Jersey City Rising [Archive] - Page 3

JCMAN320

March 17th, 2006, 06:33 PM

NYTIMES ARTICLE

E-Commerce Report
Searching the World, From Jersey City

By BOB TEDESCHI
Published: March 13, 2006

SINCE Google reached its perch atop the Internet world, challengers have emerged from all over Silicon Valley. So why not from Jersey City?

That's the home of Accoona.com, the latest entry on the list of would-be search engine kings. The privately held Jersey City-based company announced last week a search engine that it says uses a heavy dose of artificial intelligence to find results that Google and other search sites may miss. Accoona also announced an advertising model that, in the early going at least, has impressed some industry executives and observers.

The critical question, of course, is whether Accoona's search approach can win the allegiance of enough users to make advertisers notice. On that score, the company is betting that it can generate ample attention, both from grass-roots users and from buying TV and print ads with some of the $65 million it says it has, and become a household word.

Accoona says its search engine is different from others on the market. When users type "Oscar winners" into the search box, for instance, Accoona delivers stories about Academy Award winners, whether or not the stories mention the word Oscar. Google didn't return e-mail messages seeking comment on Accoona, and Yahoo said that without knowing specifics of the technology, it would be difficult to comment.

Furthermore, users can refine the search results using a short list of scroll-down menus, including "people mentioned" and "publisher," among others. Each menu offers a maximum of 50 choices, and denotes the number of times each choice is mentioned in the results.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, for instance, was mentioned in about 4,600 of the roughly 12,000 articles recently returned in the search results. By choosing his name and the name of a specific publisher, like Hollywood Reporter, users can find stories that may be more useful than general Oscar stories posted on a blog.

Currently, the site uses its technology and the refined-search results only for queries in the news and business categories. General Web searches will show these features starting in April or May, according to Stuart Kauder, Accoona's chief executive.

Web searches on Accoona now yield a list of results supplied by a search engine that Accoona has not identified. (Yahoo owns a stake in Accoona, but recent search results for identical queries on the two sites were different.)

Partly by selling ads near those search results, Accoona generated about $78 million last year, Mr. Kauder said. Accoona, which Mr. Kauder said also has raised more than $100 million from private investors in China and Europe, also owns several e-commerce Web sites, like ButterflyPhoto.com and DealsOnDigital.com, which sell electronics.

Although much of its revenue comes from the United States, Accoona has a Chinese heritage. The company began as a partnership between the China Daily Information Company, the official English-language news site of the Chinese government, and China Communications Corporation, a search technology company, in early 2004.

The early intent of Accoona was to build a system to ease e-commerce between the United States and China in advance of the 2008 Olympics, but Mr. Kauder said the process of "helping one person in one location, language and culture find a business in another location, language and culture" quickly led it to pursue a search strategy.

The Web site was started in China and the United States in November 2004, with Eckhard Pfeiffer, Compaq Computer's former chief executive, as chairman, and with the company's headquarters in New Jersey. The name Accoona, according to its Web site, is derived from the Swahili phrase "Hakuna Matata," which means "Don't worry, be happy."

Accoona's new search approach has impressed at least one industry analyst, Susan Feldman, of IDC.

"I really like the kinds of searches I can do on there," she said. "They provide high-value content, and compelling tools. Getting people to try it, though, is the big problem. I've seen so many absolutely terrific approaches fail."

Ms. Feldman pointed to Oingo.com and Northern Light, among others, as sites that failed to gain traction with consumers even though their technologies were superior to many other search engines at the time. But, she said, users may be ready to try a search engine that invites them to click around the results to find more relevant answers, rather than simply trying their luck with whatever link tops the list the first time around.

"We're beginning to think, 'Oh my God, another query with 10,000 results. What in the world am I going to do?' " Ms. Feldman said. "So possibly we're mature enough in how we approach finding information that we'll be looking for guideposts through it."

As interesting as Accoona's search approach is, some Internet executives are more intrigued by an advertising service it is to introduce alongside its Web search debut later this spring. The service is similar to that of LendingTree.com, or even Priceline.com, where consumers indicate a willingness to buy a certain service or product, and companies essentially compete for their business.

Accoona's version looks like this: if a user searches for plumbers or airline tickets, the search results will include a line of text asking if the user would like to be contacted by three companies selling services related to the query. If the answer is yes, the user is prompted to enter contact information, and is told to stand by for either a call or an e-mail message from a company.

The businesses that bid the most for the right to contact the consumer win the sales lead.

"The idea is for us to save you time, effort and potentially money by having the advertisers you're looking for contact you," Mr. Kauder said. "You don't have to go to 10 sites filling out forms and looking for a company phone number."

It remains to be seen whether users will warm to this approach, but Mr. Kauder said the company already had "several thousand letters of intent" signed by prospective advertisers.

Among those is Steven Carbone, president of the New York office of Grey Direct, an advertising agency. Mr. Carbone likened the technology to keyword search marketing, where companies pay to have their links appear next to search results related to their products or services. "But this is better than that, because my clients will only spend money to get a lead out of it, as opposed to just hoping to get a lead," Mr. Carbone said.

"I'm not telling my clients they should back up the Brink's truck and start unloading money for this," he added. "But should they test it? Definitely."

JCMAN320

March 18th, 2006, 11:02 AM

HOTEL: LONG WAY DOWN
A long-time-ago symbol of prosperity

Saturday, March 18, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Legend has it New York City mobster Legs Diamond kept a safe house there, crossing the Hudson River into Jersey City whenever the New York police started closing in.

Hollywood stars would camp out there when they visited Jersey City Mayor and Hudson County political boss Frank Hague.

But yesterday, a 110-ton Krupp crane hovered above the old Hotel on the Square in Journal Square - helping to dismantle what was once one of the city's most vibrant landmarks.

"This (Hotel on the Square) was a destination for tourists," said John Gomez, a Jersey Journal columnist on local history and founder of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy. "We are talking in the 1920s when the Square was in its heyday."

Opened in 1913 - a year after the Summit Avenue station for the Hudson Tubes (now the PATH) opened - the hotel was part of a building boom that led to the birth of what is known today as Journal Square.

But by the early 1990s, the former hot spot for the rich and famous had become a flop house for the down and out. Fire gutted it in 1994 and it has sat mostly empty ever since, on dilapidated block next to the PATH Transportation Center.

But a turnaround seems to be in the making.

The New York City-based Tawil family - owners of the property since 1987 - signed an agreement in January to sell the building and their other holdings on the block to Harwood Properties, a Jersey City-based developer that plans to build two high-rise towers on the site.

That proposed development is to contain ground-level retail stores, apartments, underground parking, and possibly a hotel. The Tawils owned 80 percent of the properties on the block, including the parking lot located behind the hotel building - the largest parcel.

The Tawils had also racked up nearly $4 million in building, fire and sanitation code violations. Two weeks ago, Ralph Tawil Jr., an official in the family firm, signed an agreement to pay the city $1.1 million - the largest settlement in the city's history, according to local officials.

Construction workers said yesterday they expect to complete the demolition job in six weeks.

Jersey City resident Yusuf Inabinett, who was watching the Hotel on the Square come down yesterday, wasn't in a particularly nostalgic mood.

As workers piled sheetrock, electric cables, and even fire escapes into dumpsters, Inabinett summed up his feelings succinctly: "If it ain't no good, might as well tear it down."

macmini

March 22nd, 2006, 02:55 PM

Among suburban locations, it is northern New Jersey, which saw the opening of the Hyatt Regency Jersey City in 2002, where the bulk of new hotel development is happening. "There's a lot of interest in development sites in places such as Hoboken and Jersey City, places where you can get a ferry into lower Manhattan," said Fox. "We are working with a client now who wants to develop a full-service hotel in Jersey City."

Here is a quote from an article about NY hotel developers who are looking to the Outer Boroughs and New Jersey to build hotels. Looks like Jersey City might be getting another Hotel.Here is the link to read the full article http://www.btnmag.com/businesstravelnews/headlines/frontpage_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002198758

macmini

March 22nd, 2006, 03:13 PM

I got this from the kannekt forum, but I've been hearing the rumors for some time now and it looks like it's true.I heard on a local JC radio station that the Shoprite & BJ's in JC are going to close and condos will be going up thereafter. The guy stated that when Shoprite was built, it had the foundation for a condo.

Lou Manzo (State Assemblyman) said that the BJ's and Shoprite in downtown JC are out of there in two years. He stated that most likely condos will be put up. Any idea on who owns this property and who is going to possible build on that lot?

JCMAN320

March 22nd, 2006, 05:44 PM

I think that is great that they are building there. That large plot of land is in the wrong place for just being a big parking lot with stores around it. I just have a question, are they going to build a street level shoprite to replace the "suburban" style one that is there somewhere down there or will the smaller markets down there pick up the slack?

macmini

March 22nd, 2006, 06:28 PM

There isn't much info on this at all, but I hope it's true and I hope BBB and Pep boys get the boot too. People are saying that the shore club is looking for a gourmet grocery store like whole foods for their retail space.

