movng along smoothly, and it appears that demolition of the fire-damaged portion of the west tower has been completed; so hopefully we'll see the west tower begin to climb skyward again shortly.

West Tower:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908026.jpg?t=1201474719

East Tower:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908027.jpg?t=1201474735

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908028.jpg?t=1201474691

Mullions for the facade have been constructed and attached to the condo tower and the brick portion of the facade is beginning to go up:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908029.jpg?t=1201474652

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908031.jpg?t=1201474605

tbal

January 27th, 2008, 07:17 PM

213 Newark Avenue
Site prep at 213 Newark Ave has been moving along very quickly. I suspect that construction of the building's foundation should begin in about 2-3 weeks:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908016.jpg?t=1201475563

Ivy House
The facade at Ivy House is nearly complete. Here's a quick look:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908017.jpg?t=1201475632

...and a look at the South Tower at Trump Plaza on a beautiful afternoon:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/11908021.jpg?t=1201475802

ianmac47

January 28th, 2008, 10:29 AM

I believe the building at York and Warren was to be 12 stories.

Also, well done with the photos. Too cold this weekend for me.

kljc

January 29th, 2008, 01:29 AM

Like I said above, I don't recall the PB granting final approval for anything at this site, but I do remember that as part of the 111 First ruling, Goldman was given permission to build something of up to 350 or 400 ft (?) in height and with a specified maximum number of units (I think).

I went to the Planning Board Meeting this evening. A few speculations were resolved.

See Item 12 of agenda - 110 First is looking for approval for 450+ units AND 343 parking spaces.

Apparently-- The New Gold Settlement specifically states that at 110 First Street, "Residential uses and amenities shall not exceed 345 dwelling units, with gross residential floor area of 360,00 square feet."

The city's counsel has come to a deal with New Gold to allow them to increase the number of units but NOT the height [still set at 350 ft], and still using the same square footage; more smaller units than before and the minimum size for a unit is smaller. So don't expect any big loft like apartments or three bedrooms. It will be rentals. 35 stories total.

A whopping nine-story parking garage, but the goal is for it to look like the building, not like a parking lot. Hope they can pull it off. There will be an open area with a pool on top of parking garage for residents only.

The whole presentation seemed a bit rushed... they weren't completely prepared to present... didn't have crucial paperwork regarding 345 up to 452 units AND they are piggy backing on to the Toll Brothers amendment to be able to build half the lower income units off-site, although they might just be giving a bunch of money to whomever will build these lower income units. [never heard the word artist]

The planning staff didn't seem to have had enough time to prepare either... the water, and power and traffic studies haven't occurred, they haven't had time to review the plans. The planning board was ready to table the whole presentation, because of this outstanding items and the lack of approval and permits to create a valet-like drop-off in front of the main entrance (lack of traffic studies). The developer said that he would drop that option... they REALLY wanted approval tonight. And they got it [6-0]. There will be changes and follow up, but for the most part... looks like a new building will be on its way soon.

Restaurant (under/behind parking garage) on east side overlooking "sculpture garden/ pathway/ dog run" and [squealing] light rail. Gallery space and retail also on the ground floor. They talked about some 50x60 foot panel of "TBD artwork" that will drape in the restaurant? it will be seen from the pathway. The renderings might be able to explain that one.

The design looks a lot like the "A" building next door. Brick with glass. Planning board wasn't very wowed by the design... they hope that some style might be added on top for those who look at the high-rise from far away.

The "A" condo bldg. next door is 33 stories, approx. 250 units, 238 parking spaces to help with scale.

The "construction" we were all seeing this past week was actually driving "test" pilings. Somebody should put up permits stating the fact, so we don't go making assumptions about site prep... especially since the construction office had no idea any activity was going on at the site.

BTW
The new space next to light rail is a parcel at Block 109, built by "A" building; complying with the PAD redevelopment plan's required "public sculpture garden with passive recreation space, landscaping..., pedestrian pathway connecting First St. to Second St."

JCMAN320

January 31st, 2008, 01:48 PM

January 30, 2008
Written by Antwan Davis

AXA Takes 245,000 SF in Jersey City
Insurance Company Signs 15- year Lease at 36-Story Newport Tower

Life insurance provider AXA Equitable Life Insurance of New York signed a long-term lease to occupy 244,957 square feet in Newport Tower, at 525 Washington Blvd. in Jersey City, NJ. AXA is slated to take occupancy on a 15-year deal in the third quarter of 2009.

The 36-story, 1 million-square-foot office building was constructed in 1992 in the Newport Office Center, in the Hudson Waterfront submarket.

Ed Duenas and Kevin Daly of Cushman & Wakefield of New Jersey represented the landlord, Brookfield Properties, while Scott Panzer, Steven Rotter and Deborah Van Der Heyden of Newmark Knight Frank represented AXA.

jerzfinezt

February 5th, 2008, 05:47 AM

heard elizabeth is about to get sum new waterfront property so did som digging this is the most i found.. anyone know any thing more

http://www.terngroupllc.com/wp-content/uploads/celadon-site_reduced_resized.jpg

http://www.terngroupllc.com/celadon-parcel-b

TimmyG

February 5th, 2008, 01:45 PM

You can read about the Elizabeth project you mentioned here.

http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12570

tbal

February 7th, 2008, 10:47 PM

Here's yet another one to add to restaurant row: 284-286 First Street is currently undergoing reconstruction to reborn as a new bar/restaurant. I noticed the permit in the window of the retail outlet this afternoon. It's great to see Newark Ave continue on it's upward swing!

It should be interesting to see if other new bars/restaurants pop up over the course of the next few months as Summer approaches...

JCMAN320

February 8th, 2008, 01:38 PM

Long Slip pedestrian bridge to Jersey City

by Carly Friday February 08, 2008, 12:23 PM

For those who care about groundbreakings -

NJ Transit sent out a press release this morning letting people know about a groundbreaking ceremony this Monday, Feb. 11th on the Long Slip pedestrian bridge.

The Long Slip pedestrian bridge would span the Long Slip Canal to connect the nearby Newport section of Jersey City with Hoboken Terminal. Once built, the pedestrian bridge would compose a much-needed segment of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, enabling people to walk from the Newport section of Jersey City to Hoboken, and vice-versa, for shopping, dining, work and transportation needs.

Where: Hoboken Terminal - Long Slip adjacent to light rail station
When: Monday, February 11, 2008 at 10:30 a.m.
Who'll be there, grinning from ear to ear: U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, Assemblyman Ruben Ramos, Jr., Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, Hoboken Mayor David Roberts, NJ Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles

JCMAN320

February 8th, 2008, 01:57 PM

From Newyorkssixth.com and Ianmac - http://www.newyorkssixth.com/

Tightening Office Markets Could Spur New Towers

The Real Deal reports that Manhattan's Downtown office market is tighter than Midtown's for the first time since September 11th. This could be good news for Jersey City's commercial real estate market, a mere five minute subway ride from the downtown.

While midtown office rents steadily rose over the last few years, Jersey City benefits less directly from a shortage in midtown office space; downtown Manhattan is a mere five minutes from the Jersey City waterfront, but midtown nearly twenty.

In August, Jersey City's office market tightened to 90% occupancy. Office tower construction took a backseat in the last few years to residential towers such as 77 Hudson Street. The original plan for 77 Hudson Street included two large office towers before developers realized more money in building residential units. But with the residential market cooling, commercial space may be a more attractive investment.

Low vacancy rates in lower Manhattan and Jersey City could accelerate construction of the long planned Harborside Plaza 4, an office tower that resurfaced before the city planning board last spring. The site currently is a parking lot.

Less likely to begin anytime soon is a remodel of 2 and 30 Montgomery Streets, two midrise towers bought out last year for $106 million. The new owners intended then to demolish the existing towers and rebuild two new, modern high rises similar to midtown's Time Warner Center. The status of this project is still unknown.

Also worth noting, Goldman Sachs has long planned a tower adjacent to their existing skyline centerpiece. Unlike other investment banks, Goldman has maintained relatively steady earnings as credit markets collapsed. Anecdotally, the upper floors of the existing towers, long left dark, have increasingly been lit, perhaps indicating the tower continues to fill.

Still, despite shrinking availability in the short term, plenty of office space is planned for lower Manhattan over the next few years. The World Trade Center reconstruction will bring another 2.5 million square feet of space to the market as well as drive up construction costs throughout the region. Developers also are probably weary of creating a glut of new space as happened in the late 1980's.

voodoochild

February 9th, 2008, 12:19 PM

I am usually wrog with everything I say:D, but I did indeed say 6 years ago to buy in Jersey City because it would become NJ's Manhattan. Of course I didn't listen to myself, but some one else did and they have made a ton of $.

kljc

February 10th, 2008, 07:40 PM

Late Sunday afternoon a middle portion (both sides) of this roof blew off into the street. It sounded like a huge truck rumbling down the road.

The building has been used as a holding place for moving companies. Moving trucks are always emptying and reloading from this warehouse.

It's old but from the street it showed no signs of blowing apart. Debris covered First and Provost Street. Fortunately no cars were damaged form the flying debris.

A little history below:

http://www.jclandmarks.org/nomination-warehousedistrict.shtml

Building: Juan Ribon Machine Shop (Contributing)

South section built prior to 1873, north section prior to 1887.
Continued as Ribon and March Machinery & Copper Works until 1894 (last listing in Gopsill's Directory).
Street Address: 144 First St. (Block 173, lot 129.)
This remainder from the district's metal bashing early days was built in two nearly identical ten-bay sections fronting on Provost St. It is of "pier and panel" design; windows and doors are set into relatively thin brick panels, which are buttressed by adjacent thicker brick piers. The two-story machine shop is covered by a gently peaked roof, with gables facing First and Second St. These five-bay end exposures contain carriage door openings; the First St. entrance is surmounted by a cargo door, the masonry opening for a cargo beam clearly evident above. Both floors of window openings on the three street exposures are segmentally arched with slightly projecting sills. Those windows on the second floor are considerably shorter than those on the first. All windows on the ground floor have been blocked, most on the upper floor have been covered with wood or plastic or filled with modern replacements.
The red commonly bonded common brick has long been covered with one or more coats of stucco, portions of which have detached. Prior to the application of the stucco, it appears that a network of star bracketed tie rods were installed throughout the building. The aluminum panning covering much of the continuous corbelled brick cornice has also begun to detach, revealing a "sawtooth" dentil course at the base of the cornice and an attempt to treat the corner piers of the building as classical elements. A seeming anomaly in the district, the Ribon shop is related stylistically to a larger buiding of the demolished Baker castor oil block that presented its gable end to Washington St. Both seem vernacular echoes of the Rundbogen or American Round Arch Style that suited many American "production sheds" of the mid- and late-19th century (Bradley, Curran).
The former machine shop is vacant and for sale. It should be noted that the shop is attached at its western exposure to a building of modern design that mimics the machine shop.

tbal

February 10th, 2008, 11:38 PM

The strong winds this afternoon knocked down a temporary wall bordering the site at 272 Newark Ave and revealed what appeared to be several dozen markings indicating locations where pilings are to be driven into the ground. Makes me wonder if the 5-story building approved for the site will go U/C within the next few weeks...this project would be a nice and long-overdue addition to the area, which is located a few blocks west of the 6-story building under construction at 213 Newark Ave.

I am assuming that work has stopped temporarily at the site while the developer awaits an issue of permits from the city. I believe an inspector from the city had to examine the site after demolition work had been completed.

JCMAN320

February 11th, 2008, 05:28 PM

NJ Transit steps in to start new bus line in Jersey City

by Journal staff Monday February 11, 2008, 11:15 AM

NJ Transit will introduce a new bus route serving Jersey City on Monday, Feb. 18. The new No. 6 Ocean Avenue bus route will operate between Greenville and Journal Square to replace Coach USA Bus No. 99, which will be discontinued this coming Sunday.

"The creation of this new bus route demonstrates our commitment to serving the bus customers in Jersey City who depend on public transporation for their day-to-day needs," said NJ Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles. "We appreciate the interest of community leaders, including Mayor (Jerramiah) Healy, in championing robust public transportation for the residents affected by Coach USA's decision."

The new bus line will follow a similar - but not identical - route and schedule as the former No. 99 bus. The new route will enable the No. 6 buses to serve Hudson County Plaza (currently under construction), as well as Montgomery Gardens and The Beacon condominium project.

