Jersey City Rising

[macmini]

A Struggling Neighborhood Heats Up

By JONATHAN MILLER (http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=JONATHAN%20MILLER&fdq=19960101&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=JONATHAN%20MILLER&inline=nyt-per)
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Published: June 5, 2005 - NY Times

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/dropcap/j.gifERSEY CITY
THE Lafayette section of Jersey City, a tiny slip of waterfront land just west of Liberty State Park and south of the city's gentrifying and pricey downtown, has struggled for 30 years. But now real estate agents and developers are looking with eager eyes at the 19th-century row homes and industrial spaces next to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail stop and have declared it "the last undiscovered area in the New York metropolitan area."

It probably won't retain that title much longer.

Lafayette is poised on the edge of tumultuous change. Nearly 50 development projects are planned for the 400-acre neighborhood in the next several years, according to statistics compiled by June Jones, a local activist and a partner in a mixed-use development in the neighborhood.

If all the plans are realized, it will mean thousands of new homes and apartments. The largest will be a 932-unit glassy, sail-shaped triple-tower complex on the edge of Liberty State Park. An 18-hole golf course, designed by Tom Kite, is being constructed nearby.

A troubled housing project has been vacated and is being replaced with a mix of moderate-income, assisted senior living and market-rate housing. A former rope factory named Whitlock Cordage is being converted into a $45 million 330-unit mixed-income housing project. The former governor James Florio is part of a group that purchased 13 acres of city-owned land last year for $1.1 million, less than half of the assessment on the property. It has not yet announced development plans.

How hot is Lafayette? So hot that a 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom condominium at a converted factory that closed for $285,000 on April 15 was put on the market one day later for $419,000. So hot that a two-family home on a double lot that sold for under $200,000 three years ago is getting offers of $750,000 today. So hot that a five-story 14½-foot-wide row house that two years ago went for $190,000 sold last month for $335,000.

It is a tremendous land rush. And while prices have soared in the neighborhood, they are low compared with the rest of the metropolitan area. "We're priced out of New York; we're priced out of the boroughs," said Justine Luongo, 38, of the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, who bought that five-story row house on Lafayette Street with Stephanie Schroeder, 41. "Jersey City makes sense. It's a very Brooklyn feel. I don't feel like I am living in what stereotypically feels like is New Jersey suburbs."

When Ms. Luongo saw the price tag after seeing homes in Bedford-Stuyvesant listed at a half-million dollars, she was thrilled. "But I'm sure," she conceded, "folks who have been here a really long time think: '$335,000? That's ridiculous!' "

This is true. Ms. Jones, the founder and former president of the Morris Canal Redevelopment Area Development Coalition, was driving a visitor around the neighborhood recently when she spotted a "For Sale" sign with a phone number tacked to an abandoned dilapidated building on Pacific Avenue. She called on her cellphone and asked the price. "$400,000? You're kidding!" she exclaimed.

Along for the ride with Ms. Jones was Leonard Joseph, 41, an actor and writer who lives on Van Horne Street and is a coalition board member. "If you have two-family houses that are going for a half a million, I don't see that the people living here now will be able to afford living here - either for sale or rent." Ms. Jones responded, "I think that's pretty obvious."

This neighborhood is where some of the earliest European colonists landed in New Jersey, and in 1630, the Dutch created the village of Communipaw. But by the 1850's, developers saw an opportunity to market the area as a "suburban real estate development," demolished many of the old Dutch houses, replacing them with row homes and brownstones, and renamed the area Lafayette.

It later was one of the first communities in northern New Jersey to have a majority of black residents. According to the 2000 census, the population was 50 percent black and 40 percent Latino, but the composition is quickly changing.

Until very recently, Lafayette has been a downtrodden and crime-plagued neighborhood. "Those people have suffered through many decades of public neglect," said Jeff Kaplowitz, a former chairman of the city's planning board and a real estate broker who grew up in the neighborhood. "There are sections of Pine Street where the sewage system is made of wood. The area was a dumping ground for everyone to put their low-income housing." In the 60's and 70's, Mr. Kaplowitz said, roving gangs of thugs would plunder freight trains and try to pawn off their booty.

Police say that gang activity and drug dealing are still prominent. In March, the owner of a bodega on Communipaw Avenue was killed during a botched robbery.

Despite these negatives, sale prices have gone up 25 percent each year in the last two years, according to realtors in the area.

The light rail began operation in 2000 and has a stop at Liberty State Park. It is about a 30-minute ride - with a transfer to the PATH trains - into Lower Manhattan. A new exit to the New Jersey Turnpike opened within the last year on the edge of the neighborhood.

Some are still hesitant, though. "There are some people who say, 'I can't live here,' " said Christopher Schluender, an agent at Weichert Realtors. He also owns a condominium at the Foundry, a 170-unit loft building just across a parking lot from the light rail stop. "They feel it's not a safe neighborhood - there's no shops, there's no Starbucks," he said. "So the infrastructure is not yet in place."

Frank Bosco, 51, the founder of the NY/NJ Academy of Ceramic Art, said many potential students have taken one look at the neighborhood, turned around and left. Mr. Bosco said he might shut the school if things don't change. "I want to be in a neighborhood where I want to go out at night and I'm feeling comfortable, and I've been waiting 20 years," he said. "When I first came here, I thought it would happen in five years. I'm still waiting."

Most of the land lies within Jersey City's Morris Canal Redevelopment Area, which means that condemnation procedures are easier on property within the area. It also makes projects eligible for long-term tax abatements, like the 20-year tax break at the Foundry project, and means very low taxes for the individual condominium owners.

Some people who this spring were pushed out of 111 First Street, a downtown artist colony, have found a landing here. One refugee, Elaine Hansen, bought a 12,700-square-foot ironworks factory on Johnston Avenue in 2002 for $150,000 and is converting four spaces for artist studios.

Many who have recently moved say they intend to stay awhile. Over the Memorial Day weekend, Elizabeth DiCara was host of a barbecue at her house on Monitor Street, and she said some 50 people, new and old, showed up from the neighborhood.

She has a decidedly upbeat view of the place she bought just three years ago. "We're thrilled with what's happened with the neighborhood," she said. "It's happening, and it's happening fast."

[JCMAN320]

They have brokern ground a while ago. Its heavily under way some of the golf course when you go by there you can see that it has already started to take shape with lakes, trees and grass in many parts. There was an article in the paper a while ago saying it will be completed july of 2006.

[macmini]

http://newyorkssixth.com It's the Curbed for New Jersey!

http://newyorkssixth.com/ny6images/NY6LOGO.gif

[chinman]

$850/sqft?
i recently sold at the sugar house for $550/sqft
yes, i still think jc is highly undervalued but this might be a stretch
http://www.montgomery-greene.com/

[macmini]

$850/sqft?
i recently sold at the sugar house for $550/sqft
yes, i still think jc is highly undervalued but this might be a stretch
http://www.montgomery-greene.com/


chinman I think JC is undervalued as well but $850/sqf!!! thats stretching it a little.JC is still lacking in the amenities department with all the development going on in this city you think by now we would have at lease more then one starbucks. Thiers not enough decent restaurants,bars,shops and entertainment venus. Hell if people are willing to paying $850/sqf and I hear that they are selling well we should at lease have a whole foods by now.

[Ninjahedge]

The $850 is a desperate sign that people are speculating.

Real estate has become the latest "bubble" and in areas that are showing that explosive a growth in value, if ANYTHING does not go according to plan (say the Golf Course is not built) people will be stuck with a $750K narrow row-house next to a whole strip of "Median income Affordable housing".


But just to let you know, speculation buying is nothing new, it is happening with the Songdo project in Korea (where the full plans for the site have not even been developed yet), and areas like the Maxwell House development (where they have been digging and piling for about the past 6 months already).

People are getting on waiting lists and buying hoping to be able to turn the money around a year after buying and make a profit.



What I am wondering is where this ceiling is? How much are you willing to pay for a spot in Jersey City, along a doubtfully beneficial "light rail" (It is not like living at a path station, and increased usage might make it a crowded option at rush hour to deliver you to JC Downtown or Hoboken to get into NYC).

Will people be willing to spend $1M on a place that is only slightly larger than what they could get in Manhattan proper? Or $500K for a place that is smaller than what you can currently get in Hoboken on the hopes that there MIGHT be a golf course there in 5 years?

What is the line, and when will it be crossed?

[macmini]

Ninjahedge for one the golf course has been under construction since last year. I dont know where you get your information from but one of the biggest complaints is that thier is no affordable housing being built. Some developers have set aside some rental apartments and condos in their buildings for low income families, but their have been no low or median income housing built on the Waterfront or Down Town Jersey City.

[JCMAN320]

These are two new beautiful residential buildings in Newport. The Pheonix and Excelsior. This is the link.

http://www.arquitectonica.com/flash.htm

Click skip in bottom right twice >projects >residential >scroll down to Pheonix and Excelsior

[JCMAN320]

4 Jersey City schools earn state awards

Tuesday, June 07, 2005
By LEE LOWENTHAL
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

McNair Academic High School and Schools 9, 16 and 29 have been recognized as outstanding educational institutions by the New Jersey Department of Education.

McNair was presented its second straight Star School Award for exemplifying "cutting edge" ideals at an awards reception Thursday night.

School 29 (Gladys Cannon Nunery) was given the Title I Distinguished School Award for assisting low-performing students in reaching New Jersey educational standards.

School 9 (Kennedy School) and School 16 (Cornelia F. Bradford) received three Best Practices Awards, honoring "effective educational practices in New Jersey Public Schools."

"(I am) honored with the amount of awards received by the district and humbled to have the Department of Education acknowledge so many exemplary programs that are occurring throughout the district," said Charles T. Epps Jr., district superintendent.

[macmini]

These are two new beautiful residential buildings in Newport. The Pheonix and Excelsior. This is the link.

http://www.arquitectonica.com/flash.htm

Click skip in bottom right twice >projects >residential >scroll down to Pheonix and Excelsior



JCMAN do you know when or if their going to start construction on the Pheonix & Excelsior. I've heard about this project for the longest and still no date to start construction. Hell I've only heard about the Shoreclub for about a year and their starting construction on it this year.

[JCMAN320]

Shoreclub is underway, umm still no word on when Pheonix and Excelsior will start but it will probably start end of this year or next but it most likely will be within the next year.

[macmini]

The ShoreClub will be the first building in Newport that looks like they hired a real architect. Lets hope it's built better then most of the crappy buildings in Newport.

[JCMAN320]

Totally, but they had to start somewhere you know what I'm saying.

[JCMAN320]

TOTALLY KICKASS JERSEY CITY WEBSITE:

http://jerseycityvibe.com/index.php

Go to the real estate section for awesome projects that I didnt even know about especially in P.A.D our art district. Also go to the sections on the right side to see info on the other hot neighborhoods in town which has JSQ listed!!!!! Trust me any quesion on JC your ansewers will be found here. I LOVE THIS TOWN!!! So far there is quite a bit, but its not all that there is in regards to list on the left listing the various catagories of shops and bars and restauraunts, this site just started so give it a while and more will be added but this is an awesome site and its a great thing for JC. Also check the event calendar which give event that are happening in and around JC.

Also here is Chilltown, NJ.com (Chilltown is Jersey City's nickname) this is our magazine website listing all the great things in this town.

http://www.chill-town.com

Right now the site is on maitenance mode so there is limited searching but keep it under favorites because it will become one. Also if your in JC pick it up and a restauraunt or bar Downtown or JSQ.

Also here is a link to Downtown JC which feature online additions on our other magazine Jersey City Magazine, which is about ALL of Jersey City. Pick it up also in DT or JSQ shops and bars. Both these magazines are pretty thick and very impressive.

http://jcdowntown.com/

[RandySavage]

http://www.shoreclubatnewport.com/

The official site has renderings for the Shore Club. Reminds me of a poor man's Perry West but taller. It's a nice addition to Newport.

[Ninjahedge]

Ninjahedge for one the golf course has been under construction since last year. I dont know where you get your information from but one of the biggest complaints is that thier is no affordable housing being built. Some developers have set aside some rental apartments and condos in their buildings for low income families, but their have been no low or median income housing built on the Waterfront or Down Town Jersey City.


I believe you misread what I was saying.

What if the course sucks, or it flods, or a flock of wild gees sets up and beats up anyone trying to remove them (geese gangs can be tough!).

My question is this, where is the cap?

As for affordable housing, that is all in the crapper right now. NOTHING is affordable, and whenever you hear someone talking about that it is usually code for "cheap" or "project" housing. Otherwise there is little incentive for the construction companies to do anything else.

You are not getting marble countertops in a place, even if you add the cost directly to the bottom line asking price for the house just because that same countertop can get you 3-5X more than what you paid for them if you put them in a "luxury condo". (Hoboken is seeing a lot of use out of that word...).

It is a weird problem though. Is it fair to have houses at a discount for those that cannot afford them otherwise? That gets abused a lot due to the difficulty in being able to determine who "needs" it and who doesn't. Is it fair to sell the same house to someone else at a markup just because they worked harder and have more in life? (Not saying they all do...). And is it fair to make "affordable" housing so god-awfully cheap construction?

I am rambling, but I hope you get the gist of what I am saying....

[JCMAN320]

Stevens Cooperative School for Newport

Wednesday, June 15, 2005
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Hoboken-based Stevens Cooperative School has reached "substantial agreement" with the LeFrak Organization to open a waterfront satellite school in the Newport section of Jersey City, officials announced yesterday.

The satellite school, which would open in September, would move into the Pavonia Avenue space currently occupied by the cash-strapped Cornerstone School, officials said.

Initially, the satellite school - the fourth in the Stevens Cooperative School system, but the first outside of Hoboken - would be limited to kindergarten through second-grade students, officials said.

"The addition of a fully accredited educational institution with the strong academic reputation of the Stevens Cooperative School is a wonderful amenity for Newport," said Jamie LeFrak, managing director of the LeFrak Organization.

"We are very excited about this collaboration between Newport and Stevens Cooperative School," he added.

All the "substantive issues" involved in the lease have been settled, leaving only "typical formalities" to be squared away, LeFrak said.

LeFrak said Stevens Cooperative School wouldn't be charged rent the first year of the lease, but declined to say what the rent would be after that.

The 56-year-old Stevens Cooperative School currently provides nursery through eighth-grade education on three campuses in Hoboken.

The Cornerstone School imploded financially about a month ago when it could no longer pay its teachers - despite collecting $7,200 per student tuition from its parents.

The school has since reopened with parents paying teachers directly.

[macmini]

Sorry Ninjahedge I misunderstood what you were trying to say. As for the Golf Course when your spening $135 million the most expensive Course in the US I doubt it's going to suck. An one of the developers is the head of Reebok I think this is going to be one of the best projects in Jersey City. Here are two pics of the Course via JerseyCityvibe.com

http://jerseycityvibe.com/images/DSCN1436.jpg

http://jerseycityvibe.com/images/DSCN1438.jpg

[macmini]

I was just watching the JC councile meeting and it looks like the HarborSpire project is still alive. The developers were trying to get new abatments because their changing the building from rentals to condo's. An if I heard correctly construction is to start sometime this year or the begin of next year. I thought this project was dead since construction was to be completed in 2003.

[JCMAN320]

APPLE TREE HOUSE'S HISTORIC DAY
Renovations to begin in August; museum is planned

Tuesday, June 21, 2005
By KARINA L. ARRUE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Nearly 300 years have taken their toll on Jersey City's Apple Tree House, but its hour of restoration may have finally arrived.

Legend tells that the Academy Street house, now with missing shingles and overgrown shrubbery covering its perimeter, is the site of a famous meeting between George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette during the Revolutionary War.

But despite its famous history, the 1740 Dutch Colonial mansion made of field stone and brick is in a dilapidated state at best.

"It's in pretty dire need of repair and rehabilitation," said Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

At a formal announcement that was attended by about 50 people yesterday afternoon, Dorothy Guzzo, deputy state historic preservation officer, presented a certificate to Healy and Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini, who has been in charge of conservation efforts for the house.

The Apple Tree House was put on the state Register for Historic Sites yesterday morning, she said.

The Historic Preservation Office technically has 90 days after a recommendation is submitted to decide whether or not to grant historic status and recommend the site to the National Park Service, but in this case, the process was accelerated, Guzzo said.

"When we heard how enthusiastic Jersey City was to get started, we decided to move forward right away," she said.

In order to use the $37,000 in funding the city received from the New Jersey Historic Trust, the site had to be in the state registrar, she said.

With the help of the Historic Trust grant and $2.45 million Jersey City has received in grants, the Apple Tree House will undergo renovations in August and reopen as a museum.

According to William LaRosa, director of Hudson County Cultural Affairs and Tourism Development, this is the first historic house in the county that will be available to the public as a museum and walking tour site.

[JCMAN320]

Stop dragging your feet on waterfront walkway

Saturday, June 25, 2005
By BONNIE FRIEDMAN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Newport residents are stepping up efforts to convince NJ Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to fill in the gaps that pock the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.

The Newport Waterfront Association recently sent 2,000 letters to Rep. Robert Menendez, D-Hoboken, urging him to press NJ Transit and the Port Authority to complete their respective portions of the walkway - a 30-foot-wide easement - as mandated by state law.

"We want a beautiful waterfront walkway by next summer, completed and ready to walk on," said Sonia Maldonado, president of the Newport Waterfront Association.

The Port Authority-owned stretch of the walkway is a 190-foot section that sits directly over the Holland Tunnel and abuts the Holland Tunnel vent shafts. A chain-link fence surrounds the property, forcing residents to walk over to Washington Street to bypass the vent shaft - which has been cited as a possible security risk.

Earlier this year, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise helped secure $1.5 million in Port Authority funds to pay for construction of the walkway, as well as a park along the upland portion of the vent shaft pier.

And while officials at the Port Authority say the design phase of the project is expected to be completed by the end of the month, they could not say when the walkway would open.

"This is going to be a very beautiful area once it's finished, but we have to complete all the right steps," said Port Authority spokeswoman Tiffany Townsend.

The other gap along the walkway requires a pedestrian footbridge be constructed over the Long Slip Canal - a 90-foot waterway that divides Hoboken and Jersey City. Pedestrians must now make a detour of more than a mile out to pass between the two cities.

Money for the project was secured by Menendez as part of the most recent federal transportation funding bill. But Dan Stessel, a spokesman for NJ Transit, said construction on the footbridge cannot begin until the agency decides whether to fill the canal first.

Hudson County Director of Planning Stephen Marks called the walkway connection at the Long Slip one of the most important portions of Hudson County's 39-mile walkway stretch.

"The Long Slip Canal is one of the largest gap sites in Hudson County," he said. "This will provide Newport residents the opportunity to walk to the Hoboken Terminal and provide Hoboken residents the opportunity to walk to the Newport Mall."

According to Maldonado, Newport residents redoubled their efforts to get the project completed after the LeFrak Organization, the developers of Newport, agreed to construct the remaining 1 mile of walkway that separates the Jersey City and Hoboken waterfronts.

In exchange, Newport residents agreed to support LeFrak's application for a tax abatement for the Shore Club, a 428-unit condominium complex slated to open on the waterfront in 2006.

Robert Vivian, a Newport resident and avid jogger, said the park is a sorely needed addition to the neighborhood.

"It's a little bit frustrating when you realize that the Newport Towers have been up for 20 years and there is nothing that I would consider to be a park down here," he said.

[macmini]

Company is slow meeting job goals


Monday, June 27, 2005By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
A midday glimpse of the Goldman Sachs building, an eye-catching 42-story corporate palace on the Jersey City waterfront, reveals two contrasting tales.

Its sharp, muscular ascent into the sky points to its potential to create more jobs than twice the population of the borough of East Newark.

But on the ground, the company's spacious indoor and outdoor parking lots are commonly less than full and the number of employees milling around outside the Hudson Street office more closely resembles a leaky faucet than a waterfall.

The tallest building in New Jersey, the Goldman Sachs tower held the promise when built of thousands of new jobs and immeasurable prestige for the waterfront.
But up to now, it appears the company has been slow to meet the goals company and city officials optimistically set five years ago, according to reports filed with the city.

The most recent semi-annual employment compliance report, issued by the company in March as part of its abatement agreement, shows 1,983 employees working there, well short of the promised 5,500 used as a selling point when the city granted a tax relief to the New York-based financial firm in 2000.

"We still intend to fill the building with a mix of revenue-generating and support business areas," said Goldman Sachs spokeswoman Andrea Raphael, who could not comment on whether the employees would be new hires or pulled from other locations.

Of those employees, 6 percent, or 121 people, live in Jersey City, according to reports. The city does not require Goldman Sachs to hire Jersey City residents, but does demand the company make a "good faith" effort to hire locally, according to the tax abatement agreement.

Raphael said the company has been trying to hire more Jersey City residents, holding job fairs and posting job openings through the city.

During the entire construction phase of the project, which ended in the spring of 2004, the company failed to meet a city-established goal of hiring 51 percent of its work force from Jersey City, according to the city Division of Economic Opportunity.

When asked about this obligation, Raphael said she was not aware of that fact, but said the company did award 21 percent of its construction contracts - above the required 20 percent - to Jersey City companies.
Mayor Jerramiah Healy said through a spokeswoman that Goldman Sachs has been "a great neighbor."

"They have helped to revitalize the downtown area," said the spokeswoman, Maria Pignataro, while adding that the mayor has not officially reviewed the successes or failures of the project.

But Steven Fulop, a newly elected city councilman from Downtown, who worked as an executive at Goldman Sachs in Jersey City until he left in November, said the project "looks like a stalled production."
"The company has not lived up to its promise of bringing jobs to Jersey City and we need to find out what's going on," Fulop continued. "They are saving millions of dollars because of the abatements and we need to hold these companies accountable."

Assemblyman Louis Manzo, D-Jersey City, a former mayoral candidate who made tax abatements a key campaign issue, says Goldman Sachs is not alone.

"Nobody is checking whether these companies are keeping their bargain," said Manzo, pointing to a 2004 audit that showed 140 out of the 162 abated properties have failed to meet all or some of the requirements of the agreement.

In 2002, Goldman Sachs scaled back plans to move about 3,000 jobs to Jersey City, according to published reports at the time. That decision led the state to reduce a business incentive grant it had given from $164 million to $2.2 million over a 10-year period.

In 2003, the Goldman building was on a short list vying to become the regional home of Mellon Financial, a large Pittsburgh-based financial firm that oversees more than $4 trillion in assets under management or custody.

But Goldman Sachs' lease price proved too high for Mellon Financial and the company chose to go elsewhere.

Raphael pointed to other areas of local investment, such as the funding of numerous charitable projects, like affordable housing, money to the Jersey City Museum and other community-based programs. Goldman Sachs also is a sponsor of The Jersey Journal Newspapers in Education program.

"We are committed to being good neighbors, and we feel we have lived up to that high standard we set for ourselves," Raphael said.

James Hughes, dean of Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, says Goldman Sachs is not alone when it comes to creating expectations that have taken longer than initially expected.

"During the boom of the 1990s, many Wall Street companies, like Goldman Sachs, were preparing for expansion and making a lot of promises," Hughes said.

[JCMAN320]

They have done a lot for the city but pulling out from moving a majority of their employees like a punk when they originally promised to move them all in was BS just because we are Jersey No matter it's a beautiful building and other companies will move in.

[macmini]

We want affordable housing, trees!

Activists protest 50-story condos; tree commission establishedhttp://www.hudsonreporter.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.hudsonreporter.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.hudsonreporter.com/images/spacer.gifRicardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 06/26/200



What began as a typical City Council meeting, including the passage of an ordinance creating the Shade Tree Commission, turned into slight disorder at City Hall when residents demanded more affordable housing Wednesday night.

"We want more affordable housing now!" members from the international group ACORN (Associations of Community Members for Reform Now) shouted as they approached the council, carrying signs. ACORN works toward social justice for low- and moderate-income families.

They were there to protest a 50-story condominium building that was to receive a special tax payment plan.

Members of the group interrupted the vote of an ordinance that would approve the 417-unit condo building, to be constructed in the Exchange Place North Redevelopment Area.

Vector Urban Renewal Associates II L.P., an urban renewal group formed to do business under the provisions of the Long Term Tax Exemption Law of 1992, will construct the project.

It includes a 50-story tower, a parking garage with 210 parking spaces, and ground floor retail with 6,700 square feet on Greene Street.

Tax abatements such as this ordinance, which the council passed, will allow the owners to avoid local fluctuating taxes and instead pay at a separate rate. Such plans are meant to spur redevelopment in blighted areas. They also put the money directly into the city's pocket instead of splitting it with the county and schools.

'New York West'?


Another resident alleged that all new housing being built in Jersey City is condominiums, and that the council is preoccupied with turning the city into a "New York West."

"It's Jersey City, New Jersey," the resident said, "and it's always been Jersey City, New Jersey."

The protestors' signs presented phrases such as, "Stop overfeeding your pockets when ours are starved" and "We want the same choices for our families that you have for yours."