JCMAN320

March 23rd, 2006, 02:32 PM

LEGENDS & LANDMARKS
TOUR TO CELEBRATE A GREAT 'METROPOLIS'
In Jersey City, Art Deco architecture abounds in places great and small

Thursday, March 23, 2006

City of fanning metals, resounding sun rays, star-bursting stones.
City of Egyptian echoes.
City of Art Deco.

On Saturday, for the first time, the metropolis called Jersey City will be explored by two sold-out busloads of tourists, architects, historians and preservationists.

The Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy and the Art Deco Society of New York will expose some of the finest examples of Art Deco, a distinct design style derived primarily from Egyptian art and architecture.

THE SANDS OF EGYPT

Art Deco, prevalent between the two World Wars, was triggered by extraordinary 1920s-era archeological discoveries in the distant sands of Giza, Luxor and Cairo. Architects and craftspeople the world over - including those practicing in Jersey City - were strongly influenced by the mystical motifs, cosmic hieroglyphics and ancient geometric matrixes being unearthed in Egyptian temples and tombs.

Neo-classicism - the predominant style in private, commercial and civic architecture between 1892 and 1920 - and its eclectic derivatives were virtually abandoned. Orders borrowed from Greek and Roman civilizations were summarily replaced with Egyptian forms and effigies.

Art Deco took long-revered mythological symbols - stone-carved goddesses and men of war - and transformed them into metal-encased eagles, sea shells and seraphs. In true Art Deco fashion, opulent crystal glass chandeliers were converted into stacked stainless steel discs; balustraded roof lines became ziggurating levels capped with beveled projections.

Art Deco, builders realized, offered a comforting gleam, a Hollywood studio sensuality. It possessed, in the guise of sun sprites and folded spears, an intangible promise of immortality.

RISE OF ART DECO

In Jersey City, the movement found its way into the Mayor Frank Hague-controlled corridors of City Hall. As the Depression raged on, a handful of Works Progress Administration building projects and industrial undertakings were initiated to offset municipal miseries.

Hague ordered his hand-picked architects - John Rowland, Christian Ziegler and Hugh Kelly - to capture the lure and luster of Art Deco. And so rose Roosevelt Stadium (now the site of the gated Society Hill residential community), the American Can Company (slated to become condominiums) and, most majestically, the Jersey City Medical Center (the centerpiece of the tour).

These mammoth structures, though small in number, loomed large and made meaningful impressions upon the urban psyche. Even in architecture, Hague pleased the populace. Art Deco was decidedly his style.

TOUR OF GRANDEUR

Conservancy President Joshua Parkhurst will lead tourists on a rare excursion through the decorated interiors of Hague's hospital complex, including the main buildings and Murdoch Hall, Hudson County's Art Deco masterwork.

But the tour, at six hours, will take in additional Art Deco destinations throughout the city - some well-known, others quite hidden.

"When we started planning the tour, the obvious place in our mind was the Jersey City Medical Center, because it is so prominent," noted Parkhurst, a lawyer and homeowner in the city's Van Vorst Park neighborhood. "But as we looked around, we discovered a remarkable variety of Art Deco architecture and design throughout the city."

The event, with 80 seats, sold out almost as soon as it was announced, but Parkhurst promises future tours and encourages interested individuals to join the Conservancy's e-mail list at jclandmarks@earthlink.net.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Art Deco Jersey City" is sponsored in part by the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development; Thomas A. DeGise, County Executive; and the Board of Chosen Freeholders. Special thanks to George Filopoulos, president of Metrovest Equities, which is redeveloping the old JCMC into housing, for his generous support of this event.

JOHN GOMEZ is the founder and former president of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy. Contact him at johngomez68@mac.com

milleniumcab

March 23rd, 2006, 07:17 PM

I just call JC a wanna-be city. :rolleyes:

JCMAN320

March 23rd, 2006, 10:49 PM

Wanna-be city? You gotta be kidding me. Most ignorent comment I've seen on this thread. Check JC's history which dates back to 1660, oldest city in New Jersey, then lets ee you say that comment again.

macmini

March 23rd, 2006, 11:31 PM

AvalonBay Communities Announces Land Sale

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 23, 2006--AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE/PCX:AVB) announced today the sale of a 0.87-acre land parcel located in Jersey City, New Jersey for a gross sales price of $15.0 million. The Company purchased the parcel in 1997 in connection with the development of The Tower at Avalon Cove, a 269-apartment home community completed by the Company in 1999 and sold in December 2005. The buyer of the land parcel intends to pursue condominium development on the site, although it is not currently entitled for this use.

The sale of this land parcel is expected to result in a gain in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles of approximately $13.2 million. The gain on land sale will add $0.175 to the Company's first quarter 2006 Earnings per Share ("EPS") and Funds from Operations ("FFO") per share. The Company generally does not project land sales when providing its financial outlook; accordingly, the Company's first quarter 2006 financial outlook for EPS of $1.25 to $1.30 and FFO per share of $0.93 to $0.97, provided on January 26, 2006, did not include the gain on sale from this land parcel.

z22

March 24th, 2006, 02:09 AM

Is that the empty land in Avalon Cove that is closer to the river just opposite of Harborside 10?

macmini

March 24th, 2006, 02:35 AM

New Renderings for 77 Hudson

architect Dennis Allain
http://www.dennisallain.com/node/17

http://www.dennisallain.com/files/77hudson-2006.jpg

JCMAN320

March 24th, 2006, 11:48 AM

^^ I like. :) Z22 yes I believe that is the spit of land they are referring to, personally I would like to that piece of land turned into a park.

z22

March 25th, 2006, 12:45 AM

New 77 Hudson looks great. Looks like more and more developers in JC use real architects for their projects.

czsz

March 25th, 2006, 01:24 AM

Is it that New York developers feel that demand is so high they can easily forego the expense of decent, let alone sophisticated architecture? Granted, New York gets a fairer share of starchitects than Jersey, but the proportion of crap that gets thrown up by comparison is staggering...

ablarc

March 25th, 2006, 09:08 AM

"Wanna-be city"? That's fair enough, JCMAN.

Bunches of skyscrapers don't necessarily make a city; if they did Miami or Atlanta would qualify.

What's missing is urbanity. And the moves Jersey City's making currently don't point in the direction of urbanity.

It's not for lack of wanting; it's for lack of know-how.

ZippyTheChimp

March 25th, 2006, 01:11 PM

Is it that New York developers feel that demand is so high they can easily forego the expense of decent, let alone sophisticated architecture?
Put the savings into designer kitchens and baths, step back, and watch them get snapped up.

JCMAN320

March 25th, 2006, 01:12 PM

Ablarc I take offense to that, consdiering that we are Jersey CITY. It is your opinion and I respect that. NY is NY and nothing can change that, but that is a little, no correction, very unfair and imperialistic to think that every city in America has to mesure up to NY standards to qualify in your NY eyes as a city. I've been to many cities across America; Indianapolis, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, San Francisco, etc.. and they are great CITIES. I agree with you partly because a suburb can put up an office park and call itself a city and it still have huge homes with no main shopping drag that is not a mall, but we have urbanity, remember JC stretches well beyond on Downtown. It has a great deal of urbanity. I have taken a shot of a Brooklyn street and take a shot of a street in Jersey City that is similar and did an experiment in my urban studies class with students from JC and students from BK and neither one could tell which was which with the exception of a few. So Jersey City lacking of urbanity, I think not. Go through deep Downtown and the Heights and Westside and JSQ area and you tell me we have no urbanity and I will tell you the number of a great optometrist I know. We are one of the top most densely populated cities in the country, so no urbanity, thats a bit critical.

I agree some parts along the Downtown Waterfront are not pedestrian friendly, but remember I live here and I go to the public hearings at city hall and the city is taking steps to correct that. New buildings are hall being built with retail on the bottom as well as restauraunts and JC has been doing that for the past 10-15 years. Also once these new buildings get built and fill in the open lots of where old warehouses once stood, you will see a great deal of urbanity, I promise you that. The city is taking steps to change that you will see for yourself once all this construction is complete, mark my words.

ablarc

March 25th, 2006, 03:07 PM

Sorry I gave offense, JCMan; I was being snotty.