Coach USA's Nos. 3,5,and 16 bus lines, which serve the southern end of Jersey City, have been canceled since September. And the No. 4 could be discontinued in mid-March. Coach USA officials say they are cutting service due to low ridership and rising fuel costs.

JCMAN320

February 11th, 2008, 05:35 PM

City may not see revenue for decades

Monday, February 11, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A Jersey City developer who has already received a 30-year tax abatement to help build an ambitious twin tower project in Journal Square - and has recruited a deep pockets partner to the deal - is now asking the city for a multi-million low-interest loan, city officials said.

Lowell Harwood, managing partner of Jersey City-based Harwood Properties, is asking the city to lend the project $20 million to $40 million by floating "revenue allocation bonds," city officials said.

In keeping with state guidelines, the developer would repay the loan, plus interest.

But with revenue allocation bonds, the developer deducts the costs to cover the loan from whatever taxes are owed the city. This means it could be years, even decades, before the city sees any revenue from this $500 million, mixed-use development planned for the block adjacent to the PATH Transportation Center, officials said.

Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said his administration is hearing the developer out, but the public need not worry.

"I know they are looking for some kind of assistance having to do with infrastructure," Healy said. "Just because someone may be looking for assistance, the city is not obliged to tender that assistance. Before any agreement is struck, the city council and I will be most vigilant with the taxpayers' money."

Harwood, who has joined forces with the Multi-Employer Property Trust based in Bethesda, Md. - a union pension fund investment company with $6.2 billion in assets - to build the project, didn't return phone calls seeking comment.

But Elizabeth Opacity, his spokeswoman, said: "We have been working in partnership with the city on an ongoing basis to discuss the best way to move this overall program forward and revitalize the entire area. There have been no final determinations. Only discussions. There are no conclusions."

Journal Square Councilman Steve Lipski believes the city should give Harwood the money. "I support this one billion percent," Lipski said. "Helping the jewel of Jersey City and the only central business district of Jersey City is the right thing to do at this time."

Downtown Councilman Steven Fulop blasted the request for additional assistance, especially since the developer received a 30-year tax break calling for annual "payment in lieu of taxes" of 10 percent, the lowest PILOT rate handed out in recent years.

"The city is obviously broke and this is a dangerous door to open," Fulop said. "The next thing Lowell is going to ask for in a couple of months is for the city to build the building for him."

JCMAN320

February 11th, 2008, 08:06 PM

Groundbreaking to make Jersey City just a stroll away

by Amy Monday February 11, 2008, 12:26 PM

http://blog.nj.com/hobokennow_impact/2008/02/large_zpedes2.jpg
Reena Rose Sibayan
This pretty path, seen in foreground, will soon stretch to allow Mile Square residents a scenic and speedy stroll to the Newport area of Jersey City, seen in background.

NJ Transit held its official groundbreaking this morning for the "long slip pedestrian bridge" linking Newport with Hoboken. The NJ Transit Board of Directors approved the $6.4 million project last September. The bridge is expected to open in about a year.

Mayor David Roberts, who hoisted a shovel at the event along with Sen. Robert Menendez, Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy and NJ Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles pointed out that not only will the bridge allow Hobokenites a speedy and scenic walk or bike ride to Newport, but that it will bring Newport residents to Hoboken shops and restaurants.

"Businesspeople will see more pedestrian traffic in Hoboken as a result of this bridge," he said.

The path currently extends 15 miles. Once fully completed, the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway will provide a contiguous 18.5 mile walkway system of parks, piers and open space along the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay waterfront.

"It will be a great thing to be able to ride a bike from the Bayonne Bridge to the George Washington Bridge, and this is one of the last links," said Healy.

(More on the bridge and walkway after the jump!)

The Long Slip pedestrian bridge will span the east end of the Long Slip Canal, which is right next to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station at Hoboken Terminal.

Until the bridge opens, a temporary walkway will be built by the LeFrak Organization, the developers of Newport.

A West Cranford firm, Simpson & Brown, received the contract to build the bridge. Much of the money to build the bridge comes from federal funding.

tbal

February 11th, 2008, 09:53 PM

The City Center developers are so full of BS. First, they make the city put a ton of time and resources into acquiring the properties adjacent to the PATH station for them. Then, they get a 30-year tax abatement. Then, they change the plans a few times and bend the area's zoning regulations. And now, they're asking for funding from the city??!?!

They're controlling the city like a friggin puppet! This has just gone way too far. Anyone who knows anything about the rental market in Jersey City knows that Journal Square is already becoming a hot market for young professionals to commute from. If the City Center Towers for some reason weren't built, you can be sure that other developers would start building in the area.

I'd much rather see an office tower (or two) built there anyway...

Does anyone know what kind of legal rights the city has if the developer doesn't begin construction by a certain date? It would be horrendous if they left this valuable site as-is with partially demolished and vacant buildings for an indefinite amount of time. I hope the city has some sort of back-up plan...

ianmac47

February 12th, 2008, 12:30 PM

The city could always seize back the property.

tbal

February 12th, 2008, 10:35 PM

Soil testing took place today at 337 Third Street, which is within steps of 272 Newark Ave (which also seems to be on the verge of moving forward). A mid-sized 2-story building was demolished at the site last Fall. I don't have any idea as far as the number of floors or total number of units, but I'm guessing it will be either 4 or 5 stories considering the zoning deviations permitted at other nearby developments. The Newark Ave corridor is certainly taking off now. Hopefully, within the next year or so work will resume at each of 361 & 380 Newark Ave.

JCMAN320

February 12th, 2008, 11:42 PM

Tbal great news. Newark Ave is really starting to heat up and JC's Restaurant Row is really starting to take shape. I can't wait for the streetscape renovation project to get started.

35-story tower for 110 First St.
452 units to rise across from former artists' building

http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1291/zwire/images/2008/02/full/02firstst03Acopy.jpg

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer
02/01/2008

The Jersey City Planning Board on Tuesday approved the site plan for a proposed 35-story, 452-unit rental building on First Street in downtown Jersey City.

The building will rise across from the former artists' lofts at 111 First St., lofts that were eventually torn down after a long battle between the developer and the artists who worked there.

The same developers will now transform the vacant property across the street at 110 First St.

Both properties are owned by BLDG Management, run by New York City billionaire landowner Lloyd Goldman.

Presentations were given by the attorney and architect for the project, as well as the corporation counsel for Jersey City, Bill Matsikoudis. Also in attendance was City Councilman Bill Gaughan, who spoke in favor of the 110 First St. project.

Matskioudis spoke about the settlement that was reached in June 2006 between the city and Goldman. Goldman had filed a $100 million lawsuit against the city for blocking his intended demolition of the then one-million-square-foot 111 First St. building in order to build high-rise housing there.

The settlement resulted in both the 110 and 111 First St. properties being placed in a special zone that skirted around the zoning in the city's Powerhouse Arts District, which normally would have kept them low rise.

Specifically, the settlement called for the 110 First St. location to have one 40-plus-story tower with 345 units. Instead, the tower is shorter, but the number of units has increased.

Also, the project will have a nine-story parking garage, a landscaped deck and over 13,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

JCMan Note of the Nite:
It seems to me that the building will have a large painting of some sort on the front of the building to add to the art district. The painting and entrance to the building will abut the sulpture garden near the lightrail being built along with the Athena. Even the Athena has a sclutpure in front of it and art work hanging in the lobby. Good to see. Wish the building was a little more creative but its being done with brick to fit in with the warehouse feel of the area.

JCMAN320

February 13th, 2008, 03:38 AM

Insurance giant moving 800 to Newport Tower this year

Wednesday, February 13, 2008
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co. will be moving around 800 employees from New York to the Newport Tower in Downtown Jersey City by the end of September, a company spokeswoman said yesterday.

The company, which is headquartered at 1290 Sixth Ave. in Manhattan, will occupy office space at the Newport Center Tower, said Lisa Tibbitts, assistant vice president of corporate communications at AXA Equitable.

"We expect 800 employees to move from New York to Jersey City by the end of the third quarter of 2008," Tibbitts said. "Twelve hundred employees will remain at the Avenue of the Americas."

She declined to comment further, but GlobeSt.com reported the tower owner, Manhattan-based Brookfield Properties, confirmed AXA Equitable has signed a 15-year lease for 245,000 square feet - the equivalent of around 10 upper floors of the 36-story tower.

The news service reported that the building is now 98.5 percent occupied. The Newport Tower, at 525 Washington St., was built in 1990 and has 1 million square feet of office space and 34,000 square feet of retail, according to the Brookfield Property Web site.

AXA Equitable is a subsidiary of the financial giant the AXA Group.

JCMAN320

February 15th, 2008, 09:40 PM

County goals for '08: Greener, safer, more competitive

by Charles Hack Friday February 15, 2008, 2:45 PM

Making the county greener and safer and its workforce more competitive are among the top goals for 2008 for Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise.

"In the last century, outsiders often described Hudson County in very unflattering terms, with words like 'polluted,' 'distressed,' and 'corrupt,'" DeGise said in his State of the County address at the county annex on Pavonia Avenue in Jersey City. "Let's strive even harder to replace those negative words with new ones, like 'green,' smart' and 'safe.'"

He also stressed the need to cut costs if the county is to weather a looming economic crisis, building affordable housing, cutting homelessness and quality-of-life issues.

In addition to hoping to plant 10,000 trees, DeGise urged the freeholders to adopt a "road map" for expanding parks. And he challenged them to adopt regulations to encourage developers to include measures such as green roofs and retention ponds to reduce flooding and pollution.

Referring to a state 2002 report that found Hudson has lost more than half its wetlands since 1986, DeGise said the county will seek Open Space Trust and Green Acres funding to try to reclaim some of those marshes.

The top official in county government also announced that county will build more dog runs, starting with Washington Park in Union City, create a cricket pitch in Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus and construct an affordable nine-hole golf course in Jersey City's Lincoln Park by 2010.

On the subject of safety, DeGise noted that the Hudson County's Office of Emergency management has been acquiring equipment to better handle major emergencies, including a new "SWAT-style" vehicle designed to handle bio-terrorism, a low-grade nuclear attack or an armed hostage crisis, and a vehicle to improve communication between municipalities and agencies.

DeGise acknowledged that the OEM must improve communications systems with the public during an emergency, and said he would look for new technology to help.

To reduce congestion and improve safety in a more day-to-day manner, DeGise urged the freeholders to undertake a study on buses and infrastructure, aiming to reduce congestion and improve road safety by regulating rogue jitneys and increase and improve mass transit.

On making the county workforce more competitive, DeGise looked to both the county community college as well as its vocational/technical high schools.

As well as building two new floors on the Hudson County Community College's 48th Street campus in Union City for a career center, DeGise wants the freeholders to pledge to build a new unified campus for the Hudson County Schools of Technology, which has two high schools, within the next four years.

--------------------------------------

JCMAN Note of The Nite:
I thought the cricket pitch was suppose to go in Lincoln Park considering its played there all the time. Hell even a few stores on Westside Ave. sell cricket equipment. I have to do futher investigating on this.

tbal

February 17th, 2008, 12:25 AM

Glass paneling has started to scale the East Tower at 77 Hudson Street. Wow, it sure makes a difference. This pair of towers will really look amazing in a few months! I'm loving the aqua-tinted glass with the sky-blue paneling.

In addition, the West Tower has resumed it's upward rise, and the 17th floor slab was poured toward the end of the week. The East Tower currently stands at 34 stories, with 14 more to be constructed before it is topped off.

Looking Southeast:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21608002.jpg?t=1203222073

Looking Southwest:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21608004.jpg?t=1203221997

The base of the East Tower (don't worry, those bright spots on the brickwork are just reflections of light):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21608005.jpg?t=1203221936

Mullions installed for glass cladding on the Southeast corner of the East Tower's base:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21608006.jpg?t=1203221859

The West Tower, finally rising again:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21608003.jpg?t=1203222023

And, one last one showing the East Tower rising near the Goldman Sachs Tower (taken from Columbus Plaza):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21608001.jpg?t=1203222120

tbal

February 18th, 2008, 05:26 PM

The Panepinto website has apparently been updated, and several projects that are still in the pipeline (perhaps under review by the Planning/Zoning Boards are listed. These include 558-560 Newark Ave., 412-418 Summit Avenue, 371 Warren Street (atlhough this may very well be 110 First Street), and Harborside Plaza buildings 8 & 9.