Another resident demanded affordable housing for those making less than $27,000 in Jersey City, and she was met with cheers from some residents attending the meeting.

Denise Booker, of ACORN, said the group was there to ask the council not to approve Vector Urban Renewal Associates II's application.

"They are multi-million dollar developers who want to build housing that will not be attainable to 80 percent of residents," she said. "And they'll be using city services to build that we'll be paying for, for the next 20 years."

Still, the city contends this particular project on Greene Street has more benefits than costs.

It's expected that the project will create approximately 325 jobs during construction and 25 new permanent jobs, stabilize and contribute to the economic growth of business in the area, further redevelopment in the Exchange Place North Redevelopment Plan, and generate more money to the city through an Annual Service Charge instead of regular real estate taxes.

The vote on the ordinance was unanimous.

Shade Tree Commission



In other business, the council unanimously voted to approve an ordinance establishing a new advisory body for trees.

Councilman Mariano Vega, who serves as an at-large councilman for the entire city, explained why the Jersey City Shade Tree Commission ordinance was created.

"Trees were being cut down around the city," he said, "and community members were alleging healthy trees were being cut."

Vega said the commission would be revised next term, with more substance, and described this as a "first start."

"Once we put in on the books," he said, "we can make it stronger."

The functions of the Shade Tree Commission will be to advise the mayor and City Council about the planting and care of trees and shrubbery planted around the city, the use of grounds surrounding trees and shrubs, the removal of any trees dangerous to public safety, and the adoption of any legislation necessary for the care and protection of trees.

Council President L. Harvey Smith added that when trees are cut down, they city's arborists generally replace them.

With the Shade Tree Commission established, Vega said the city would likely be eligible for more grants.

In terms of how the commission would be created, the mayor would make recommendations as to who to appoint to the commission, and the council would vote on members.

"The idea is to get common citizens involved," Vega said.

Ward A Councilwoman Kathleen Curran said Vega worked hard on the Shade Tree Commission ordinance.

"He personally took to heart what the citizens were saying," she said.




©The Hudson Reporter 2005

[JCMAN320]

Finally here is Columbus Plaza which will be on the same site behind the new Grove St. PATH station that has opened.

http://www.appliedco.com/aboutUs/pipeline/columbus.shtml

[macmini]

Waterfront tower adds prestige



Monday, June 27, 2005

When Dan Frohwirth drives into Jersey City and sees the mighty Goldman Sachs building gleaming in front of the Manhattan skyline, he feels a sense of pride unmatched by any other structure in the city.
"I think it's a really wonderful and beautiful landmark," said Frohwirth, who as a director at the Jersey City Economic Development Corp. helped make the Goldman Sachs project a reality.

"It would be nice if there were more people working there, but we are now on the map when it comes to attracting business in Jersey City because of the prestige Goldman Sachs brings with it," Frohwirth said.

Prestige, aesthetics and attraction - immeasurable intangibles that many say help define Goldman Sachs' presence in Jersey City.
Some point to other businesses that were persuaded to move or remain in Jersey City once the financial giant announced its intentions, as well as the money spent at restaurants and catering businesses by the company's employees.

The city received about $226,687 annually in property taxes prior to construction of the site at 30 Hudson St. Now, the city will receive at least $3.92 million annually as part of the abatement. Only a small percentage goes to the county, and none goes to schools.

In exchange, Goldman Sachs gets the certainty of paying a fixed cost per year. The amount paid increases periodically during the 20-year life of the agreement and is not, unlike many other tax abatements, based on a percentage of revenue.

JARRETT RENSHAW

[jcwired]

Hey guys, saw lots of valuable discussions on developmeny on Jersey City. Curious to know what your thoughts were on Portofino Waterfront?

[asohn]

For all those interested in JC, here are a nice set of photos from the Newport area: Jersey City - Newport (http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6672)

[macmini]

Hey guys, saw lots of valuable discussions on developmeny on Jersey City. Curious to know what your thoughts were on Portofino Waterfront?


The Portofino is a nice building but the prices their asking are insane $550 PSF with all the new condos being built you have to be nuts to pay this price. An if their are tenants in the apartment when you buy it they can stay their till their lease is up and you can olny raise their rent 10%. This dose not sound like a good deal to me an upgrades are 37K!!!!!!!

[jcwired]

Macmini,

thanks for the response. So whats a good buy in JC downtown? I know downtown prices have skyrocketed, but is there anything considered a good price? Seems like every new development is in this price range? Maybe I should get a realtor instead of researching on my own. would love to hear the forum's thoughts on good developments.

[macmini]

jcwired

Their is a great website with a list of condo's with reviews from people who have purchased or looking to buy http://www.kannekt.com/15/97condo.htm

[JCMAN320]

Condos at old Med Center to get major tax abatement

Tuesday, July 12, 2005
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Members of Jersey City's City Council are poised to grant what they are calling an "aggressive" tax abatement for a massive condominium development planned for the old Jersey City Medical Center on Baldwin Avenue.

Council members spoke in favor of a 30-year tax abatement for the project known as the Beacon, at their caucus meeting held yesterday. Over that time, the city would be paid 10 percent of the development's annual gross revenue, according to the terms of the proposed tax abatement.

The standard for tax abatements in the city has been 20-year terms with a 16 percent return of annual gross revenue to the city, officials said.

But this abatement is worth it, city officials said.

The massive $350 million project - to include 2,243 market-rate condominium units, screening rooms, a pool, roof-top restaurants, and 65,000 square feet of retail - will do for the center of Jersey City what the Newport development did for the waterfront, they said.

"It's an unusual one (tax abatement), but it's an unusual project," said Council President Mariano Vega Jr. "It takes in three wards, and the way the property was acquired means the developer can't take advantage of tax credits."

Vega, calling the development "a beautiful project," said it would "define development for the (Mayor Jerramiah) Healy administration."

Eugene Paolino, a Jersey City attorney representing Metrovest Equities, asked council members to take into consideration the handicaps the developer is working with.

Because the 10 turn-of-the-century buildings on the site are considered historic structures, the developer has to restore brick and marble walls to their original luster and can't tamper with extra wide hallways or tall ceilings, he said.

The developer will also build and provide a headquarters for the police department's motorcycle unit at no cost to the city, as well as provide free housing for several county agencies, he said.

In lieu of taxes, the development will pay the city roughly $4.4 million per year when the entire project is built - a fee that will rise as the values of units escalate, Paolino said.

The first phase of construction is set to start in September and will consist of two buildings containing 314 units, commercial and retail space, and a 1,200-car parking facility.

Council members will vote on the proposed abatement at their meeting, scheduled for tomorrow, 10 a.m., at School 28, 139 Hancock Ave.

[macmini]

The J.C medical center first phase of construction is set to start in September and will consist of two buildings containing 314 units, commercial and retail space, and a 1,200-car parking facility.

When complete the $350 million project - will include 2,243 market-rate condominium units, screening rooms, a pool, roof-top restaurants, and 65,000 square feet of retail


http://image07.webshots.com/7/2/29/57/90722957yMlJNw_ph.jpg

http://image07.webshots.com/7/7/39/88/85873988sBytfm_ph.jpg

http://image08.webshots.com/8/8/64/17/156086417SZgkQW_ph.jpg

[macmini]

Here are some Projects that are Underconstruction, Approved,Proposed and beinng Renovated in Jersey City.

Grove Pointe - 29 stories
100 Newark Ave
started: May 5, 2005
finished: 2007
67 condominiums and 458 rental apartments
535 parking spots, rooftop pool and deck
Under Construction

http://www.jcedc.org/new/grovepointe.jpg

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

ATHENA -32 stories
Washington Blvd & First Street
started: 2005
finished: 2006
250-unit & 253 parking spaces
13,500 quare feet of retail
Under Construction

http://jerseycityvibe.com/images/DSCN1444.jpg

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

Washington Commons - 12 stories
Christopher Columbus Drive & Washington Street
started:2005
finished: n/a
77-unit building with 46 parking spaces
Under Construction

http://jerseycityvibe.com/images/DSCN1445.jpg

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

Shore Club Condominiums at Newport - 28 stories
www.shoreclubatnewport.com
54 River Drive
started:2005
finished:2007
214 Condo's
outdoor rooftop sundeck
Under Construction

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

Columbus Plaza - 35 stories
303 Warren Street
started: Construction Starts Fall 2005
finished: n/a
210-unit apartment
420k sq/ft office building
750-car parking garage
115k sq/ft of retail space

http://www.appliedco.com/images/featureColumbus.jpg

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

700 Grove
700 Grove Street
www.700grove.com
Developer: Toll Brothers
Condo's
started: 2005
finished: n/a

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

Montgomery Greene Condominiums -19 stories
corner of Montgomery and Greene streets
www.montgomery-greene.com
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=190406
started: n/a
finished: fall 2005
113-unit building
over 3,700 square feet of retail space
123-space parking garage
Under Construction

http://www.lwdm-architects.com/Images/imgnewpg/Exteriormont.jpg

http://www.lwdm-architects.com/Images/imgnewpg/Entrymont.jpg

[macmini]

Here are some of the buildings that have been Approved.


Residences at Liberty
project consists of three residential towers
Height: 50,43, and 35 stories
Willowbend Development Corporation

http://www.lera.com/pimg/residencesliberty/1433679_large.jpg

http://www.lera.com/pimg/residencesliberty/9928431_large.jpg

http://www.lera.com/pimg/residencesliberty/7881128_large.jpg

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

The View I, II, III
Height: 30, 18, and 14 stories - 161 units
underground parking with 1,197 spaces
Architect: Dean Marchetto and Associates
Developer Lance Lucarelli
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/cx/?id=110703

http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1291/zwire/images/04planning10b681.jpg

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

[NewYorkYankee]

I really like the Residences at Liberty.

[JCMAN320]

I love this time of year in Jersey City. Every year around middle spring it starts and the consturction crews and cranes come out of hibernation and start building. It's great all these residential projects will bring more people and money into the city. God I love this town!!!

[macmini]

Liberty Harbor North by Metro Homes

Metro Homes bought 10 acres From the Developer of Liberty Harbor North. In all, phase one will include 432 condominium units, 17 units of commercial retail space and 460 parking spaces. 3 buildings incorporating 432 condominium units construction has started.

http://www.metrohomesllc.com/images/liberty_harbor.jpg

[macmini]

Two factories near JC/Hoboken line to be redeveloped as condos
Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer

In the next two weeks, two old Jersey City buildings near the Jersey City/Hoboken border will be in the spotlight.

The Koven Stove Works building on Paterson Plank Road and Mountain Road was the subject of a resolution passed by Jersey City's City Council at their Wednesday meeting, and The Van Leer Chocolate Factory site on 110-114 Hoboken Ave. near Holland Tunnel is the subject of a community meeting this coming Thursday where developers will present redevelopment plans.

Residents are likely to see the following:

* The Koven Stone Works will be turned into 128 market-rate housing units with 88 parking spaces, and the developers will reconstruct the "100 steps" leading down the Palisades from Jersey City to Hoboken. The City Council voted last week on a developer's agreement to ensure that construction does not damage the Palisade cliffs.

* The Van Leer Chocolate Factory site may see more than 900 condominium units with parking, 8,000 square feet of retail space, a one-acre park, a walkway leading down Hoboken Avenue from the Heights onto the property, as well as a shorter walkway leading to the Second Street Light Rail Station in Hoboken. The plan will go to the Planning Board in August.

Keeping factory features


Much of the area near the border is an industrial no-man's land with abandoned factories that were once hallmarks of Jersey City's industrial past.

But it has been common to employ the principle of "adaptive reuse" to turn urban factory buildings into new residences, while keeping their appealing industrial features.

The Dixon Mills Apartments on Wayne Street in Jersey City were once home to the Dixon Pencil Company. The Whitlock Cordage building on Manning Street, previously the headquarters of ropemakers Whitlock Cordage, will soon be the site of 330 mixed-income townhouses.
Something's cooking at Koven Stove



The Koven Stove Works is a familiar sight for those driving up Paterson Plank Road on the hills between the two tunnels.

The structure is a long, brick warehouse with a sign placed on the exterior that reads "Bookbinders" and advertisements for adopting puppies and getting a mortgage.

But in the next two years, there will be activity in and around the site, where stoves were once built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Later, the building served as a storage space for book distributors, earning the name "the Bookbinder Building."

Besides building housing and parking, the developers will expand the one-lane Mountain Road, which runs from behind the building up to Odgen Avenue in the Jersey City Heights. Also, the developer will be responsible for building what is called the "new 100 Steps." The old incarnation of the steps existed on Franklin Street in Jersey City above the Palisade Cliffs and allowed people to walk down into Hoboken. That staircase was removed in the 1920s, according a listing on the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy web site (www.jerseycityhistory.net).

All the development work on the Koven Stove building and in the surrounding area will be done by Brass Works Urban Renewal, LLC, the principal partner being Hoboken developer Sanford Weiss, who developed a number of Hoboken buildings, including 101 Marshall Drive and 98 Park Ave.

The work at Koven Stove is also subject to a developer's agreement that was approved at Wednesday's City Council meeting. The agreement is the result of several years of negotiations between Jersey City Heights residents and the developer, and it calls for the developer to comply with a number of stipulations.

Heights resident Clif Steinbring, president of the Riverview Neighborhood Association, said that the agreement protects the Palisade cliffs during construction.

"The building is located in what is called the Palisades Preservation Overlay District, which protects the Palisade cliffs that runs behind the building," said Steinbring. "There are always concerns that the cliffs will come down, that it will happen if there isn't any protection."

The district, approved by the City Council in April 2001, allows for development within an area along the Palisades from Montgomery Street north to the Union City boundary line. But there are special regulations to ensure that the construction does not disturb the structure of the Palisade Cliffs and that the building is not high enough to block Heights residents' views.

The developer's agreement approved on Wednesday will ensure that stabilization procedures are put in place before construction begins. They include fencing at the top of the cliffs, and the installation of monitoring equipment in the homes there.

Also, affected property owners will receive a notice from the developer alerting them to home inspections in case the developer needs to pay for additional insurance coverage.

During construction, there will be drilling, not blasting, and sound will be muffled as the work will be done.

The building height will climb from three stories to five.

Steinbring, who works in the development business, said that the agreement makes the project unique.

"Most projects do not have a developer's agreement. But the [RNA's] attitude is that we don't want to go into a project looking for a lawsuit, but rather [have] an agreement," said Steinbring.

Pre-construction stabilization is to commence in September or October, and construction for the project will start next year.

Sweet happenings at Van Leer



What was the Van Leer chocolate factory building on Hoboken Avenue is now but a mere shell of its former self.

The company, which closed its operations in 2001 after being sold to a Swiss company, decided to tear down the building to ward off vagrants who would have used the building as shelter.

Indeed, a recent visit to the site revealed that a homeless person had left a blanket and a shopping cart there.

But if Hoboken developers George Vallone and Danny Gans have their way, the site will see new occupants of a different sort. Vallone and Gans of the development firm Hoboken Brownstone will, in the next five to six years, build market-rate housing on two sections of the Van Leer factory property, a total of seven acres.

Vallone said he has known the Van Leer family since 1996 but had to wait for two other developers to back out of developing the area before he and Gans entered into a contract with the Van Leers to develop in October 2004.

Vallone is excited about the transformation of the site, provided he gets Planning Board approval.

"There is not a lot of land left in Jersey City to build upon, and when you can find seven acres of land available, then you go for it," said Vallone. "In real estate, it's all about location."

Construction would start in early 2007. A cleanup would take place six to nine months before that since the site contains a high concentration of white cake arsenic dumped there before the Van Leer factory existed, said Vallone.

Nearly 950 units would be spread over seven acres and broken into two sections.

Vallone also said that 8,000 square feet of retail space will be built for a restaurant.

The condominiums would sell for $300,000 to $900,000.




©The Hudson Reporter 2005

[JCMAN320]

Lincoln Center lawn roof model sets a tryout in Jersey City

Monday, July 25, 2005
By KEN THORBOURNE and CLAIRE F. HAMILTON
JOURNAL STAFF WRITERS

A wavy lawn with dramatic slopes downward at the sides will sit atop a restaurant planned for the newly redeveloped North Plaza at Lincoln Center.

And Jersey City residents are going to see it first.

A replica of the "experimental vegetative rooftop" - one quarter of the intended size - is being built at the northwest corner of Morgan and Warren streets in the city's Powerhouse Arts district.

Approved for construction at last week's Planning Board meeting, the model will be finished by mid-September, said Josh Uhl, project architect with Diller Scofidio & Renfro of New York City, who along with Fox & Fowle Architects, also of Manhattan, are designing the new plaza.

The purpose for the Jersey City model is to make sure the cutting-edge design works, Uhl said.

"We are testing waterproofing and soil composition . and the system for soil retention," Uhl said.

"This type of roof system is more common in Europe," Uhl added. "But in the United States it is still a new configuration for a roof lawn system.

Unlike the real thing, the Jersey City model is off-limits to pedestrians.

"There will be a fence around it," Uhl said.

[Ninjahedge]

128 units with 88 parking spaces. Great.

I am SURE that people buying a "market rate" condo in the area will not be able to afford a car, so why put any parking? After all, it's not like we NEED parking or anything.... :P

[macmini]

Championship-Caliber Golf Course Takes Shape Near NYC



http://www.cegltd.com/Editorial_Pics/Liberty-9-LG.jpg


It’s hard to imagine that anyone could look at a former toxic dump in New Jersey and envision a championship golf course in its place. But that’s just what happened approximately 10 years ago when Tom Kite and famed golf course designer Bob Cupp laid their eyes on approximately 150 acres in Jersey City, overlooking the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan skyline.

Applied Development Company, in partnership with Willowbend Development Company, is creating a one-of-a-kind golf course on the western shore of the New York Bay. This $130 million 18-hole championship caliber golf course, designed by Kite and Cupp, will have a 12-minute launch service to and from Manhattan, with an onboard concierge.

Liberty National Golf Course will have extensive golf practice facilities including double-ended grass tee practice range, putting and chipping greens, and an indoor/outdoor teaching studio. The clubhouse will offer a grille/lounge, banquet facilities, private meeting rooms, men’s and women’s locker room facilities, a golf shop and a spa.

All this on a site that once was home to John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Co., and later the location of an ammunition and fuel depot during World Wars I and II, and finally a debris-sifting site after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Russell M. Bayliss, director of membership selection committee of Liberty National Golf Course, said, “It’s going to be one of the best golf courses you’ll ever play on. We’ve had the president of PGA America here a lot, and we’ve worked closely with him just to get feedback on what it will take to hold a tournament here … the design elements they’d like to see in a golf course, and so on.”

Armored Inc., of Jersey City, NJ, is the primary contractor for the 150-acre, 7,500-yd. course.

“The entire project has been going on for 10 years,” began George Coyne Jr., president of Armored. “Three years of the project involved just taking out the structures that were here. Then the past seven years have involved both soil remediation and constructing the course. It’s quite a project,” which, he added, is scheduled for completion July 4, 2006.

Because of the site’s history, contaminants, such as chromium, were pervasive in the soil, according to Coyne Jr.

“We imported about a million yards of soil and 800,000 tons of sand to create the cap for the contaminated soil and for the contours for the golf course,” he said. “First, we had to take the structures down, the oil storage tanks, etc., and do the excavation. We took the contaminated soil and sent it to Carteret and BioCycle who treated it by spraying the soil with a biological agent that eats hydrocarbons and excretes nitrogen. As a result, we got nitrogen-enriched soil that we put back into the golf course; we used approximately a half-million yards of this soil. Then we placed it above the liner and shaped and contoured it; some of these fills are 17 feet.”

The final grade on the course will be done by another company — the golf course architects. “They sculpt the last of it to a tenth of an inch,” said Coyne Jr.

Currently, most of the remediation work is completed, except the location where the clubhouse and marina will be, the closest point on the site to the Statue of Liberty.

Armored also is doing all the infrastructure work, such as sewer and water, which includes three irrigation ponds built by Armored. “These [ponds] will be the source for the entire golf course,” said Coyne Jr. “Some of these lakes are nine feet deep; we had to dewater them, line them and then capture the natural ground water from the New Jersey Turnpike through a series of culverts. The main source of water for this course will be rainwater.”

Over the past several years, Armored has had an average of 40 workers and 15 machines on site for the project, with Volvo iron making up the lion’s share of his fleet.

Volvos, according to Coyne Jr., save him a lot of money on a project of this scale.

“In today’s market, a big thing is the fuel economy of the Volvos,” said Coyne Jr. “They’re very fuel-efficient. I pay the bills and I’m very conscious of what everything costs me, and they’re [Volvos] the pick of the litter. Plus, the service is great from LB Smith and Todd Ewing, my territory manager. If something breaks, they come to fix it right away. They’re always just a phone call away.”

Adjacent to Liberty National Golf Course is condominium development called Port Liberte. These one- and two-bedroom homes range in size from 766 to 1,510 sq. ft. of living space and are located in four-story, mid-rise buildings with European-inspired architecture and indoor parking. Some are finished and more are currently being built. In all there will be 2,400 units.

In the northeast corner, near where Liberty National’s clubhouse will be, a project soon will get under way to construct the Residences at Liberty. This $224-million project will consist of three residential towers (approximately 52 stories tall), retail space, golf club house, parking and swimming pool.

For his part of the project — the golf course — Coyne Jr. is reflective over how much work has been done and how much the area has changed.

“This place used to be an eyesore. For the longest time, all you’d be able to see from the turnpike is an abandoned oil storage facility … now you see trees and that’s much better.”

[Ninjahedge]

Green$ fee$?

[injcsince81]

http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=96721


Reebok Chief Executive Officer Paul Fireman may have some extra time in the not-too-distant future to hit the links.




But he won't just be putting around.




For the past seven years, Fireman has been building an exclusive golf club in Jersey City, N.J., with his son, Dan Fireman, president of Willowbend Development. The two talk daily, often about the massive project taking place under the Manhattan skyline.




"We're working hand in hand," said Dan Fireman.




But the elder Fireman's various other duties keep him away from Liberty National Golf Club, the younger Fireman said. The tee-off date or the club is July 4, 2006.

"Obviously I don't get his time all the time," the younger Fireman said.




But don't cue the "Cat's in the Cradle" music yet. After the purchase by rival Adidas, Paul Fireman told the Herald on Wednesday he's looking to take a step back in responsibilities at Reebok once the laces are tied, which could leave some free time to dedicate to the father-son project.




The Firemans have already put $129 million of their own money into the 7,400-yard course, making it one of the most expensive in history.




Luxury condos at the course will run somewhere between $2 million and $6 million, Dan Fireman said. A yacht will make roundtrips from Manhattan. Those who don't have 15 minutes to make the trip by sea can come by air. Helistop service will be available on-site.




Not bad considering the course now sits on land once occupied by warehouses and an oil refinery. The Firemans even had to evict a member of the Gambino crime family to knock down a warehouse.




"We had an easier time getting him out than we did the oil companies," the younger Fireman said.




Membership to the club will be by invitation only. Fireman said none of the invitations have been sent out yet but the list of founding members could read like a list of who's who in corporate America with Robert Kraft, Thomas H. Lee and former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani, to name a few, serving in advisory roles.



The Firemans are no strangers to golf clubs. The elder Fireman has a mansion just outside The Country Club in Brookline and owns another club on Cape Cod. But the newest project is "truly our honey," Dan Fireman said.




"You always want to work with your dad," he added.

[macmini]

A Course With a View Is Built on Major Hopes
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/08/08/sports/08course.xlg.jpg
By DAMON HACK (http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=DAMON%20HACK&fdq=19960101&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=DAMON%20HACK&inline=nyt-per)
Published: August 8, 2005

A thousand yards from the Statue of Liberty and steps from the Hudson River is a strip of land that once lay dying on the shores of Jersey City. Petroleum and waste snaked through its underbelly, rendering the land an eyesore.

"Awful," the professional golfer Tom Kite said recently, seated where ruin and decay once reigned. "It was a terrible piece of property. Flat as a table, ugly, abused and mistreated. But what it had was location, location, location."From that cavity, the lush and very private Liberty National Golf Club has sprouted across from the Manhattan skyline. This $150 million project by Paul B. Fireman, the property's owner and the chief executive of Reebok; his son Dan; and the golf-design tandem of Kite and Bob Cupp is creating a buzz less than a year before the first players tee off.

The club is set to open July 4, 2006, with a founding membership that includes the former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and the New England Patriots' owner, Robert K. Kraft. And already the course is anticipated to be a one-of-a-kind experience that may one day challenge courses like Shinnecock Hills on Long Island and Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., site of this week's P.G.A. Championship, as a host for golf's most prestigious tournaments.

Built on 160 acres and covering 4,000 feet of waterfront, the course stretches 7,400 yards from the back tees, with small rivers running through it and a $1 million cart path built with Belgian stones.