Of course you're right; JC is way more urban than Atlanta and any Sunbelt city really except the three very old ones, and most midwestern and western cities. I share your enthusiasm for Boston, San Francisco and Philadelphia; you could include Washington and Chicago in that list. But if you add Indianopolis and Miami, you might be missing the point. Miami Beach, yes; Miami, no. Visit the two and notice the difference (it's huge); as a member of committees you need to steer JC away from its present resemblance to Miami and make it a whole lot more like Miami Beach. That city has amazingly much in common with Hoboken, a great model for ready reference. To the extent that you steer Jersey City toward Hoboken's virtues you'll be improving your city. You don't have to give up skyscrapers to achieve that; absence of skyscrapers is not really one of Hoboken's virtues. The lumbering fatsos Hoboken built on Frank Sinatra Drive would have been much better as slender high-rises interspersed with four-story buildings.

ablarc

March 25th, 2006, 07:32 PM

JCMan, here are some scenes you need to oppose the future creation of if you want Jersey City to become urban. There is nothing the least bit urban about either one:

http://66.230.220.70/images/post/jerseycit/111.jpg
Grass at left: useless, misguided and suburban. There’s not even a sidewalk on that side of the “street” (really a road). Right side features clunky, overscaled columns (really piers) crashing on to a sidewalk much too wide because the building’s ground floor is uselessly pulled far back out of contact with the pedestrian. The theory being applied: let’s provide a pedestrian-friendly covered arcade. But it’s not pedestrian-friendly; as you can see pedestrians don’t use it, even on a nasty day. Any shop you put on the ground floor of this leviathan blunder would either fail or have to rely on the building’s occupants (candy bars, soda). Dreary, dismal, inhuman, worthy of Atlanta. Photos by macmini.

http://66.230.220.70/images/post/jerseycit/222.jpg
More useless grass, blank walls, overscaled featureless buildings that lack love and detail, parking decks and overall visual chaos. Not a lovable jumble but a dreary, boring mess. T’ain’t fit for man nor beast. Truly awful.

JCMan, don’t be offended; if you love Jersey City, do something about it. Mindless boosterism won’t improve Jersey City, but learning from the plentiful good example offered on this forum will. If you’re serious about making it better, the first thing you need to do is stop undiscriminatingly declaring its excellence. If it’s no damn good, figure out how to improve it. Sorry, but from what I see a lot of Jersey City is no damn good, including the new “improved” parts. Too many windswept spaces, parking lots, ineptly handled ground floors, bad zoning. It’s not that folks aren’t trying, it’s that they’re incompetent and misled by bad theories. That’s especially surprising with Manhattan a stone’s throw across the water to point the way. Hardly any place in Manhattan is as dreary and unfriendly as the two scenes above.

This is no way to build a city. Just because it’s new, better than the even worse mess that was there before, and standard practice in Nashville and Omaha doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.

I’ll leave you with an exception, Jersey City at its best. Alas it’s over a hundred years old. They understood urbanity in those days:

http://66.230.220.70/images/post/jerseycit/333.jpg

You’re fortunate, JCMan, that lots of folks on this forum understand urbanity as well. Join up.

antinimby

March 25th, 2006, 08:13 PM

Too many windswept spaces, parking lots, ineptly handled ground floors, bad zoning. It’s not that folks aren’t trying, it’s that they’re incompetent and misled by bad theories. That’s especially surprising with Manhattan a stone’s throw across the water to point the way. Hardly any place in Manhattan is as dreary and unfriendly as the two scenes above.ablarc, I agree with you but I'd like to point out one interesting thing. Many Manhattanites and neighborhood groups think the scenarios you described is what they want to see more of in Manhattan. Open spaces, greenery and yes even parking lots are preferable over big, bad towers that block sunlight/views, bring in too many people and congestion.
Like I always say, " people always want what they don't have," eventhough what they have is actually a good thing, but they don't know it.

ablarc

March 25th, 2006, 09:34 PM

Many Manhattanites and neighborhood groups think the scenarios you described is what they want to see more of in Manhattan. Open spaces, greenery and yes even parking lots are preferable over big, bad towers that block sunlight/views, bring in too many people and congestion.
Like I always say, " people always want what they don't have," eventhough what they have is actually a good thing, but they don't know it.
That's what I mean by "misled by bad theories." Though most folks react to reality in a fairly uniform way when it presents itself, they're not much better equipped to make technical prescriptions for the environment than they are to micromanage their brain surgery.

czsz

March 25th, 2006, 11:20 PM

There's a certain sort of American man- the middle management, weekend golf playing, Southwest Airlines to Phoenix flying, MSNBC watching, baseball and basketball cheering blue open-necked dress shirt with khakis guy. He thrills to such streetscapes as one finds in the new condo and business precincts of Jersey City. Built up enough to still be termed "city," sterile enough to conform to his suburb by night, cube farm by day, crisp ESPN graphics on the weekends mentality. This is the sort of American who thrives in Minneapolis or, especially, Atlanta. Manhattan has a surplus of such individuals, yearning to breathe "free" in the sanitised new beachheads of the corporate American utopia that have pitched tent on the opposite bank of the Hudson (and to some extent, in Battery Park City).

This is also the model of the American city exported to other shores. New Yorkers like to imagine Dubai and Taipei are racing to copy the Empire State Building, but they're really looking to capture the radiant glow of towers in Houston or Denver. That boulevard is indistinguishable from countless such ones that have cropped up in central Warsaw.

ablarc

March 25th, 2006, 11:51 PM

That boulevard is indistinguishable from countless such ones that have cropped up in central Warsaw.
Yeah, I've been watching Warsaw go down that road in disbelief mixed with dismay. But in truth it doesn't have much company in Europe; Milan, Prague, Budapest et al. are as urban now as ever.

czsz

March 26th, 2006, 12:25 AM

Maybe not in Europe, but it certainly has older cousins in what was once "developing" Africa and South America, and countless other new ones in Asia.

ablarc

March 26th, 2006, 12:43 AM

ablarc, I agree with you but I'd like to point out one interesting thing. Many Manhattanites and neighborhood groups think the scenarios you described is what they want to see more of in Manhattan. Open spaces, greenery and yes even parking lots are preferable over big, bad towers that block sunlight/views, bring in too many people and congestion.
Like I always say, " people always want what they don't have," eventhough what they have is actually a good thing, but they don't know it.
I wonder how much of that is sour grapes.

I’m doing a project in Charleston, a pretty and largely intact city that –like Manhattan—had its middle class squeezed into suburbia by rich folk paying top dollar for all the great town houses. I was chatting with one such newly-minted suburbanite and was getting that kind of stuff from him. But on questioning, he allowed as how he missed the city.

Sour grapes: if an undesirable outcome seems inevitable we minimize our regret by claiming to actually prefer what is to be our fate, and we find reason to belittle what we’re about to lose.

JCMAN320

March 26th, 2006, 02:54 AM

I can't believe your using Newort as an example. What you see in Jersey City is no good. Why does everything have to be dirty too. Clean is bad? The rest of Jersey City outside of Newport is urban like the photograph of the brownstones. I'm majoring in urban studies by the way. Newport was a bad idea I agree but it's what got everything started on the waterfront. The new dvelopments are better than Newport and seperate. Look at JSQ and the Heights, and Westside, and Downtown outside of Newport. JERSEY CITY IS VERY URBAN. You basing it on Newport is just looking for a way to punch us in the gut. Many people feel Newport is too suburban style and agree, but that doesn't mean that they don't enjoy it. Why don't you go to other areas of the city huh?, or are you afraid that it will seem to much like NY.

Where all those office buildings stand were rail yards and terminals and warehouses, there were no previous office buildings above 6 stories. NY is partially to blame for the retardation of our early financial growth. When JC was really growing in the late 1880's, you guys got scared and pushed your boundry line right up to our shores and enforced a law that said that JC could not build office buildings like Manhattan was in Lower Manhattan because you did not want compeition. So you see NY always new JC always had potential just like today and even then were scared to admit it just like today. So instead of great old buildings like you guys had in Lower Manhattan, we settled for railroads and miles of railyards. We later fought back and had the boundry line pushed back to the middle of the river and abolished your law. Then in the 20's we built JSQ modeled after TSQ. Newport was the next great step in competing and in the 80's when this was built, this was the way everything in every city being rivtalized with big developments like this. BPC is an example of Newport style development just done a lil' bit better. Newport was actually suppose to be built in Queens, but Lefrak saw more opprutunity here. I will help to direct the council from doing things like Newport again. From what I see with the new projects nothing like Newport will ever be done again, and the new buildings going up in the city are great.

Jersey City is the oldest city in New Jersey and was the first European settlement in New Jersey in 1623, around the same time New Amsterdam was settled. Colonization of New Jersey began with Jersey City.

injcsince81

March 26th, 2006, 04:59 PM

Yeah, I've been watching Warsaw go down that road in disbelief mixed with dismay. But in truth it doesn't have much company in Europe; Milan, Prague, Budapest et al. are as urban now as ever.

Warsaw? You guys are bringing up Warsaw? In JC discussion? I grew up in Warsaw (1958-1981). Warsaw was totally obliterated by the German forces, and the Polish Communists rebuilt it - the best they were allowed to do by the Party was to emulate the Moscow Communist architecture style - ugh. After the Iron Curtain fell, the architecture has become somewhat better; more imaginative.