In addition, the renderings for 70-90 Columbus have been updated (I think).

Link: http://panepintoproperties.com/site.html

tbal

February 18th, 2008, 11:37 PM

Work on the Aquablu seems to be progressing slowly. The first set of glass paneling has been installed on the Southern face of the building, and it looks alot like the facade of the Shore Club across the street.

View to the North:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21808008.jpg?t=1203391959

Looking Northwest:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21808012.jpg?t=1203391658

And...the new glass:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21808010.jpg?t=1203392090

And...an advertisement on the fence bordering the site:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21808009.jpg?t=1203391978

Hamilton Square is also progressing slowly, but this project has come a long way since work began. Most of the western facade has been completed, and it looks like masonry is being installed on the Southern face of the main building.

Looking Northwest, a small steel-framed structure has been attached to the main building, although once complete, it will be made to look like a smaller, independent building:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21808007.jpg?t=1203391721

Looking Southeast along Hamilton Park East:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21808005.jpg?t=1203391762

And, looking North:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21808006.jpg?t=1203391788

Near Journal Square, there is still no activity at the site of the City Center/1 Journal Square project. However, our little friend at 197 Academy is still moving along:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21808002.jpg?t=1203391819

Looking Southeast toward 197 & it's neighbor to the west:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21808004.jpg?t=1203391860

And, one last view to the Southwest:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/21808003.jpg?t=1203392166

JCMAN320

February 21st, 2008, 05:07 PM

Planning Board approval for massive Newark Bay redevelopment plan

by Charles Hack Thursday February 21, 2008, 11:11 AM

The Planning Board unanimously approved Honeywell's and Jersey City's vision to turn 100 acres of chromium-contaminated land on the Hackensack riverfront into a mixed-use development for tens of thousands of residents, workers and park visitors.

Project designer Anton C. Nelessen, of A. Nelessen Associates, outlined the Bayfront I Redevelopment plan that would replace old industrial buildings, vacant land, a concrete plant and the city's public works with homes on tree-lined streets, shops, restaurants offices, parks and a waterfront walkway.

The plan calls for up to 8,100 residential units, one million square feet of office space, 600,000 of retail space and 12,000 parking spaces.

The Hudson Bergen Light Rail would be extended from the West Side Avenue Station, bringing the entire area within a 10-minute walk from a station plaza on the northern end of the site, Nelessen said.

Incorporating an environmentally designed plan to cut back on energy and water consumption, the development would include green roofs and a network of bicycle paths.

Parking would be incorporated into the buildings, avoiding street parking.

Two blockwide parks, listed on renderings as Central Park and the Promenade, would cross the width of the site from a new boulevard along Route 440 west to the waterfront, with space available for playgrounds, dog parks, ball courts, a grass amphitheater and other amenities.

The development area stretches from Route 440 to Hackensack River and from the northern edge of Society Hill at Kellogg Street to Culver Avenue.

It is just part of a 1,344-acre Bayside Development Plan, completed in 2003, designed to revitalize the west side of Jersey City.

JCMAN320

February 21st, 2008, 05:18 PM

Jersey City's first new park in decades

by Journal staff Thursday February 21, 2008, 1:11 PM

Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, City Council members and community residents reviewed concept plans for Berry Lane Park last night at a meeting held at Monumental Baptist Church.

Bounded by Garfield Avenue on the west and Woodward Avenue on the east and running along the former Morris Canal, the proposed 13.5-acre park is to feature football, baseball, and soccer fields.

"We are on our way to creating the first municipal park in Jersey City in years - Berry Lane Park," Healy said. "We are pleased to have the community involved in this process and know that when completed, Berry Lane Park will be located in the Bergen-Lafayette section of our city and will the recreational gem of Ward F."

The city has already acquired 6.4 acres from Conrail and will contribute an additional 1.9 acres acquired through tax foreclosure. The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency is currently in the process of acquiring the remaining 5.2 acres.

The creation of Berry Lane Park will increase usuable open space available to Jersey City and Hudson County residents by over 9 percent and is one of the largest park projects to be undertaken in decades.

JCMAN320

February 22nd, 2008, 10:58 PM

Vote to redevelop area along Grand St.

Friday, February 22, 2008
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Jersey City Planning Board voted Wednesday to recommend City Council approval for designating a small area on the side of Grand Street opposite the Liberty Harbor North project as an area in need of redevelopment.

Under the Bright Street Redevelopment Plan, developers will be able to build four-story buildings containing offices, bars, art galleries and homes on a wedge of land bounded by Grand, Bright, and Barrow streets.

The plan also allows for three-family townhouses or four-story multifamily buildings north of Bright Street, on paved lots that now have several unoccupied trailers previously used as annexes for the old School 3.

In addition, the plan calls for restoration of the Passaic Hose Firehouse at 14 Bright St. for residential or retail purposes.

The plan also calls for a vacant plot of land next to the old School 3 building to be developed.

The Planning Board has agreed to remove the old School 3 building from the area in need of redevelopment plan. City officials had mistakenly believed the Board of Education had stopped using the building. But that isn't the case, city officials said.

School Board Member Gerald McCann thanked Planning Board members for not including the building in the redevelopment plan, noting it is slated to become the district's center for adult education.

CHARLES HACK

Hamilton

February 23rd, 2008, 11:15 AM

^^^^They let Gerry McCann get on the Board of Ed? I hope Jersey City doesn't slide back into its old ways.

For those who don't know, McCann was mayor until 1992, when he was convicted of 15 counts of fraud and tax evasion. He's been trying to run for office again since then, in almost every election, for all sorts of positions. Completely shameless. Completely unfit for any position of public trust. Let's hope he's beyond stealing from schoolchildren.

JCMAN320

February 23rd, 2008, 05:38 PM

Hamilton my mother works for the board of ed shes a teacher. She hates McCann and vice-versa. The Board Od Ed set somebody up to run against him, but he somehow won. Turst me the residents of the city do not want him there at all hes a nut.

BrooklynRider

February 24th, 2008, 10:07 PM

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd121/BrooklynRiderRob/1221.jpg

JCMAN320

February 25th, 2008, 12:47 PM

Beautiful picture of JC BKRider, thx.

Tea shop packs its bags after 3 years

Monday, February 25, 2008
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Those who enjoy a warm "cuppa" will be disappointed that Grove Street's pioneering tea shop closed yesterday after three years in business.

Streams of well wishers who came into the Janam Indian Tea Company yesterday to say goodbye, were treated to a tea-biscuit wrapped in a paper napkin while drinking freshly brewed black and herbal teas.

Owner Amy Dubin thought she'd be steeped in success - offering competitively priced tea, baked goods and pottery in a relaxed atmosphere decorated with items and furniture bought from local businesses, and a location close to the Grove Street PATH station - but said she just didn't draw enough customers to make it a go.

She's taking her business to Portland, Ore., but her regulars can continue to patronize her business as she'll continue selling items online at janamtea.com.

Customers at the shop's last day yesterday said they're sad to see the business go.

"She is so informed about her teas - she knows her stuff," Ray Calogero, a Jersey City Heights residents said.

Describing the tea as "awesome," Aman Thethi, a resident of Third Street, said Janam was a one-of-a-kind business in the neighborhood.

"It was a great place to hang out have a cup of tea," Thethi said. "I haven't been to a tea shop that is this popular."

Rachel Rood, a Hamilton Park resident made two stops in the shop yesterday to say good-bye.

"The chai tea is excellent but it's not about that," she said. "It's about the community."

JCMAN320

February 28th, 2008, 12:01 AM

Critical vote tonight on west side plan

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

As part of a plan to develop roughly 100 acres of chromium-tainted land on the city's west side, the Jersey City City Council is scheduled tonight to designate the section an "area in need of redevelopment."

The creation of the Bayfront Redevelopment Plan - which promises up to 8,100 units of housing, 20 acres of open space, and thousands of square feet of retail and commercial space - flows from a settlement agreement between the city and the Morristown-based Honeywell International Inc.

As the successor company to Mutual Chemical, the company that polluted the land, Honeywell is now responsible for cleaning it up.

The development area is bounded by the Hackensack River to the west, Route 440 to the east, Kellogg Street to the south, and north to where the city's Department of Public Works complex ends.

Plans call for extending the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail into the development.

Route 440 between Kellogg Street and Communipaw Avenue is to be reworked to become the tree-lined "Jackie Robinson Boulevard," with four high-speed lanes (two in each direction) in the middle of the road, and two side roads.

Council members at Monday's caucus raised concerns about the truck traffic that uses Route 440 now continuing to barrel through when it's a new community.

JCMAN320

February 28th, 2008, 04:16 AM

Credit union expands

Thursday, February 28, 2008

With much fanfare, Liberty Savings Federal Credit Union opened a new branch in Jersey City on Saturday.

CEO James J. Miller Sr. was there as Mayor Jerramiah Healy cut the ribbon on the credit union's second Jersey City location, at Kennedy Boulevard and Seaview Avenue in the Greenville section.

Business and retail customers can look for extended weekday and Saturday hours as well as expanded online services and a special, limited-time loan rate, the credit union said.

"Anyone who lives, works or worships in Hudson County is eligible to bank with us," Director of Business Development and Marketing Sean McDonald said.

For information, call (201) 239-7038 or e-mail smcdonald@lsfcu.org.

JCMAN320

February 29th, 2008, 12:38 PM

West side project gets green light in unanimous vote

Friday, February 29, 2008

Paving the way for creation of a new community, the Jersey City council voted unanimously Wednesday to designate 100 chromium-contaminated acres on the city's west side an "area in need of redevelopment."

This designation stems from an agreement the city struck with Morristown-based Honeywell International Inc., the party responsible for remediating the polluted land, to transform the area into a new community with up to 8,100 residential units, 20 acres of open space, and thousands of square feet of retail and commercial space.

The new community, to be built over the next 20 years, will have its own Light Rail station, officials said.

As a contributor of roughly 40 acres to the pool of land, the city would split land sale profits with Honeywell, officials say.

"This is one of the first steps in this whole process," Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano said before voting. "Hopefully this will be a tremendous, tremendous project for Jersey City."

Honeywell spokeswoman Victoria Streitfeld saluted the city for taking "an important step toward the redevelopment of the west side."

"It is hard work ahead to realize the plan's potential," Streitfeld added. "We are committed to work in partnership with the city and the community to achieve the vision everyone has worked so hard to develop."

KEN THORBOURNE

------------------------------

Very excited about this project not far from my neighborhood at all just on the other side of 440 and this is great news coupled with NJCU's new West Campus that will be linked with this new neighborhood and act as an extesnsion of my neighborhood.

JCMAN320

February 29th, 2008, 02:07 PM

Link here to jcconstruction.blogspot.com where Brooklynfoo shows us a peak at the new Jersey City Municipal Marina at the end of Second Street and Crystal Point will provide parking in it's garage. There is Newport Marina but it is for Newport residents only and there is a public boat launch at LSP and the only other marina in JC is Liberty Landing at LSP. This is great news.

http://jcconstruction.blogspot.com/2008/02/second-street-marina.html

JCMAN320

March 4th, 2008, 12:00 AM

Boulevard building partially demolished

by Paul Koepp Monday March 03, 2008, 3:53 PM

http://blog.nj.com/hudsoncountynow_impact/2008/03/large_z27163.JPG
Emily Anne Epstein
The top two floors of this Kennedy Boulevard building, between Stuyvesant and DeKalb avenues, were demolished.

A building on Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City was partially demolished this weekend after inspectors found it was leaning, officials told The Jersey Journal today.

The saga started Saturday morning when firefighters were responding to a blaze at a nearby liquor store when they saw workers in the building, between Stuyvesant and DeKalb avenues, according to Fire Director Armando Roman.

A subsequent Building Department inspection found a contractor doing work without permits to shore up the building, which had a history of structural problems, Construction Code Official Ray Meyer said.

The vacant second and third floors of the frame building were torn down by the Jersey City Incinerator Authority, Roman said.

A family on Stuyvesant Avenue had to be relocated due to the possibility of the building collapsing, and PSE&G cut off power to the liquor store and a law office during the demolition, Roman said.