The clubhouse will feature a menu from the restaurateur Tom Colicchio of Gramercy Tavern and Craft. The course will offer a 15-minute luxury yacht service from Manhattan and, for those with quicker needs, a helipad.

Each member will have a custom-made set of clubs that will always be available at the course, a kind of thank-you gift for joining a club with an initiation fee of around $500,000.

But what separates it, members say, is the view from the ground, a vista that no parkland course or ocean links can claim.

"There is nothing more dramatic than lower New York Harbor, the Empire State Building and the shape of the Verrazano Bridge," said the founding member Kenneth G. Langone, the chief executive of the securities firm Invemed Associates and former director of the New York Stock Exchange. "Can you imagine having that view as the last shot you see on the last hole of a major tournament?"

Kite, when asked if he felt the course could stand up to the demands of a major championship, said Liberty National qualified on several fronts.

"It has plenty of teeth," he said. "It's all you want. It also lends itself to do great things on it, like the blimp shots you see at a major championship, the pan-in, pan-out shots at Pebble Beach."

But Kite, the 1992 United States Open champion and former Ryder Cup captain, said it could take time.

"There is no way you can shortcut history," he said. "You have to build it. Obviously, we feel we can make it happen."

The New York area has been awarded several major golf events in recent years, including the 2002 United States Open at Bethpage Black, the 2004 United States Open at Shinnecock Hills and this year's P.G.A. Championship at Baltusrol. Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., will play host to the United States Open in 2006, and Bethpage Black will welcome it again in 2009.

The competition is fierce for these events, as it is for the international Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup competitions.

The United States Golf Association, for example, which has its United States Open sites scheduled through 2012, receives invitations from courses from around the country. The association chooses several to examine and considers space for grandstands, concessions and merchandise tents, as well as a city's hotel space, parking and security.

The Presidents Cup, which will be contested in September at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Lake Manassas, Va., evaluates similar factors as well as others, including the weather, the amount of daylight, the roads and the city's infrastructure, said George Burger, the general chairman of the Presidents Cup.

"It's very similar to getting a political convention in your city, or a Super Bowl, and it's a distant cousin to an Olympic bid," he said.

But the golf course itself is crucial. And while Liberty National has yet to open, it has built-in qualities that may already make it a contender for golf's marquee events, Burger said.

"It's the credibility of the architects, the credibility of the membership and the credibility of the site itself," Burger said. "When you get that good of a design, a great property and good members, those are the new courses that will be contenders for majors. The only thing it lacks is history. But given the site, that may be something that will get it over the hump."

Billy Getty, a founding member who has started his own company specializing in golf course development, said of Liberty National: "There are only so many golf courses that if you walk to the middle of it blindfolded you'd immediately know where you are. Being able to use the Statue of Liberty as alignment is incredible, but also, since 9/11, things resonate emotionally more than they did. I don't think anyone will escape the butterflies in their belly seeing the Statue of Liberty and the replacement for the towers being erected."

Fireman, who opened the private course Willowbend on Cape Cod in 1993, has been involved in the Liberty National project for more than five years, from the property's filthiest state to its shiniest.

"We cleaned it up spotless, and it required a lot of money," Fireman said. "I'm sure everybody who builds a golf course and spends a lot of money thinks something special will happen to it. I'm looking to have a good experience for the membership and the people that visit. With New York City, you can't get a more dramatic picture. I think history will find its way."

Copyright 2005 (http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/copyright.html) The New York Times Company (http://www.nytco.com/)

[injcsince81]

macmini, you scooped me by minutes on the NYT article...:-)

I guess jcman has competition.

Go JC!

[JCMAN320]

Lol a rival sweet. Here you guys something new for you to check out about Jersey City to just further more show JC's popularity with arts and culture, here is our own internet radio for our local bands. You check the artisits and playlists and other news.

http://www.jclir.com/

JC all the way!!!

[Ninjahedge]

$500K??!?!?!

It's nice and all, but come ON! Are they looking to get back their construction fees in the first year or something?

[JCMAN320]

$800K walkway from JC to Hoboken?
Federal bill gives $$$ to new transportation projects

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 08/05/2005

THE PATH TO MONEY – The Pavonia-Newport PATH Station will have another entrance in the future with the help of $1.67 million earmarked by the federal government through the efforts of U.S. Rep. Robert Menendez.
Congress passed a $286 billion federal transportation bill last Friday that included $44.5 million for Hudson County's highway and transit projects.

These will include a $800,000 walkway between Hoboken and Jersey City over Long Slip Channel, allowing Jersey City residents to get off trains and buses at the Hoboken terminal and have the choice to walk over to Newport.

Additionally, $840,000 is allotted for a parking facility with 767 spaces in the McGinley Square section. The facility would house retail space on the street level.

Former Ward E City Councilman E. Junior Maldonado said that the Jersey City/Hoboken walkway, besides increasing transportation options, would help bridge a gap in the state-mandated waterfront walkway that spans from Fort Lee to Bayonne. He said that NJ Transit owns this body of water, but they had said in the past there was no money to develop the walkway.

SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users) is a bill that guarantees funding over a six year period from 2004 to 2009.

Congressman Robert Menendez (D-13th Dist.), responsible for much of the money earmarked, was enthusiastic about the bill providing $167 million for the district he represents, in particular funding for the Liberty Corridor.

A number of projects will see money pouring in once the bill goes into effect later this year. In Jersey City, six projects will receive a total of $7.3 million in funding.


They are:
-The rehabilitation of Route 139 - $1.6 million;
-Construction of West Entrance to Pavonia-Newport PATH Station - $1.67 million;
-McGinley Square Intermodal Facility - $840,000;
-Possible public walkway and bike path over Sixth Street Embankment - $1.6 million;
-Route 440 Rehabilitation and Boulevard Creation Project - $1 million;
-The Jersey City/Hoboken walkway, $800,000.


Rehabilitation of Route 139, viaducts

The $1.6 million in federal dollars for the rehabilitation of Route 139 will help defray some of the $209 million that the state Department of Transportation is spending there. The project will see the repair of the 12th and 14th Street viaducts in Downtown Jersey City. The viaducts, both of which are over 60 years old, support the roads that lead to and from the Holland Tunnel.

Work on the first phase started last month with construction under the 14th Street Viaduct and will continue through October. The entire project is expected to be completed in 2010.

Several meetings were organized by former Ward E City Councilman E. Junior Maldonado in the past year and a half to address concerns by downtown residents of increased traffic during construction.

Marc Lavorgna, spokesperson for the NJDOT, said that the $1.6 million in federal funds for the viaduct project will allow the state to use $1.6 million of their own money for other state projects.


Menendez and the Liberty Corridor

Of the $167 million that Rep. Robert Menendez brought to the 13th Congressional district, $104 million will go towards developing the Liberty Corridor.

This is a concept that Menendez laid out several years ago that would reinvest in the infrastructure of the region, creating a more investor-friendly, more modern industrial area.

"The Liberty Corridor is more than a collection of highways and rail lines. The Corridor will be an economic engine like no other in the country. Research and development, manufacturing and export facilities will co-exist next to one another along one Corridor," said Menendez.

Liberty Corridor, which emanates from the port of New York and New Jersey, travels north, south and west along railways, roadways and waterways. The $104 million will fund projects that help to improve the infrastructure in the Corridor, with the goal of being able to move freight more efficiently from Port Newark and Port Elizabeth, which will decrease the amount of truck traffic on the area's already overcrowded highways. It also is intended to stimulate the revitalization of contaminated sites around the Port region, attract new manufacturing and distribution centers with jobs, and strengthen the Port's status as the pre-eminent trade center of the East Coast.

There are over 1,000 acres of old industrial sites within 25 miles of the port. These underutilized sites can be redeveloped as freight and manufacturing villages that afford the region new jobs. In addition, these improved transportation links will permit a more efficient movement of cargo to and from existing distribution center clusters. - Al Sullivan


©The Hudson Reporter 2005

[macmini]

From the NY Daily News
Originally published on August 17, 2005

Side dish
The people of Boonton, N.J., turned down two requests for "The Sopranos" to shoot in their town. But Jersey City apparently doesn't think the mob hit will tarnish its image. We hear James Gandolfini and his crew will be filming one of the sixth season's last episodes at the Beacon, a new $350 million residential community at what used to be the Jersey City Medical Center ...

[NYatKNIGHT]

Stupid Boonton.

Besides, everyone knows that's where Jackie Jr. got whacked.

[Gulcrapek]

Journal Square III
19 floors


http://www.sunassociate.com/recentproject-htm/project-23.htm

[JCMAN320]

Thats is on hold until the office market comes back, and once it does it will be one of the first new office buildings to get built.

[macmini]

Project Updates

Montgomery Greene Condominiums

Height: 210 Feet
started: n/a
finished: 2006
113-unit building
4,500 square feet of retail space
123-space parking garage
Under Construction

http://image63.webshots.com/63/2/73/41/445927341HXeSNK_ph.jpg

http://image64.webshots.com/164/2/71/82/445927182ClOVWq_ph.jpg

http://www.lwdm-architects.com/Images/imgnewpg/Exteriormont.jpg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Washington Commons - 12 stories
Christopher Columbus Drive & Washington Street
started:2005
finished: n/a
77-unit building with 46 parking spaces
Under Construction

http://image54.webshots.com/154/4/99/45/445549945DNdixw_ph.jpg

http://image54.webshots.com/54/5/2/49/445550249aFSBFE_ph.jpg

http://image53.webshots.com/53/5/16/28/445551628HrsvXh_ph.jpg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATHENA -32 stories
Washington Blvd & First Street
started: 2005
finished: 2006
250-unit & 253 parking spaces
13,500 quare feet of retail
Under Construction

New Rendering

http://www.insidea.com/images/02/buildingTower.jpg

[macmini]

New Projects Under construction

LIBERTY TERRACE
started: 2005
finished: 2006
nine-story, 128-unit
95 1-BR
20 2-BR

Units went on sale three weeks ago 45% of the units have been sold.unobstructed views of Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, not to mention Downtown NYC. The building entrance will set back from Hudson Street on the eastern side of the building an on Essex Street, right along the Light Rail line. Some units are going for 1 million+.

http://image52.webshots.com/52/2/29/5/445922905DgbsZn_ph.jpg

http://image62.webshots.com/162/2/22/71/445922271aJYEsG_ph.jpg

http://image57.webshots.com/57/2/20/94/445922094soEKDx_ph.jpg

http://image58.webshots.com/58/2/28/14/445922814wgKtnK_ph.jpg

[macmini]

Being Renovated

150 Bay Street
started: 2005
finished: 2006

150 Bay Street is a former warehouse that has been redesigned to give artists the space to let their talents flourish in music, dance, written word and the visual arts. Located minutes from Manhattan by PATH train, the loft rentals feature 14’ ceilings, oversized windows, work sinks, freight elevators, and extra wide doors to make the work portion of life easier. For the living experience, 150 Bay Street has been fitted with fully equipped kitchens, high-speed Internet wiring, a 24-hour attended lobby, and on-site fitness center.

http://www.150baystreet.com/

http://image57.webshots.com/57/2/55/88/445925588CSkqWG_ph.jpg

http://image56.webshots.com/56/2/61/52/445926152eWitss_ph.jpg

[injcsince81]

In today's Real Estate section of the NYT.

(sorry no link - could not find the article on the NYT website).

Corner of Bay St and Washington Blvd (near the Powerhouse), 2 towers, 55 stories, $450 mln project.

Construction to start this Nov.

JV with Metro Homes of Hoboken.

I guess now with The Donald in town, JC has REALLY, FINALLY, OFICIALLY, arrived....:)

[macmini]

Manhattan Skyline Views, Trump Style

By ANTOINETTE MARTIN (http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=ANTOINETTE%20MARTIN&fdq=19960101&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=ANTOINETTE%20MARTIN&inline=nyt-per)

Published: September 18, 2005
DONALD J. TRUMP is moving into Jersey City (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newjersey/?inline=nyt-geo) in a big way. He is set to announce this week that construction of Trump Plaza, a $415 million condominium project to include the two tallest residential towers in New Jersey (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newjersey/?inline=nyt-geo), will begin in November - with occupancy projected to start in fall 2007.

Metro Homes of Hoboken will team up with the Trump Organization in building the project, which is also to include retailing space, parking and amenities for residents like a rooftop pool, fitness center, business center and private film theater.

Dean S. Geibel, who with his partner Paul E. Fried runs Metro Homes, said he initially pitched the idea to Mr. Trump. "We know he likes to do things that are big," Mr. Geibel said, "and this is really big. Plus, it will be highly visible from Manhattan (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/?inline=nyt-geo), and so it's right up Trump's alley."
Trump Plaza will be set on a riverside plot at Washington Boulevard and Bay Street, and the triangular design of its two towers, 50 and 55 stories tall and rising from a seven-story base, will permit views of the Manhattan skyline across the Hudson River from almost every apartment, Mr. Geibel said.

The 55-story tower will have 445 condos; the 50-story tower will provide 417. The 328,658-square-foot, seven-story base will house a garage with 696 parking spaces and 23,000 square feet of retailing space.

The two-story building lobby will be "classic Trump, extravagant and classy," Mr. Geibel said.

The condos will range in size from studios to three-bedroom units, offering from 750 to 2,224 square feet.

Neither Mr. Geibel nor the Trump Organization specified a price range for the condos but said more details would be forthcoming on Thursday at a formal announcement of the project.

Currently, the tallest residential building in New Jersey stands only two blocks away from the Trump Plaza site. It is the 40-story Marbella apartment building at 425 Washington Boulevard.

The state's tallest building is also nearby, the 781-foot Goldman Sachs office tower at 30 Hudson Street.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/18/realestate/18post2.html

[injcsince81]

more here:

http://www.metrohomesllc.com/news_09_22_05.html

For Immediate Release

DONALD TRUMP, DEAN GEIBEL ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR LUXURY CONDOS IN TALLEST RESIDENTIAL TOWERS IN NEW JERSEY
* * *

Trump Plaza: Jersey City Towers Include Condos, Retail and Parking

http://www.metrohomesllc.com/images/trump_pr.jpgSEPTEMBER 22, 2005 - Trump Organization CEO Donald Trump, Metro Homes Founder Dean Geibel and his partner Paul Fried today announced construction will begin on Trump Plaza: Jersey City, a $415 million condominium project that will include the two tallest residential towers in the state of New Jersey. Construction will begin this year with occupancy beginning in November 2007, Trump and Geibel said.

Trump Plaza, at Washington and Bay Streets, will include a 531,500 square-foot tower, topping out at 55 stories, with 445 condominium homes, and a 481,283 square-foot tower, reaching 50 stories, with 417 condominium homes. The towers will rise from a 328,658 square-foot, seven-story base, housing a garage with 696 parking spaces and 23,000 square feet of prime retail space. The base will accommodate a business center, home theater screening room, a private 8,000 square foot fitness center, a rooftop plaza with an outdoor heated swimming pool, a private landscaped yard, children's play area and enclosed basketball court.

"The addition of this luxury structure to Jersey City's Gold Coast is a testament to the attraction of our city as a destination for people to live, work, and raise families. We are pleased to welcome Mr. Trump and Mr. Geibel as developers of this project whose shared vision contributes to the continued growth and success of our downtown revitalization," said Jersey City's Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy.

"We are honored to be working with Donald Trump to create a world-class living experience in Jersey City with its incomparable views of the world's most famous skyline, outstanding amenities and convenient transportation links. I also want to thank Mayor Healy for his efforts to create an environment where Trump Plaza is possible." said Geibel, whose Hoboken-based Metro Homes LLC is the developer of the project.

"This is a quality project, worthy of the Trump name, rising in one of the most exciting places on the planet today - Jersey City," said Trump. "The Trump Organization participated in the design and invested in the project, and we will manage Trump Plaza to ensure that the people who live here will fully enjoy this great urban lifestyle."

Because of the positioning and triangular design of the residential towers, most units will have Manhattan skyline views.

The lobby will be an extravagant two-story structure, serving as a statement piece for the building and will be attended by a 24-hour professional concierge service. The studios, one-, two-, and three bedroom residential units will range in size from 750 to 2,224 square-feet. The units will have state of the art kitchens and appliances, marble bathrooms and distinctive wood floors. Comparable properties are two of the Trump Organization's Westside Manhattan properties - 200 Riverside Boulevard at Trump Place and 240 Riverside Boulevard at Trump Place.

Working with Mayor Healey and other elected officials in Jersey City and Hudson County, Metro Homes secured property tax abatements which will be passed on to condominium owners.

Metro Homes LLC presently is developing Gull's Cove, a community of 431 condominium residences that is part of Jersey City's Liberty Harbor North redevelopment effort; and The Esperanza of Asbury Park, 224 condominium residences in Asbury Park's celebrated oceanfront redevelopment district.

Panepinto Properties and The Applied Companies, the original owners and developers of the project, remain as partners in the development. Trump Plaza was designed by the Manhattan-based DeWitt Tishman Architects. Bovis Lend Lease will construct the project.


###

Metro Homes LLC was founded in 1993 by real estate entrepreneur Dean S. Geibel. He and his partner, Paul E. Fried, manage one of New Jersey's most integrated and well-balanced real estate firms specializing in urban development and revitalization. The Hoboken-based company has built hundreds of condominium residences in Hudson County and is in the forefront of New Jersey's "smart growth" development.Rubenstein Associates, Inc.
Public Relations
Contact: Pat Smith - (212) 843-8026


METRO HOMES, LLC Hoboken, NJ

[macmini]

Thanks injcsince81. I was wondering what the building would look like and I'm not impressed at all. Lets hope the actual building looks better then the rendering.

[lofter1]

^ These 2 Trump stumps look like left-overs from Trump Place: dull, unimaginative, bleccch .....

[lofter1]

^^ The architect is DeWitt Tishman Architects, LLP.

Emporis has 5 of their buildings, all in Hoboken and Jersey City: http://www.emporis.com/en/cd/cm/?id=104236

Nothing special in any of them. Utilitarian and mainstream to a fault.

[JCMAN320]

I know they are not the best, but hell they are Trump, all of his buildings leave something to be desired, but I do not see him building in Brooklyn, or LIC so NYC just shove it and be happy for us.

[lofter1]

^ If that's what you want then you're welcome to it (them).

Too bad those of us on this side of the Hudson will have to look at them, though.

[JCMAN320]

I never said they were beautiful and most buildings look better when they are built then they do in the renderings so I have hope. Just be respectful and stop looking down at us cause Jersey City has stopped takin crap (for lack of a better word) from NY long time ago. I mean if JC wasn't an important city he would not build here.

[TimmyG]

Is the Trump project the same as the HarborSpire project from 2001?

[JCMAN320]

That I know of no, they are seperate. Harbor Spire is going to be a great gothic addition the skyline. Trump Plaza will be a slender stricly glass and steel complex. They will be across Morgan Street from eachother and will be located between Greene and Washington Streets.

[TLOZ Link5]

From the rendering, the Trump buildings look like a bigger and taller version of his development in West Palm Beach.

[macmini]

Actually I think Trump & Metro Homes are taking over the Harbor Spire project . It's the same height same number of units it looks like they change the design if it is the new design sucks they should have stuck with the original. But i agree with JCMan at least we can say we have a Trump building in Jersey City.



http://dewitttishmanarch.com/images/multi/VT-small.jpghttp://www.metrohomesllc.com/images/trump_pr.jpg

[JCMAN320]

I think they are two seperate projects. The address for Harbor Spire puts it between Morgan and Steuben, and Washington and Greene, while Trump Plaza is going to be between Bay and Morgan, and Washington and Greene. Well we will see when backhoes and pile drivers move in during Thanksgiving lol.

[lofter1]

Just be respectful and stop looking down at us cause Jersey City has stopped takin crap (for lack of a better word) from NY long time ago. I mean if JC wasn't an important city he would not build here.

I don't look down on JC, I think it's a beautiful city (parts of it anyway -- I say the same about NYC).

I do look down on Trump because his new buildings, from an architectural and design standpoint, are not to my liking (for the reasons I've previously explained):


His Riverside South buildings:

http://www.wirednewyork.com/trump_place/images/trump_place_hudson_20may01_s.jpg (http://www.wirednewyork.com/trump_place/images/trump_place_hudson_20may01.jpg)


His JC buildings:

http://www.metrohomesllc.com/images/trump_pr.jpg



He's building in JC because there is clearly a market for housing at this price point.

[macmini]

Lofter1 you say you don't look down on JC but with comments like " He's building in JC because there is clearly a market for housing at this price point" I think otherwise. What price point is that you can buy condos in JC from 200,000 to 2mil I don't like most of Trumps buildings but he doesnt build them just anywhere. If it was just about price point then he would building this building in the Bronx, Queens,Brooklyn or L.I. but he's not.

[lofter1]

wow - relax.

I meant he exact price point you're talking about -- high end.

[z22]

I think they are two seperate projects. The address for Harbor Spire puts it between Morgan and Steuben, and Washington and Greene, while Trump Plaza is going to be between Bay and Morgan, and Washington and Greene. Well we will see when backhoes and pile drivers move in during Thanksgiving lol.

Looking at the descriptions of Haborspire and Trump Plaza, they even have the same number of unit. These must be the same project.

Harborspire:
"Applied Development Company is preparing to start construction on HarborSpire, an 862-unit dual tower, super-luxury rental building located on the Jersey City waterfront, less than 2 blocks from the Exchange Place PATH station and New York Waterways Ferry stop.

At 55 stories tall, the first HarborSpire tower will be the tallest residential building in New Jersey, commanding spectacular views. HarborSpire will set new standards for luxury apartments with an amenity package that includes a dramatic 8,000 square foot private fitness center; including an indoor basketball court, a private landscaped plaza with grass lawns, seating areas, children's play areas and a swimming pool. A 24-hour attended lobby with professional concierge and on-site parking put the last touches on all the services you would expect at New Jersey's most sophisticated residential address."

Trump Plaza:
“Trump Plaza, at Washington and Bay Streets, will include a 531,500 square-foot tower, topping out at 55 stories, with 445 condominium homes, and a 481,283 square-foot tower, reaching 50 stories, with 417 condominium homes. The towers will rise from a 328,658 square-foot, seven-story base, housing a garage with 696 parking spaces and 23,000 square feet of prime retail space. The base will accommodate a business center, home theater screening room, a private 8,000 square foot fitness center, a rooftop plaza with an outdoor heated swimming pool, a private landscaped yard, children's play area and enclosed basketball court.”

[macmini]

Trump Plaza & HarborSpire are the same project if you read the full press release that injcsince81 posted from metro homes http://www.metrohomesllc.com/news_09_22_05.html (http://www.metrohomesllc.com/news_09_22_05.html) you will see they are indeed the same building.

Here's the Quote "Panepinto Properties and The Applied Companies, the original owners and developers of the project, remain as partners in the development. Trump Plaza was designed by the Manhattan-based DeWitt Tishman Architects. Bovis Lend Lease will construct the project. "

[JCMAN320]

Indeed you are right. I can't wait for this!!!

[kliq6]

This looks to be a great project, it takes a prime commercial lot of the JC market. The more condo''s they build in JC the better for NYC commercial development and leasing

[NoyokA]

I know they are not the best, but hell they are Trump, all of his buildings leave something to be desired, but I do not see him building in Brooklyn, or LIC so NYC just shove it and be happy for us.

Always a bright ray of sunshine.

[NYatKNIGHT]

Because of the positioning and triangular design of the residential towers, most units will have Manhattan skyline views.

Triangular?

http://www.metrohomesllc.com/images/trump_pr.jpg

[JCMAN320]

Stern I wasn't having a good day lol :)

Yea the towers will come to somewhat of a point by a step triangle. I would be easier to see from a top view.

[macmini]

NYatKNIGHT their not talking about the building being triangular but the position of the building is in a triangular position facing other buildings so the the views are not blocked.

[NYatKNIGHT]

That makes more sense, thanks.

[steveikin]

http://www.globest.com/news/374_374/newjersey/138384-1.html

[NYatKNIGHT]

I know they say 55 and 50 stories, but that doesn't say much when so many buildings assign arbitrary numbers - has the actual height of these towers been mentioned?

[STT757]

Trump's tall plan for Jersey City
Luxury housing calls for highest towers in state
Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Donald Trump, who loves to describe his projects using words such as "biggest" and "greatest," will soon get to use another superlative -- "tallest." As in the tallest building in New Jersey.

Trump and Dean Geibel, principal of Metro Homes in Hoboken, announced plans yesterday for what would be the state's two tallest towers, which they plan to build on the Jersey City waterfront. Trump Plaza Jersey City, as the project is being called, would include a 55-story tower with 445 condominiums and a 50-story tower with 417 condominiums.

The taller of the two buildings would be 13 stories taller than New Jersey's current top skyscraper, the 42-story Goldman Sachs Tower at 30 Hudson St. in Jersey City, built in 2003.

"This is a high-quality luxury project worthy of the Trump name rising in one of the most exciting places in the country today," Trump, who was traveling and unavailable for interviews, said in a statement.