Anyhow - the situation with JC is different, but equally sad.

JC has no power to enforce any urban planning at all. JC is poor, broke, corrupt, and has no architectural vision. JC needs money, so they agree to anything. Hence, you get the dreadful Newport, and a hodge-podge of various developments which are totally out of the left field.

Don't blame JC, blame the free market economy for that.

Planning is the free market economy's Achilles' Heel, particularly when it comes to Urban Planning.

TomAuch

March 26th, 2006, 05:03 PM

I like the brownstone pics of JC, and though I've hardly ever ventured over there, it's a respectable city. The Newport project looks like something about of Houston or Phoenix, unfortunately. I also agree that it was unfair of Manhattan to push the boundary of JC all the way to its coast (although, didn't that more or less stimulate railroad development as an alternative to seafaring?) I'd like to see more people go to JC and Hoboken for lower-cost housing, as opposed to being overpriced in places like Tribeca or DUMBO.

JCMAN320

March 26th, 2006, 06:19 PM

Injc is right. At that time, Jersey City was one of the poorest cities in NJ. Politicans were doing whatever they wanted, without regards for the citizens. Newport is what got us off our ass. At the 80's that was the style of builiding, and we needed all we could get.

macmini

March 27th, 2006, 12:19 PM

ablarc please!!!!! how can you take two pics of NEWPORT and determine thats how all new development in JC looks. Newport doesn't make up most of the waterfront or most of the new development.Their is one thing every one in Jersey City will agree on Newport is bland & the design is moronic i.e. strip malls next to highrises. An as bland as newport is I rather have that then what was there before. An New York is not the only great city in this county hell it's not even #1 in my opinion so get over yourself.

macmini

March 27th, 2006, 12:24 PM

PICK 6

By Dakota Smith

March 25, 2006 -- FROM AFFORDABLE TO ULTRA-LUXE, WE GIVE YOU THE NEW HOTNESS
The blitz of new development in the city continues, with developers adding even more outlandish perks to buildings - Austrian pine trees, anyone? - or heading to up-and-coming neighborhoods.

Our guide to the latest crop of buildings includes pads that are distinctive either for location, price or amenities.
Happy home hunting in 2006.

101 WARREN TriBeCa

Buyers at 101 Warren, a 228-unit luxury residence opening in TriBeCa, can choose from five different residential designs: loft-style, townhouse, sky home, rooftop home and duplex penthouse. All apartments will have 10- to 12-foot ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

The building will also house a fifth-floor elevated atrium - a forest of 101 imported Austrian pines trees. Additionally, the complex - which is being marketed as the Time Warner Center for the downtown set - will be attached to 170,000 square feet of retail space, with a Whole Foods already planned for the building.

Prices range from $1.2 million for a 923-square-foot one-bedroom to $13 million for a 4,145-square-foot penthouse. The sales office opened earlier this month.

www.101warren.com (http://www.101warren.com)

WALDO LOFTS Jersey City

The expansion of Jersey City's Powerhouse Arts Center continues with the opening of Waldo Lofts, a conversion of a 12-story brick warehouse building at 159 Second St. The building's 82 units range from 700-square-feet studios to 2,400-square-feet duplex penthouses with spiral staircases; 10-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows give units a loft-like feel. Our favorite perk: washer/ dryers in every unit.

Prices at Waldo Lofts range from $390,000 to $1.5 million, not counting a handful of units being sold at below market price for artists who meet income qualifications. The sales office opened last month.

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

999 Bushwick

Yup, Bushwick is the new Harlem. Or the new Red Hook. Whatever - it's cheap! The first of five new developments planned for this 'hood, 999 - a six-story, 18-unit building at 999 Willoughby St. - will offer units priced from $289,000 for a 690-square-foot one-bedroom to $500,000 for a 1,000-square-foot two-bedroom with a 500-square-foot terrace. The prices are about $100 less a square foot than similar new units in East Williamsburg, according to Corcoran Group vice president Tom Le. Amenities include indoor parking and a gym. Sales begin in November.

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

SKY HOUSE Madison Square

Want to live in the clouds? Purchase the 2,817-square-foot penthouse on the top floor of the Sky House, a 55-story condo building opening at 11 E. 29th St., near Madison Square Park. One of the tallest new buildings to open for sales this year, the 139-unit Sky House will offer just three units per floor, giving buyers memorable views of both the East and Hudson Rivers.
Prices are expected to start at $1,250 a square foot, according to David Perry, director of sales at the Clarrett Group, developer of the Sky House. Concierge service, gym, and a playroom are among the building's amenities. The sales office opens in April.

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

101 WEST END AVE. Upper West Side

Targeting the upscale stroller set, 10 West End Ave., a 33-story, 173-unit condominium located between West 59th and West 60th streets, opens for sales in May. More than half of the units in the development, being billed as a family-friendly building with a children's activity center, are two-, three- and four-bedrooms.

All residences have floor-to-ceiling windows (some as high as 11 feet), ensuring buyers views of either the Hudson River or Midtown.

Designer Nick Dine's interior finishes include Siberian marble countertops and walnut cabinetry in the bathrooms, and granite countertops with white-oak and etched-glass cabinets in the stainless-steel kitchens. Lucky residents at 10 West End Ave. also get valet parking, as well as concierge service, a playroom and a gym, complete with a glass-enclosed 50-foot pool.

Prices are expected to start at $750,000 for a 750-square-foot one-bedroom and top out at $4.5 million for a 2,600-square-foot four-bedroom.

www.10wea.com (http://www.10wea.com)

THE CALEDONIA Meatpacking District

Indulgent services can certainly be found at the Caledonia, a 190-unit building opening at 450 W. 17th St. Set at the tip of the glam Meatpacking District (steps from Del Posto and Morimoto) and near the new High Line Park, the Caledonia will offer an Equinox gym and spa, indoor parking, a library, a meditation garden, a sun deck and outdoor terrace, a pet spa and a children's playroom.

Interior finishes by designer Clodagh (pictured) include bamboo wood flooring throughout the units, while bathrooms come with quartzite slab countertops and stone-tile flooring. The lobby will have a cascading water feature and a bamboo garden.

Prices, as well as unit sizes, are still being determined for the Caledonia, a development from the Related Companies (whose properties include the Time Warner Center and who recently purchased Equinox). The building opens for sales in April.

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

lofter1

March 27th, 2006, 01:54 PM

Building websites that have no images of the actual building / renderings of same are WORTHLESS :mad:

JCMAN320

March 31st, 2006, 11:14 AM

Damm suburbs!

CITY LOSES OUT ON JETS

Friday, March 31, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City made a good pass, but Florham Park scored the touchdown.

The New York Jets football team will build its new corporate headquarters and training facility in the Morris County suburb and plan to move from its current home on Long Island in the summer of 2007, team officials announced yesterday.

For several months, Jersey City officials had mounted a campaign to lure Gang Green to a 28-acre site along Caven Point Road, even hosting a posh luncheon for Jets officials two weeks ago at the Liberty House restaurant in Liberty State Park. At the time, Jersey City was considered to be one of the top three still in the running.

"The Jets are entitled to their opinion. However, I still believe Jersey City had the best location and the most to offer," said a disappointed Mayor Jerramiah Healy after hearing the news.

"I am happy that Jersey City was considered as one of the finalists, and wish (owner) Woody Johnson and the entire Jets organization all the best for the upcoming season."

Carl Czaplicki, Healy's chief of staff and the point person in the recruitment effort, said Jets officials ultimately believed they could acquire more land in Florham Park than in Jersey City.

"It became a land and space deal," Czaplicki said. "We just couldn't get the ball across the goal line."

Florham Park Mayor Frank Tinari said the team's corporate headquarters will be housed in a 120,000-square-foot building, along with an indoor practice field. The Jets also indicated they plan to build three outdoor football fields.

The Jets' offices would be part of a 420-acre development, with housing, offices, a hotel and day care center, and developers would also donate 20 acres of green space to the borough, Tinari said.

The borough would receive a payment in lieu of taxes of about $150,000 annually, Tinari said. The team and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority would also dedicate an additional $50,000 annually for parks in the borough.

To accommodate the Jets at the Jersey City site - most of which is owned by the Jersey City Board of Education - a field used for soccer, Little League, and softball would have had to be relocated, a task city officials said the Jets were willing to help with financially.

The other three cities that made the top five were Berkeley Heights, Millburn, and Wood-Ridge.

"I'm gratified and excited that Florham Park will become the future home for the New York Jets," said Tinari of Florham Park.