After renovations, the ground floor will be able to be used, officials said.

hazard1

March 5th, 2008, 12:15 AM

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/realestate/02njzo.html?_r=1&ref=realestate&oref=slogin

In the Region | New Jersey
Yes, The Market Has Its Bright Spots
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/03/02/realestate/02njz0-600.jpg

Grove Pointe, the Jersey City rental complex at left, has just rented 65 units to St. Vincent’s Hospital of Greenwich Village.

By ANTOINETTE MARTIN
Published: March 2, 2008

EAGER brokers may seize on any positive development as a harbinger of improvement. But market analysts continue to advise caution, pointing out that the supply-and-demand cycles for both the rental and sales markets ordinarily take years to play out.

Still, if you were an optimist, you might take heart from the following items of New Jersey (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newjersey/?inline=nyt-geo) real estate news:

Package Deal
Sixty-five apartments at Grove Pointe, situated atop a PATH station in Jersey City, were rented last week to St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/?inline=nyt-geo) in Greenwich Village, to house residents and interns.

The $34 million deal is for a 15-year term, said Jonathan Kushner, a principal with SK Properties, the developer of the 458-unit building.

Grove Pointe and its neighbor, 50 Columbus, a 400-unit rental building that opened almost simultaneously last summer, have both been leasing up quickly, and with the new agreement with St. Vincent’s, Grove Pointe is now 90 percent leased after seven months, Mr. Kushner said.

St. Vincent’s has been searching for new housing for its staff for nearly a year, since the seven-building campus of which it is part was bought by the Rudin Management Company. Rudin proposes to build a new hospital and apartments on the Seventh Avenue site in the Village.

The hospital found itself unable to find enough apartments to lease in Manhattan during the transition, according to Jaime Weiss, president of Weiss Realty in Moonachie, which orchestrated the deal in Jersey City. So it began searching along the PATH train line.

In addition to accessibility, Mr. Weiss said, Grove Pointe offered “value, luxury, a 24-hour attended lobby, and resortlike amenities and services certain to appeal to busy, time-constrained medical professionals.”

Both of the big new rental buildings in Jersey City — which are priced about the same, with studio rents starting at $1,900 per month — had sought the St. Vincent’s contract, inviting hospital administrators and young doctors to tour their apartments and amenity areas, and get to know the Grove Street neighborhood, which is undergoing general revitalization.

In the end, said Mr. Weiss, the Grove Pointe building offered the best configuration of available apartments to suit the hospital’s needs.

“The hospital staff people seem to be thrilled,” Mr. Kushner said. “They love the fact that they will get to be the first residents in a brand-new luxury building so close to work.”

The lease deal is for mostly one-bedroom apartments, and a few two-bedrooms, according to Mr. Kushner.

There are two blocks of 10 apartments each, but the rest of the units are scattered throughout the building, he said.

lammius

March 5th, 2008, 01:40 AM

Boulevard building partially demolished

I wondered why they were taking this building down. I snapped a photo the other night...

http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL630/3395992/18317044/307147976.jpg

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed they're not taking the whole thing down. It was quite an eyesore to begin with, and although the law office was there, the two storefronts have been vacant for a long time. I thought the liquor store mentioned in the news story was part of the adjacent building... Hmm....

I'm not saying I'd like to see several stories of luxury condos here, but seeing the building come down (or at least most of it) got me hoping maybe something new would come to the neighborhood.

JCMAN320

March 5th, 2008, 08:16 PM

It looks like the Beacon is really spurring development around McGinley Square and around JSQ.

Courtesy of jcconstrucion.blogspot.com
http://jcconstruction.blogspot.com/2008/03/650-montgomery.html

The building is just after the Jersey City Armory going East on Montgomery St. btwn Baldwin and Summit Ave.

tbal

March 6th, 2008, 10:07 PM

This morning large wooden pilings, a crane, and other equipment were delivered to the vacant lot at 274 Newark Ave. The site was marked up a few weeks ago in preparation for construction to begin on this 5-story building.

This is going U/C just as construction of the 6-story building at 213 Newark Ave is picking up and just weeks after soil testing occurred on a site practically across Newark Ave from 274.

With any luck, the building at this site will look a lot better than the eyesore it is replacing.

In other news, there are fresh markings around the Phase II area of the Columbus Plaza site. Both property corners and underground electrical utilities have been marked very recently. I have a feeling that we will see construction begin on the two massive rental towers sometime in April or early May.

JCMAN320

March 7th, 2008, 01:08 PM

Link to NYTimes article about Ox Bar and Grill on Newark Ave and it got an excellent review.

http://events.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/02dinenj.html?scp=1&sq=ox&st=nyt

JCMAN320

March 7th, 2008, 03:48 PM

Restaurant News
Port City Java Corporate Café Sales Increase

2008-03-05 — Port City Java announced its same unit Corporate Café sales increased 2.5 percent for February 2008 over the same 28-day period for 2007. Overall Corporate Café sales increased by 16.17 percent for February 2008 compared to February 2007.

Management is pleased with the increased unit-level performance and believes these increases are driven by the perceived value of the brand, the superior product quality, and the hospitality customers receive in the Port City Java units. The Breakfast With That (BWT) program, which features breakfast wraps and sandwiches, continues to enhance sales in the units. The company believes its consistent local marketing and the execution of its core operations are helping to retain guests and generate repeat visits.

The company also announced that it signed a new franchise agreement in Jersey City, New Jersey. This will allow the company to gain market penetration while developing the Port City Java Brand in New Jersey. The site located at 158 Wayne Street Jersey City is a high-visibility corner, supported by dense business and residential populations. Construction and permitting will start immediately.

http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/news/story.phtml?id=6284

JCMAN320

March 7th, 2008, 03:51 PM

Courtesy of Ianmac and newyorkssixth.com is a list of retail happenings in the city.

http://www.newyorkssixth.com/

JCMAN320

March 7th, 2008, 04:00 PM

Website with rendering of final product of 197 Academy St. and info of layout and neighborhood. Very handsome classic looking building.

http://www.197academy.com/

tbal

March 7th, 2008, 11:39 PM

Wow JCMAN!!! 197 Academy looks SWEET!! (and taller than I expected...a man who lives in the building next door to it told me that it would only be 4 stories). Hopefully more is on the way. There is that 9-story building to be built at 205 Baldwin...

Although I'm sure I said this when construction was just beginning, it's worth repeating: this building is a huge step forward for that part of the City and just the beginning of massive redevelopment of the whole Journal Square area. Journal Square will regain its status as the city's center once again within the next few years. I think we're going to see a lot of proposals for tall buildings in Journal Square go before the Planning Board as soon as the credit crisis is alleviated.

lammius

March 8th, 2008, 01:04 AM

JoeSas

March 8th, 2008, 08:28 AM

JOLTS FROM 1909 A Long Island City, Queens, condo first designed as an electrical plant.

Powerhouses to the People

The New York Times
By C. J. HUGHES
Published: March 9, 2008

AS long as lights go on when switches are flipped, most people don’t think much about where power comes from. But what if you lived, shopped, or sipped drinks inside a former power plant?

Developers have recently taken an interest in reusing these large-scale industrial relics, even if converting them may require cleaning soil, adding floors and removing smokestacks.

The PowerHouse Condominium at 50-09 Second Street in Long Island City, Queens, for example, will have 447 units on the site of a structure designed by McKim, Mead & White in 1909 to provide electricity for trains.

The $200 million project, which is being developed by the Brooklyn-based CGS Developers and Zigmond Brach, is going up in three phases.

The first, to be completed in August, offers 177 units, from 500-square-foot studios to 1,500-square-foot three-bedrooms, with walnut floors and washer and dryer hookups. They are priced from $500,000 to $2 million, and 30 percent have sold since October, says Cheskel Schwimmer, a CGS principal.

These first apartments are also the only ones to be contained in actual sections of the former plant, which retained its tall arched windows but lost its four 275-foot chimneys.

It came close to losing a lot more than that. The original proposal was to raze it, which would have saved $40 million. But the community outcry forced Mr. Schwimmer to alter his plans, he said.

Preserving at least some of the building may work to his advantage. “People like history and want to live in historic businesses,” he said.

The restoration might also spur a neighborhood revitalization, as is hoped in Jersey City, which has already coined the name Powerhouse Arts District in honor of a plant yet to be converted on Washington Boulevard and First Street.

First, an attached substation for the PATH subway needs to be relocated, a four-year process that will begin in April, according to Robert Antonicello, the executive director of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency.

His group also recently hired the architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle as part of a $3.2 million effort to stabilize the water-damaged 1908 structure, Mr. Antonicello said.

By 2013, the plant is to have 180,000 square feet across five floors, filled with galleries, restaurants and offices, under a $90 million plan from the Cordish Company, a developer that has transformed plants in Baltimore, where it is based, and Richmond, Va.

The progress in Jersey City may be welcome news to the Athena Group, a developer that has three residential projects at various stages of development nearby.

The first, which has been completed, is A Condominiums, with 35 stories and 250 units — from 515-square-foot one-bedrooms to 1,366-square-foot two-bedrooms — priced from $300,000 to $1.2 million. Ninety percent have sold since November 2006, said Eugene Cordano, an agent at Halstead Property.

The fate is less certain for an 80,000-square-foot power plant on the Hudson, in the Glenwood section of Yonkers.

The REMI Companies of Manhattan had planned to build 400 units there until a few weeks ago, when talks fell apart with the seller, Kenneth Capolino, a contractor based in White Plains, said Erik A. Kaiser, REMI’s chief executive.

The new plan has been scaled down by $100 million, to $150 million, and calls for 250 units, he said.

Although the plant would lose its two chimneys, Mr. Kaiser says, the bulk of its design won’t be compromised — an aspect essential to marketing.

Malcontent

March 8th, 2008, 02:51 PM

2013!!!!! That's disappointing.

New Guy

March 9th, 2008, 01:16 AM

Tbal, Very Well Put!

Re: 197 "Although I'm sure I said this when construction was just beginning, it's worth repeating: this building is a huge step forward for that part of the City and just the beginning of massive redevelopment of the whole Journal Square area. Journal Square will regain its status as the city's center once again within the next few years. I think we're going to see a lot of proposals for tall buildings in Journal Square go before the Planning Board as soon as the credit crisis is alleviated."

And JC Man...

The Marines have landed! (I hope....)

Personally I was wondering if we in the JS area were going to be frozen in time by the credit crunch, and the recession (I guess at least a year of it) comming on. No telling, but thing are looking better than I expected in JS.

If you look at the newspaper, and even the hits on this very blog, you can almost see a trend of the development pushing Westward from downtown. You are seeing more development pushing West up to the 78 extension, and even jumping into JS. Its not just the Beacon, the Beacon and the Beacon anymore. HOOAH!

I am still waiting the Academy Royale apartments slated for the corner of Academy and Baldwin to do something. I would guess the developer is holding back due to the crunch, but I dont know.

Maybe the governmental center around the corner and 197 will inspire him.

New Guy

March 9th, 2008, 01:20 AM

Tbal, Very Well Put!

Re: 197 "Although I'm sure I said this when construction was just beginning, it's worth repeating: this building is a huge step forward for that part of the City and just the beginning of massive redevelopment of the whole Journal Square area. Journal Square will regain its status as the city's center once again within the next few years. I think we're going to see a lot of proposals for tall buildings in Journal Square go before the Planning Board as soon as the credit crisis is alleviated."

The Marines have landed! (I hope....)

Personally I was wondering if we in the JS area were going to be frozen in time by the credit crunch, and the recession (I guess at least a year of it to come). Many many permits pulled, great plans, but no reason for anyone to actually break ground yet. Theres No telling, but if Im not loosing my mind, thing are looking better than I expected in JS despite the economy.

If you look at the newspaper, and even the hits on this very blog, you can almost see a trend of the development pushing Westward from downtown. You are seeing more development pushing West up to the 78 extension, and even jumping 78 into JS. The new is not just the Beacon, the Beacon and the Beacon anymore. HOOAH!

I am still waiting the Academy Royale apartments slated for the corner of Academy and Baldwin to do something. I would guess the developer is holding back due to the crunch. Who knows. Maybe the governmental center around the corner and 197 will inspire him.

JCMAN320

March 9th, 2008, 04:11 AM

Iammius Newport on a Hill won't happen. Newport was built straight from scratch that whole area wass a vast wasteland of railyards. There is an established neighborhood up in that area. That area was the first permanent European settlement in all of New Jersey. These new buildings will be very well integrated because there is already a template for them to build with.