The project marks a turning point in the development of Jersey City, long a hotbed for rental apartments and office space but a newcomer to the luxury condominium market.

Given the scarcity of housing and skyrocketing prices in New York City, industry experts say wealthy apartment seekers are looking for alternatives along New Jersey's so-called Gold Coast. Developers who 18 months ago were wondering whether there would ever be a luxury condominium market in Jersey City have seen prices rise from $400 to $600 per square foot to nearly $800 per square foot -- or $800,000 for a 1,000-square-foot unit.

"Jersey City has always proven itself to be robust in whatever market it has entered," said Emanuel Stern, president of Hartz Mountain Industries. "It's only natural that there should be a condominium element there."

Carl Goldberg, principal of Roseland Property, which has built extensively along the Hudson waterfront, said Trump's decision to jump into the market is a signal, especially to foreign investors, that Jersey City is a major player.

"The Trump branding is so strong in the luxury market, it is meaningful that he is doing this," Goldberg said.

For Geibel, who has built smaller developments in Hoboken, the project with Trump is a bold move. While Trump becomes the public face of the project, Geibel has essentially paid a licensing fee to slap Trump's brand across his buildings. Developers have done this in the past because studies have shown Trump's name can add $100 per square foot to sale prices and increase the velocity of sales.

The $415million project at Bay and Washington streets is fully approved, and construction is scheduled to begin later this year with occupancy beginning in November 2007.

The towers will have a seven-story base that will include a 700-space garage, retail space, a private 8,000-square-foot fitness center, a rooftop plaza with an outdoor heated swimming pool, a private landscaped yard, a children's play area and an enclosed basketball court. The buildings will include studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with marble bathrooms, hardwood floors and state-of-the-art kitchens.

Geibel and Trump are set to present the project to the public for the first time tomorrow with Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. Geibel said in a statement he and Trump would create a "world-class living experience in Jersey City, with its incomparable views of the world's most famous skyline, outstanding amenities and convenient transportation links."

The positioning and triangular design of the residential towers will provide most units with Manhattan skyline views.

"It's going to take time and be stressful, but Dean is going to pull this off, and it's going to reposition Jersey City," Eric Kaiser, another leading developer in Hoboken, said of Geibel. "This is going to put Dean in the major leagues." .

[macmini]

The taller of the two buildings would be 13 stories taller than New Jersey's current top skyscraper, the 42-story Goldman Sachs Tower at 30 Hudson St. in Jersey City, built in 2003.


Just because it has 13 more stries doesn't mean it will be taller it depends of the height of the floors 101 Hudson is also 42 stories but GMS is much taller .

[macmini]

Latest Trump Venture Is in Jersey City

By TINA KELLEY
Published: September 23, 2005

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/09/23/nyregion/23trump.jpg JERSEY CITY, Sept. 22 - With a trio of trumpeters playing a fanfare, Donald J. Trump on Thursday helped unveil an artist's rendering of his latest project, Trump Plaza: Jersey City. The new luxury condominium development would be the tallest residential development in the state.

The $415 million project will include two towers, 50 stories and 55 stories, with 862 condominium units and 23,000 square feet of retail space. The towers will be at Washington and Bay Streets, a few blocks from the Hudson River and near the Powerhouse Arts District. "It really cements Jersey City as the hottest place to be in the Northeast," said Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. "It's a big step in the great progress Jersey City has made in the past years." Each condo unit will receive a 20-year property tax abatement, but Mr. Healy said the city would receive more money from development and building fees the developers paid than the city would have received in property taxes.
The Trump Organization will manage the complex, which will include a business center, and amenities for residents like a movie theater, an 8,000-square-foot fitness center, and a heated outdoor rooftop pool. Apartments will feature marble bathrooms and exotic wood floors.

The price of the units, which will range in size from 750 to 2,224 square feet, has not been determined, said Dean Scott Geibel, founder of Metro Homes L.L.C., a developer from Hoboken. He noted that the units will be cheaper than comparable condos in Manhattan. At Grandview, another of Mr. Geibel's residential projects in Jersey City, farther from the waterfront, condominiums sold for about $600 a square foot, with a range of $289,000 to $906,000, and all but one unit has sold since it opened last year, a spokesman for Metro Homes said.

Mr. Geibel called the project "a poster child for smart growth," because of its proximity to PATH stations, light rail, and the ferry to Manhattan.

Barbara Netchert, the executive director of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, said earlier plans called for office space development on the property, which is now a parking lot and had been a warehouse and rail yards.

"It was converted to residential, as has most of the projects in the city," she said. "The office market was flat, and the economics were moving more for residential."

Mayor Healy called the project a benchmark for the city. "We've done great for the last 20 years, but this takes it to another level," he said. Mr. Trump, who three times declared himself the biggest developer in New York City, a description his competitors dispute, noted that in moving west of Manhattan, he was going against the usual developer's path, "but I've usually been pretty good at predicting trends." Construction is expected to start in two months and last two years. Mr. Trump estimated that 1,200 to 1,300 workers would be employed in the construction. At 560 feet, the tallest of the towers would still rank below the state's tallest building, the 781-foot Goldman Sachs tower nearby at 30 Hudson Street.

At one point before the project's picture was unveiled, a gust of wind flipped Mr. Trump's swooping hair.

"See, my hair is real, folks," he said. "If it weren't, with this wind, you'd have a much bigger story than these two buildings, there's no doubt in my mind."

Real hair or not, Mr. Trump impressed city leaders.

"As a New York mogul, when he crosses the river, it's a magic step," said the city council president, Mariano Vega.

http://www.observer.com/therealestate/uploaded_images/trump-730989.jpg

[Ninjahedge]

I never said they were beautiful and most buildings look better when they are built then they do in the renderings so I have hope. Just be respectful and stop looking down at us cause Jersey City has stopped takin crap (for lack of a better word) from NY long time ago. I mean if JC wasn't an important city he would not build here.


Um, JCMAN, take it easy.

Those buildings are crappy. What is the use of taking an area that has potential and placing crap on it. I know you do not want JC to have the permanent title of "suburb of NYC".

So stop accusing people on here of giving JC crap. They are giving Trump and his lackluster developments crap.

[Ninjahedge]

I actually think it is kind of sad.

As those ugly monstrocities that were all constructed in Hoboken prove, when a big developer pressures a city, it can get what it wants.

333 river is decent looking, but nothing really special, and it's 15 stories right at the curb make it a nice addition to the "wall of hoboken". The two buildings further down the road would have made an excellent plaza space if they had just left the first column bay on the first story open, but instead they enclose it for such worthy streetside venues as Hudson Gym, a hairstyling salon, 3 banks and a chain coffee shop.

Uptown you have a contest to see how quickly new buildings can be built as close to, if not ON TOP of the water, in order to block any "ugly views of that horrible NYC skyline" from anyone living further in.


I think these buildings look to be a cash cow. They are on RELATIVELY cheap land for the price that the finished product units can fetch. Spending extra money on the exterior, or space-wasting original geometry has never been in Trumps block-minded archetectural perview, and never will be.

If JC is "lucky" he may put some gold decorations up on it or something... :p

[BrooklynRider]

...If JC is "lucky" he may put some gold decorations up on it or something...

And, let's not forget the pink marble.

[NYatKNIGHT]

I know they say 55 and 50 stories, but that doesn't say much when so many buildings assign arbitrary numbers - has the actual height of these towers been mentioned?Good question!


At 560 feet, the tallest of the towers would still rank below the state's tallest building, the 781-foot Goldman Sachs tower nearby at 30 Hudson Street.Thanks!

[TLOZ Link5]

Is name recognition worth it when the buildings are aesthetically sub-par?

It's good that Trump is building in Jersey City, but the design of these towers is horribly bland. They look more like a late 1980s apartment complex on Third Avenue than a Trump development.

[Ninjahedge]

The irony is, it would be so easy to change this. Even changes in the materials used in the facade would help things a great deal (such as maybe making it grey instead of white, or have one face and a corner black to give the structure a bit of movement).

This just looks like two large ionic breeze air filters.

[macmini]

Project Update

COLUMBUS PLAZA
Designed by world renowned architect Costas Kondylis
They designed 200 Chambers Street (http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=224797)


38-story building featuring 392 rental residences
24-hour doorman with full-time professional concierge
Double height lobby, and a 6,000 square-foot, two-story recreation center
on-site access to the Grove Street PATH Station
36,000 square feet of ground floor retail space
30,000 square feet of office space
a multi-level 1,120-car parking garag

Pics are from JCVibe their about two or three months old I just past the site last week and the foundation look like it's almost complete.

http://image58.webshots.com/58/5/40/59/456954059FyjqSf_ph.jpg

Columbus Plaza construction site, mid-block
http://image61.webshots.com/61/5/58/12/456955812wqXcfX_ph.jpg

Columbus Plaza construction site, facing southeast
http://image52.webshots.com/152/5/58/88/456955888ZcDwoj_ph.jpg

[Iris527]

I heard a rumor that the American Can Company building located in the Journal Square area (at St. Paul's Ave., Dey St., Tonnelle Ave.) has been bought and is going to be converted to condominiums. Does anyone know anything about this??

[JCMAN320]

Yes it is. That area is going to be know as the M Word for being in the Marion section. It will be a work and live district. I think it will be part office as well.

[lofter1]

Designed by world renowned architect Costas Kondylis
Could some one please OFF this bunch of hacks? Before they litter every block with their ugly, banal crap?


They designed 200 Chambers Street (http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=224797)
More of the same -- only worse because it is in such a prominent place where everytime I bike down the West Side Hiway I will be forced to see the result of their pea-sized brains and utter lack of imagination and creativity.

[kurokevin]

This is my first post, although I'm a long time reader. I agree about offing Costas and their squat, tasteless buildings, despite normally being less diresitic.. I moved to the West Village a month ago from the small, bland town that is Chicago, and have found many peacecful nights spent on the West Side Highway piers. People outa have better than this, why not the designer of the gorgous Mercer St. project by Jean Nouvel that I see everyday from my office do a high rise in proportion to this?

I promise these developers would get even higher the return with a little taste and research. I've noticed a lot of coropution here, is that perhaps why Costas, SOM and other banal designers continue to find jobs a plenty while masters like Calatrava and Gherey run into opposition?

Best, nice meeting you all

Kevin

[Ninjahedge]

Simple reason:

Banal costs less.


Changing the facade means more money and more of a chance that someone will object to it based on the fact that it would be too different.

So, they build a boxy government looking building (like something out of a Conspiracy movie in the 60's) that can house the most people, Wal-Mart style in a "luxury" condo (granite countertops and a whirlpool tub means you can scrimp and use cheap molding, or only have a total floor to floor height of less than 10 feet) that will yeild 10X the production cost in profit.

[macmini]

JCMAN320 do know anthing about 77Hudson some one on JClist mention that the site was sold and is going to be turned into condos. Which is great news but the bad news if true K Hovanian are suppositly the one to buy the site.

[JCMAN320]

I can not conform that but I will look into it. Personally I hope that that site stays as 77Hudson for office. I don't think condos are appropriate there.

[kliq6]

77 Hudson will be a condo, im invovled with the project, I can provide info if needed

[macmini]

Kliq6 do you know who the Developer is or the height of the building. If you have any other info about this project would you please share. Thanks

[JCMAN320]

Here it is the old JC Med Center is now the Beacon. Check it out here: http://www.thebeaconjc.com/

[steveikin]

77 Hudson will be a condo, im invovled with the project, I can provide info if needed

Interesting...

Few questions:
Developer?
When will they be breaking ground?
Does 30 Montgomery have the blueprints?
Number of units?
Height?
Estimated completion date?

Thanks in advance.

[BrooklynRider]

Was this posted?

MILLENNIUM TOWERS
JERSEY CITY, NJ

To support the need for growth and the rapid expansion of New Jersey shores neighboring Manhattan, a new mixed-use complex known as Millennium Towers received community approval for development which required re-zoning of the site. A 23,000 s.f. New Jersey Transit Light Rail station will occupy the commercial level. Two towers will offer 523 residential units atop 158,000 sq. ft. of retail space and an 844-unit parking structure. The program also includes a restaurant, a roof garden, and a health spa.

[macmini]

I thought this project was dead I know they developer appealed a decision against the preoject in August 2001 but that was the last i heard. BrooklynRider were did you get your information from about this project I hope it's back on.

[LocoAko]

Hey everyone, this is my first post here.

I live in the Greenville section of Jersey City (by NJCU - although I haven't seen any of that development going on except for some new houses), I'm 15, and I'm a sophomore at Mcnair Academic Highschool.

I like downtown MUCH better than Greenville, just becasue that Greenville is so notorious for being a bad area, which it is. I'm hoping that development will help my area.

Hey JCMAN!

[grunk]

This is my first time posting here too. You mentioned Greenville. I thought that area was being developed. Does anyone know?

[BrooklynRider]

... BrooklynRider were did you get your information from about this project...

I think it was the architect's website. It could be dead.

[JCMAN320]

I live on the border of Greenville and Westside. Greenville is getting mostly new homes development and some new schools. It is somewhat gentifying in some areas but it is not overwhelming. The blocks are hit and miss. One block is nice than the next block not so then the next two are nice. Then there are some sections that have awesome blocks and then others not so. So there is redevelopment with new homes and on MLK Drive with new apt buildings being built with retail on the bottom to help spur econmoic vitality but some parts are making it while others are laging.

[grunk]

Thanks for the information on Greenville. I'm actually living in Michigan now but I'm looking to hopefully make the move to New Jersey by mid to end next year. I'm very interested in living in a city but like all city living, it is always expensive.

I can't afford outrages prices and during my search it appeared that Jersey City seems like a very good place to be, but b/c I'm not all that familiar w/ Jersey City I'm not sure what areas in Jersey City are affordable but still close to shopping and transportation.

I'm looking for a home for myself and my mother who is 58 years old so naturally I would prefer an area that is close to all and safe for her to walk around since we will likely not own a vehicle.

Any advice?

[macmini]

Just read on JClist an update about http://www.77hudson.com K Hov and Equity Residential are doing a joint venture. It will consist of two residential towers one will be condos and the other rentals.

[macmini]

BEACON OF HOPE

Condo project 'most important development in 10 years'

Wednesday, October 19, 2005
By CARLY BALDWIN

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

With champagne toasts and surrounded by ice sculptures, Jersey City officials and others gathered yesterday to celebrate the ribbon-cutting for the Beacon condominium complex, the 1,200-unit luxury development being built at the site of the old Jersey City Medical Center.

The ceremony marked the beginning of renovations to the 14-acre, 10-building site at Baldwin Avenue and Montgomery Street. The ambitious, $350 million project will boast apartments with sweeping views of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

"This is the most important development in Jersey City in the last 10 years," said Mayor Jerramiah Healy at the luncheon reception. "Not to discount waterfront development, but that is already up and running. This is an area right in the center of Jersey City that badly needs a little boost."


The Beacon is being developed by Metrovest Equities, whose principal is George Filopolous.

The first phase of construction, the renovation of the Rialto and the Capitol - the two buildings closest to the intersection of Baldwin and Montgomery - will have 315 condos and will be available in 2007. Studios are expected to go for $275,000, but Filopolous would not comment on the other anticipated sale prices.

There is a waiting list of 1,500 for studios and one-and two-bedroom units.
The old Medical Center, first constructed in 1936 and closed in 2004, was purchased by Metrovest in 2002 for $6.5 million from the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency.

"I decided to build here because it's a growing area and I want to continue and add to that growth," said Filopolous.

[macmini]

Beacon plans something for everyone
Wednesday, October 19, 2005


Move over, Trump Plaza.
While Donald Trump may be planning to construct the largest residential towers in New Jersey, George Filopoulos' 1,200-unit condominium complex, the Beacon, may just be the swankiest.
Some of the amenities will include:


Two theaters, one for film and TV screenings and one for plays and events.

A gym, yoga studio and private and public saunas.

A juice bar

A rooftop sundeck, equipped for grilling

Poker rooms and a billiards hall

A daycare center

Shuttle buses to the PATH and Manhattan ferries.

Filopoulos also announced yesterday that he has purchased the 26-acre Grand Plaza, at Grand and State streets, and plans to renovate the aging shopping center.

CARLY BALDWIN

[LocoAko]

Hey guys - I live on the border of Greenville and Westside on the same street as P.S.#38 (I won't say which for security reasons LOL)... between JFK and Westside. Sounds like I have some neighbors near me!

I went investigating down my street to check out the development and although I think I read that it is starting in 2006, there are already cranes and construction equipment there. Exciting.

[asohn]

Just read on JClist an update about http://www.77hudson.com K Hov and Equity Residential are doing a joint venture. It will consist of two residential towers one will be condos and the other rentals.

I thought this project was long dead. Are they starting from scratch or going with the previous building plans?

[macmini]

I thought this project was long dead. Are they starting from scratch or going with the previous building plans?


Yes the original project by Hartz an office tower is dead some one from JClist said K Hov and Equity Residential are doing a joint venture. It will consist of two residential towers one will be condos and the other rentals.

Dose any know any thing about this project http://www.schroederlofts.com/

[JCMAN320]

I just e-mailed the sales office and as soon as I get a response I'll let you know where this project is located. It's hard to tell where it is from the picture. If I had a guess, it could be on Christopher Columbus Dr., Powerhouse Art District, or somehwere on the new Liberty Harbor North Development. Well see. :)

[JCMAN320]

By the way the development, the Bayside Development being done in partnership with NJCU, Rutgers and NJ Transit, is on the Westside section of the city which borders to the east with Greenville. That is the development in the Greenville area that everyone is refering to. This is all 3 blocks from me so its exciting to see a big development outside of Downtown. Here are links for more info. The top one is for the overall Westside section of the city and the second one is the main project, NJCU West Campus, that will jump start the development of the Westside from historically industrial with residential into all residential.
http://www.njcu.edu/programs/wsdev/
http://www.njcu.edu/programs/westcampus/

[asohn]

^ Wow. That project is enormous. How much of it will actually get off the ground?

[steveikin]

Yes the original project by Hartz an office tower is dead some one from JClist said K Hov and Equity Residential are doing a joint venture. It will consist of two residential towers one will be condos and the other rentals.

Dose any know any thing about this project http://www.schroederlofts.com/

An interesting find macmini - thanks.

The whois info is as follows:

Registrant:
sawyer smith
sawyer smith
279 grove street
jersey city, nj 07302
US
Email: http://img.nameintel.com/email.pgif?md5=e5e18ea6fba46e224ccd4530e340591e (http://www.whois.sc/whois-privacy/)

Registrar Name....: REGISTER.COM, INC.
Registrar Whois...: whois.register.com
Registrar Homepage: www.register.com

Domain Name: schroederlofts.com

Created on..............: Thu, Sep 22, 2005
Expires on..............: Mon, Sep 22, 2008
Record last updated on..: Tue, Sep 27, 2005

Administrative Contact:
sawyer smith
sawyer smith
279 grove street
jersey city, nj 07302
US
Phone: 1-201-4358000
Email: http://img.nameintel.com/email.pgif?md5=e5e18ea6fba46e224ccd4530e340591e (http://www.whois.sc/whois-privacy/)
-----------
and http://www.smithchang.com/ is under construction.

279 Grove is above The Merchant, and if my memory is correct, the developer of The Merchant also developed The Majestic around the corner. The phone number is for Contract Logistics Inc.

Sawyer Smith also owns The Beechwood Cafe, again on Grove.

[JCMAN320]

Ashon the entire project will be completed. They already started demolition of the existing buildngs and will start building 2006-2007. It will be an extension of the neighborhood and school and atleast the West Campus will be completed and get off the ground the and the other proposed projects are getting done like puzzle pieces each developer does a part of what of the Bayside Redeveolpment plan suggests. So basically the West Campus will be completed by 2008-2009 and the entire Bayside Development might take a decade just because it is such a larger scale and encompassing much more acerage.

[JCMAN320]

Everyone I found out where the Schroder Lofts is located. It is located at 10th and Erie St. near Hamilton Park. I'll check the site soon. :)

[macmini]

Old Hospital Yields Quirky Apartments

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/10/30/realestate/30njzo.xl.jpg
Keith Meyers/The New York Times

The sales center at the Beacon, at Montgomery Street and Baldwin Avenue, Jersey City, is to open this week, offering the first 315 condos.


By ANTOINETTE MARTIN (http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=ANTOINETTE%20MARTIN&fdq=19960101&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=ANTOINETTE%20MARTIN&inline=nyt-per)
Published: October 30, 2005

JERSEY CITY (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newjersey/?inline=nyt-geo)

THE first apartments resulting from the transformation of the historic Art Deco buildings that served for seven decades as this city's medical center are about to go on the market.


Eventually, eight massive structures will be renovated into a complex called the Beacon, with 1,200 condominium and rental apartments, ground-floor shops, restaurants and a huge fitness/lifestyle center.

Right now, the first two buildings - 22 and 21 stories tall - are in mid-makeover, being scrubbed clean of the residue of 60-plus years.

Thanks to workers in rain gear wielding power-washing equipment on moving scaffolds, the buildings' facade of blond brick and cast-concrete decorative panels is emerging with classic good looks.

Inside the 22-story tower, renamed the Rialto, there is a sleek model apartment with stone countertops, marble bath and a view of New York Harbor. And this week, a new sales and marketing center is to open.

The first 315 condos - studios, lofts, one- and two-bedroom units - in the Rialto and the adjacent Capitol will become available for occupancy late next year. But 113 are already spoken for. In the last three weeks, the 1,500 people who had put their names on a waiting list were notified they could start shopping early.

"So far, 4 of every 10 lookers has signed a contract," said the developer, George Filopoulos, president of Metrovest Equities Inc., the New York firm that is behind the project. "That's phenomenal, and just shows how high excitement is running."

Adrienne Albert, president of Marketing Directors Inc., the sales agent for the Beacon, added that "one of the most exciting aspects of the Beacon is that it's being priced well below already established levels for new condominium construction in Jersey City's waterfront district."

The price range for condos in the first two buildings is $250,000 to $650,000, Mr. Filopoulos said. It is not yet certain how many of the 1,200 total units will be condos and how many will be rental units, he said.

But the plan for the new community has already been expanded since being announced last winter. Several weeks ago, Metrovest was named by city officials to redevelop another parcel immediately south of the medical center property.

On that site, the company will construct a 150,000-square-foot supermarket and shopping plaza and 220 new residential units, clustered in three-story buildings. These will not be tall enough to interfere with the views of Manhattan (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/?inline=nyt-geo), the Statue of Liberty and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from apartments at the Beacon, which is on Palisades Ridge, at the corner of Montgomery Street and Baldwin Avenue, a high point in Jersey City.

Mr. Filopoulos said that the apartments and condos at the second site will not offer the kinds of unusual features available at the Beacon, where the hospital buildings had grand and capacious halls that are the legacy of lavish government-subsidized construction.

The eight structures were built during the 1930's and 40's, contemporary with Rockefeller Center, the Chrysler Building, the Waldorf-Astoria and the Empire State Building. They cannot be destroyed or significantly altered because they were placed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places about 20 years ago. The last building was vacated in 2004.

"We're stuck with a lot of these things," said Mr. Filopoulos as strode through the restored grand lobby - two stories tall, with a terrazzo floor, brass Deco moldings, elaborate light fixtures and hand-painted elevator door mirrors - "so we figured we might as well have fun with them."
Architects have designed the apartments to take advantage of the buildings' quirks of layout and special features like period molding. There are 130 different floor plans for the first 315 units, Mr. Filopoulos said. They range in size from 600 square feet to 3,200.

The condos all have at least 10-foot ceilings, stone countertops in the kitchens, lighted glass backsplashes, pantries, stainless steel appliances, marble baths, hardwood floors, high-tech wiring and washers and dryers.
Meanwhile, developers have piled on the amenities. The Rialto and Capitol share a grand lobby and an area that holds the Aqua, "a lifestyle and fitness center." It will offer an indoor pool, a large "social sauna," private steam and sauna rooms, a lounge with hot tubs, a yoga room, a workout room, a film screening room, a children's playroom and a juice bar lounge.

Above the two-story lobby, on what is being called the terrace floor - where a longtime mayor of Jersey City, Frank Hague, kept his apartment for many years - there will be a community billiards room, poker room, theater or event space, catering kitchen, large dining room and a reading gallery.

In addition, the terrace will have an outdoor lounge and sun deck with a grill, and a spectacular view of Midtown Manhattan. The terrace and other common spaces can be rented for private parties, the developer said.
Among other features that are being planned for the development are a "town center," to be installed in an adjacent building, which will have a large market, a restaurant with a rooftop terrace and stores.

Future plans include an on-site day-care center and a two-acre "great lawn." Valet parking and a shuttle bus to Exchange Place, PATH trains and ferries to Manhattan are also planned.

[LocoAko]

Wow! Looks liek that project is larger than anticipated.