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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

JCMAN320

March 31st, 2006, 11:22 AM

GIFT FROM 'SIS' IS A CAN'T-MISS

Mini-cathedral from Spain for City Hall lawn
Friday, March 31, 2006
By CARLY BALDWIN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City has been given a 3,000-pound gift - a replica of a Spanish cathedral that officials hope will grace the front lawn of City Hall by June.

The statue - 7 feet high and 5 feet wide -is a bronze replica of the Cathedral of San Salvador, a celebrated example of Spanish Gothic architecture in Jersey City's sister city of Oviedo, Spain.

City Council President Mariano Vega and other officials visited Oviedo in October and presented the city a painting by Jersey City artist Duda Pantabo about the 9/11 attacks modeled on Pablo Picasso's famous painting "Guernica."

After receiving the gift, Oviedo Mayor Davino De Lorenzo donated the sculpture.

"I think that the proper space for it would be on the northwest corner of the front lawn of City Hall," said Ward D Councilman Bill Gaughan.

Gaughan also said he would also like to rename the section of Grove Street in front of City Hall "Oviedo Plaza."

"This is meant to display a centerpiece of their community, which happens to be our sister city," said Gaughan.

The statue was made by Spanish artist Susana Iglesia five years ago and other versions of it stand in Oviedo's other sister cities in China, Germany and Tampa, Fla.

Jersey City and Oviedo became sister cities in 1997, in part because of the high number of Hispanics in Jersey City, said Jose Arango, an assistant director at the Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce. Arango, who was born in Cuba, was raised in Oviedo and is an honorary councilman there.

The cathedral is not the first large sculpture that has been given to Jersey City on behalf of a foreign government.

In 2003, Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli, with the support of Russian President Vladmir Putin, announced he would give the city a 100-foot bronze sculpture commemorating the victims of the 9/11 attacks to the city.

The City Council eventually rejected the statue and it was given to Bayonne, which will display it in a memorial park.

worm

April 3rd, 2006, 10:00 PM

:) Hello Everyone,

Save the date! This year's Lincoln Park Historic Walking Tour, which brings us into the homes, gardens, and sacred spaces of one of Jersey City's best preserved historic neighborhoods will be taking place on Sunday May 21, 2006.

Your generosity in supporting our tour has had such apositive impact on our neighborhood, including:

We had over 200 people at last years tour, many who had never discovered the Lincoln Park neighborhood, which made it the most successful ever!

Because of the time and matching dollars we earned from the tour, we've planted over 50 trees in the Lincoln Park neighborhood!

The New Jersey Tree Foundation was so impressed with our work, that they pulled under utilized funds from other cities, and gave them to us. With that we were able to kick start a tree planting in Jersey City Heights, and worked with residents to plant 17 trees on Sherman Place this past October.

Many people from other parts of New Jersey, Manhatten, and Brooklyn have discovered this neighborhood through the tours or our website, and are now investing and restoring homes here.

As you can see, our work is leading to tangible, actual, results. Not just vague dreams of a better future for our neighborhood and our city.

To make this year's tour even more successful, and continue this great work, we need YOUR help!

If you would like to volunteer to help plan this year's tour, have your home on exhibit, or volunteer to assist on the tour date, please email and let us know. The tour is only a few weeks away, so we need all the hands we can get!

Hope to see you soon,

Dan Pelosi
Chairman and Co-Founder
lincolnparktour.com

I've attended this in the past... It's definately worth checking out!:) :) :)

JCMAN320

April 7th, 2006, 02:18 PM

Mos def worth checking out. The homes there are late 19th century and early 20th century mansions and Lincoln Park is just absolutely beautiful, and our huge fountain, lets put it like this to all you NY'ers, your gonna wish you had this fountian in Prospect or Central Park. Hell you are gonna wish you had this park period! Definately go and have your eyes open to somehwere else outside of Downtown JC and see just how beautiful Jersey City really and truly is!

Also interesting fact about how many Jersey Citians use mass transit from Wikipedia.com:

"8.17% of Jersey City commuters walk to work, and 40.26% of Jersey City commuters take public transit to work. This is the second highest percentage of public transit riders of any 100,000+ city in the United States, behind only New York City and ahead of Washington, D.C.."

TimmyG

April 10th, 2006, 11:27 AM

3-building condo complex for old VW showroom

Monday, April 10, 2006 By KEN THORBOURNE

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Condos are coming to Journal Square. But will the traffic bear it?
Journal Square Estates Group, a Jersey City-based limited partnership, has proposed constructing a 249-unit three-building condo complex at the site of the old Volkswagen showroom, on Kennedy Boulevard, just north of St. Paul's Avenue.

Always a heavily-trafficked area, the site is a block from where Route 139 runs into Kennedy Boulevard, and cars shuttle down a ramp to the Tonnelle Circle.
The owners of the limited partnership - Kotla Srinath, and brothers Ravi and Murali Adusumulli - have given the city a study showing a limited affect on traffic, but that hasn't erased neighborhood concerns.
"It's a problem," said Luis Santiago, president of the Brunswick Condominium Association, about the additional traffic.
But Santiago is in favor of the new development. He praised the designs of the new buildings and said traffic congestion in the area is a group problem, to be addressed by the community, government and the developers.
Having met with the local residents twice in the past six weeks, the Estates Group partners have already altered the plans to help alleviate traffic.
Instead of having one common 263-space parking garage, which residents would enter and exit from Kennedy Boulevard, the developers now plan to build two separate garages. Roughly 100 cars will use a garage with access from Skillman Avenue.
The $75 million project will consist of seven-, eight-, and 11-story buildings, and will have ground floor retail space on Kennedy Boulevard. The project requires a height and density variance and goes before the city's zoning board on April 20.
This project, along with the proposed high-rise towers at the old Hotel on the Square building, and the roughly 200-condo units going in at the former American Can facility off St. Paul's Avenue are helping to fuel the resurgence of Journal Square, said Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski, the representative for the area.

worm

April 10th, 2006, 02:08 PM

Any pics of it yet? I am all for it. Besides, I bet alot of the traffic that will be generated by this construction will be pedestrian traffic and that just means more incentive to have better shops and cafe's.

Any word on how tall the Journal Square buildings are going to end up being?

JCMAN320

April 10th, 2006, 06:47 PM

JSQ Towers will be 20-30 stories tall.

badger2

April 10th, 2006, 09:44 PM

Anyone have any updates on the American Can condo's? I have not heard anything on these for ages???

JCMAN320

April 11th, 2006, 11:06 AM

Hovnanian, partner buying Hartz land, plan to build two residential towers

Tuesday, April 11, 2006
By MATTHEW FUTTERMAN
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

K. Hovnanian and Equity Residential will pay more than $65 million to buy land on the Jersey City waterfront for two residential towers, two officials with knowledge of the deal said yesterday.

The deal to buy the land at 77 Hudson St. from Secaucus-based Hartz Mountain Industries and build two 48-story buildings is the latest in a series of major residential projects for the Jersey City waterfront.

It marks a major shift for Hovnanian, which has built thousands of houses and smaller, multifamily developments but never a major tower like the ones planned for Jersey City.

Red Bank-based K. Hovnanian, a unit of Hovnanian Enterprises, is one of the most successful home builders in the country, while Equity Residential is a top developer of rental apartments.

Doug Fenichel, a spokesman for Hovnanian, confirmed the plans for the project but declined to discuss the cost.

"It represents how K. Hovnanian remains young by taking on new markets," said Doug Fenichel, a company spokesman. "This is the largest thing we've done in the Northeast."

Officials from Equity Residential in Chicago did not return phone calls.

Carl Goldberg, principal of Roseland Property, a residential real estate firm, said Jersey City merited the intense competition.

"Its proximity to mass transit facilities, coupled with an adjacency to some of the most important employment centers gives Jersey City all the quality-of-life components you look for in urban redevelopment," he said.

On the other hand, Hartz Mountain's decision to sell yet another prime location shows the office market, even on the waterfront, has dropped substantially since the late 1990s when Hartz built three major office towers that have been nearly 100 percent leased since they opened.

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.

But the company specializes in industrial, commercial and hotel space, and views the office market as too soft to absorb what it had once planned for the site - a 32-story office tower.

Also, most successful developers make a habit of sticking to the parts of the business they know best, rather than venturing into a new market.

Hartz President Emanuel Stern declined to comment.

Planning documents show the towers proposed by Hovnanian and Equity would total 925,000 square feet and have 901 units.

An East Tower would have 420 condominiums, including studios and one-, two-and three-bedroom apartments. A West Tower would have 481 rental apartments, including studios and one-and two-bedroom apartments.

There will also be a parking garage with 896 spaces and about 20,000 square feet of retail space.