JCMAN320

March 9th, 2008, 08:29 PM

Layers of history in Journal Square building

by Ken Thorbourne Sunday March 09, 2008, 11:33 AM

The historic, now-shuttered Canton Chinese restaurant in Jersey City's Journal Square apparently has a Jewish past.

Closed for three years, the Canton -- a landmark in Journal Square for more than 70 years -- is being turned into a Bally Total Fitness Center. The recent removal of the Canton signage from the front of the building at 920 Bergen Ave. revealed its prior identity as the "Hurwitz Building."

The gold lettering was most likely original, as it appears to have been designed to fit in with the Art Deco terra cotta exterior, according to the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy.

The Conservancy sincerely hopes that, rather than simply plastering a new plastic sign of a chain brand, that Bally pauses to respect the history of the building and allows the public to appreciate the building's original qualities, the Conservancy states on its Web site.

A Bally employee said the fitness company doesn't own the building. A press representative said the company is looking into the matter.

tophatter

March 10th, 2008, 04:18 PM

Does anyone know the status of the following projects:

1. Trump Tower II;
2. 111 First Street; and
3. City Center Towers (Journal Square)??

I've been watching your FANTASTIC WEB CITE regarding these 3 projects but haven't seen any mention of what's happening with them. Actually, unless I'm mistaken, the only high-rise project still under construction right now is 77 Hudson Street.

Also, does anyone know the height of the C(h)rystal Point(e) (I hate those ridiculous, excessive and downright incorrect letters thrown in by developers to make the name appear more prissy!!) project. One web cite says it will be 36 stories on top of 5-story parking--a later depiction I saw somewhere appears to be much smaller than that.

Anyway, thanks again from an ex-JCer "dead and living" in Florida. Keep up the good work gang!!!

InsideScoop

March 10th, 2008, 09:24 PM

1. On hold - the developer got whipsawed by a project in asbury park and gulls cove. no cash for the 2nd trump-themed project.
2. On hold - no financing for this pricey condo now.
3. JSQ Towers - developers have asked the city for about $10mm worth of TIF grant financing to help defray overall costs. If they get this money, they will probably go for it. If not, this one will sit on the shelf until the next boom.

Crystal pointe (or whatever you want to call that rental building on 1st and the river next to harborside 10) is about 40 stories all in. nb (again) its a rental, not a condo.

hey19932

March 10th, 2008, 09:56 PM

Are there any renderings of '2 second street'? There were construction pics posted of it a few pages back.

ianmac47

March 10th, 2008, 11:25 PM

This is one of the renderings, although this one is now out of date:

http://www.thejcra.org/index.php?p=project-details&pid=13

Also, this is known as Hudsone Exchange originally, and now Crystal Pointe.

JCMAN320

March 12th, 2008, 12:00 AM

Heights affordable housing project on city council agenda tomorrow

by Ken Thorbourne Tuesday March 11, 2008, 7:55 PM

The Jersey City City Council plans to vote tomorrow on several resolutions dealing with Summit Heights, a 45-unit affordable housing project made possible in large part by a $2.5 million contribution from the developer of the Powerhouse Arts District.

The contribution from New Gold Equities was negotiated last year in a settlement agreement between the city and the developer.

To be located on Summit Avenue between Hague Street and Secaucus Road, the four-story development is to consist of 45 two-bedroom units, with retail on the ground level.

The resolutions deal with investing city money into the project, going after state funding and officially accepting the developer's contribution.

The units will sell for between $60,000 and $250,000, representatives of West Paterson-based City Line Properties, the builder of the project, told City Council members at their caucus meeting Monday.

Five of the units will be for low-income families, 10 for moderate income families and 30 for so-called "emerging market" families. These are persons who earn up to 120 percent of the city's median income. In Jersey City, emerging market buyers can earn up to roughly $89,000 a year for a family of four.

This project is also dipping into significant public funds. Jersey City is pumping in $1 million from its affordable housing trust fund and the developers hope to snag another $2.9 million in low-interest mortgage money from the state.

Tomorrow's meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Frank R. Conwell Middle School 4, 107 Bright St.

JCMAN320

March 12th, 2008, 11:27 PM

Courtesy of Brooklynfoo at jcconstruction.com. Photos of the exterior completion of the Cliffs and a little comic relief in some of the last photos. :)

http://jcconstruction.blogspot.com/2008/03/cliffs.html

JCMAN320

March 13th, 2008, 07:50 PM

Once again from jcconstruction.blogspot.com are pictures by Brooklynfoo of 213 Newark Ave showing pilling dictating that the square footage of the retail space looks to be quite large according to Brooklynfoo.

http://jcconstruction.blogspot.com/2008/03/213-newark.html

JCMAN320

March 14th, 2008, 12:38 AM

Council clears way for 'Summit Heights' housing

by Ken Thorbourne Thursday March 13, 2008, 7:53 PM

The Jersey City City Council adopted several resolutions Wednesday enabling a plan to build a 45-unit affordable housing development in the Heights to move forward.

The project, known as Summit Heights, is to be built on Summit Avenue between Hague Street and Secaucus Road.

One resolution unanimously adopted Wednesday allows the city to accept a $2.5 million contribution toward the project from New Gold Equities, the developer in the Powerhouse Arts District. This money is part of a legal settlement between the city and New Gold.

The other resolutions either allocated government money to the project or put the builder, West Paterson-based City Lines Properties, in a position to apply for low-interest government funding.

The total cost of the project is $16.5 million, said Robert Richardi, a development partner, of which $1 million is coming from the city's affordable housing trust fund and $1 million from federal HOME funds the city has to distribute.

The developers expect to corral another $2.9 million in low-interest loans from the state, along with the $2.5 million contribution from New Gold.

All the units will be two-bedrooms and will sell for between $60,000 and $250,000, the developers said.

Five of the units are for low-income families, 10 for moderate-income families, and 30 for so-called "emerging market" families. These are persons who can earn up to 120 percent of the city's median income. In Jersey City, emerging market buyers can earn up to $89,000 a year for a family of four.

The builders said they hope to break ground in the winter.

tbal

March 15th, 2008, 10:17 PM

77 Hudson seems to be emerging as one of the best modern pieces of architecture in Jersey City. I love how the design uses 3 different types of glass/paneling combinations - it looks incredibly unique; it's a giant piece of artwork. Seems like they used an aqua blue section with sky blue panels; a section that is pure light blue glass; and a section that is dark blue with aqua blue panels:

Looking North:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508018.jpg?t=1205629825

(Close up):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508015.jpg?t=1205629877

(Really close up):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508020.jpg?t=1205630156

Looking skyward:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508021.jpg?t=1205629929

Looking Southwest (you can really see the distinction between the different colors here):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508022.jpg?t=1205630003

Looking Southeast:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508025.jpg?t=1205629969

....And, some pics of the rental tower rising up:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508013.jpg?t=1205630080

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508026.jpg?t=1205630113

tbal

March 15th, 2008, 10:40 PM

197 Academy Street
Just to give you an idea of how tall this building is for the neighborhood, check out how it towers above the 2-3 story homes to the East:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508001.jpg?t=1205631584

View of the front of the building:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508003.jpg?t=1205631560

A look at how 197 Academy rises above it's neighbor to the West and adds to the urban feel of the neighborhood:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508005.jpg?t=1205631542

2 Second Street
Here are a few fresh pics of 2 Second Street, where the first floor is nearing completion and the base for the tower crane has been installed:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508033.jpg?t=1205631492

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508032.jpg?t=1205631516

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508027.jpg?t=1205631468

Other Stuff

It looks like we may have both of the 10-12 story midrise buildings along York & Warren streets by The Gotham breaking ground this Spring or Summer. PSE&G will apparently be disconnecting the two buildings formerly occupied by Lisbon early next next week (I'm guessing that this is in preparation for demolition work):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508010.jpg?t=1205631405

This huge crane was in Journal Square this afternoon (probably one of the largest portable cranes I've ever seen). I don't know exactly what it's there for (they have all three lanes blocked off), but there were vehicles nearby from Paterson-based Railroad Construction Corp.:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508008.jpg?t=1205631269

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/31508007.jpg?t=1205631289

JCMAN320

March 17th, 2008, 07:19 PM

From Newyorkssixth.com and Ianmac:

"Bear Stearns Loss May Be Jersey City's Gain

Over the weekend, investment bank Bear Stearns collapsed and sold itself to JP Morgan Chase. On the whole, the melt down at Bear Stearns may signal more trouble ahead for investment banks, a major industry in New York and in Jersey City's waterfront business district. But at the same, the sale to JP Morgan may ultimately benefit Jersey City.

Bear Stearns considered relocating some offices to Jersey City waterfront in 2001. Later, under Governor Jim McGreevey, tax incentives for business relocation were withdrawn, and Stearns took offices in Brooklyn instead. JP Morgan on the other hand, has a larger presence in Jersey City with several office locations. With the absorption of Bear Stearns, there will no doubt be layoffs as the businesses consolidate. But with a large footprint in Jersey City already, JP Morgan may ultimately add some former Stearns employees to the Gold Coast."

http://www.newyorkssixth.com/

JCMAN320

March 19th, 2008, 01:35 PM

Former landfill to become warehouse site

3/18/2008, 9:35 p.m. EDT The Associated Press

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — A former garbage dump in Jersey City is getting a facelift.

The 87-acre PJP landfill will become home to a giant warehouse being built by AMB Property Corp. over the next several years.

The landfill will be capped and have water monitoring systems installed by Waste Management, a successor to the company that once operated the dump.

The work will cost create up to 500 permanent jobs at the site, which has been closed since 1973.

AMB acquired the property from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

The project was approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The cost was not immediately disclosed.

JCMAN320

March 20th, 2008, 03:30 PM

Public art in Downtown Jersey City

by The Jersey Journal Thursday March 20, 2008, 10:57 AM

Artists in Jersey City, home to a burgeoning scene, especially Downtown, are bringing their creative energies to the streets.

Public art at Newark and First streets have caught one nj.com reader's eye.

Here's the pics.
http://comment-blog.advance.net/cgi-bin/mte/mt-search.cgi?tag=art&blog_id=1816

tbal

March 20th, 2008, 11:09 PM

A few weeks ago, someone created a 'garden' of 'shrubs' out of empty bottles in the small patch next to Ox. If I had my camera on me, I would have taken a few pics. It looked awesome (and incredibly creative).

ianmac47

March 21st, 2008, 11:45 AM

JCRegister had some photos:

http://www.jcregister.com/2008/03/15/pappis-glass-bottle-bubbles-part-ii.html

JCMAN320

March 22nd, 2008, 06:35 PM

Embankment fight not ended by ruling

Friday, March 21, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Manhattan businessman Steve Hyman, owner of the Sixth Street Embankment in Jersey City, can pursue permits to rip down the wall of the old railroad turnaround and build two-family homes, a Hudson County judge ruled last week.

However, the city is likely to deny the permits and the tug-of-war over the eight-block stretch between the city and Hyman will continue until the property is "legally abandoned," both Hyman's attorney and a city official said yesterday.

A federal board ruled that Conrail, the previous owner, didn't follow the required legal procedures.

The city wants to preserve the embankment as a transportation corridor for light rail and open space. Conrail officials plan to file the necessary paperwork to properly abandon the site next month. After that, city officials will have an opportunity to seize the property through condemnation.

But there's possibly a multimillion-dollar hitch.

The city believes the property should be sold for $3 million - the same amount Hyman spent to acquire it in July 2005.

According to Hyman's attorney, Robert Whyte, the property is worth at least $20 million.

Conrail has promised simply to hand over the property to Hyman - at no additional cost - after it is legally abandoned.

Bill Matsikoudis, the city's top attorney, said yesterday the city would "never foreclose the possibility of resolving the litigation" with Hyman.

But, "the city's dual aims of maintaining a transportation corridor and a greenway along the Sixth Street Embankment are sacrosanct and non-negotiable," he said.

tbal

March 22nd, 2008, 09:24 PM

Some additional construction equipment recently arrived at the empty lot for the proposed 70-90 Columbus residential towers. There is also a new "hard hat area" sign posted on a section of fence at the entrance to the site. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, new markings for underground utilities were spray-painted along some of the sidewalks bordering the site. I could be wrong, but it sure is looking like construction might begin this year afterall. Only time will tell, though...

ianmac47

March 23rd, 2008, 12:46 PM

I don't know about that. . They also have installed black fencing along stueben and Columbus and the fence has concrete foundations on the posts. I think if they were preparing for a ground breaking they would have used cyclone fencing and not used concrete. We'll see in a few weeks I suppose.