I wish it would become more like downtown.. maybe they'll add some parks (tennis courts? :) ) there, but whatever they do, even if it is all campus, will definitely be an improvement over the abandoned industrial buildings that were there. AND it is right down my block!

Too bad it will take so long to develop... by the time it gets really good I'll be off to college.

[macmini]

Schroeder Lofts Update

http://www.schroederlofts.com/schroederlofts-sm.jpg

http://b.im.craigslist.org/h0/Ga/FQL6IVwY8ldNGlUaP2QRizBVgwnK.jpg

http://a.im.craigslist.org/ej/4S/qm1CelgdpGXHDqnqyBHyCJuVmh3c.jpg
10 foot ceilings

Custom kitchens

Stone tile in the bathrooms

Onsite parking, doorman

Eco friendly design

58 new construction lofts condos

1 bedrooms from 400k, 2 bedrooms from 600k

Developer is Eric Silverman of The Merchant & The Majestic

[LocoAko]

I'm waiting for the bus this morning, and I notice the big Baldwen Steel building down my street (which they ripped down to just a frame) was leaning inward dangerously.

I come home this afternoon and half the building is gone! I woulnd't be surprised if it's completely gone by tomorrow morning.

[JCMAN320]

Hey yea I know I passed it today on the way to college they are also starting to tare down the sheet metal giant behind it. This project is going to move along fast.

[injcsince81]

Hey yea I know I passed it today on the way to college they are also starting to tare down the sheet metal giant behind it. This project is going to move along fast.

what are they building there?

[JCMAN320]

By the way the development, the Bayside Development being done in partnership with NJCU, Rutgers and NJ Transit, is on the Westside section of the city which borders to the east with Greenville. That is the development in the Greenville area that everyone is refering to. This is all 3 blocks from me so its exciting to see a big development outside of Downtown. Here are links for more info. The top one is for the overall Westside section of the city and the second one is the main project, NJCU West Campus, that will jump start the development of the Westside from historically industrial with residential into all residential.
http://www.njcu.edu/programs/wsdev/
http://www.njcu.edu/programs/westcampus/

From my previous post.

[macmini]

LOOKS LIKE A SHORE THING

http://www.nypost.com/photos/re11052005044a.jpgNovember 5, 2005 -- A flurry of buyers has descended on the Shore Club Condominiums at Newport, the latest addition to Jersey City's Newport community.

Since opening for sales in late September, 184 of the building's 214 units have sold, despite the fact that developer LeFrak Organization did not advertise the condos.

So what drew buyers? Jamie LeFrak, general manager at LeFrak Organization, believes that buyers, the majority of whom were already renters at Newport, simply saw the Web site address posted on the construction lot of Shore Club.

A sprawling, 600-acre mixed-use community along the Hudson, Newport is also likely to attract Manhattanites looking for more space, according to LeFrak. Prices start at $395,000 for 780-square-foot one-bedrooms, $548,000 for 1,100-square-foot two-bedrooms, and $795,000 for 1,420-square-foot three-bedrooms (all sizes are approximates). All but four units come with terraces, while the top floor of the building includes a Wellness Center (with a steam room and sauna), a spa with whirlpool, gym and playroom.

www.shoreclubatnewport.com (http://www.shoreclubatnewport.com)

http://64.209.119.249/hugesize.jpg

[macmini]

This was posted on JClist from Will who was at the Paulus Hook meeting last week.

My notes from the HPHA meeting a week ago:

**77 Hudson – Khovnanian
48 stories, 39 above a 9 story parking garage
Two towers, 896 units; 500 foot height requirement met
½ rental: $1800 – 3700/mo
½ condo: $700k - $1M+
21k sf commercial on ground level – primarily Grand Street
Street entrances on Greene and Hudson
Garage entrance and services on Morris
Foundation work starts mid-2006
28-30 months to complete – 2009
1 parking space per unit met

[JCMAN320]

I found this watchdog site for the awesome redevelopment of Saint Francis Hospital in the Hamilton Park neighborhood in Downtown JC. The renderings are amazing. It looks like Saint Francis and the old Medical Center will live again.
http://www.25mc.org/

[LocoAko]

Wow - I go to school only two blocks away from St. Francis and can see it from almost all of the classroom windows and didn't know it was being renovated...

[JCMAN320]

Here are some great Jersey City websites. Enjoy New Jerseyans and New Yorkers alike:

Jersey City Economic Development Corporation
http://www.jcedc.org/

Jersey City Tourism Site
http://www.destinationjerseycity.com/

Jersey City Vibe
www.jerseycityvibe.com

New York's Sixth: Jersey City's Curbed
www.newyorkssixth.com

Dojo Mojo
http://dojo-mojo.blogspot.com/

[pianoman11686]

Condos With Views of Lady Liberty, Skylines and Greens

By ANTOINETTE MARTIN

Published: November 27, 2005

JERSEY CITY

MAYBE you've already heard this one: There is an upscale condominium development under construction beside the Hudson River on New Jersey's Gold Coast, promising "Manhattan-style elegance," skyline views, a quick commute and resort-quality amenities.

But Port Liberté is something a little different. Really.

While it is indisputable that a slew of such developments have gone up in the last 10 to 15 years on to the west bank of the Hudson, transforming the riverfront areas in one town after another from seamy industrial sites to hip new residential havens, this particular one stands out in several respects - not the least of which is size.

When complete, the development opposite the Statue of Liberty, near Liberty State Park, will have 1,813 residential units, ranging from three-story town-house-style condos, to units in midrise buildings, to homes in structures 15 stories and taller.

Close by, but in another development, 932 more condos are planned for three high-rise towers - 35, 43 and 50 stories - to be built around a highly exclusive golf course opening next summer on adjacent property.

"There will be close to 3,000 homes in the neighborhood eventually," said David Barry, president of the Applied Companies, which owns Port Liberté and is a partner in developing the Liberty National Golf Course and the Condominiums at Liberty National - the high-rise development. "It's almost like a separate town within Jersey City."

Entering Port Liberté, driving in through a Gothic brick and stone arch just off the New Jersey Turnpike, is already like entering a small world of its own. The complex's only current neighbor on what was once gritty industrial turf is a small Army Reserve base, which sold much of its property to Applied for Port Liberté's slow-but-steady assemblage over the past decade.

The $130 million golf course, which is being built on 155 acres of former Standard Oil property that had to be decontaminated, will not open until July 4. The course, which is said to be the most expensive ever built, is already drawing worldwide attention as a potential future site for the United States Open and as an icon of exclusivity.

Individual club memberships are for sale at $500,000, which may be a record-setting number too. But the course, designed by Tom Kite and Bob Cupp, as a project for the chief executive of Reebok, Paul Fireman, has one-of-a-kind features like an 18th hole less than 1,000 yards from the statue of Lady Liberty and 12-minute ferry service from Manhattan.

Port Liberté, where 805 condos are occupied, is marketing 155 units in a 15-story tower, where site work is under way, that will have views of the course - and also the statue and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

One-bedroom units in the new tower start at $420,000, two-bedroom units at $635,000 and three-bedroom units at $1.395 million.

Each condo in the tower will have its own parking space, and there is a ferry station on the site for commuters. The units will feature high ceilings, oversized windows and balconies to maximize the views. And both inside and out, they will offer the sort of amenities that Port Liberté has helped establish as almost required luxuries at high-end Gold Coast communities.

Kitchens will be equipped with granite countertops, "European ash wood-grain pillowed-edge" cabinetry and stainless steel appliances, including an LG French Door refrigerator over a pull-out freezer, a Thermador gas cooktop and a Bosch wall oven, dishwasher and microwave.

The marble baths will have custom-designed vanities, large soaking tubs, frameless glass-enclosed showers and Kohler fixtures.

All Port Liberté residents have access to a clubhouse with a social lounge and catering kitchen, a riverfront "infinity edge" swimming pool with cabanas, a second pool with lap lanes, a spa area, a children's wading pool and a children's play area, a fitness club with massage room and saunas, tennis courts, basketball courts, a riverfront promenade and a private marina with individual boat slips.

The complex was envisioned as a grand venture from the first, when the developer Paul Bucha broke ground in 1989 on a project that was to include 8.5 miles of canals winding past European-style town homes under arched Venetian-style bridges.

A recession hit when only about half the buildings in the first phase of 363 units had taken shape, and Mr. Bucha's crew abruptly stopped work. Applied bought the project out of a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation bankruptcy, taking control in 1994 and finishing the first phase as planned.

The Applied Companies, founded by Mr. Barry's father, Joseph Barry, was also building the Shipyard, a very large riverfront development in Hoboken, at that time. More recently, it has been at work on the residential and retail redevelopment of the shoreline much farther south in Long Branch.

The part of Port Liberté that is a decade old is now a well-established neighborhood, set around a canal with walking paths; it already has a reputation as one of the nicest places to live in Jersey City.

In 1997, Mr. Barry said, the rest of the project was "replanned" without the canals, which were judged to be infeasible for both financial and environmental reasons, and expanded, through the acquisition of additional industrial property and part of the Army base that once served as a munitions station and later served as a debris-sifting site after the Sept. 11 attacks at the World Trade Center.

"Since then, we've always been in one phase or another," Mr. Barry said.

Construction of the three high-rise towers is not scheduled to start until after the golf course is up and running, he said. Applied is a partner with Mr. Fireman's development firm, the Willowbend Development Company, on that project. The three towers are designed to be sail-shaped and are to wrap around the edge of the golf course and behind part of Port Liberté.

Construction of 28,000 square feet to house convenience stores is also planned, but not yet under way, according to Mr. Barry. Currently, there is only one restaurant on the site, at the ferry station.

Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

[JCMAN320]

Tree is holiday beacon at old Med Center site

Tuesday, November 29, 2005
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

It's a gift to Jersey City from a developer tackling a huge renovation job.

Last night, community residents and elected officials joined representatives of Metrovest Equities - the New York company transforming the old Jersey City Medical Center buildings on Baldwin Avenue into 1,200-unit luxury apartment complex known as the Beacon - to light a 75-foot-high blue spruce on the great lawn off Montgomery Street. The 18,000-pound tree from Margaretville, N.Y., is adorned with 25,000 lights.

The Beacon's "holiday tree" stands a foot taller than the Norway spruce to be illuminated tomorrow night at Rockefeller Center in New York City, according to a Metrovest spokeswoman.

"It's lovely," sighed Remica Carthan, 14, who attended the 6 p.m. lighting ceremony with three siblings and her stepdad, a contractor working on the project. "I like it."

Rep. Robert Menendez, D-Hoboken, was on hand as well, to help with the tree-lighting countdown and applaud the $350 million rehab job.

"This landmark will not only be preserved," Menendez said, "but also the hope and joy of so many people will now call home in a premier location."

The first apartment at the Beacon won't be occupied until Spring 2007, but Metrovest Equities Executive Vice President Philip Fierro said the company thought it a good idea to put a holiday smile on the project - and on the face of the thousands of motorists and pedestrians who will view it as they traverse Montgomery Street.

"We feel this is a large and historic project and felt this was a nice way to say thank-you to the city," Fierro said. "It's good for the community."

The Beacon will be constructed in eight phases, Fierro said. The first phase will consist of 314 apartments - half of which are already claimed, he said. Prices will range from the $300,000s to the $500,000s, Fierro said.

In September, the project received a 30-year tax abatement.

The tree will stay lit to 10 p.m. each night until Jan. 7, he said.

[TLOZ Link5]

The Beacon's "holiday tree" stands a foot taller than the Norway spruce to be illuminated tomorrow night at Rockefeller Center in New York City, according to a Metrovest spokeswoman.

Our tree will be taller next year :p

So long as we're doing the whole "ours is bigger than New York's" game, check out this article about Detroit's Fox Theater:

http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=215&category=events

"Today, however, the restored Fox is one of America's shining success stories. Last year the 5,000-seat Fox sold 642,000 tickets -- outpacing its larger rival, Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall, and clinching the title of "No. 1 theater in North America" from Pollstar, an industry trade journal. "

[TimmyG]

Condos to rise on West Side Avenue



Wednesday, November 30, 2005 By KEN THORBOURNE

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
The Jersey City building boom is spreading west.
City officials joined with representatives of the Provident Bank, New Jersey City University and owner/builder Ramesh Khosla yesterday to break ground for "The Station at West Side," a 39-unit luxury condominium project on Culver Avenue.
"We are excited and feel this area is going to see great development," said Khosla, owner of the Morristown-based PRK Builders Corp., adding, "We are taking the first step in this direction. This will be like the east side (of Jersey City)."

The project is seen as the first housing element in a West Side Avenue redevelopment plan prepared by the city Planning Department and New Jersey City University, which has already opened a charter high school and business incubator agency in the area.
Two years ago, Khosla purchased the 17,500-square-foot lot between Mallory and West Side - along with a slightly smaller one across the street - and was planning to build 13 two-family homes on the two sites.
But when he approached city officials with his plan, they pushed for a denser development, given the project's proximity to the West Side Avenue station of the Hudson-Hudson light rail system, he said.
The result: A "transit-oriented" development of two- and three-bedroom apartments that will sell for between $300,000 and $500,000, Khosla said.
This project will be completed by next September, Khosla said, noting he hopes to break ground on another 36 units across the street in the spring.

[Alonzo-ny]

Our tree will be taller next year :p

So long as we're doing the whole "ours is bigger than New York's" game, check out this article about Detroit's Fox Theater:

http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=215&category=events

"Today, however, the restored Fox is one of America's shining success stories. Last year the 5,000-seat Fox sold 642,000 tickets -- outpacing its larger rival, Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall, and clinching the title of "No. 1 theater in North America" from Pollstar, an industry trade journal. "

congratulations your tree is bigger well NY has hundreds of buildings taller than yours.

[JCMAN320]

Lol yea but Manhattan only has 6 bigger than our tallest.

[TLOZ Link5]

Lol yea but Manhattan only has 6 bigger than our tallest.

Actually, it's more like thirteen. Soon to be a lot more, also. :p

[JCMAN320]

No matter were still a kick ass city thats gets better every day. lol :P

[Ninjahedge]

No matter were still a kick ass city thats gets better every day. lol :P

Dude, stop getting so defensive.

Compared to NYC, JC sucks! But you can say that about 99% of the cities in the world!

JC is getting much better than it was, but stop trying to compare it to NYC. Hopefully it does not become a "Better NYC" but a critter of its own.

And it would help if everyone would stop comparing the two.

[JCMAN320]

I aint trying to compare it to NYC at all. And no, JC compared to MANHATTAN sucks, compare it to the outerboroughs though, they share MANY similar characteristics in neighborhoods, buildings, architecture, street names, parks, etc... I' am proud to be from Jersey and I' am a Jersey chauvinist so I don't feel that we have to be compared to NYC for me to feel proud of where I'm from. Also if you didn't notice in those posts I put smiley faces and "lols" everywhere making a point that I'm just horsing around.

[Ninjahedge]

I know JC, but the icon does not express the amount of eyerolling I do when I start reading these things.

It is like watching two people make fart jokes over and over again. Yeah, they may have been funny once, but now they just stink.

;)

[JCMAN320]

Lol true. Very well put Ninjahedge, now lets get back on topic about JC Rising!

[cweed]

I've been hearing lots about the west side of jersey city growing. Other than the condos in that area what else is being done to make it look/feel better? i heard about some redevelopment to route 440 to make it more like a boulevard? what about all the 'nasty' factories around 440, are there any plans to clean all that stuff up? As for the condos the residences at west side look pretty good, very good location, droyer's point also looks awesome as does the rest of society hill... i think that area definitely has lots of potential, just needs some fixing up... i mean if they put some more decent retail stores on 440, made sidewalks along the street and lit it up more it would looks great... and its right next to the newark bay, why not put a walkway all around the bay like they did in society hill, that would be really nice!

[JCMAN320]

By the way the development, the Bayside Development being done in partnership with NJCU, Rutgers and NJ Transit, is on the Westside section of the city which borders to the east with Greenville. That is the development in the Greenville area that everyone is refering to. This is all 3 blocks from me so its exciting to see a big development outside of Downtown. Here are links for more info. The top one is for the overall Westside section of the city and the second one is the main project, NJCU West Campus, that will jump start the development of the Westside from historically industrial with residential into all residential.
http://www.njcu.edu/programs/wsdev/
http://www.njcu.edu/programs/westcampus/

cweed check this out for the info on the westside, by the way Westside is safe but yes it could be safer.

[cweed]

Thanks JCMAN, very useful links with lots of information. Both their large scale and campus oriented plans are great and should definitely do wonders to the area. I had no idea that all those nasty buildings next to Home Depot were owned by the University. I hope they expand their plan past 440 and make it look nice near the water... They should do something with that area directly across Home Depot, across 440, from what I gather its contaminated and pretty empty, they should build some retail stores on it... expand the pathmark area to it with some more stores, that would be pretty cool...

[JCMAN320]

They are in the process of cleaning it up. That parcell known as the Honeywell Site, has no definitive plans yet, but they would like to build some more recreation there as well as retail and housing.

[Ninjahedge]

Is that where the bowling alley once was?

That was a dive, but it is a shame they got rid of it! That place was always PACKED! AND it gave a good, cheap round of bowling, with pizza! The most inexpensive I have seen within 20 miles of NYC!

Oh, I heard they closed it and are going to build, of all things, CONDOS there.


Money is on cookie-cutter pre-fabs... :(

[JCMAN320]

Yea it was a great dive, I live not far from there and had been bowling there since I was about 6 years old and was on many leagues there. I hear yea with the cookie cutter pre-fabs, thats going to suck, but on the plus side that they will possibly rebuild a new bowling alley in its place once they start reconstruction of the area.

[macmini]

December 2005
In New Jersey, a boom focuses eastward

Lower sales prices and Manhattan views dot the Hudson River with new condo projects

By Alison Gregor


http://www.therealdeal.net//issues/DECEMBER_2005/images/1133404553.jpg (javascript:openpopup('http://www.therealdeal.net//issues/DECEMBER_2005/images/1133404553.jpg',190,156,true);)
Development heats up across the Hudson: Jamie LeFrak at the site of the Shore Club Condominiums in Jersey City, across from Lower Manhattan.



Residential real estate developers are mining profits from New Jersey's "Gold Coast," where a building boom has conferred new cachet on a handful of Hudson River towns that have sometimes been overlooked. From Jersey City to Fort Lee, the riverfront communities across the Hudson from Manhattan are seeing new luxury development that competes with New York City projects loaded with amenities, but at half the price.

Developers say both condominiums and rental apartments are being snapped up. The Hudson Club at Port Imperial, a 344-unit condominium conversion in West New York, sold 50 apartments in its first week on the market in early November, said Beth Fisher, senior managing director at the Corcoran Group.

South of there, the Shore Club, being developed by the LeFrak Organization in Jersey City, moved 196 of 214 units in just over two months. The Beacon, a $350 million historical redevelopment project also located in Jersey City, slightly further inland, sold almost half of its 315 available units in five weeks, developer George Filopoulos, president of Metrovest Equities, said.

Buyers are responding to bargain-basement prices that are a subway stop away – at least in the Jersey City area, which is accessible by PATH trains that run all day.

"Jersey City got into the condo game a little later than the surrounding areas," Filopoulos said. "But you still have an opportunity to purchase an apartment at half of what it costs right across the river. As long as that remains the price point, I think all these projects slated for development will do very well."

The units being created in Jersey City and other Hudson County cities are mostly one- and two-bedroom apartments, along with a handful of studios, though the latter are typically more popular in Manhattan. There are fewer apartments with three bedrooms or more, though towns in formerly industrial parts of Bergen County are seeing the development of many townhouses as suburbanization spreads.

Besides The Beacon, which is pricing studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments from $300,000 to $700,000, there are several other projects in Jersey City, an urban area with a multitude of mass transit options and a commercial downtown viewed as an extension of Manhattan.

At the Zephyr Lofts in Jersey City, studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms are asking about $500 a square foot, around half the price of new development in Manhattan. Similarly, at the waterfront project Port Liberté, also in Jersey City, 766-square-foot condos start at $345,000.

A loft rental conversion called 150 Bay Street recently opened in the Powerhouse Warehouse Arts District, a formerly commercial area being marketed to artists as Jersey City's Soho. Developer Jeff Gural, chairman at Newmark, said he's testing the market for rentals among the new wave of condominiums. "It's tough to do a rental, because Jersey City really doesn't give you much of an incentive tax-wise," he said. "New York City gives you much bigger real estate tax incentives to do rentals."

Condominiums are a different story. A partnership of the Athena Group and GoldenTree InSite Partners is doing a $110 million, 33-story condo project called "A" condominiums with about 250 units.

Louis Dubin, Athena Group's president and CEO, said cheap land costs make condo development lucrative. "The land cost is considerably lower across the river in New Jersey, by a factor of anywhere from two to four," said the New York-based developer. "And although the projects on the Jersey waterfront tend to be union, like in Manhattan, construction costs tend to be a little less.

"Our opening prices are going to be a little bit less than half of the median for a new condominium in Manhattan," Dubin added. "The median is about $1,100 a square foot, and we're opening at between $525 and $550 a foot. It's a great deal."

About half of the developers working on New Jersey's Gold Coast are from New York, and half are from New Jersey or elsewhere, said developer Jamie LeFrak of the LeFrak Organization, one of the coastal area's largest developers. There are some advantages to developing property in New Jersey.

"Because of the difference in the way zoning is handled, our zoning is per dwelling unit in Jersey City, not per floor-area ratio, so apartments tend to be quite large and very liveable," LeFrak said. "A one-bedroom apartment is more like 800 square feet, unlike New York, where you'd see 650 square feet."

Even so, New York City has a much better scheme for tax abatements, LeFrak said, not to mention that publicity for new projects is well above that seen on New Jersey's coast.

"Somebody puts up eight units in Brooklyn, and suddenly, Brooklyn is Versailles," he said. "In Jersey City, there's been luxury high-rise development since we started there in 1985, but it still typically gets passed over by the New York-centric media. In a funny way, the same thing tends to be true of New Jersey media, which view the state's own waterfront as an extension of Manhattan."

The media may not overlook New Jersey's Gold Coast for long. The quantity of new residential development is catching attention – and may be inflating prices.

"The big thing with the whole Jersey City market right now is new construction, which is, of course, driving up all the other prices," said Michael Miller, a broker with New Jersey Gold Coast Real Estate. But the upper end of the market is still a struggle, he says. "Our hardest sale, especially in Jersey City, is $1 million and above. If a client comes here looking for that, they've probably already looked in Manhattan and determined they like the Jersey City lifestyle."

That lifestyle still may be lacking in retail services, though developers are providing a lot of commercial as part of their residential developments. For instance, more retail of is needed in Paulus Hook, Jersey City's answer to Greenwich Village, Filopoulos said.

But buyers are still flooding into the area. They include not only young professionals and growing families priced out of the New York market. Many buyers are "empty nesters" from inland New Jersey and even other parts of the country, Filopoulos said.


Developers build for a view

The market for New Jersey waterfront development appears to be bottomless as long as a project can offer views of Manhattan's skyscrapers.

Whether residents are commuting to Downtown Manhattan from Hoboken or to Midtown from north of Weehawken, they all have unparalleled views of a world-renowned skyline. Now there's enough growth in the area that builders can design projects to attract specific groups of potential buyers, rather than putting up a riverview building and seeing who wants to look east.

"The focus of every building we've done is views, views and more views, because that's really what developers are selling," said Michael Gelfand, partner and head of residential design at architects Gruzen Samton LLP.

The firm, which has an office in New York, is working on a project in just about every town along the Gold Coast of New Jersey, Gelfand said. Among them are the Watermark, WCI Communities' 206-unit condominium on River Road in North Bergen, and Tarragon Corporation's 168-unit development One Hudson Park – the first new construction high-rise condominium to be built in Edgewater, just across the water from the Upper West Side and Harlem.

The latter is completely feng shui-inspired and intended to appeal to Edgewater's Asian community, which may indicate how much the Gold Coast market has matured, Gelfand said.

"Because the market has gotten bigger, these don't have to be generic buildings that appeal to anybody and everybody because these are pioneering neighborhoods," he said. "Now that demand has increased, you're going to see these buildings geared more toward specific demographics."

Along those lines, Florida's WCI Communities, which bills itself as the largest publicly-held developer of luxury residential towers, will be offering a resort-style development in the Watermark that appeals to the company's typical buyer – one located outside of the New York City metropolitan area, Gelfand said.

Michael Miller, a broker with New Jersey Gold Coast Real Estate, said that the large amount of residential development coming to the market on the Gold Coast has led him to caution investors.

"I tell them, especially those looking [in Bergen County], to look at things that have unique properties to them," he said. "I think it may become a difficult market if you buy a condominium that doesn't have anything unique to it, like a view of Manhattan or larger square footage."

[macmini]

American Can Company to become 202 condos; may see 600 in total

At its Nov. 29 meeting, the Planning Board approved a 202-unit luxury condo project at the site of the old American Can Company located between Dey Street and St. Paul's Avenue. Another 398 units may be built in future phases of the residential project.