MidtownGuy

April 11th, 2006, 12:57 PM

ablarc

April 11th, 2006, 04:34 PM

One of these days I'm going to hop on the PATH and take a closer look!
Closer than Rio.

czsz

April 11th, 2006, 06:08 PM

Which would you rather expend the energy to go to?

injcsince81

April 11th, 2006, 10:00 PM

I love to see the Jersey City skyline keep growing. each Spring when it's time to get out the rollerblades and go for a skate along the HRP, I look for the changes and I'm always delighted. One of these days I'm going to hop on the PATH and take a closer look!

Come on over.

I recommend putting on your blades, and skating right onto a NYWaterway ferry going to JC. Then skate the streets of the Paulus Hook area. Have a leisurely brunch in one of several quite decent, upscale places. You can even skate to Hoboken and take the ferry back to NYC from there.

You'll love it - but watch for the potholes!

TimmyG

April 12th, 2006, 11:26 AM

Originally posted by badger2
Anyone have any updates on the American Can condo's? I have not heard anything on these for ages???
This was in the Jersey Journal today. It says that the develper wants to start in June.

Council wary on abatement bid

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 By KEN THORBOURNE

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Developers of the old American Can building in Jersey City are seeking a 30-year tax abatement, citing the ongoing rehab project at the defunct medical center as the precedent for such an exceptionally long tax break.
But City Council members aren't inclined to grant the developer's wishes - yet.
At a caucus meeting on Monday night, council members complained that the $100 million-plus proposed renovation of the massive glass-heavy building on Dey Street near the Tonnelle Circle doesn't yield much green space or provide any affordable units.
"When you ask more of us, we should ask more of them," City Councilman President Mariano Vega said.
The measure to extend a 30-year tax abatement to the project - with the normal abatement amount of 16 percent of annual gross revenue paid to the city during that period - is scheduled for a vote at tonight's council meeting.
If successfully introduced, the deal wouldn't go into effect until it was passed at a second reading, which would normally take place in two weeks.
James McCann, the attorney representing Mikail Kernev - the president of the New York City-based Coalco - argued Monday that the vacant 1928 factory building, stuck in a no-man's land overlooking the Pulaski Skyway, has laid fallow more than a decade and only a sweet deal from the city holds the potential to put it back on the tax rolls.
"Asking for the extra 10 years was an acknowledgment that this is part of the city that could still use an economic incentive," McCann said. "The building itself is a historic building that has been dormant for over 10 years."
Kernev intends to gut and rebuild the building's interior, preserving the outside shell, McCann said.
Phase I of the project, which the developer wants to start in June, will consist of 202 mostly one-and two-bedroom units and cost $45 million to build, he said. Phase II, which awaits site plan approval from the city, would add another 309 condo units and 295 parking spaces and cost $65 million to construct, McCann added.
One-bedroom condo units will be sold for $300,000, while two-bedroom units are expected to fetch around $385,000, McCann said.
McCann said the fixed annual cost associated with an abatement is necessary for both buyers and financiers, given the project's challenging location - a largely industrial area.

badger2

April 13th, 2006, 11:11 AM

Anyone know the outcome of last nights hearing regarding the 30 year abatement for American Can?

JCMAN320

April 14th, 2006, 01:37 AM

'Jersey City is a hidden gem'
New residents talk about their experiences

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 04/07/2006

NEW COUPLE IN HAMILTON PARK – Andy Krochalk and his girlfriend, Lily Kwock, moved into the Hamilton Park area in June 2005. They met while in the Peace Corps.
Who are the newcomers who've responded to Jersey City's development boom?

They are Andy Krochalk and his girlfriend Lily Kwock, who moved from Chicago last June so that Lily could be closer to a new job in Parsippany.

They are Elizabeth Weisholtz, who moved here last August from Hartford, Conn., to work as a full-time staffer for Parents In Action, a grassroots incorporated as a non-profit which works with parents in dealing with school issues.

She lives with a roommate in a two-family house on Highland Avenue near Journal Square.

"One thing that continues to surprise is that it is a nice residential, quiet block, even though I have heard stories that there were some robberies in the area," said Weisholtz last week.

Met in the Peace Corps: Andy and Lily

Krochalk and Kwock met while working as Peace Corps volunteers in Bolivia. Together, Krochalk and Kwock have moved around the country - from San Francisco to Chicago to finally Jersey City.

"My girlfriend got a job and I wanted to be in the international non-profit field," said Krochalk, who currently works full time at the Liberty Animal Shelter near Liberty State Park.

"Originally, people suggested we look at Hoboken," he said, "but our experience in looking is that it was too crowded."

They reside as renters in a brownstone on Pavonia Avenue near Hamilton Park.

"We were here for a long weekend," said Krochalk. "We really liked the neighborhood and people who owned the building."

Kwock noted, "I was warned away from Jersey City by friends of ours who told us, 'Don't live in Jersey City because it's dangerous and it's dirty,' but one or two told us, 'I drove through Jersey City' and others said it was word-of-mouth."

She continued, "Two friends of ours who actually lived here said they loved living in Jersey City." Krochalk and Kwock live on the first floor with their two cats.

"I have been pleasantly surprised; there are families, there are pets," said Kwock. "It also has an international feel. Jersey City is a sort of hidden gem....I think it is coming into its own."

The couple has renewed their lease for another year, but as far as long-term plans, they have slightly different ideas. "Lily and I have talked about how long we would stay in Jersey City," said Krochalk. "I grew up on two acres of land, and I have thought about eventually moving to a rural setting."

"I could see us being here for five years, but 10 years, I don't know," said Kwock. "We've moved around so much, who knows."

Kwock also had advice for other newcomers like themselves. "Our landlord said it best - it's a city," said Kwock. "So treat it like a city. You should be aware of your surroundings. Don't do anything stupid."

Elizabeth

Weisholtz grew up in Bergen County and went to school in Connecticut. She lived outside the city of Hartford before moving to Jersey City.

"I moved not really knowing anything about Jersey City," said Weisholtz. "I knew it existed, but that's it."

Weisholtz said she and her roommate were "lucky" to find their current apartment in a nice area.

Weisholtz said the experience of living in Jersey City is quite different from living in Connecticut.

"When I working in Hartford, just the fact I wasn't living there I felt like an outsider," said Weisholtz. "Here in Jersey City I feel less like an outsider."

Weisholtz also said working in the community has helped her learn more about the city and the people.

"I would say to someone is coming into Jersey City, be respectful of those residents who have lived here a long time. People who move in they don't mean any ill will, but they may not realize that they change the socioeconomic situation of the city."

Weisholtz says that she is not sure how long she plans to stay here, since she may have to relocate in a few years to another part of the state because of her work in education grassroots organizing.

"I feel committed to my job," she said, "and I feel bad since I have become attached to Jersey City."

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

badger2

April 14th, 2006, 01:50 AM

Great, so getting back to the previous question....did American Can get the 30 year abatement?

milleniumcab

April 14th, 2006, 11:04 AM

I am sorry, I meant to say "the oldest wanna be city" :D
Wanna-be city? You gotta be kidding me. Most ignorent comment I've seen on this thread. Check JC's history which dates back to 1660, oldest city in New Jersey, then lets ee you say that comment again.

milleniumcab

April 14th, 2006, 11:17 AM

The State of NJ, Jersey City to be exact, trying to attract businesses, mainly financial, away from NYC by building similar skyscrapers and offering better incentives. The effort is more intense after 9/11... I call that wanna be... But I must say I respect your loyalty to your city.
Wanna-be city? You gotta be kidding me. Most ignorent comment I've seen on this thread. Check JC's history which dates back to 1660, oldest city in New Jersey, then lets ee you say that comment again.

TriHobo

April 14th, 2006, 11:38 AM

http://www.nj.com/images/newspapername/jerseyjournal1.gif
Wary council backs abatement for American Can condo plan

Friday, April 14, 2006 By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
In a 7-1 vote that appeared more negotiating stance than firm commitment, Jersey City council members introduced an ordinance Wednesday night granting a 30-year tax abatement for a condo development proposed for the old American Can building on Dey Street.
Downtown Councilman Steve Fulop was the lone "nay" vote against the unusually long tax break.
"In time we could get to 40 years, 50 years," he quipped.
Councilwoman Viola Richardson was absent.
But even the council members who voted for the abatement said they have several problems with the project, including its lack of affordable housing and open space. But they also pointed out that nothing's final until the ordinance is adopted in a second reading, which would take place in two weeks.
"I have serious reservations," City Council President Mariano Vega said before voting in the affirmative. "But in two weeks, we can discuss with the developer affordable housing, contribution to the city, and open space."
A New York City-based company named Coalco has proposed transforming the massive factory building, located in a no man's land near the Pulaski Skyway, into a condo complex with a minimum of 511 market-rate units.
James McCann, attorney for Coalco president Mikail Kernev, said yesterday he doesn't see much room to negotiate.
The $100 million-odd project has already been planned and financed as market-rate housing, he said
"There is 7,000 square feet of open space in Phase I, and there will be additional open space in Phase III and Phase IV, as required in the city's zoning ordinance," he said.
In other business, the council also introduced a 20-year tax abatement for the Shore Club North, the second phase of a 429-condo complex the LeFrak Organization is building on the Newport waterfront.
The council also introduced the "St. Francis Hospital Adaptive Re-Use Redevelopment," a designation that paves the way for a $75 million market-rate project proposed by brothers Eric and Paul Silverman for the defunct Downtown hospital.