DominiRicanJSQ

March 24th, 2008, 10:48 PM

The site for the JSQ City Center towers seems to be prepping for gates to go up around the abandon storefronts. Over the last few days holes were drilled and metal pipes were driven down to support the gates. Seems demolition of those stores will come real soon.

JCMAN320

March 24th, 2008, 11:31 PM

Thx for the heads up Rican, haven't been at the Square in a week. It seems like it is on schedule, they did say demo was going to take place by Spring. Welcome to the forum too; glad to see another fellow JC'an on here.

DominiRicanJSQ

March 25th, 2008, 07:21 PM

Your Welcome JCMan320,

Just to update, the fence has already gone up around the entire block... that was pretty quick. Living behind the Loews gives practically gives me front seat to all the change about to happen there on a daily basis. All I need is a new digicam to start taking pics.:D

JCMAN320

March 26th, 2008, 03:27 AM

^^Sweet can't wait for them.

Bigger buildings? Council set to vote on Toll Bros. plan

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Jersey City City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on amendments to the Powerhouse Arts District Redevelopment Plan that would allow the developer Toll Brothers to exceed height and density standards in the original plan.

The PAD plan limits building heights to roughly 100 feet or 10 stories, city officials said.

Toll Brothers owns three lots in the Powerhouse Arts District, including the block at Morgan Street and Marin Boulevard, where the old Manischewitz plant is located.

At the Manischewitz site, Toll Brothers has proposed a two-tower development stretching 35 and 40 stories. Across Provost Street to the west, the developer wants to build a 30-story structure. The facade of the Manischewitz building will be preserved.

The proposed density exceeds the redevelopment plan by about 20 percent, city officials said.

"These proposed amendments are ludicrous," countered Jill Edelman, president of the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association. "No other city has so little respect to their own laws."

The proposal violates several planks of the redevelopment plan, she said.

In return for these changes, the developer proposes several amenities and an affordable housing component.

Toll Brothers is offering to build a 550-seat performing arts theater with gallery space and the 24,000-square-foot Provost Square plaza. Toll Brothers would also contribute $1.5 million to the startup of the theater.

Thirty-two "workforce housing" units would be built on a 10,000-square-foot vacant lot at Marin Boulevard and Bay Street. Artists would be given preference for purchasing these units, officials said.

In addition, the Toll Brothers would pay $150,000 per unit for another 18 affordable housing units off site.

The developments include 11 live/work units for artists that would be price-restricted to 70 percent of the market value, James McCann, the attorney representing Toll Brothers, told City Council members Monday night.

The council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Middle School 4, 107 Bright St.

scrollhectic

March 26th, 2008, 05:44 PM

tbal

March 26th, 2008, 10:37 PM

Well - it's official. The owner of 361 Newark Avenue has placed the site on the market along with plans for the 12-story, 82,000 square-foot midrise building already approved for the site. Two large banners were placed on a section of fence bordering the site today. Liberty Realty has been assigned the task of marketing the site and development plans.

The building itself, depicted on the banners, looks pretty nice - the facade is a combination of grayish brick with a lot of windows.

JCMAN320

March 27th, 2008, 05:55 PM

That sux to hear tbal.

http://jcconstruction.blogspot.com/

Brooklymfoo has updated the site with the following construction photos:
Hamilton Square
Wooward Street Mixed Income Housing
Brunswick and Sixth St. Condo
J Owen Grundy Pier Renovation
110 First St. w/ boarding new park
etc..

JCMAN320

March 28th, 2008, 05:22 AM

Allowing taller towers gets OK, and criticism

Friday, March 28, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

In an 8-1 vote, the Jersey City City Council introduced amendments to the Powerhouse Arts District Redevelopment Plan on Wednesday that will allow a developer to exceed height and density standards in the original plan.

The vote paves the way for Toll Brothers to build three towers Downtown, 30, 35, and 40 stories tall. The original plan limited the height of buildings in the area to roughly 10 stories.

Downtown Councilman Steve Fulop voted against the amendments on the grounds that it goes against the intentions of the original plan.

"Up until this point in time there has been zero public support for these changes," complained Jersey City resident Daniel Levin. "We are shifting gears in a 40-year redevelopment plan after four years."

Neighborhood activists who protested the amendments at the Planning Board said they plan to turn out in full force for the council's April 9 meeting when the amendments will be up for final adoption and a public hearing will be held.

Toll Brothers also plans to build a 550-seat performing arts theater with gallery space and the 24,000-square-foot Provost Square plaza.

Toll Brothers would also contribute $1.5 million to the startup of the theater. The development includes 11 live/work units for artists that would be price-restricted to 70 percent of the market value.

poppad

March 28th, 2008, 11:17 AM

I Love Jersey City But I Think I Might Like Newark Better. Aside From The Downtown Area And Some Areas Like Hamilton Park, Most Of Jersey City Is A Sh1t Hole. They Are Building So Many Condos And The Vacancy Rate Is Extremely High. Newark Has Capacity For More People With Their Wider Streets. Driving In Jersey City Is Horrible, Especially During Rush Hour. Newark's History Is More Intriguing And There Are Many Mansions In Forest Hill Wequahic And Other Parts Of Newark. All In All Its The Better City

poppad

March 28th, 2008, 11:22 AM

And By The Way Greenville Is Worst Than Any Part Of Newark I Know.

JCMAN320

March 28th, 2008, 02:19 PM

Whoa, whoa, whoa back up there coatcheese. First off there are many Victorian mansions in Jersey City located around Lincoln Park and the West Bergen neighborhoods that are like the ones in Forest Hills. Jersey City is not a sh*thole as you so ignorantly put.

Newark does have a great deal of history, but Jersey City was the first permanent European settlement in New Jersey with that site being Bergen Square in 1660. Also Pavonia and Commpunipaw, present day Lafayette, were settled by the early Dutch settlers in 1630!!! Long before Newark was settled in 1666. Jersey City has a very illustrious history that is so deep and rich that it would take to long to type. Many firsts happened here along with Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier at Roosevelt Stadium in 1946 with the Dodgers minor league team the Montreal Royals. Dr Martin Luther King got a docterate from my college Saint Peter's College. George Washington met General Lafayette, at a house that dates from 1742 that still stands and being renovated, to discuss battle plans. Also there was a famous battle that took place in Downtown JC at Fort Paulus Hook that is present day Paulus Hook. Four major routes of the Underground Railroad all convereged in Jersey City under the Hilton Holden house near the old Medical Center. The house still stands and is being preserved with the safehouse underneath still there. I can go on and on but again it would take too long.

I grew up in Jersey City and still live here and my family has been here since right after the time of the American Revolution with the earliest year being 1780. The Bloomer part of my family owned a trucking company Downtown in the mid 1800s that was horse and carriage and the other English part of my family owned a tug boat company on the Hudson River around the turn of the 20th century. I take extreme offense to your statements which are ignorant and untrue. Newark isn't a dump, have you been through every part of Newark??? Newark not horribble at rush hour, I always hated driving through Newark when coming back from visiting friends at Seton Hall because it is a traffic nightmare. Yes Greenville is a low-income area and improvished and I happen to live near the boarder of it and the people there are great just gang issues but there are still nice safe blocks in Greenville and again I take extreme offense.

If you like Newark over Jersey City thats fine, but you might want to back up those facts with arugments that hold more water than just blantently attackin Jersey City. All you want to do is insight a fight and I am not the one you want to do it with!!!

brianac

March 29th, 2008, 08:02 AM

Window Shopping

Taking in the River View From Both Banks

By SUZANNE SLESIN

Published: March 30, 2008

MAYBE it was the sun dancing on the water or the Statue of Liberty looking so majestic or the ferries making their way to and fro. I was dazzled by the views that two buildings — one in Jersey City, the other in Battery Park City — will have in common.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/03/28/realestate/30window-2-450.jpg
Kate Glicksberg for The New York Times
77 Hudson Street

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/03/28/realestate/30window-3-450.jpg
Kate Glicksberg for The New York Times
The Visionaire

Sensing my “I hate to leave Manhattan (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/?inline=nyt-geo)” attitude, Stephen Faraday, a sales consultant at 77 Hudson Street, a 48-story glass tower in Jersey City, said, “TriBeCa can be your playground.” He quickly noted that Jersey City was readily accessible from Manhattan by PATH train, by car and by ferry.

The 420-unit condominium was designed by John Cetra and Nancy Ruddy of Cetra/Ruddy Inc., a Manhattan architecture firm, and developed by K. Hovnanian Homes.

Mr. Faraday steered me through the sales office for 77 Hudson, which is on the 17th floor of an office building a couple of blocks from the tower, now under construction. There were huge photographs of the Manhattan skyline.

“The idea was to maximize the number of homes that have incredible views of Manhattan and panoramic views that stretch from the Statue of Liberty to the George Washington Bridge, “ Mr. Faraday explained.

I had to struggle to look away from the views and concentrate on the building’s amenities. One thing caught my attention: the heated outdoor swimming pool (open May 1 through Oct. 1) that will be in what Mr. Faraday described as a half-acre park atop the building’s parking garage. The park will also include a quarter-mile running track, a dog run, a barbecue area, a fire pit and sloping lawns. Inside 77 Hudson, there will be 3,000 square feet of space for a fitness area, a children’s playroom, a spa, and a yoga and Pilates room.

“It’s resort lifestyle living, themed like a boutique hotel, and with the amenities included in the maintenance charges,” Mr. Faraday said. “Of course, services like massages and personal trainers are, well, extra.”
Of course.

There’s also a pet spa and pet cleaning area. Considering the pristine model kitchens and bathrooms in the sales office, I would certainly appreciate not having to bring a wet dog into my apartment.

But I was already trying to figure out which of the three kitchen schemes I would choose.

Mr. Faraday rattled off the options: Atlantic Luxe (white Carrara marble, African wenge floors, white Pedini cabinets); Harbor Chic (silver cabinets, white-oak flooring and “Portuguese limestone,” Mr. Faraday whispered, running his hand over the counter surface); and Hudson Mod (“the most traditional, with eggshell quartz counters, exotic wood cabinets and American chestnut flooring.”)

The bathrooms are the same throughout. I was especially intrigued by the trough-shaped Lacav double sink outfitted with slim faucets designed especially for the building. Behind the tub, the wall was covered in textured chiseled stone tile that Mr. Faraday said was inspired by the rock surfaces found in European fountains.

“Imagine water trickling down,” he said, even though the only water in sight, with any luck, would be in the tub. There is also a separate glassed-in rain shower.

“I have not had anyone come in here and not say, ‘Wow!’ ” Mr. Faraday said. I felt I had to oblige.

Available apartments range from a 561-square-foot studio on the 18th floor for $422,000 to a 1,799-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit on the 45th floor for $1.57 million. Mr. Faraday said that five of the six three-bedroom penthouses, ranging in price from $2.1 million to $3.1 million, had been sold.

Meanwhile, back on the New York side of the Hudson, the tall and angular Visionaire, at 70 Little West Street in Battery Park City, a 251-unit 35-story condominium tower, is touting the platinum rating it expects to receive from the United States Green Building Council.

The building was designed by Rafael Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects in New York and developed by the Albanese Development Corporation, a subsidiary of the Albanese Organization in Garden City, N.Y.

Of course, there are the views, and amenities like an indoor lap pool, and fitness and spa areas. But here, it’s the eco-friendly building that’s the draw.

I tried to get with the program.

At the sales office near the tower, Ann Froelich, a sales manager for the Marketing Directors Inc., ticked off the building’s green features: recycled-wood floors laid in a mosaic pattern in the lobby, the greenery on the 7,000-square-foot terrace that will retain rainwater, elevators with brakes that generate electric power, and solar panels made from used computers that will provide 5 percent of the energy needs.

“They did not miss a trick,” Ms. Froelich said, referring to the building’s creators. They include Tim Button of Stedila Design in Manhattan, who designed the distinctive kitchens (bamboo-covered cabinets, unusual shiny brown tile backsplashes from Waterworks, river-washed granite counters). He also designed the limestone master bathrooms outfitted with teak cabinets, as well as the refreshingly brisk all-white second baths, which have overscale subway-tile walls and white Waterworks geometric sinks.