The American Can Company left the property in 1974 after having occupied it since 1929 (see sidebar). The building has held various commercial tenants since that time.

The new project, tentatively named Hudson Lofts, will be the first major development to occur in the recently designated MWORD, or Marion Works Office/Residential District.

The nine-block district is located west of Journal Square near Tonnele Avenue, an area that for years has been the home of factories and other industrial operations. In April, the Planning Board approved a new redevelopment plan that would allow residential buildings to be constructed there between St. Paul's and Newark avenues.

What 'can' be possible?

The American Can Company was spread over a series of five buildings on St. Paul's Avenue. Only two of the five buildings will be turned into the 202 units right now, although another 398 units may be built in the other three buildings in future phases.

In the two buildings, a total of 382,041square feet will be residential and 1,200 square feet will be retail.

Of the 202 condos, 137 will be one-bedrooms and 65 will be two-bedrooms. They will be constructed on the second to eighth floors, with a parking garage of 140 spaces on the first and second floors. There will be another 15 parking spaces at the end of Dey Street, near the current entrance to the complex. Also, a one-story penthouse will be constructed.

James McCann, attorney for New York City-based Coalco Construction Services, the developers, said construction is expected to start at end of March 2006. That was confirmed by Coalco Director of Marketing Edward Yorukoff, who said there should be units available for sale in January 2007 with occupancy expected by the summer of that year.

Coalco purchased the entire American Can Company complex this past summer. Yorukoff would not offer the purchase price for the building or how much the total project will cost.

Yorukoff also said the project will see a total of 600 units built in the five buildings in the next couple of years.

Yorukoff said the prices of the units range from $200,000 to $600,000 for 1,500 to 2,000 square feet. He said they are being priced lower than condos on the Jersey City waterfront to attract prospective residents immediately.

"People are looking to live in Jersey City because it's an up-and-coming place with all the development happening, but they see high prices on the waterfront and feel they can't live here," said Yorukoff. "It's also a nice opportunity to see development of an area that has been neglected for quite a while."

Yorukoff also mentioned some of the unique elements of the rehab project, including lofts with ceiling heights from 14.5 feet to 27.5 feet. Also, there would be amenities in the building such as a dog run, a pool, a kids' room, and a screening room.

Coalco Construction Services was formed in 1997 as a subsidiary of Coalco International, a global investment and development company with experience in the U.S., Central European and Russian real estate markets. The president of the company is Mihkail Kurnev. The Jersey City project is their first in the city and in Hudson County.

Among their completed projects are a 13-unit luxury apartment building in the SoHo section of Manhattan and several renovated buildings in Lower Manhattan that are leased by New York University for student housing.


'Can' not be happier


At the Planning Board meeting, Ward C City Councilman Steve Lipski praised the development effort. The American Can Company buildings are located in Lipski's ward, and only blocks from his residence.

" a huge re-use project involving a cornerstone of a solid part of Jersey City's history. It's something that can contribute to an area that can use some rejuvenation," said Lipski.

Lipski added, "Ward C and especially Journal Square are ripe for the development and the renaissance that Downtown [Jersey City] has seen."

Lipski also looked forward to the American Can Company rehab project jumpstarting other potential development projects within his ward.

"Once developers see this project going forward, there will be action on the Hotel on the Square and the old Mueller's factory site on Baldwin Avenue," said Lipski. "Developers will also look more inward and see the potential of Ward C and Journal Square."

He compared developing the American Can Company buildings to the redevelopment of the old Jersey City Medical Center at Baldwin Avenue and Montgomery Avenue, now known as the Beacon Condominium project. That project includes the rehabbing of most of the 10-building complex with 1,200 units to be built over the next several years starting in 2006.

Lipski added, "Those two [American Can] buildings will attract a new, more affluent class of people who, along with those in the community, will help transform this part of town."

Lipski made the correlation between the culture of Downtown Jersey City (Ward E) and the amount of development and city attention that ward gets for projects such as the Sixth Street Embankment.

"Ward E gets what they want because they have an educated group of people who are able to organize and squeak as loud as they want," said Lipski.
SIDEBAR
What was American Can (Canco)?


On top of the American Can Company building, there used to be a sign displaying the company's name, greeting drivers approaching the Pulaski Skyway to and from Jersey City. The company was stalwart like Colgate Toothpaste, Mueller's Macaroni and other factories of the city's industrial past, when locals could find a job for life and earn enough to raise a family.

The American Can Company, known back in the day as Canco, built the factory in 1929 for $5 million. The company operated out of Jersey City until 1974 when it closed operations and move to Connecticut and New York.

In its heyday, the company was responsible for making aerosol cans, milk cartons and glass bottles with brand names such as Dixie and Marathon. It also employed over 3,000 people, many of whom were bitter over the closing.

Then-Mayor Paul Jordan, as quoted in a 1979 New York Daily News article, called the closing "the cheapest shot" during his administration.

Bob Leach, head of the Jersey City Historical Project and a lifelong city resident, remembered the mark the company and its building left on the city's residents.

"My grandmother lived on Corbin Avenue when I was a kid, not far from American Can, and she would take me to see the building and the size of it was overwhelming," said Leach. "Also, when I was a teenager, I recalled people telling me to get a job there because it paid $2 an hour, which was a big deal back in those days."

After the closing, a succession of tenants occupied the complex. The first two buildings were slated to have been utilized as a cyber hotel until the Internet boom of the 1990s went bust by the end of the decade.

Coalco Construction said currently there are tenants in the other three buildings that are not rehabbed yet, but their lease will expire by late 2006 and will not be renewed. - Ricardo Kaulessar


[I]©The Hudson Reporter 2005

[vc10]

Are there any stats available on how the population of Jersey City has changed over time? There's been so much development there since the 80s that must have had an impact.

[macmini]

Are there any stats available on how the population of Jersey City has changed over time? There's been so much development there since the 80s that must have had an impact.

This is what I got from the Census Bureau.

2004
239,079

2000
240,055

1990
228,537

[vc10]

Less than I would have imagined. I'd guess that the demographics of the city have changed quite a bit and that where people live has changed considerably as well.


This is what I got from the Census Bureau.

2004
239,079

2000
240,055

1990
228,537

[macmini]

Developer seeking deals along Hudson

Plans residential buildings


Wednesday, December 14, 2005BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN

Star-Ledger Staff

Hartz Mountain Industries is pursuing a series of moves on the Hudson River waterfront to take advantage of the simmering residential real estate market on New Jersey's so-called Gold Coast, executives with knowledge of the deals said.

In recent weeks, the Secaucus-based company has closed in on a deal with Roseland Property for a major residential building at one of Hartz' sites in Jersey City. Hartz is also seeking deals for another residential building in Jersey City and one at a site near the Lincoln Tunnel in Weehawken.
The deals come at a time when the market for high-end residential real estate along the Hudson River has never been hotter. Last month, Donald Trump tossed his name in, allowing developer Dean Geibel to market two condominium towers under the Trump name, furthering the Gold Coast's reputation as New York's "sixth borough."

Hartz President Emanuel Stern declined to discuss the deals, though Carl Goldberg, a principal with Roseland Property in Short Hills confirmed the talks with Hartz.

"We are in negotiations with Hartz for a residential building in Jersey City," Goldberg said. "I am aware they are pursuing deals on the two other parcels, but we are only involved in the one Jersey City site."

For Hartz, signing deals with residential builders represents an opportunity to collect tens of millions of dollars in development fees without the risk that comes with diving into unfamiliar territory. Hartz owns nearly 40 million square feet of property in New Jersey and New York, including the Mill Creek Mall in Secaucus and Soho Grand and Tribeca Grand hotels in New York.

However, Hartz specializes in industrial, commercial and hotel space, and most successful developers make a habit of sticking to the parts of the business they know best.

Roseland, on the other hand, has been one of the state's top residential builders, and already has built hundreds of units on the Hudson waterfront at Port Imperial. The company, based in Short Hills, describes itself as the "premier urban redeveloper in the Northeast."

Stern, meanwhile, has shown an ability to time the real estate market on the waterfront as well as anyone. In 1998 and 1999, after years of inactivity in that area, Hartz built two office towers at 70 and 90 Hudson St. in Jersey City before any tenants had committed to the properties. Both buildings were fully leased before construction was complete.

That experience helped convince Stern that Jersey City was a market worth investing in, especially with prices for medium-size, two-bedroom apartments selling for $600,000 to $800,000.

"Jersey City has always proven itself to be robust in whatever market it has entered," Stern said during an interview in September after Trump and Geibel announced plans for 50- and 55-story luxury towers. "It's only natural that there should be a condominium element there."

The partnership between Hartz and Roseland is ironic since Stern has waged a two-year battle against the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and the $1.3 billion Xanadu retail and entertainment center. Goldberg is the sports authority's chairman.

However, the two men have always respected each other professionally, and Stern also has a relationship with Marshall Tycher, Roseland's top partner.

[jay_bones15]

I haven't been in JC in a long time...and I remember that section kind of run down. I am thinking of moving back, and I am looking at a couple of properties (close the the light rale and Lib State Park) and was wondering how the neighborhood changed in the past few years?

I heard there was a lot of residental development slated/built in the area, including a 22 million joint private-community project. What worries me is out of 200 units or so built, 57 are set aside for "affordable housing"...does that mean they are building projects in the area?

Any help would be appreciated.

thanks in advance!

[JCMAN320]

Jay current and life long JC resident here. The area is picking up and they are building a large amount of new residential but they still have to get the gangs out of there but I think they will evenutally be ran out. They are not building projects, infact they are knocking them down and rebuilding in their place townhouses that people actually own. They look great. Also you can't live in them if you have a criminal record. Great way of getting the criminals out. The area is picking up but it will take a few more years to get some of the remaining crime out.

[Ninjahedge]

Jay current and life long JC resident here. The area is picking up and they are building a large amount of new residential but they still have to get the gangs out of there.....

There were reports of a shooting yesterday of just that nature.....

:(

[JCMAN320]

Yea unfortunately these kids and gangs are increasing across the nation, they should be considered homeland terrorists.

[Ninjahedge]

Less educational dollars going to things like after school programs.

It takes a few years for you to see the results, but sure enough, here they come!

[JCMAN320]

True

[BrooklynRider]

I had a long walk along Hudson River Park on Saturday. There are three cranes over Jersey City that I could see. Anyone know if it is anything that will enhance the skyline?

[JCMAN320]

Yes 3 30 story plus condo towers and one 20 story.

[LocoAko]

Haven't been here in a long time lol.

I'm anxious for the Westside development to get really going. They knocked down half the buildings but they stopped due to winter.

I wish they'd try to develop this area like downtown with a lot of skyscrapers, etc. but that will be difficult. View of NYC versus view of Newark. :o

Anyway, I didn't look at the specific plans for the project. Does anyone know if it will solely be an NJCU campus or anything else?

[JCMAN320]

It will be NJCU, and condos and retail.

[JCMAN320]

$9M TAG: NOW THAT'S RICH
Saturday, January 14, 2006

By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

What can $9 million get you in Jersey City?

An entire block, or two maybe, in Greenville or the Heights, some prime office space in the Goldman Sachs building or perhaps a seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom, single-family home Downtown.

That's what Hong Kong-born artist turned Manhattan general contractor Simon Chan wants for his posh, 11,000-square-foot-plus blend of modernism, Feng Shui and 21st century bravado.

The hefty price tag is believed to be the highest listing price for a single-family home in the city's history, and may represent a turning point, as the market attracts a more eclectic group of builders willing to invest in lavish homes with an urban flare.

"This type of building used to be reserved for Manhattan and Bergen County," said Chan's real estate specialist, Gershon Adjaye, of Keller Williams Realty. "Based on properties selling in places like Edgewater, the quality of the construction and the square footage, we came up with the price."

The luxurious loft-style home, which has already been looked at by several hip-hop artists whom Chan wouldn't name, is on the 300 block of First Street and sits on a modest, blue-collar block lined with row houses and a few used cars. Its pizzazz lies in its interior, hidden behind the house's frosted glass.

With heated marble floors, a spiral staircase crafted from imported Chinese white jade tile and an indoor pool, the historic building has come a long way since its days as a smoked meat factory and later a general store.

But Chan went out of his way to keep some of the building's historic elements, rebuilding the exterior with the original bricks and keeping the original bluestone columns.

Several pieces of furniture - which Chan said can be negotiated along with the house - were built using original pine wood, a contrast to some other furniture, such as a computer chair built from a Ford truck bumper, which offers a more modern feel.

However, the historic flare quickly gives way to modern technology. Among other detailing, the house features more than 300 light bulbs that are tied into digital dimmer switches, as well as a computerized bathroom glass door that turns from transparent to foggy when closed.

Maybe the toniest part of the house is a series of skylights that run from the ceiling to the ground floor, including one on the second-floor that also serves as a foot bridge. While the skylight adds some eye-catching design, like most items in this house, it also serves a function.

"If you got a pool in the basement, you need some sun," said Chan, referring to his 490-square-foot, 5-foot deep pool.

Chan takes advantage of the home's urban environment with a dazzling, 1,000-square-foot roof deck that provides views of the Jersey City skyline, with its staggered high-rises and numerous buildings under construction.

And what used to be the uncommonly large chimney has now turned into Chan's self-described "penthouse" suite, currently occupied by his daughter.

Chan bought the building several years ago for about $400,000 before turning it into his own art project. The house is currently assessed at slightly less than that, according to city records.

This will not be Chan's last project in Jersey City. He bought some property in Port Liberte and has similar plans for it.

"Jersey City has so much room to grow, and its history can be converted into some fantastic places," said Chan. "And I plan to do that."

[LocoAko]

Thanks for the reply.

Condos? I guess they're connecting the new developments down on Mallory and just making one huge project.

And that Feng-Shui house - that's not the house behind Ferris Highschool, is it? I pass it sometimes and I know it has large blue-frosted windows.

[JCMAN320]

No problem. No it's not the Feng Shui house I know the one your talking about thats the one on the corner of Christopher Colombus Dr. and Brunswick St. The home in the article is on the the 300 block of 1st St.

By the way yea the Westside Station homes on Mallory and Claremont Ave. are part of the whole Bayside Development, buy yes both the Westsdie Station project and New Jersey City University West Campus project are in very close proximity and will act as an extention of the existing neighborhood.

[LocoAko]

Thanks for the reply.

I hope the new campus looks nice. Maybe I'll have some nice new scenary for photography. LOL

[macmini]

700 Grove
700 Grove Street
www.700grove.com (http://www.700grove.com/)
Developer: Toll Brothers
Condo's
started: 2005
finished: 2006
Stories: 12
230-unit

http://static.flickr.com/41/88329955_bee057146f_o.jpg

[macmini]

Liberty harbor
http://http://www.libertyharbor.com

The Liberty Harbor North Redevelopment is ready to leap from the drawing board into reality!

Peter Mocco and Jeff Zak are the principal developers of the $2 billion project. Andres Duany, chief architect of Liberty Harbor North, is known for the famed "New Urbanism" city planning concept, as exemplified by the Seaside development in Florida.

The 86-acre mixed-use development will have more than 6,000 units in housing; 775,000 square-feet for retail; 175,000 square-feet for school facilties; 1.1 million square-feet for a hotel; and 4.6 million square-feet for offices.

http://www.libertyharbor.com/images/405.jpg
During the Spring months of 2005, we’ve been working hard developing Liberty Harbor. And as we survey the grounds in April, we see five brand new City roads, seven blocks worth of new basement and garage construction, and the foundations and footings for our beautiful homes in Section 1.

http://www.libertyharbor.com/images/505.jpg
Should you find yourself winding through Grand Street and Liberty View Drive in May, you’ll see our masons preparing the grounds for the pouring of townhouse and brownstone foundations. Meanwhile, we continue our work shaping and developing the seven new City blocks on our site.

http://www.libertyharbor.com/images/605ii.jpg
June 2005

http://www.libertyharbor.com/images/705.jpg
Summer is in full swing, and so is construction throughout Liberty Harbor. Our roads are growing, utilities are being connected, and no fewer than three new City blocks of townhouses and brownstones are rising from their construction sites. Perhaps most exciting of all, the largest structure in our community, the Condominium, has its foundation in place as we prepare for its framing to begin.

http://www.libertyharbor.com/images/805ii.jpg
Construction is now in full view, the lumber has arrived. The townhouses and brownstones are being framed; the first floors are just taking shape. All other construction is moving forward on schedule.

http://www.libertyharbor.com/images/905.jpg
The townhouses and brownstones we began in the Spring have come into their own. These luxury homes in sections 4 and 1 have transformed the landscape of Grand Street from a site of great potential to a warm, welcoming neighborhood.

http://www.libertyharbor.com/images/1005.jpg
Standing at our newly constructed intersection between Liberty View Drive and Grand Street, you’ll greet the epically beautiful Statue of Liberty in unobstructed sight. Our luxury townhouses and brownstones are completely framed. Soon their structures will be complete when the roofers arrive to cap these beautiful homes.

http://www.libertyharbor.com/images/1105ii.jpg
November 2005

http://www.libertyharbor.com/images/1205i.jpg
December 2005

http://www.libertyharbor.com/images/0206i.jpg
February 2006

[macmini]

GlobeSt.com UPDATE: Trump Partner Gets $171M Loan
By Eric Peterson
Last updated: January 18, 2006 08:20am

JERSEY CITY-Corus Bank has closed on a $171-million loan to Vector Urban Renewal Associates I, an affiliate of the Hoboken-based Metro Homes and its head, Dean Geibel. The financing is for Trump, Jersey City, a massive residential/retail complex that Metro Homes and Geibel are developing in partnership with Donald J. Trump.

As GlobeSt.com reported at the time, the project was unveiled back in late September with a price tag estimated at $415 million. When completed, it will be operated under the Trump umbrella of properties and managed by the Trump Organization.

“Despite the large loan size, the bank was able to close the transaction without participants,” says Keith Gibbons, first vice president of Corus Bank, a subsidiary of the Chicago-based Corus Bankshares Inc. Rising on a two-acre parcel at Washington and Bay streets in this city’s Exchange Place neighborhood, the complex’s two towers, when completed, will be the tallest buildings in the State of New Jersey. The project will include a 531,500-sf tower topping out at 55 stories and containing 445 condo homes. The second tower, reaching 50 floors, will total more than 480,000 sf and have 417 homes.

Work will start on the larger of the two towers first, and both will be linked by a 330,000-sf, seven-story base that will include a parking structure with a capacity of nearly 700 cars. The base unit will also house 23,000 sf of retail space, a business center, a private 8,000-sf fitness and a rooftop plaza with an outdoor heated pool, among other things.

Construction is being done by Bovis Lend Lease on a design produced by DeWitt Tishman Architects. The development partners are targeting the end of 2007 for initial occupancy.

[injcsince81]

Hey, macmini, thanks for the great info on Trump financing and Liberty Harbor. Between you and jcman you guys provide all the new info one needs on JC, the coolest town in the NYC Metro area (outside Manhattan, of course).

Anyway - I have a couple of questions:

1. Do you know if Liberty Harbor project will overtake (buy out) the Hugo Neu recycling plant which it currently seems to border?

2. Do you know if there are plans afoot to extend Jersey Ave and connect it to Phillip St across the canal? I know there was some activist opposition to that, despite the fact that the current foot bridge is called Rape Bridge (for obvious reasons). Extending the Jersey Ave would be very expensive; involving either building a vehicular bridge or filling in part of the canal, but it would make so much sense given the development of Liberty Harbor and the neighboring The View.

[JCMAN320]

Hey in jcsince81 I think I speak for me and Macmini when I say thanks for the compliments. Getting to your questions:

1. I believe that they will, I don't see why not. The recycling plant can be moved else where in a more industrial area of the city such as along 1&9.

2. Yes, I have heard numerous calls for Jersey Ave. to be extended over that small back stretch of the Morris Canal. That area can be filled pretty easilly or have it piped underneath the new bridge. There is that road that lead up to it on Philips St. and there is even a traffic light at the end of Jersey Ave. right before the bridge where the Light-Rail crosses over, so basically given the View being built right across from Jersey Ave. they will be extending.

[macmini]

Thanks for the compliments JCsince81 as for the recycling plant I was just about to ask the same question. An the Developer for the Liberty Harbor North project Peter Mocco has said that he would like to extend Jersey Ave but now the activist are involved so dont know if it's going happen.:(

[macmini]

his was posted by Historyrules on JC List great article in The Sunday Star-Ledger about the PowerHouse located at First Street and Washington Boulevard on the Jersey City waterfront.

http://www.jerseycityhistory.net/Scan10012_1.jpg

http://www.jerseycityhistory.net/Scan10013.jpg

[Dagrecco82]

"At least two major developers have expressed interest in doing the makeover, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy recently went to Baltimore to discuss the project with David Cordish, a developer whose firm turned the powerhouse in that city's inner harbor district into a tourist attraction."

I went to Baltimore last year and saw what they had done with the powerhouse. It was full of tourist eating at the 2 restaurants there and browsing at the Barnes and Noble which took up most the building.

http://plynx3.comfluent.net/images/nowitz/images/CD1351/HiRez/CD1351-0151.jpg
copyright www.nowitz.com (http://www.nowitz.com)

[JCMAN320]

Bomb screen testing set for PATH station

Wednesday, January 25, 2006
By RON MARSICO
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

A temporary airport-like security system to detect explosives will be set up next month at the Exchange Place PATH station in Jersey City as the first phase of a federal test program designed to beef up rail safety across the country, officials said yesterday.

Between Feb. 6 and March 1, the roughly 15,000 passengers who use the station each day will encounter X-ray baggage machines, walk-through metal-detectors and other screening devices.

Unlike the security systems at airports, the Rail Security Project will not require passengers to empty their pockets, turn off their laptops or take off their shoes when being screened.

If alarms sound, bags may be swiped to check them electronically for explosives residue and passengers may be subjected to a follow-up search with a hand-held wand, officials said.

Screeners at Exchange Place will be private contract employees from San Francisco International Airport who will be on loan from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

[macmini]

St. Francis Hospital Redevelopment


St. Francis Hospital has been a major anchor on Jersey City's Hamilton Park for nearly 150 years. The Franciscan Sisters of the Pooe founded the hospital originally as a three-story brick house on Hamilton Square in 1863.The hospital expanded several times turning the east side of Hamilton Park into a jumble of building styles on a non conforming footprint.The building contained approximately 400,000 square feet of floor area.

Proposed Phases of Development

Transform the existing hospital structure located on the east side of Hamilton Park and two nearby parcels - the parking garage on Erie street and the vacant lot located at 210 Ninth Street - into residences, commercial/retail space, and enclosed parking.

The first phase of development should take place in the spring of 2006 on McWilliams Place and will take approximately one year to complete.This phase will include the facad replacement of the brown brick tower, the restoration of the circa 1920's building on the corner of Erie and Ninth Streets, and the construction of a new six story infill building on the corner of McWilliams Place and Ninth Street. In addition, the main building immediately to the south will be razed at this time. When completed, this block will contain approximately 125 residences.

The second phase of the project will be the new construction of approximately 75 and the adaptive reuse of the Nursing School on Eighth Street into appromimately 35 residences. All of the building will contain ground floor commercial space and underground parking. The commercial space contemplated to be located within the project include boutiques and cafes, The Garden Pre-School, a gym/health club and doctors/professional offices.

The Third phase of the project will be the dismantling of the parking garage on Erie Street, and replacing it with a new aesthetically pleasing brick and glass structure that will include indoor parking and approximately 65 residences with ground floor retail. The vacant lot at 210 Ninth Street will see the new construction of a five story residential building compatible with the adjacent structures.

Exeter is also committed to contributing to the rehabilitation and preservation of Hamilton Park, and has begun to refurbish the existing chain link fence that surrounds the Park.


You can find more renderings at http://www.saintfrancisjerseycity.com/

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/dojomojo/stfrancis.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/14/91819604_896db3f4fb_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/41/91819608_80218d173c_o.jpg

[JCMAN320]

Bike trails coming; medical facility on hold
Residents object to nursing home at Planning Board meeting

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 01/21/2006

The construction of a 300-bed nursing home and rehabilitation facility on Stevens Avenue was postponed by the Planning Board at a Jan. 10 meeting due to objections by area residents.

Yea this right up the street from my house. Right now its 4 stories and small. To give an idea of my neighborhood its small houses, row houses, and browstones and apartment buildings no more than 4 or 5 stories. They want to extend this facility further down the block and make it 8 stories in a very residential area. Even the hospital near by is only 5 stories.

Also, the board voted to add a citywide bike plan to the city's Master Plan for future development, and to start rehabbing J. Owen Grundy Park at Exchange Place.


Still not what the doctor ordered

Stevens Avenue Realty had first made a presentation to the Planning Board in November for the construction of the Fowler Avenue Health Care Center, a new nursing home and rehabilitation facility at 196-198 Stevens Ave. A 198-bed facility currently exists at the site.