Ninjahedge

April 14th, 2006, 11:44 AM

Maybe they should issue a tax abatement dependent on % occupancy?

Once the building is at, say, 50% or greater for any particular design stage, that the completed portions of the buildings should be assessed taxes based on that completed portion.

So phase one gets fuinished, and 2 and 3 are being built, but it only has 20% occupancy. No tax. Once phase one is at 50% or more, it is taxed, but the other phases are not until they each reach that phase.

Put a cap of 20 years on it JIC.

TimmyG

April 17th, 2006, 09:09 AM

Residential projects dominate landscape

Monday, April 17, 2006By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City's office market boom has hit a wall, making way for a surging housing market that will change the face of the city's Downtown for decades to come, city officials and experts say.
While the 1980s and 1990s saw financial companies such as Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan Chase transform Jersey City's shores into the Gold Coast, today's market is dominated by housing giants like Toll Brothers, K. Hovnanian and Donald Trump.
More than 15,000 residential units are expected to flood the Downtown area over the next several years, putting pressure on municipal services, according to the city's Division of Planning. Though more than seven million square feet of office space was developed from 2000 to 2005, planning officials say the current office market is very sluggish and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
"There are currently no office projects under construction, and none planned," says a planning report authored by Planning Director Robert Cotter earlier this year. Those two opposite trends have prompted at least one expert to declare that "the job growth era is over in Jersey City."
From 1992 to 2000, the state created 243,000 high-paying office jobs, driven by Jersey City's growth on the waterfront, says James Hughes, dean of Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
But since 2000, there has been a net loss across the state, thanks to increases in the state income tax and other business taxes, said Hughes.
"New Jersey has become an unfriendly place to do business," Hughes said.
The most recent sign of this trend is 77 Hudson St., where Hartz Mountain Industries just scrapped plans to build a 32-story office tower because the
company believed that Jersey City cannot absorb the new space.
The company sold the land for $65 million to K. Hovnanian, which now plans to build two 48-story towers, with more than 1,300 condo and rental units combined.

City officials and experts say Manhattan is driving the housing trend, as it previously did with the growth of the office space market in Jersey City.
The high costs of buying a home and living in Manhattan, combined with the market demand for luxury condos in the region, has created such high demand for housing in less costly Jersey City.
"If everything that is being constructed were built tomorrow, we still would still not satisfy the housing demand," said Downtown city Councilman Steven Fulop, who also works in the financial industry.
Mega mogul Donald Trump summed up the city's housing surge when he visited the waterfront last year to announce his $415 million project that will feature the Garden State's two largest residential towers, at 55 and 50 stories - Trump Plaza Jersey City
"I am the largest developer in Manhattan, and I am coming to Jersey City. So a lot of people come the other way, and I am coming this way, and I am pretty good at predicting trends, so let's hope that's a trend," Trump said.
And when the Athena Group and Golden Tree InSite Partners announced a $110 million condo project on the Hudson waterfront in October of last year, the president and CEO of the Athena Group said "Jersey City is in the midst of a phenomenal housing boom."
With the boom in residents come issues that need to be addressed, says Fulop.
"We need to continue to hire more police officers, but we need to make sure we're hiring more than we are retiring," said Fulop.

JCMAN320

April 19th, 2006, 05:45 PM

The Coming Garden State Office Boom

NJBIZ Staff, Shankar P.
4/17/2006

Jersey City - New Jersey landlords look for the next boom in the state’s office market to come from the spillover from fast filling-up Manhattan. The demand for new Manhattan office space could total 28 million sq. ft. over the next 10 years, according to a study by Moody’s Economy.com, but new construction will fall short by nearly 10 million sq. ft.

Manhattan will “soon begin to feel a shortage of modern office buildings, and the supply of viable development sites will be inadequate,” adds a report from CB Richard Ellis, a real estate services firm. The resulting scarcity “will cause a dramatic increase in the cost of doing business in New York, and a significant loss of business to competing markets.”

This could bring a third wave of demand from New York City to New Jersey, which added the back offices of financial services giants like Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch in the late 1990s and experienced a brief second wave of relocations after 9/11.

A new round of moves would be a boon to landlords in the Garden State, where the office vacancy rate averages 18%, according to figures compiled by Cushman & Wakefield. This compares with 8.4% in Manhattan and 6% to 7% in the Midtown area, which represents virtually full occupancy.

But New York City’s limited Class A office space and rents that average $43.20 a sq. ft.—vs. an average of $24.25 in New Jersey and $30 in Jersey City—are starting to turn away prospects and tenants with leases up for renewal.

“Today we are seeing [financial] companies migrating work forces out of not only Midtown but also Lower Manhattan so they can obtain a lower cost of occupancy and a reliable work force that can live in an affordable way,” says Mitchell Hersh, CEO of Cranford-based Mack-Cali Realty, the largest office landlord in Jersey City.

Among those moving to New Jersey has been Citco Funding Service, a hedge-fund administrator that in February signed a 15-year, 70,000-sq.-ft. lease valued at $23 million for offices in Mack-Cali’s Harborside Plaza 10 in Jersey City. Citco plans to relocate 300 workers from midtown Manhattan to the site this summer and add another 200 staffers.

The firm is following in the footsteps of Manhattan-based Moody’s Investors Service, which last June expanded its presence from 44,000 sq. ft. to 80,000 sq. ft. at Harborside Financial Center Plaza 5 in Jersey City, another Mack-Cali property.

Helping to spur such moves are the hordes of New Jersey residents who commute to New York City offices each day. Some 250,000 New Jerseyans cross the Hudson to their jobs, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That represents some 18% of the Manhattan work force.

“A lot of companies are doing [zip code] analyses of their employees’ [residences] and finding that many come from New Jersey,” says David Stifelman, senior director at real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield in East Rutherford.

Stifelman is handling inquiries from a half-dozen Manhattan companies looking for office space in Jersey City. He says three prospects have each made “serious proposals” for leases on 30,000 sq. ft. They include a financial services firm that is looking for a headquarters office for more than 100 employees.

Further causing companies to look beyond Manhattan are projected increases in rent. Over the next 10 years, some 500 Midtown office tenants will face lease renewals, according to Cushman & Wakefield. In many cases, the firm says, landlords will seek to extract rent increases of 60%.

Jersey City’s status as an Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) gives it cost advantages over Manhattan in addition to cheaper rents. The UEZ designation enables tenants to save on sales taxes and electric power, among other benefits. Such incentives “make Jersey City 30%-40% cheaper to operate from,” Stifelman says.

“Some of the larger transactions in the past six to 18 months could have gone to downtown Manhattan but came to Jersey City,” he adds. For example, “Société Générale and Mellon Financial Services came from Midtown and took up space in Newport Office Center 7.”

Hersh says Lower Manhattan suffers from “a lot of instability and uncertainty” over what will be developed there. Delays in the construction of the Freedom Tower on the World Trade Center site have not helped.

“If you’re leading a company, the last thing you want to deal with is uncertainty, whether it be uncertainty in the markets or uncertainty in terms of being able to satisfy your space needs as you grow your company,” says Hersh. “Coupled with that, whatever they choose to build there, it’s going to experience many years of difficult logistics due to the heavy construction work.”

Meanwhile, “We are seeing companies factoring into their occupancy analysis the concept of decentralization off the island of Manhattan,” says Patrick Murphy, executive managing director for the New York Tri-State Region of CB Richard Ellis. As a result, “some are moving operations to Hoboken and Jersey City.”

Milleniumcab we don't even have to try and we are succeding. We put up a new office building and companies keep leaving Manhattan; approximately 34 so far over the past 4 years. It is just like a finely tuned machine. :)

TeddyJ

April 20th, 2006, 11:10 AM

At this rate we'll be the ones running out of office space:D

TimmyG

April 23rd, 2006, 07:13 PM

32-story 'Aqua' approved

Planning Board also OKs affordable housing, other major projects
The Planning Board gave early approval Tuesday for several site plans for large-scale projects, but the developers will have to return to the board later for the final go-ahead. The projects include the 32-story "Aqua" residential tower, part of the Newport section of town.

There will also be a 16-story building on Luis Marin Boulevard, a 12-story building encompassing Oakland and Hoboken avenues and Washburn Street, and a five-story affordable housing complex on Martin Luther King Drive

The Aqua

The 32-story Aqua will have 363 residential units, 15,348 square feet of retail, and 291 parking spaces. There will be 20 studio apartments, 169 one-bedrooms, 161 two-bedrooms, and 13 three-bedrooms. The entire space will be 490,063 square feet.