The prices for available units — occupancy will begin in the fall — range from $680,000 for a 605-square-foot studio on the fifth floor to $2.96 million for a three-bedroom, three-bath apartment on the 23rd floor.

According to Ms. Froelich, about 45 percent of the units have been sold, and that’s from floor plans and simulated views. Soon, though, buyers will be able to go up in the building.

That might be the time for me to think more seriously about which side of the river I would like to look out from. One thing is sure: In either case, the Statue of Liberty will always be front and center.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times.

JCMAN320

April 3rd, 2008, 06:29 PM

On Ianmacs site, he talks about another Whole Foods coming to Jersey City rumor, and the exorbant charges that NY Taxi drives charge Hudson County residents.

http://newyorkssixth.com/

Malcontent

April 3rd, 2008, 10:40 PM

Are they about to break ground on the Applied rental at the corner of Grand and Marin, or is that project on hold for now?

JCMAN320

April 4th, 2008, 10:11 PM

Well they cleared the site out recently I would think they might be. Also considering the fact it's a rental and not a condo in this market now, I think it will be built.

JCMAN320

April 5th, 2008, 04:25 AM

MAKING 'BANK
Developer sets price for land city wants

Thursday, April 03, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Manhattan businessman Steve Hyman has an offer he hopes Jersey City can't refuse.

Hyman, whose wife, Victoria, owns the Sixth Street Embankment, wants to sell the unused railroad turnaround to the city for $10 million - the amount a city appraisal said the property was worth two years ago.

Hyman believes the property is worth double that now. But to end the legal tug-of-war over the eight-block stretch, he's willing to sell, he said.

But the would-be sale comes with a condition.

Hyman wants city officials to change the zoning for a roughly 20-acre area on both sides of Newark Avenue down the hill from Dickinson High School that his wife's limited liability company purchased from Conrail in order to develop 4,000 units of housing. Currently the land is in the shadow of the New Jersey Turnpike extension.

Development "on steroids," Hyman called it last week, noting he'd want tax abatements and every other incentive the city has to offer. Most of this land is currently zoned for either open space or one-, two-, or three-family homes.

City officials have been trying to take control of the Embankment almost from the time various limited liabilities companies owned by Hyman's wife bought it for $3 million from Conrail in July 2005.

Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy wants it for a transportation corridor, while others, led by the Embankment Preservation Coalition, want the property saved for open space.

In a major development last year, an obscure federal panel called the Surface Transportation Board ruled Conrail didn't properly abandon the site when it sold it Hyman.

According to an attorney hired by the city, once Conrail properly abandons the site next month, the city will have the chance to condemn it and buy it for the same amount Hyman's wife paid.

But the city's top attorney, Bill Matsikoudis, isn't counting on that outcome.

"I'd be happy to conduct settlement discussions with Mr. Hyman's attorneys," Matsikoudis said. "A successful (legal) outcome is not guaranteed until the outcome occurs. And . litigation comes with a cost, not only in terms of dollars and cents, but in terms of time and labor."

JCMAN320

April 5th, 2008, 04:28 AM

RAD plan a $quare boost

Saturday, April 05, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City officials are coming up with a RAD-ical plan for Journal Square - and right on time as far as some developers are concerned.

To spur development, city honchos intend to carve out a special "revenue allocation district" in the center of the city so a certain amount of property taxes - or payment in lieu of taxes in the case of tax-abated properties - collected in the area can be used to raise bigger bucks in the bond market.

The money raised from selling bonds would then be used to finance infrastructure projects within the district, officials said.

"We are already a transportation hub in Journal Square. Now we want to restore some of the magnificence to what Journal Square used to be," said Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. "It's an investment in infrastructure back in your city."

The concept is receiving rave reviews from developers who have projects brewing with the district, whose tentative boundaries stretch from Summit Avenue to Tonnelle Avenue, and from Sip Avenue to Pavonia Avenue.

Peter Mangin, president of Jersey City-based Garden State Development, is exercising an option to purchase air rights over the PATH rail lines to the west of Kennedy Boulevard. Needless to say, Mangin, who hopes to build a mixed-use development over the six-acre area, is "supportive" of the idea.

"I think that (the RAD) would ultimately assist us in helping to pay for infrastructure costs that would have a spill-over effect for the entire area," Mangin said.

Joseph Panepinto, who has built several projects in the Square, including the ADP Building with Mangin and Hartz Mountain, said if the RAD happens - and other projects in the Square take off - he might replace the Burger King and Dunkin Donuts that sits on land he owns on Magnolia and Summit avenues with a high-rise office tower.

"It makes a lot of sense," Panepinto said about the RAD. "If some of that money comes back to help us get a project started that's a good idea."

The complete plan should be ready in about eight months, said Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Robert Antonicello. The plan would have to be approved by the city council.

Current thinking is to use between 10 and 15 percent of taxes collected in the area for the RAD, he said.

The RAD is based on tax incremental financing (TIF), which has been used to raise money for projects in 49 states, including New Jersey, said Eugene T. Paolino, a prominent real estate attorney in Jersey City.

TIF money is currently being used to help finance infrastructure costs for Hudson Yards in New York City, a 350-acre development on the city's west side, Paolino said.

brunfuss

April 5th, 2008, 12:33 PM

66nexus

April 5th, 2008, 02:39 PM

was doing a look thru Emporis.com, i suggest taking a look at Elizabeth NJ.

there are about 15 proposed high rises for the city, 14 of which are being developed by Celadon, and all but 1 of them are 40 stories tall. if you click the link for Celadon, you can even see a rendering of the buildings.

anyone have any details about this?

You should start a thread about Elizabeth and post any findings you may come across. Celadon is perhaps the start of a new wave of construction there

Hamilton

April 5th, 2008, 03:15 PM

^^^Better yet, do a search. No need to start an EElizabeth thread. This thread was on the front page:

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12570

injcsince81

April 5th, 2008, 06:28 PM

was doing a look thru Emporis.com, i suggest taking a look at Elizabeth NJ.

there are about 15 proposed high rises for the city, 14 of which are being developed by Celadon, and all but 1 of them are 40 stories tall. if you click the link for Celadon, you can even see a rendering of the buildings.

anyone have any details about this?

Three things:

1. It's a JC thread. If you want to talk about Elizabeth, then start an Elizabeth thread.

2. If you work for Celadon, then you need to take a shill course. You're being too obvious.

3. In this RE market, I'd be surprised if they build even one of those fifteen planned 40-story towers in Elizabeth (:eek:) in the next 10 years.

tbal

April 5th, 2008, 08:31 PM

I couldn't help but notice how small, multi-family developments (I'm talking buildings in the 5-20 unit range) are sprouting up and filling in the gaps all over the Italian Village section of Downtown. The forms for the foundation of a five-story building at 274 Newark Avenue are being assembled, and the first concrete will probably be poured at some point in the coming week. 362 Fourth Street, the long-vacant lot next to the popular Madame Claude Cafe, was cleared about two weeks ago and was filled with construction workers this afternoon assembling rebar for the foundation of whatever will fill that relatively large plot of land. At 374 Seventh Street, the foundation has already been poured and construction is progressing quickly on a new 4-story, nine-unit apartment building. And, the forerunner of this wave of smaller-scale buildings, 369 Fifth Street (a 12-unit building), is nearing completion.

It should be interesting to see if something begins to rise soon at 337 Third Street, where a mid-sized 2-story building was demolished about a year ago and soil testing took place over the winter.

JCMAN320

April 8th, 2008, 01:02 AM

Courtesy of Brooklynfoo at jcconstruction.com showing construction of Crystal Pointe

http://jcconstruction.blogspot.com/2008/04/2-second-street.html

JCMAN320

April 8th, 2008, 12:58 PM

Jersey City unveils big, bold plans for parks

Tuesday, April 08, 2008
BY RUSSELL BEN-ALI
Star-Ledger Staff

A stretch of abandoned railroad tracks may have garnered little attention around the state, but in Jersey City, where land is at a premium, it has set off a clash.

Angry words followed the sale and development plans for the Sixth Street Embankment, an elevated stone structure and former Conrail track in the heart of downtown Jersey City. The mayor favored a light-rail expansion on the land, while residents held out for a park.

A new plan focusing on parks does little to resolve the issue, leaving the argument for another day.

Jersey City officials yesterday unveiled an ambitious master plan for parks that recommends the addition of 100 acres of open space, in part through nine new parks, to one of the nation's most congested urban areas.

Over the next 10 years the Jersey City Recreation Master Plan calls for the city to add new pedestrian walkways along the Hudson and Hackensack rivers, build a marina with 250 boat slips and a fishing pier. It calls on the city to build bridges, gazebos, an amphitheater and promote passive recreational use of Reservoir No. 3, near Pershing Field.

The city would first take on a more practical task: renovating existing parks and recreation facilities in each of the six wards, including some so small they are referred to as "pocket parks."

"Our main focus is to rehabilitate and to really restore all of these pocket parks that have been neglected throughout the city so they get better use for our families and our youngsters," said Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy.

According to the master plan, the city will resurface or add basketball, tennis and volleyball courts to many existing parks. It will also repair pedestrian paths and gazebos and power-wash children's playground equipment.

"What we want to do is each ward annually is going to get at least one park improved, one of the pocket parks, or a park added to their ward over the course of the next 10 years," Healy added. "We want to spread it out citywide."

The master plan is part of a $250,000 study by T&M Associates, a design consulting firm from Middletown.

The cost is estimated at $82 million and would be funded in part by the state Green Acres Program, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Hudson County Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.

Some plans are contingent on cleanup along Route 440, land polluted with chromium and other contaminants. Others rely on partnerships with private owners and other agencies.

The draft plan was slated for presentation last night to the city council, which will vote on it tomorrow. Construction and renovation could start as early as this year, the mayor said.

Highlights of the draft plan include recommendations for the following new parks and open public space:

Berry Lane Park: a 14.7 acre plot along Berry Lane in Ward F. The city hopes to build two baseball fields, a soccer field, two basketball courts, a gazebo, a natural turf amphitheater and parking for 100 cars.

Hackensack River Greenway: Eight acres along Route 440 in Ward B at the site of the former Colony Diner. The greenway would adjoin the existing and undeveloped Hackensack River Greenway Park.

Sixth Street Embankment: Once an eastern freight terminus for the Pennsylvania Railroad, its sale to a Manhattan developer is in litigation. The master plan suggests the developer set aside property for passive open space, including pedestrian paths, gardens and seating areas, but the plan doesn't give up on the mayor's preferred light-rail option. It says extending the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail could help relieve traffic congestion.

A member of the Embankment Preservation Coalition, a community group advocating it be made open space, declined to comment because she had not seen the draft plan.

JCMAN320

April 9th, 2008, 12:48 AM

http://jcconstruction.blogspot.com/2008/04/769-montgomery.html

Update by Brooklynfoo of 769 Montgomery Street, the aka Old Police Precent. With an updated rendering as well.

JoeSas

April 9th, 2008, 10:37 AM

The Crescent Court development in the back part of downtown has been quiet but today they started pile driving again. This smaller project will be a nice fixer upper in that area that hopefully creates more pedestrian traffic on the back part of Newark Ave downtown.

http://www.mmhomes.com/Home/NJ/294/_Properties_AUTH.htm

There is also this two family looking house on Brunswick btw 1st and 2nd. The basic shape is starting to look like one of those hideous pink brick two families in the Heights. Let's hope not.

ianmac47

April 9th, 2008, 11:11 AM

Life at Aqua!

It seems as though for three, four, maybe five months, nothing has been going on at the Aqua tower in Newport. Well today I saw the elevator on the north side rising to the top floor and what looked like a person moving around on one of the higher floors. This was from the light rail, but it looks like they were back in action. Anyone else know anything better?

lammius

April 9th, 2008, 11:24 AM

There is also this two family looking house on Brunswick btw 1st and 2nd. The basic shape is starting to look like one of those hideous pink brick two families in the Heights. Let's hope not.

You mean like a Bayonne Box???

http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL630/3395992/6990143/312577014.jpg

I can't tell you how much I hate these things! :mad:

JCMAN320

April 9th, 2008, 11:37 AM

^^^Die Bayonne Box!!!