The board was scheduled to vote on the facility at its most recent hearing, Jan. 10. But after hearing residents of Stevens and Van Nostrand avenues object to it, the board tabled the application.

The residents objected to the height of the new building and a possible lack of parking for visitors and residents. That led to the board insisting that the attorneys for the developers meet with residents in the next couple of weeks to agree upon how the facility should be built before any site plan is presented again in front of the Planning Board.


Making JC more bicycle-friendly

The city has contemplated for a number of years a bikeway system that would encourage more bicycle use within the city and promote bike tourism.

The Planning Board approved at its Jan. 10 meeting the addition of a professionally-prepared Jersey City Bikeway System plan to the city's Master Plan. Bill Feldman, manager of bicycle and transportation for the RBA Group, the firm that prepared the bikeway plan, spoke at the meeting.

Under the bikeway system, the city would be broken up into five sections with signs pointing out various destinations within those sections. The five sections would be Downtown, The Heights, Journal Square, Lafayette-Greenville, and Liberty State Park.

The bikeway system would share public roadways and include route signage for bicyclists and warning signs for motorists.

Once signs are installed, a study will be conducted by the city's Department of Public Works to determine if the bikeway system could include actual bike lanes that would be placed in possible locations such as Mallory Avenue, Washington Boulevard, Washington Street, Christopher Columbus Drive, and Phillip Street.

There is also consideration to link the bikeway system to the East Coast Greenway, a 2,500-mile series of nature paths and roadways that runs from Maine to Florida.

Rebuilding waterfront park

The Planning Board also gave the city the go-ahead to start working on rehabbing the J. Owen Grundy Park. The waterfront park, located at the foot of Exchange Place, was built in 1985 and has seen a great deal of wear and tear in recent years.

Glenn Wrigley, the city's chief architect, spoke to the Planning Board about how parts of the park have deteriorated, such as the railings and plants around the park. Also, it had been determined that the seawall that protects the park from the Hudson River has been breaking down.

Wrigley said that the rehab project will replace the wooden decking on the pier, new tables and lights in the park, and the seawall.

Also, the performing stage at the end of the park will see a new cover and a new power system to facilitate performances.

[macmini]

99 Montgomery a small project but one of my favorite projects under construction in Jersey City. On the corner of Montgomery and Warren it has Curved Glass structure with the Historic Facade still in place.

you can see construction pics @ 99 Montgomery (http://www.emporis.com/en/il/pc/?id=244335&aid=19&sro=1&yr=2005&mt=9")

http://www.libertyrealestate.com/dynamic/images/lf157487_99mont2.jpg

[macmini]

GROVE POINTE
Grove Ponite now has a website their is not much information on the site the full site is still under construction. www.grovepointecondos.com (http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/www.grovepointecondos.com)

29 stories
525 residential units and 535 parking spots
* 67 condominiums
* 458 rental apartments

Besides the residential building, the project also calls for developers to re-design the one-block section of Newark Avenue (borders are Grove and Marin) as well as the triangular park area that includes the entrance to the Grove Street PATH station.
The ground floor facade will host 20,000 sq.ft. of retail space. The plans envision streetside cafes with outside tables, trees, planters, bike racks, and decorative lights. The functional backside of the building (on Morgan) will also be landscaped and decoratively lit.

http://image50.webshots.com/150/7/60/48/452276048vkXnqZ_ph.jpg
http://image50.webshots.com/50/7/65/3/452276503hkADaI_ph.jpg

[z22]

Is the second picture the side that faces Marin?

(http://image60.webshots.com/60/7/63/31/452276331XWqksk_ph.jpg)

It looks terrible, like a giant wall. I wonder how ugly it is to look from Manhattan to JC just to see this monster?

JC should have an ordinance to prohibit this type of building design especially the one that faces east & west. Imaging this building sits on the Hudson Street. The skyline will be ruin.

[JCMAN320]

Renderings always don't look as good as the real thing. Calm down it will most likely look better when finished. Ther are no stores in bottom on rendering and scale is always off. By the way I LOVE this building on Mongomery street. Absolutely awesome.

[z22]

I found 3 pictures from Emporis:

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=397518
http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=397521
http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=404144

Looks like it has gone through many revisions on the design. From the last picture I cann't tell which way I'm looking at. Seems like totally different building from other 2 pictures.

[lofter1]

The last one ( http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=404144 ) looks a lot like a new building going up in Battery Park City:

http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showpost.php?p=30968&postcount=14

http://img30.exs.cx/img30/6428/nyc_batteryparkgreencondo.jpg

http://www.sheldrake.com/projects/batterypark.html#

http://www.sheldrake.com/images/projects/batteryparkb.jpg (http://www.sheldrake.com/projects/batterypark.html#)

[JCMAN320]

OPPS LOL it looks like some one on emporis linked a pic of the building in Battery Park to Grove Pointe area.

[JCMAN320]

GONE IN 60 DAYS?
April 1 deadline for 2 buildings to fall

Wednesday, February 01, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The two biggest eyesores in Journal Square will be gone in two months, under the latest demolition plan promised by city officials.

The two properties - the Hotel on the Square building, at 8-11 Journal Square, and a three-story commercial property at 17-23 Journal Square - will be demolished by April 1, city Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis says.

The demolition is part of a massive rehabilitation plan for the block adjacent to the Journal Square Transportation Center.

Most of the block, including the two largest properties slated for demolition, is owned by New York real estate investor Ralph Tawil Jr. and his family. Their buildings have racked up nearly $4 million in building, sanitation and fire code fines, city officials said.

Neither Ralph Tawil nor his attorney returned phone calls for comment.

The Tawils haven't met city-imposed deadlines in the past, and Matsikoudis said they haven't agreed to the April 1 deadline in writing.

But with a Feb. 22 court date on the fines looming, he said he's confident they will abide by it this time.

"It's clear they (the Tawils) are supposed to have certain work done by that date (Feb. 22), and work afterwards," Matsikoudis said.

The city, Matsikoudis indicated, is willing to collect less than the full $4 million in fines in return for steady progress on the demolition.

Forcing the Tawils to pay the fines, Matsikoudis said, "may serve as a disincentive for the Tawils to take the action that is most important, which is to have these hazardous buildings demolished so the city can move forward on redeveloping Journal Square."

Asbestos removal at 17-23 Journal Square is ongoing and will start at the hotel building tomorrow, he said.

The timetable for demolishing a row of one-story commercial buildings between the PATH station and the hotel - also owned by the Tawils - hasn't been established, Matsikoudis said.

Daily Tortillas, Three Brothers Pizza, and a check cashing establishment are still operating along the strip.

[macmini]

The April 1st date is not going to happen I believe nothing that the Tawils say they have made promise after promise. An why is the City bowing down to them they have racked 4 mil in fines that the city is no trying to collect, the city sould just take the property by use of eminent domain. The City could sale the property to another developer make some much needed money from the sale and have the site redeveloped. This makes no sense to me I think it will take years before they do anthing with this site. :confused:

[macmini]

Is the second picture the side that faces Marin?

(http://image60.webshots.com/60/7/63/31/452276331XWqksk_ph.jpg)

It looks terrible, like a giant wall. I wonder how ugly it is to look from Manhattan to JC just to see this monster?

JC should have an ordinance to prohibit this type of building design especially the one that faces east & west. Imaging this building sits on the Hudson Street. The skyline will be ruin.
Frist of all the side the faces Marin Blvd is not my fav but the overall I like the design of the bilding. It's better then some of the boring boxes going up in this city like most of Newport. The Columbus Plaza will be located directly across from Grove Point and both have started construction. And z22 lets not act like that every thing in Manhattan is great to look at.


Enough Said!!!
http://static.flickr.com/7/21459550_73a087a92e_b.jpg
(http://static.flickr.com/7/21459550_73a087a92e.jpg?v=0)

[z22]

Dude, have I ever said any good word on any building in Manhattan? I am a Jersey guy so I’m particularly interested in development in JC. That’s why I wish to have better looking buildings in JC. Let’s face it. Many buildings they design are crap.

I love to see building that seems like having real architects going up in JC, 99 Montgomery is one of them. I like it a lot!

Look at Port Liberte phase 1, it is real nice and charming:
http://www.portlibertedirect.com/townhouses.html (click at the photo #1).

Now, when the new developer took over, they started designing like boxes again (click at the photo #2). In any case, they are not the worst. Looks like they try to put some thought to the design on newer buildings, like http://www.appliedco.com/aboutUs/pipeline/libertyResidences.shtml. I don’t know when it is time to really build them, they might get back to boxes again…

So, I guess it is not financially feasible to build a better building in JC at the moment. Let’s hope that developers don’t fill up space in JC with crap.

[JCMAN320]

I agree there not great but they are not crap. There is always room for improvemnet. Again many towers going up in Manhattan with the exception of a select few are all boxy and not that appealing.

[macmini]

z22 it has nothing to do with being financially feasible most developers are just lazy. The Shore Club, The Residences at Liberty, Liberty Terrace, A Condos, and The Schroeder Lofts show it is financially feasible it just depends on the developer.

[JCMAN320]

Yup macmini your right. If the developer cares he will try to make it nice.

[macmini]

Jersey City makes the short list for Jets home office site


http://www.chrisbernardo.info/images/jets.jpg
By JANET FRANKSTON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

NEWARK - The New York Jets are considering five northern New Jersey sites - including Jersey City - for the team's new corporate headquarters and practice facility, including a former Exxon headquarters in Florham Park.

Also in the running: Wood-Ridge, Berkeley Heights and Millburn.
As part of the deal to jointly build a new stadium at the Meadowlands with the New York Giants, the Jets agreed to move their headquarters to the Garden State from Hofstra University on Long Island.

A final decision, made by the team with the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, is expected by March 1.

The authority plans to either purchase 20 acres or enter into a long-term lease for the site, to include a 110,000-square-foot building and one indoor and three outdoor football fields.


The Jets sought land that would be easy to develop within 20 miles of the Meadowlands and Newark Liberty International Airport, yet accessible to Manhattan and near a range of housing, hotels and medical facilities.

Jets president Jay Cross said the team considered more than 40 properties.
The move from Hempstead is expected to generate more than $10 million each year in new taxes, according to the Jets.

George Zoffinger, president and CEO of the sports authority, said his agency will make sure the site makes the most economic sense for New Jersey.
A law approved last month expanded the sports authority's role to buy or lease land for the training facility away from the East Rutherford sports complex where the Giants will continue to practice on a new 20-acre site.

"I'm happy about the Jets possibly coming here," Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said in a statement. "Jersey City, with its proximity to New York and all the amenities we can offer, is a great fit for the Jets."

Marissa Shorenstein, a spokeswoman for the Jets, said the team hasn't yet determined if it will also develop land surrounding the practice facility.


© 2006 The Jersey Journal

[macmini]

The big orange is coming

Planning Board approves Home Depot near Holland Tunnel



The Planning Board gave approval Tuesday for a 50-foot-tall Home Depot near the Holland Tunnel, a project that originally was rejected in September after residents expressed traffic concerns.

The store will be situated on a 3.3-acre site surrounded by 12th Street, 14th Street, Manila Avenue, and Marin Boulevard.

When the application was rejected by the board this past fall, it was despite the fact that the store conformed to the Holland Tunnel Redevelopment Plan in which it is located.

This led Home Depot to file an appeal in the state Superior Court.

A Superior Court judge sent the application back to the board, saying it would have to vote only on the basis of whether the store conformed to the redevelopment plan.

The board had no choice but to vote in favor of the project last week.

Back in 2003, the store had originally been proposed for a site near Jersey Avenue, but those plans never panned out due to similar opposition from nearby residents.

Seeing red over the orange

The attorney representing Home Depot, Thomas O' Connor, along with an architect and engineer, made a presentation Tuesday of revised plans for the store. These included having trucks enter on 12th Street and exit on 14th Street, and avoiding deliveries during peak traffic times, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

That was to allay traffic concerns, especially because there will be a $225 million restoration over the next four years of the 12th and 14th Street Viaducts, the roads leading into and out of the Holland Tunnel.

It was a near-majority vote by the eight board members, with the exception of Jeni Branum, who abstained. Branum, who resided near the Holland Tunnel for over 20 years, was still not sold on the Home Depot being built in such a busy area.

Branum pointed out that the redevelopment plan was created in 1958, and there were very few changes made to the plan in the next 48 years.

O'Connor said the store will start construction in the spring. There will also be 471 parking spaces at the site.

Resident Janice Monson said at Tuesday's meeting that she is still concerned about traffic.

"I have not seen Home Depot do anything that would mitigate traffic in our neighborhood," she said. "I don't give a damn how many trees you put on that parking garage, because it's the amount of cars going through our neighborhood that affects us."

[macmini]

Found great new site about Development thru out NJ called Urban Interactive the url is www.chrisbernardo.info/ (http://www.chrisbernardo.info/)

http://www.chrisbernardo.info/logo.gif

[JCMAN320]

JERSEY CITY TO JETS: LAND HERE

Tuesday, February 14, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jets running back Curtis Martin could soon be practicing his moves in Jersey City, if the plan pitched by city officials for a new headquarters and practice facility is a touchdown with the team.

The New York Jets announced on its Web site earlier this month that the team has narrowed its search for a new practice facility to five places in New Jersey and Jersey City made the cut.

"I think it's an excellent marriage," Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said. "We have the best location, all of the amenities, and access to New York City."

The team has its eye on a 28-acre area along Caven Point Road, next to the Liberty National Golf Course being built at Port Liberté and adjacent to Cochrane Field.

Nearly 18 of the 28 acres are owned by the Jersey City Board of Education, which purchased the land from the city for roughly $8 million six years ago. The Jets have already begun to negotiate a sale price for a privately-owned warehouse that occupies the other 10 acres on the site, said Carl Czaplicki, the mayor's chief of staff and the city's point person in the negotiations with the Jets.

A ferry ride away from Manhattan, one Turnpike exit from Newark Liberty International Airport - and with Lady Liberty visible in the distance - the location is just what the Jets ordered, city officials said.

"The Jets were impressed with the site's potential," Czaplicki said. "They saw everything would fit."

Jets officials, who said they intend to chose a site by March 1, didn't return phone calls for comment.

Since agreeing to build a new stadium in the Meadowlands with the Giants, Jets officials said they want to open the new training facility in New Jersey by summer 2007. The Jets currently practice at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

This facility, they predicted, would generate more than $10 million annually in new tax revenue for the state.

In keeping with requirements laid out by the Jets, a conceptual site plan of the training facility prepared by a city architect calls for four practice fields - three outdoor, one indoor - a three-story, 150,000-square-foot main building with training rooms; seminar space; an auditorium and parking for more than 300 cars.

The land would be officially purchased by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and leased to the Jets, Czaplicki said. The authority would pay significantly more than the $300,000 per year in taxes the warehouse pays now, Czaplicki said.

The state approved a new law last month allowing the sports authority to buy property for the new facility.

The Jets are expected to issue a formal request-for-proposal this week, Czaplicki said.

The Jets also want to be good neighbors, city officials stressed.

"They've told us to come up with a wish list, and don't be shy," Czaplicki said.

That list already includes a pool and recreation center for newly-opened Elementary School No. 3 and new turf at the Ferris High School soccer field and the Caven Point field, city Recreation Director Bob Hurley said.

The other cites still in the running: Berkeley Heights, Florham Park, Millburn, and Wood-Ridge.

[macmini]

Just Approved

The Jersey City planning board on February 7, 2006 approved K. Hovnanian at 77 Hudson Street.

896 units in two towers
22,000 sf of retail space
901 parking space

http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/calendar/pb/february_7_2006_min.pdf

old plan for the site http://www.77hudson.com/

[TimmyG]

Originally posted by macmini: The Jersey City planning board on February 7, 2006 approved K. Hovnanian at 77 Hudson Street.
That's sounds good. Do you think it will be much like the old design? It looks like the old proposal had only one tower, as opposed to the two towers of the latest plan.

Also, what's new with the Trump project? Has it actually started?

[JCMAN320]

Yes the Trump Project has already broken ground. there are cranes and pile drivers at the site along with bulldozers.

[BrooklynRider]

I wish there as a way to know what projects are rising in Jersey City in relation to the cranes on the horizon, from the New York City vantage point. The only project whose site I am clear about is the W Hoboken.

[JCMAN320]

BKRider here is a website for all the stuff going on in Jersey City. Go to the "Real Estate" tab then look on the right under "What's Going Up" and the click the neighborhoods and see the developments.

http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/

[macmini]

That's sounds good. Do you think it will be much like the old design? It looks like the old proposal had only one tower, as opposed to the two towers of the latest plan.

Also, what's new with the Trump project? Has it actually started?


Sorry for the slow responds but PC has been down for a couple of days. This is what I read about the 77 Hudson project from people who said that they have talked to the khov sales consultant. 45 stories each tower the west tower will be rental the east will be condos. The condo tower will be wider like a triangle then the rental tower. The condo will be directly in front of the rental blocking most of the views.

BrooklynRider here is a pic for you the construction at the bottom is A Condos project and the one next to the Power House is Trump project. It's hard to tell because of the snow but the A Condos project is way ahead of Trump.
http://static.flickr.com/37/100997154_4a30d20547_o.jpg

[injcsince81]

Nice pic, dude.

I would not say that A is "way ahead" of Trump.

Maybe by 3-4 weeks.

Both are driving piles.

[macmini]

Nice pic, dude.

I would not say that A is "way ahead" of Trump.

Maybe by 3-4 weeks.

Both are driving piles.

Okay is not "way ahead" but A is two months ahead of Trump Plaza.

[macmini]

Journal Square: Harwoods see towers in place of Tawil blights


A family with deep roots in Jersey City has signed a contract to purchase most of the properties on a key block in Journal Square, and is likely to be named the site's designated developer, city officials said yesterday. http://www.chrisbernardo.info/images/22_jsq_demo.jpg

The family-owned firm, led by Scott Harwood, is purchasing all Journal Square properties owned by Ralph Tawil Jr., an investor who owns roughly 80 percent of the block next to the PATH Transportation Center, including the defunct Hotel on the Square.

Having racked up nearly $4 million in building and fire code fines - and in the process of demolishing several of these properties - the New York City-based Tawil is apparently ready to leave town.


Harwood, whose roots in Jersey City stretch back three generations, signed a contract to purchase the Tawil properties in January, the developer and city officials said yesterday.

Harwood's vision for the site: Two mixed-use high-rise towers, which would include apartments, retail stores, parking and, possibly, a hotel.

"There is no reason that Journal Square, which arrived much earlier (in economic importance to the city) than the waterfront, cannot be renewed," said Harwood, who with his son, Scott, and nephew, Brett, owns two Journal Square parking lots, is part-owner of the recently opened State Theater apartment complex.

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy is pleased a hometown developer is taking on the job.

In the past few weeks, Harwood, who wants to start construction next January, has presented his plans for the Square to Healy and commissioners at the city's redevelopment agency.

Chris Fiore, acting interim director of the redevelopment agency, said the Harwoods would likely be named the "designated developer" for the site at the agency's next meeting on March 21.

[JCMAN320]

I'm so excited, I can't wait for this!!!!! It's about time this will be so cool and bring JSQ up to speed. I can't wait to see the renderings.

[macmini]

Trump Upgrades facade

Item #10 changes to building
http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/calendar/pb/february_28_2006.pdf

February 28,2006 Jersey City planning board approved changes to Trump Building.



From: Real Estate Weekly
Title: DeWitt Tishman gets the job at Trump Towers in Jersey.
Publication: Real Estate Weekly
Issue: Sept 28, 2005

With Donald Trump on board, the new owners retained DeWitt Tishman, asking the New York City-based firm to make the design changes necessary to transform the project into a development that reflects the high standards of the Trump Organization.

"This is a very high profile assignment for us," said Peter DeWitt, a company principal. In a few short months, the firm, working with the Trump Organization and Metro Homes, made some design modifications that they believe will make the property unique to the Jersey City waterfront area.

Some of the changes from the original plan include a cast stone facade in place of brick. DeWitt noted that cast stone was used with great success at Trump Place Riverside in Manhattan. In addition, cast stone spandrels with distinctive Art Deco detailing will decorate the space above and below the apartment windows. The windows themselves were changed from double hung to sliders.

In addition, a number of alterations were made to the interior finishes at the Trump Plaza: Jersey City. A key design element retained from the original plan, DeWitt said, was the stepped floor plan of the towers, which provides expansive corner views of Manhattan from most of the nine apartments on each floor. Apartments in the upper reaches of the buildings benefit from panoramic views of the entire region, with premium three-bedroom residences on the top floors utilizing building setbacks as private terraces.

Some of the other noteworthy design elements to be featured at Trump Plaza: Jersey City include: monumental stone piers that define the lobby entrance, a stately seven-story base that mediates between street level and the tower above and rusticated piers that soar the full height of the building to a distinctive crown defined by setbacks and deeply set windows.

[TLOZ Link5]

Anyone else thinking of Trump Palace?

[lofter1]

Jersey City planning board approved changes to Trump Building...

...cast stone spandrels with distinctive Art Deco detailing will decorate the space above and below the apartment windows.
uh-oh (methinks pseudo)


The windows themselves were changed from double hung to sliders.
boo, hiss...


... rusticated piers that soar the full height of the building ...
scare me

[macmini]

HARBORSIDE'S NEW TENANT - Financial firm to bring 300 jobs

Citco Fund Services, a leading investment management company, is leaving Manhattan for Jersey City.
http://www.chrisbernardo.info/images/normal_maccali2.jpeg
Citco executives say they will move as many as 300 employees from their offices on Madison Avenue to Harborside Plaza 10 on the Jersey City waterfront by the end of the year.

"We got an offer for a Grade A building in a great location that is near where all our clients are based," said Jay Peller, managing director for Citco Fund Services. "We'll be moving our back- and middle-office operations there, and some of our technology services. Jersey City is a very good location for us."

The deal continues the growth of the financial industry in Jersey City, which has been holding its own in the battle with downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn for attracting companies looking for relief from skyrocketing rents in Midtown.


In the current buyer's market, the deal is a major coup for American Financial Realty Trust, the Pennsylvania-based real estate investment trust that controls the 70,000 square feet at Harborside Plaza where Citco will move.

"This was a deal for continuous space that we were able to negotiate in two and a half weeks where we could give them one of the best locations on the waterfront," said Michael Weil, vice president of sales at American Financial, which controls 1,100 buildings, totaling roughly 40 million square feet, in the United States.

Citco Fund Services handles the administrative work for more than 1,700 hedge funds. Among its varied services, the company settles trades and sends investors portfolio updates.

Peller said most of Citco's clients in the region are in New York or southern Connecticut. Citco was located across from the World Trade Center until September 2001, then moved to Midtown three months later.

Moving to Jersey City will give the company significant savings on rent. Rents on the Jersey City waterfront are in the $30-to-$35-per-square-foot range, compared with $75 and up in Midtown Manhattan.

"The economics factor into it, but this is the right building in the right location close to the city," Peller said.


© 2006 The Jersey Journal
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.

[lofter1]

Moving farther away from the clients, but maybe more easily accessible? Or just a better deal?

Citco Fund Services, a leading investment management company, is leaving Manhattan for Jersey City...

"We got an offer for a Grade A building in a great location that is near where all our clients are based," said Jay Peller, managing director for Citco Fund Services...

...Peller said most of Citco's clients in the region are in New York or southern Connecticut.

[JCMAN320]

That's right Jersey City stand your ground. I love Brooklyn but they have no where near the office space we do and a majority of their projects have been made residential so they have no chance in competing with us in office space. Keep it up JC!!!!

[macreator]

DeWitt noted that cast stone was used with great success at Trump Place Riverside in Manhattan.

No it wasn't. This building is going to be really ugly. The reason Trump Place Riverside looks so cheap is because of the cast stone used.

[JCMAN320]

I can't wait this will be big help in returning JSQ to its former glorious and beautiful self when it was a great alternative to Midtown for a night on the town.

HIGH HOPES FOR SQUARE EYESORE
Wednesday, March 01, 2006

By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Two glassy high-rise towers with apartments, retail stores, three levels of underground parking, and possibly a hotel.

It's all coming to Journal Square and Harwood Properties, a company with deep roots in Jersey City, is going to make it happen, city officials announced last week.

Last month, Harwood Properties signed a contract to purchase almost every property on the block next to the Journal Square Transportation Center, including the defunct Hotel-on-the-Square building, the hopeful developer and city officials said.

The third-generation family-run firm - which already owns the Ramp Garage behind the Loew's Jersey Theater, another parking lot on Sip Avenue and is part-owner of the recently opened State Theater apartment complex - is buying out Ralph Tawil Jr., a New York City investor who has racked up nearly $4 million in fines on his Journal Square holdings. All of Tawil's buildings are slated for demolition.

City officials hailed the purchase contract and the proposed plans as the biggest step forward to date toward the rebirth of the once storied square.