Powerhouse area residents threaten suit

Wednesday, April 09, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

In advance of tonight's public hearing on proposed changes to the Powerhouse Arts District Redevelopment Plan, residents there say they are prepared to sue if the changes are adopted.

Jill Edelman, president of the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association (PADNA), said yesterday her group will sue on the grounds the changes being sought to accommodate a proposed development by Toll Brothers turns a blind eye to central planks of the original redevelopment plan - chief among them its call for mostly spacious "live/work" units artists can use and the preservation of existing structures.

"We see this as the destruction of the neighborhood," Edelman said. "They are diminishing the number of live/work units by 98 percent. They are putting the existing neighborhood into the shadows" given the 30-, 35-and 40-story towers Toll Brothers proposes to build, Edelman added.

James McCann, the attorney representing Toll Brothers, didn't return a phone call.

Bill Matsikoudis, the city's top attorney, dismissed PADNA's grounds for a lawsuit.

"The city is not bound to maintain zoning laws that have been promulgated," Matsikoudis said. "The elected body and Planning Board can modify the zoning laws as they believe is in the best interest of the city."

Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano said,"I'm not really influenced by veiled threats. "I don't think any occupation is entitled to special consideration."

The Toll Brothers plan, which incorporates the facade of the old Manischewitz plant at Morgan Street and Marin Boulevard, calls for creating roughly 950 units - 11 of which would be live/work units for artists and price-restricted to 70 percent of market value.

The plans also call for a performing arts theater with gallery space and the 24,000-square-foot Provost Square plaza. Thirty-two "workforce housing" units would be also be built on a vacant lot at Marin Boulevard and Bay Street.

JCMAN320

April 10th, 2008, 11:52 AM

Jersey City OKs changes to arts district over staunch opposition

by Ken Thorbourne
Thursday April 10, 2008, 8:48 AM

Vowing to continue their fight in court, several dozen residents in and around Jersey City 's Powerhouse Arts District left last night's council meeting angry and frustrated after the council approved changes to the original plan to accommodate a developer.

By a vote of 6-2, the council approved height and density amendments to allow the developer, Toll Brothers, to build three towers 30 or more stories -- two of them at the site of the old Manischewitz factory at Morgan Street and Marin Boulevard and one across the street at Morgan and Warren streets.

"I find the Toll Brothers plan so inconceivably bad, I don't understand their (the council's) motivation for approving it," Jill Edelman, president of the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association, said after the vote.

Michael B. Kates, the group's attorney, said PADNA would file a lawsuit against the city within the next 45 days on the grounds that changing a 40-year plan after it's been in effect for only 3½ years constitutes a "breach of trust" with residents who have moved into the district.

The original redevelopment plan approved in 2004 called for projects limited to 10 stories filled with spacious "live/work" units for artists. This plan calls for 950 residential units, 12 of which would be live/work units and 32, affordable housing units.

Bill Matsikoudis, the city's top attorney, said PADNA has no grounds to sue the city since the council is entitled to change redevelopment plans

Of the 45 people who spoke at last night's four-hour public hearing, all but three argued against making changes.

"It saddens me you can't see what this community has come to represent and you have the power to rip it apart," Carrie Craft, a resident of 140 Bay St., which is in the district and has artists housing, told the council.

Downtown Councilman Steve Fulop -- who was joined by City Council President Mariano Vega in rejecting the proposed changes -- lashed out at the rest of his colleagues for caving to "political pressure."

Fulop, who represents the PAD area, called his colleagues "deceitful" to residents, developers who built under the established rules and "older residents who thought we were past this kind of backroom (deal making)."

Other council members touted the plan's amenities -- a 550-seat performing arts theater that is coming with a $1.5 million subsidy from Toll Brothers, extensive gallery space, and the 24,000-square-foot Provost Plaza.

In addition, Toll Brothers is providing $2.8 million for affordable housing and restricting the 12 live/work units to 70 percent of market value.

"These are tremendous benefits for Jersey City as a whole," said Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano, who along with council members Bill Gaughan, Peter Brennan, Willie Flood, Mary Spinello, and Steve Lipski voted for the changes.

Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson was absent.

"We are very happy and pleased," Toll Brothers Senior Vice President Benjamin D. Jogodnik said after the vote. "I think it's going to be a fantastic place for the arts."

JoeSas

April 11th, 2008, 10:59 AM

do you think they will start building sooner than later? although it won't be as nice looking as keep the historic feel of the PAD, it will add a population density that will help with commercial spaces...

tbal

April 12th, 2008, 02:58 AM

Good question. I have a feeling that construction will not begin on the project for at least another year. I'm sure it's going to be tough for Toll to get financing for this project until the market settles.

btw - there's an update on the status of the Journal Square City Center towers over at www.urbanconstructionindex.com (http://www.urbanconstructionindex.com). It looks like demo might resume within a month or so afterall.

JCMAN320

April 14th, 2008, 10:51 PM

Sign of the times

by The Jersey Journal Monday April 14, 2008, 1:31 PM

http://blog.nj.com/hudsoncountynow_impact/2008/04/large_zcap1.jpg
Bill Bayer
Workers hoist the "O" in Capital One to the top of the historic Trust Company building in Jersey City's Journal Square.

As North Fork Bank transitions to Capital One, signs around the state are being changed, but none so visibly as the one atop the historic Trust Company building in Jersey City's Journal Square.

The Trust Company, a fixture in the Square for decades, was acquired by North Fork in 2004. In turn, North Fork was acquired by Capital One, with the name change going into effect just last month.

http://www.njcu.edu/programs/jchistory/Pages/T_Pages/Trust_Company_of_New_Jersey.htm

JC Supertall

April 19th, 2008, 03:31 AM

Jersey City should encourage developers to build a supertall downtown before all of the remaining vacant lots are taken. A supertall or two would provide symmetry between Jersey City's skyline and NYC's skyline once the towers are completed on the World Trade Center site.

tbal

April 19th, 2008, 08:14 PM

As much as I would love to see several supertalls in Jersey City's skyline, we need to first improve our infrastructure. Right now, all we have passing through both Exchange Place and Newport (in terms of rapid transit) is a single PATH line. In contrast to this, the WTC will have something like 8 (or is it more?) subway lines passing through its core.

Anyway, here are some photos of some not-quite-supertall projects in the downtown (I posted photos of 77 Hudson and 2 Second Street at www.urbanconstructionindex.com/jersey_city (http://www.urbanconstructionindex.com/jersey_city)):

213 Newark Ave
Most of the first floor structural columns and foundation walls have been constructed, and it appears that there is a dividing wall in what will be the sub-grade garage. Rebar for the floor on the southern side of the garage is being assembled:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/41908032.jpg?t=1208646381

The site as seen from Newark Avenue:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/41908035.jpg?t=1208646511

Looking toward the Southern wall of the garage:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/41908034.jpg?t=1208646548

361 Newark Ave
There was a spur of activity at this site today, presumably to make it look more attractive to a potential buyer. A small skid-steer was dropped off and used to level the portion of the site that was continuously flooding; wooden markers were inserted into the ground to note the locations of the pilings that were driven into the ground almost 2 years ago:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/41908036-1.jpg?t=1208646630

A cluster of supplies that were dropped off today:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/41908037.jpg?t=1208646668

The skid-steer that was delivered to the site:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/41908040.jpg?t=1208646723

JCMAN320

April 21st, 2008, 01:09 PM

In Rhode Island, a Powerhouse plan like Jersey City's

by Journal staff Monday April 21, 2008, 11:52 AM

There are some who may laugh, but Providence, R.I. planners are pointing to Jersey City as an example of revitalizing an area by converting an old power plant into live/work space. In a story in Saturday's Providence Journal, that city's officials discuss their plans for an out-of-use power plant that they decided to restore instead of raze.

There's no mention of all the controversy surrounding Jersey City's Powerhouse Arts District and the legal battles that have ensued since the Downtown Area was given that designation a few years back.

Story Here: http://www.projo.com/business/content/BZ_OLDUTILITIES_04-19-08_1S9C73N_v16.298959f.html

66nexus

April 21st, 2008, 11:42 PM

Liberty State Park to create 234-acre refuge for wildlife

by Brian T. Murray (bmurray@starledger.com)/The Star-Ledger Monday April 21, 2008, 8:56 PM

A fenced-off, long-contaminated chunk of Liberty State Park is about to get a face-lift to become what federal and state officials are calling an urban wildlife refuge.
The $32 million project is not a cleanup. It's a green makeover, with 234 acres of wasteland in the middle of the 1,100-acre park getting remodeled into a mixture of freshwater wetlands, grasslands, hardwood forests and a salt-water marsh.
"The project could start as early as the next three to four months," said Col. Aniello Tortora of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers yesterday, as he joined a host of state and federal officials atop the Liberty Science Center's glass tower in Jersey City. The venue offered an unobstructed view of the property, which has been reclaimed by a mix of native and invasive trees and grasses since it was fenced off to the public decades ago.
"This is good news for our economy, for Liberty State Park and most of all for the environment in which we live," said U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, who grew up in Hudson County and is working to secure $20 million in federal funding to cover most of the costs.
"When complete, it will be one of the largest contiguous areas of natural established hardwoods in the metropolitan area, and will represent a unique opportunity for a long-term study of urban forestry," he added.
The project, known as the Hudson-Raritan Estuary and nine years in the making, includes plans to dredge a tidal creek and build a walking trail through the restored acres, where warning signs of toxic contamination still cling to a rusty chain-link fence.
The site was long ago filled with industrial waste, dredged materials and rock dug out of Manhattan to create basements. John Watson, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said New Jersey will add $10 million to the project -- some collected from companies that dumped chromium waste in Hudson County.
Frank Gallagher of the state Division of Parks and Forestry said bio-filters will be constructed to cleanse polluted stormwater flowing in from roads, buildings and construction sites to the west of the park. Officials talked hopefully of a day when schoolchildren will use the area to view birds they anticipate will flock to the park.
"This is very exciting. This will make the park one of the greatest urban parks in the world," said Sam Pesin, president of Friends of Liberty State Park.
His father, the late Morris Pesin, was a Jersey City activist credited with first conceiving of building Liberty State Park and beautifying the New Jersey backdrop to the Statue of Liberty.
But the project raises ecological questions.
While poplar trees and birches already have reclaimed the polluted ground, and red-tail hawks fly overhead, the scenery belies the heavy metals detected even in the new plant life.
While officials contend the pollutants would pose no threat to humans, there are questions about the impact on wildlife.
"We should clean it up first; we're remediating without cleaning," said Jeff Tittel of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club. "It may eventually look wonderful when they finish, but what will the results be in the long run? The contamination is still there."

Read the full story in Tuesday's Star-Ledger.

Taken from nj.com

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/liberty_state_park_to_create_2.html

JoeSas

April 23rd, 2008, 08:56 AM

Abatement revise to be approved for two towers
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Persuaded by the developer that a two-tower development proposed for Downtown Jersey City is dead in the financial water without a new tax abatement deal, the Jersey City City Council is expected to introduce a new 10-year agreement for the project tonight.

In November 2006, Roseland Properties of Short Hills agreed to a 20-year tax abatement paying the city 16 percent of annual gross revenue to build Monaco North and Monaco South at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Sixth Street.

But given the downturn in the economy, the developer can't raise financing for the project without the shorter 10-year agreement, James McCann, the attorney for Roseland, told council members at their caucus Monday night.

The new agreement - negotiated by city administration officials - calls for payments to the city of 10 percent of gross annual revenue per year, amounting to roughly $1.8 million in "payments in lieu of taxes."

Downtown Councilman Steven Fulop complained the new deal will open the floodgates for other builders who signed tax abatement deals before the 10-year model was in place, namely the proposed second towers for Goldman Sachs and Trump Plaza Jersey City.

City Council President Mariano Vega said he was persuaded to support the new deal since "it gets my head out of the sand because I'm not an ostrich."

As a incentive to get the city to agree to the new deal, the developer relieved the city of its obligation to repay $1 million of roughly $2.4 million the developer pre-paid in taxes.

In addition, the developer agreed to give up more money if the project isn't completed by October 2011.

The project consists of two 47-story towers containing 524 market-rate rental units and a 10-story parking lot. Tonight's meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., at Middle School 4, 107 Bright St.