"This comes after two decades of eyesore and waste," Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said. "Obviously the Harwoods have a long history in the city and in Journal Square in particular."

Lowell Harwood - a Lincoln High graduate and managing partner of the company - declined to say how much his firm is paying for the properties, citing a confidentiality agreement with Tawil.

However, he said he's already spent a hefty sum on the first phase of an environmental study, drillings to find out how much rock is on site, and renderings of the finished product.

Chris Fiore, interim director of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, said the limited partnership entity formed by the Harwoods to develop the site, Journal Square Development LLC, is likely to be named "designated developer" for the site at the agency's meeting on March 21.

Once that is accomplished, city officials and Harwood would negotiate the details of the plan, including the height of the towers, and how many apartments they will contain, Fiore said. A market study would help determine the feasibility of a hotel, Harwood said.

Harwood wouldn't say when a closing was scheduled, but pointed out that in order to be named "designated developer" for the site, Harwood Properties has to demonstrate that it owns or is about to own the land.

If all goes according to plan, Harwood said, construction will begin in January.

Harwood said he's in negotiations to purchase the three buildings on the block not owned by the Tawils - 15-16 Journal Square, which houses the McDonald's and Songs Hallmark; 14 Journal Square, which formerly housed a Wendy's; and 12 Journal Square, which houses Kentucky Fried Chicken.

[JCMAN320]

Renderings are on front page of Jersey Journal. One tower is 38 stories and the other is 28 stories. The base has large glass windows for big stores. Also has a stock and news ticker going around the top of the base. The towers are a mix of stone and glass with really cool angles. Will have underground parking. As soon as I can find the picture thats on the Jersey Journal, I will post ASAP!! Great looking buildings trust me. The developer Harwood, has done numerous buildings in Manhattan and in Jersey City and own quite a bit in Jersey City.

[JCMAN320]

Tawil, Jersey City make deal on $4M in fines

Thursday, March 02, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City has reportedly reached a settlement with Ralph Tawil Jr. over the nearly $4 million in fines the New York investor owes the city for building, fire and sanitation fines on his Journal Square properties.

Details of the agreement are likely to be revealed today during a scheduled 9 a.m. hearing before Chief Municipal Judge Wanda Molina.

City officials and Tawil had hoped to wrap up the deal yesterday, but Molina, who had been handling the case, was out due a personal emergency.

Municipal Court Judge Nesle Rodriguez told Tawil and city officials the matter would be heard by Molina today.

During their appearance before Rodriguez, the parties revealed a deal had been struck, but neither Tawil, his attorneys, nor city officials would divulge the settlement figure.

In January, Tawil signed a contract to sell all his Journal Square properties to Jersey City-based Harwood Properties.

[JCMAN320]

Breaking News from the Jersey Journal!!!

A real deal with Tawil

Ralph Tawil Jr., a landlord who has racked up nearly $4 million in fines on his Journal Square properties since 2004, plead guilty to the violations yesterday and cut a deal to pay the city $1.1 million — potentially the largest fine ever collected by the Jersey City Municipal Court, city officials said.

The majority of Tawil’s fire traps must be torn down within three months of when he receives his next demolition permit from the city, or he will have to pay the full $3.7 million amount, according to the agreement.

Hanging his head like chastised school-boy, a dour-faced Tawil signed the agreement yesterday morning before Jersey City Municipal Court Chief Judge Wanda Molina Judge -- who issued her own warning.

"If I find this plea agreement is not being abided by there could be potential jail time," Molina told Tawil.

Other than acknowledging he understood the terms of the plea deal, Tawil -- whose family began scooping up properties on the block next to the PATH Transporation Center in the late 1980s at bargain-basement rates — played no role in the hearing itself.

"The purpose of this (agreement) is to end this matter completely and get on with the progress at Journal Square," said George Campion, Tawil's attorney.
Tawil will deposit the $1.1 million penalty into an escrow account by next Friday, Campion said.

Ken Thorbourne

[TimmyG]

Jersey City grows, but not everywhere

By JANET FRANKSTON
Associated Press Writer

March 4, 2006, 9:08 AM ES

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Every morning and afternoon, Rachel Schunkewitz prepares four varieties of hummus in her new cafe in downtown Jersey City.

One of the more popular items on the menu is the "Rachel" salad, made with smoked trout, endive and sliced almonds.


Her gourmet menu illustrates how a part of Jersey City has changed in the 30 years since her parents left New Jersey's second largest city for a safer place to raise their children.

"This place used to be an undesirable place to live. It was a place were people went to buy drugs," Schunkewitz, 43, said in the cafe, decorated with exposed brick and flower pedals in the bathroom. "I see a big difference. It's an up and coming area."

Abandoned rail yards, decaying industrial buildings and drug-infested streets are being replaced by high-rise office towers, trendy restaurants, boutiques and even million dollar condos with the name Trump attached to them.

Over the last decade, building permits for new housing have soared while crime rates have dropped. Areas of the city across the Hudson River from New York have emerged as hotspots for expensive housing. The draw continues to be more affordable prices than Manhattan and easy access to transportation.

But as these areas prosper with new retail space and transplants, some longtime Jersey City residents ask why developers aren't investing in their part of town, west of the waterfront and the New Jersey Turnpike.

The development will eventually spread to other neighborhoods as builders seek less expensive land, said Ben Jogodnik, senior vice president for Toll Brothers. The national builder, known mostly for suburban subdivisions, is shifting attention to the urban market and building a 12-story condo project in Jersey City, where he expects some units to sell for $1 million.

For now, most of the new construction remains near the areas with the views and the historical downtown district. Residential building permits climbed to 2,156 in 2004, up from only 305 a decade ago .

Bob Cotter, the city's planning director, said builders selected the most fertile area of Jersey City first. Much of the waterfront land was vacant railroad yards.

"It was easier to develop because there was not a lot of relocation involved," he said.

Large, national builders continue to join smaller developers in the market. The 20-year-old Newport project on the river _ with its own PATH stop and 600 acres for office space, housing and a shopping mall _ is expected to grow for another decade.

Growth is also visible on Grove Street near city hall, where Schunkewitz and a partner opened their seven-table cafe. Down the street is a boutique called Tia's Place and the Bar Majestic, part of a project around the Majestic theater, which has been redeveloped after sitting abandoned for three decades.

That's where four women who work in one of the high-rise towers gathered for drinks one evening. Nicole Campbell, 30, said she didn't expect to see a boutique in the area.

"I want to go in there and spend some money," she said. "I'm also surprised at all the new construction."

But one PATH stop away at Journal Square, once a vital hub of commerce, the retail scene is different: 99-cent and check-cashing stores and fast-food restaurants.

At a barber shop a few blocks from the square, Odett Andreou, 47, pines for a new grocery store or hotel.

"The changes are coming here by donkey," said Andreou, who runs the salon with her husband, Louis. "It seems like here it's moving slow. Down there, it's coming by express."

She and her neighbors, some of whom have lived for decades on Cottage Street, say that Jersey City is developing into two distinct cities. Longtime residents are being replaced "by a whole generation of people, the ones who can afford the rent," she said.

John McIlwain, a senior fellow for housing at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C., agrees.

"Wealth is spreading to every homeowner in the city because the housing values are rising, some of them dramatically," he said. "There's a cost to that, higher taxes to the older homeowners and higher rents."

Besides housing prices, Nick Damato, 84, a lifelong Jersey City resident and Cottage Street neighbor, said he worries about crime. He said he was mugged in his own house 1{ years ago.


Crime has decreased over the last decade: Robberies have dropped by 35.7 percent and murders by 37.8 percent. Mayor Jerramiah Healy said that's helped the city's image improve.

"There were neighborhoods where people didn't want to walk through, never mind invest in or buy," he said. "I think that has changed."

Now, parts of Jersey city have drawn Target, yoga studios and a Basic, a coffee shop so charming it's been mentioned in National Geographic Traveler magazine.

Franklin Militello, 65, a neighbor of the Andreous, said two different worlds exist in the city.

"Now it's like being in Manhattan," he said. "There are a lot of nice restaurants. The people are a little different."

One of the newcomers is James Sigman, who moved from Staten Island into a second-floor walk up near downtown in 2003.

"It was close enough to city where it's convenient but still have your own private space," said Sigman, 29.

He pays monthly rent of $1,000 for a one-bedroom apartment with a fire place, tons of closet space and enough room to accommodate 7-foot-tall bookshelves.

Housing value also attracted Alla Zilberman, a physician who commutes to Manhattan. She paid $540,000 for a 1,385-square-foot duplex that is part of the Majestic redevelopment.

She's seen changes since moving into her condo, with a view of the Statue of Liberty, in May 2004. She watched a parking lot on Washington Boulevard become a Chili's restaurant.

"It will be interesting to see how it plays out over five years," said Zilberman, 32. "I've already noticed congestion on the PATH train."

The same developers who are building high-rise towers near the waterfront say the growth will spread as land values creep up and the lower-priced areas become more desirable. Jogodnik, of Toll Brothers, said development has revolved around transportation hubs and the waterfront.

"I would expect it to travel from there to other areas," he said. "I think there's plenty of good urban development and redevelopment that can occur in Jersey City for years to come."

[ablarc]

Harwood said he's in negotiations to purchase the three buildings on the block not owned by the Tawils - 15-16 Journal Square, which houses the McDonald's and Songs Hallmark; 14 Journal Square, which formerly housed a Wendy's; and 12 Journal Square, which houses Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Jersey City, gastronomic mecca.

[injcsince81]

Jersey City, gastronomic mecca.

LOL.

But the fact is, we don't go to the City to eat almost at all anymore (we used to go weekly).

Just last Saturday we had one of the best ceviches ever (and a Peruvian-style red snapper) at Ceviche, a Peruvian reastaurant in JC. Nice ambiance, too.

This ceviche may be worth a pilgrimage from Manhattan for a ceviche fan (or any knowledgeable gourmand, for that matter).

Mecca, indeed.

[steveikin]

http://www.metrohomesllc.com/images/trump_pr2.jpg

[TimmyG]

New Design vs. Old Design
http://www.metrohomesllc.com/images/trump_pr2.jpghttp://www.metrohomesllc.com/images/trump_pr.jpg

The new design for the Trump Project seems to be an improvement over the old one.

[ablarc]

Better.

[TLOZ Link5]

Not astounding, though.

[macmini]

No it's not astounding TLOZ but it's 10x better then the original.;)

[LocoAko]

I like the new Trump buildings.

I agree. I live in Greenville and there is absolutely no development except for the new NJCU campus, which I was hoping would be a huge development but it is looking like it just an addition to the college campus. Maybe I'm wrong. JC is really like becoming two different cities, but I love downtown. Good thing I go to school there, and I've eaten at Basic (they have really great Mac n cheese). But still, the development is very biased.

BTW, I had no idea the lightrail was so extended now. It goes past Bergenline?! Wow.... that's awesome.

[macmini]

I don't think development in JC is biased it's just easier for a developer to build on hugh arces of emty land or abandon warehouses. And their is development going on in other parts of Jersey City i.e.( Westside, Greenville, Journal Square). Two towers 38 & 28 stories in JQ just got approved today and they just completed the State Square apartment build in JQ. I don't know the name of the new 5 storie build completed last year on MLK and don't for get the MLK Hub or the Westside Station town houses being built. Their are plenty of other projects going on in these parts of JC they just don't get the attention the ones on the waterfront get.

[z22]

http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1291/zwire/images/2006/03/story/20060307_234140_1_story.jpg
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16259015&BRD=1291&PAG=461&dept_id=523586&rfi=6

[macmini]

Rendering For Journal Square Project

http://www.chrisbernardo.info/images/square_towers.jpg

[JCMAN320]

Awesome looking buildings for JOURNAL SQUARE!!! Also great improvement on Trump Design!!!! Also on the Westside along with the new Westside Residences are the Apartments at Westside Station. A 6 story kuxury tower on Culver Ave down the street from NJCU. Will post pictures of constrution site and sigin with picture of rendering, they already started construction and its only 5 blocks from my house!!!!!! YEA JERSEY CITY GOIN BIG TIME!!!!!

[212]

those journal square towers will be a lot taller than the trust company building ... wonder if the ticker will be the jersey journal's.

[macmini]

It's official: Vote names Square developer
Thursday, March 09, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

In a unanimous vote on Tuesday night, the seven-member Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, as expected, named a company controlled by the Harwood family of Jersey City to be the designated developer for a key block of Journal Square.

The Journal Square Development LLC, a creation of Harwood Properties, proposes to build two high-rise towers with apartments, retail stores, underground parking, and possibly a hotel on the block next to the PATH Transportation Center.

"I feel as though people do care," said Lowell Harwood, managing partner of Harwood Properties. "Now I'm looking forward to keeping the timetable going and accelerating the redevelopment and plan, which is our next step."

Harwood hopes to deal with zoning changes needed for the proposed development and have a site plan drawn up in the next 30 days, and wants to begin construction by January, he said.

[worm]

[quote=macmini]It's official: Vote names Square developer
Thursday, March 09, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER



The Journal Square Development LLC, a creation of Harwood Properties, proposes to build two high-rise towers with apartments, retail stores, underground parking, and possibly a hotel on the block next to the PATH Transportation Center.:)

This sounds completely awesome!!! Although I hope not another bunch of 99 cent stores and fast food restaurants will be moving back in...

[LocoAko]

Oh I didn't really mean it was biased, per say. I just meant it's more concentrated in the downtown area.

JCMAN, I haven't heard of the 6-story condos, but is it going where Mac's video used to be? I used to always go there and I was kind of saddened when it was closed down.

They're also almost done knocking down all the buildings where Baldwin Steel used to be. Too bad this project will take so long :mad:

[JCMAN320]

Worm trust me it wont be look at the base with the windows. They will be big stores and not 99 cent stores and fast food chains. The city is pushin for Journal Square to get away from that so not to worry good stores will go there. Also Loco, yes were Mac's Video is fenced off will be an apartment building but no news on what it will look like or who is building it. Also correction the 6 story apartment building is called The Station at Westside. It will be on Culver down the block from Miss America Diner and Westcoast Video.

[JCMAN320]

Council: Yes to the Jets
Coach's bottom line: Kids need better fields

Friday, March 10, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Joanne Rodgers, a coach with the Jersey City Soccer Association, doesn't much care one way or the other if the New York Jets build a training facility at Caven Point.

But what she does believe passionately is that the soccer field at Caven Point is a wreck and too limited to accommodate the hundreds of potential soccer titans in the city.

"We're letting them down (the children)," Rodgers told City Council members Wednesday night, cheered on by several dozen parents, coaches and child athletes from various sports associations in the city.

"One (barely) usable field for 400 kids is unworkable," Rodgers said. "What I'm asking you for, what I'm begging you for, is more soccer fields."

Jersey City is one of five municipalities in New Jersey still in the running to be selected as the location for a new Jets training facility.

The city will host Gang Green honchos at a lunch today, from noon to 2 p.m., at Liberty House restaurant in Liberty State Park.

If the Jets choose the Caven Point site, they are likely to displace fields now used for soccer, softball and baseball. Cochrane Stadium would remain in the city's possession.

Convinced the Jets are willing to help foot the bill for new playing fields, City Council members voted 7-0-2 to endorse the Jets recruitment effort. The two abstentions were Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano, who coaches Little League baseball, and At-large Councilwoman Willie Flood.

Since the Caven Point land comes under the state's Green Acres program, it would have to be replaced at a 4-to-1 ratio, or higher, state officials have said.

[JCMAN320]

Another giant on Hudson Street
Apartment complex of 901 units to be constructed on same block as state's tallest building
http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1291/zwire/images/2006/03/story/20060307_234140_1_story.jpg
Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 03/07/2006

Number 77 Hudson St. will soon be another new destination on the Jersey City waterfront. The address once designated for a 32-story office building instead will be occupied by a 48-story, 901-unit luxury twin-tower building.

The Planning Board approved the building for construction at a meeting on Feb. 7.

One tower will contain approximately 420 condominium units with 420 parking spaces and 10,914 square feet of retail space. The tower will be built by nationally known homebuilders K. Hovnanian Companies of Edison.

The other tower will contain 481 rental units with the same number of parking spaces and 10,181 square feet of retail space. That tower will be built by EQR-Urban Renewal of Vienna, Va.

All parking spaces will be in a garage.

The building is being considered for a 20-year tax abatement by the City Council, with the final approval to be granted at their next meeting this Wednesday.

At 500 feet, the building will be the second-largest building on the block - after 30 Hudson St., the state's tallest building at 791 feet.

Construction is expected to start in late spring or early summer this year, with K. Hovnanian and EQR building simultaneously.

Growing up six years later

In April 2000, the Jersey City Planning Board approved a 32-story office tower with 646 parking spaces for 77 Hudson St. The developers were to have been Secaucus-based commercial real estate developers Hartz Mountain Industries, also owners of the property.

But a Hartz Mountain representative said recently that the office market boom that occurred in the late 1990s in Jersey City began to slow down by 2003, and the decision was made not to go ahead with building a new office space.

Architectural renderings of 77 Hudson St. show that entrances for the building will be on Hudson Street for the east tower and Greene Street for the west tower, with the parking garage entrance on Sussex Street.

Doug Fenichel, spokesperson for K. Hovnanian, commented last week on the uniqueness of the project for the firm.

"It's certainly our first skyscraper, so we are very excited," Fenichel said. "Usually we are known for our portfolio of single-family homes, but this project shows our diversity in urban building."

Fenichel did not give details of how much K. Hovnanian's part of the project will cost and could not give the prices because those amounts, as well as the square footage for the condos, are still being determined. K. Hovnanian plans to build 42 studio, 232 one-bedroom, 110 two-bedroom, and 36 three-bedroom condos.

Using the pricing figures of the condos at the near-completed K. Hovnanian at Exchange Place in Paulus Hook, one-bedroom condos could average $450,000 and up, while two-bedroom units could go for at least $650,000.

K. Hovnanian was also the developer of the Droyers Point community, located on Kellogg Street near Route 440.

EQR did not return a call for comment. They are planning to construct 113 studio, 238 one-bedroom and 130 two-bedroom apartments.

EQR is the developer of several luxury apartment complexes in Downtown Jersey City, including Portside Towers on Washington Street, Hudson Pointe on Dudley Street, and The Pier.

Based on their other Jersey City developments, pricing for the EQR apartments could range from $1,775 for a studio apartment at Portside Towers to $6,000 for a three-bedroom, also at Portside.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.

[MidtownGuy]

I was rollerblading down the Hudson River Park today and I have to say the Jersey skyline is really adding to the experience. 30 Hudson looks great, and this project will compliment it.

[JCMAN320]

Thx for the compliment Midtown Guy.

Jersey City courts Jets

Local politicians put on the last-minute rush today as they made their final public attempt to convince the New York Jets to situate a training facility and their corporate headquarters in Jersey City.

"This is a great opportunity for Jersey City, and I can't think of another city in this state that can offer what we can offer," Mayor Jerramiah Healy said to a crowd of nearly 50 politicians, developers and others gathered at the posh Liberty House restaurant in Liberty State Park.

The luncheon included a screening of "Jersey City Treasures,'' a city-made 6-minute video presentation that highlighted Jersey City's transformation from a blue-collar industrial city into "New York’s sixth borough." The video featured snippets from a number of high-profile politicians and developers, including Gov. Jon Corzine of Hoboken, Donald Trump, who's lending his name to a proposed waterfront tower, and former President Bill Clinton.

"Mayor Healy, I am proud to be in Jersey City," Clinton announced on the video, pulled from the former president's visit last year while stumping for Corzine at the Casino in the Park in Lincoln Park.

The city's chance of scoring the facilities appears to be in good shape after Bart Oates, a former New York Giants lineman who represents the Jets in their real estate transactions, said that "Jersey City is in the top half of the five cities" vying for the deal.

Jersey City has proposed the Jets build the training camp on a 28-acre site along Caven Point Avenue -- on the waterfront in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. A conceptual site plan calls for four practice fields, a 150,000-square-foot main building, an auditorium and parking for more than 300 cars.

If the Jets choose the site, they would displace fields now used for soccer, softball and Little League -- but the Jets would help to replace them with fields elsewhere in the city, city officials have said. Cochrane Stadium would remain in the city’s possession.

Jarrett Renshaw

[injcsince81]

Thx for the compliment Midtown Guy.

Jersey City courts Jets

Local politicians put on the last-minute rush today as they made their final public attempt to convince the New York Jets to situate a training facility and their corporate headquarters in Jersey City.

"This is a great opportunity for Jersey City, and I can't think of another city in this state that can offer what we can offer," Mayor Jerramiah Healy said to a crowd of nearly 50 politicians, developers and others gathered at the posh Liberty House restaurant in Liberty State Park.

The luncheon included a screening of "Jersey City Treasures,'' a city-made 6-minute video presentation that highlighted Jersey City's transformation from a blue-collar industrial city into "New York’s sixth borough." The video featured snippets from a number of high-profile politicians and developers, including Gov. Jon Corzine of Hoboken, Donald Trump, who's lending his name to a proposed waterfront tower, and former President Bill Clinton.

"Mayor Healy, I am proud to be in Jersey City," Clinton announced on the video, pulled from the former president's visit last year while stumping for Corzine at the Casino in the Park in Lincoln Park.

The city's chance of scoring the facilities appears to be in good shape after Bart Oates, a former New York Giants lineman who represents the Jets in their real estate transactions, said that "Jersey City is in the top half of the five cities" vying for the deal.

Jersey City has proposed the Jets build the training camp on a 28-acre site along Caven Point Avenue -- on the waterfront in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. A conceptual site plan calls for four practice fields, a 150,000-square-foot main building, an auditorium and parking for more than 300 cars.

If the Jets choose the site, they would displace fields now used for soccer, softball and Little League -- but the Jets would help to replace them with fields elsewhere in the city, city officials have said. Cochrane Stadium would remain in the city’s possession.

Jarrett Renshaw
Thanks for the update on the Jets, JCman.

This would be a big deal for Jersey City if they score it.

The Caven Point area of JC has a chance to become a bona-fide waterfront showcase of JC, with Port Liberte, Liberty National Golf Club and the clubhouse with a public waterfront promenade, future Residences at Liberty National, and perhaps the Jets corporate headquarters and practice fields.

Long ways from the wasteland the area was only 10-15 years ago.

I have to say, generally, that I have never seen anything remotely close to what has been happening in JC the last 10-15 years in terms of construction.

Mindboggling.

PS _ some more recent stuff on the Jets.

Jersey City woos Jets over lunch



Saturday, March 11, 2006 By JARRETT RENSHAW

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Local officials yesterday put on the last-minute rush to attract the New York Jets to Jersey City during a posh luncheon stocked with wine, fresh salmon, and plenty of political cheerleading.
"This is a great opportunity for Jersey City, and I can't think of another city in this state that can offer what we can offer," Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy told a crowd of nearly 50 politicians, developers and others gathered at the Liberty House restaurant in Liberty State Park.

Bart Oates, a former New York Giants lineman who represents the Jets in their real estate transactions, showed the city's push is paying off because "Jersey City is in the top half of the five cities" still vying for the deal.
Jersey City has proposed the Jets build the training camp on a 28-acre site along Caven Point Avenue - on the waterfront in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. A conceptual site plan calls for four practice fields, a 150,000-square-foot main building, an auditorium and parking for more than 300 cars.
If the Jets choose the site, they would displace fields now used for soccer, softball and baseball, but the Jets would help to replace them with fields elsewhere in the city, city officials have said. Cochrane Stadium would remain in the city's possession.
"If the city is not greener, then the deal is not going to be done," said Carl Czaplicki, Healy's chief of staff and the city's lead negotiator in the deal.
Oates said that a decision is coming within two weeks, and the Jets hope to put shovels in the ground by the summer, with an expected opening date of August 2007.
The luncheon featured a six-minute video presentation that highlighted Jersey City's transformation from a blue-collar industrial city into "New York's sixth borough." The video included snippets from a number of high-profile politicians and developers, including Gov. Jon Corzine, Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
"Mayor Healy, I am proud to be in Jersey City," Clinton announced on the video, pulled from the former president's visit during last year's gubernatorial election campaign.
Jamie LeFrak, one of a number of developers present, said the proposed deal's biggest perks would be the marketing and promotion it would bring to the city.
"It would attract a lot of media attention, and it will help break some people's old views of Jersey City," said LeFrak.

[badger2]

Does anyone have any information on the redevelopment of the American Can Building? I read sometime ago that site plan approval was obtained for the development of 500+ condos on the site, but have not heard a word since. It would be great for the area, but am not overly optimistic regarding how the project might sell.

[JerzResident]

Jersey City is really becoming a power house

[JCMAN320]

Badger trust me they will sell. They are right across from the Brunswick Towers condos and I have a friend that live in the St. Anns apartments which is right next to it. Currently there are companies in that building and the building has an impressive entrance on Tonnelle Ave. I have a close friend of the family that is in real estate and people already calling his office asking abut this project and when they can buy.