The project will be built by Newport Associates Development Company as part of Newport's commitment to building on the Northeast Quadrant near the Jersey City-Hoboken border.
Liberty Harbor North

A 16-story building will be built within the massive Liberty Harbor North Redevelopment Area on Luis Marin Boulevard, near Grand Street and Jersey Avenue.

The project includes transforming 80 acres of vacant land into an estimated 6,500 units of market-rate housing, one million square feet of hotel space, 750,000 square feet of retail space, and 4.5 million square feet of office space.

Former North Bergen Mayor and Jersey City-based businessman Peter Mocco is the developer of the entire area. Construction has already begun and will be completed by next year.

The building will encompass a total of over 891,000 square feet. There will be 498 residential units with 321 one-bedroom, 163 two-bedroom, and 14 three-bedroom apartments.

There will also be over 26,000 square feet of retail and a garage with 454 parking spaces.

The partners in the venture are Hoboken-based developers Michael and David Barry along with developer Murray Kushner.
Oakland and Washburn avenues project

A 12-story residential building, to be built next year, will include 150 units and 161 parking spaces. It will be a short walking distance from the Hudson County Administration Building and Courthouse.

This is one of two projects being developed by local developer Tony Deluco; the other is a 92-unit building located across the street from the 12-story project.

Ten studio, 60 one-bedroom, and 80 two-bedroom apartments and a two-level parking garage were proposed.

Among those endorsing the project at the Planning Board meeting was Ward C City Councilman Steve Lipski, who said that this project would spur the "renaissance" of the Journal Square and surrounding areas.

After presenting the project, Deluco said he would not pursue any abatements. A tax abatement is an agreement to exempt a developer from regular, fluctuating property taxes. There is usually a separate revenue deal for the developer to pay money to the city over 20 or 30 years.

The city benefits from abatements because the resulting Payment in Lieu of Tax (PILOT) money goes straight to the city rather than being split among the city, the county, and the schools.
Webb Apartments - Affordable housing

A five-story housing complex to be built on Martin Luther King Drive, called the Webb Apartments, will include 40 units of affordable housing.

The project will have no parking because it will be located near the Martin Luther King Drive Light Rail Station.

The project is the brainchild of local resident Lavern Webb Washington, who teamed up with the New York-based architectural firm Genesis Partners. Washington said the project is "sorely needed" in a time of too many luxury apartments.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

©The Hudson Reporter 2006

TimmyG

April 25th, 2006, 12:02 PM

This map was in the Jersey Journal today. It shows current and future development in downtown Jersey City.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal/pdf/developmentmap.pdf

steveikin

April 25th, 2006, 07:50 PM

www.gullscove.com

Flash based website, with some somewhat interesting renderings of the project and surrounding area.

JCMAN320

April 28th, 2006, 11:26 AM

Donations make 30-year abatement deal a 'go'

Friday, April 28, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

What's the price tag for a tax abatement in Jersey City? Apparently, a little over $6,000 a year.

New York City-based Coalco, developers of the American Can Co. building on Dey Street, won a hard-fought 30-year tax abatement on the property Wednesday night after agreeing to pay a total of $185,000 to five entities in the city.

Until the developers came up with their pledge, the development had been at an impasse, with council members reluctant to go beyond the normal 20-year tax break barrier for the $100 million condo project that will offer no affordable housing and little open space.

But with the big bucks donations arranged, the 30-year tax abatement package passed 7-0-1, with Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano abstaining and Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson absent for medical reasons.

According to City Council President Mariano Vega, the groups/entities to receive the money are: the Jersey City Museum ($65,000); the Pershing Field youth baseball leagues ($60,000); Grace Seniors at Grace Van Vorst Church ($25,000); Pavonia Park ($25,000); and Riverside Church ($10,000).

The project is located in Ward C, represented by Councilman Steve Lipski. Pavonia Park is also in Ward C, but is used primarily by residents in Ward B, represented by Mary Spinello, council members said.

Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop, who has previously voted against several abatements - and on Monday night against urged his fellow council members not to give away the store to this developer in particular - voted in favor of this one.

"The developers stepped up and gave some money and a good number of those projects are in Ward E," Fulop said.

Sottolano said he abstained because he took exception to the fact that the money was going to a handful of beneficiaries. Any money that can be squeezed out of a developer, no matter what ward the project is in, should be deposited in the city's general fund and used for broad tax relief, he said.

Council members acknowledged the need for a policy to govern future negotiations with developers.

The project's first two phases will consist of 511 market-rate units, 440 parking spaces, 7,000 square feet of open space, and 1,200 square feet of retail space, Coalco principal Ed Yorukoff said.

Coalco hopes to break ground this year and will take 18 months to complete Phase I, he said

JCMAN320

April 28th, 2006, 02:01 PM

Warning: For any New Yorker reading this might make you fall head over heels in love with Jersey City as well as turn you into a believer about Jersey City!!!

Please read entire article. Thank You.

Downtown Construction Boom

Tris Mccall (Originally published in Discover Your Neighborhood)
April 19, 2006

The rough song of the bulldozers, pile-drivers, and cranes – that’s the soundtrack for life in Downtown Jersey City. Wherever you go, out by the glass towers of the waterfront, behind the new entrance to the Grove Street PATH Station, in the warehouse district, across the street from Victory Hall, you’ll encounter construction. On the closed stretches of Washington Avenue by the Powerhouse, the trucks of the work crews line halfway to Christopher Columbus; across Marin, teams of hard-hatted construction workers lay the foundation for the western most of two new towers that will soon flank the Boulevard.
There will be retail space available on the ground floor of these buildings. But like almost all of the recent construction in Jersey City, these are primarily residential projects. Over the next few years, the largest municipality in Hudson County is poised to grow considerably larger. Thousands of new condominium and rental units are scheduled to become available for sale or lease. The Downtown Ward – already the largest in the city – will likely welcome an entire small suburb’s worth of growth. Many of these new homes and apartments are in luxury hi-rises and developments priced at more than $600 per square foot. We all know that Jersey City is in the midst of an unprecedented real estate boom. But is interest in our town really this fevered?

“Don’t look at it from a Jersey City perspective,” suggests Jamie LeFrak, co-developer of Newport. “We’re part of the greater New York City market. And if you look at the housing stock in that market – the overall housing stock – you’d compare it to the amount of new development you’re seeing here, and you’d pretty much shrug. A couple thousand new units? Add that to the other twenty million on the other side of the river.”

The LeFrak organization is unafraid to keep adding. The Shore Club (580 Washington Blvd.), a luxury condominium crown atop the mostly-rental 600-acre Newport development, is a multi-staged project that has already drawn intense interest from potential buyers. Since opening its sales office in September, 211 of the 214 available units have already sold – many of them for more than half a million dollars. What’s perhaps surprising is that LeFrak was able to move these high-priced condominiums without bothering to advertise them. The interest in Left Coast property is so heated that word-of-mouth and internet discussion groups are generally enough to fill waterfront towers with new tenants and owners.

“What people don’t necessarily realize,” continues LeFrak, “is that New York City has a housing shortage, and that’s probably been true since the 1940s. Any housing that gets added to the area helps with catching up with the demand created by the shortage. It’s more than likely that Jersey City has been springing up to relieve that demand for NYC housing. After all, people keep showing up in New York City, and they all need roofs over their heads.”

It was once believed that the Jersey City housing market was entirely skyline-driven, and thus it was mandatory to locate all new towers at the lip of the Hudson River, or with unobstructed views of the Statue of Liberty. But Manhattan builders have begun to grasp the advantages and conveniences of life in Jersey City, or perhaps they’ve just discovered faith in Hudson County as an emerging market in its own right. With almost all of the Downtown waterfront currently occupied, developers have stepped back a few blocks from the eastern edge of New Jersey and purchased lots on Washington Avenue, Greene Street, and Marin Boulevard. These towers will be tall enough to offer panoramic views of New York City – at least from the higher floors – as their press releases make clear. But they’ve been just as keen on marketing their proximity to quick public transit and the renascent Downtown commercial district.

The Athena Group, a real estate developer headquartered in Manhattan, is co-developing the lot at Washington and First bordered on its south and west sides by the Hudson-Bergen light rail tracks. While there’s nothing but rubble on the site now, soon the gleaming-glass and terraced complex called “A” (sales office at 97 Hudson in Hoboken) will rise from the abandoned lot. Closer to completion is Montgomery-Greene (sales office at 66 York Street), a partnership between Wall Township’s KOR Companies and Manhattan-based Time Equities. The concrete-and-steel frame that now looms over the Exchange Place PATH Station will shortly become a nineteen-story tower featuring 113 elaborately-appointed condominiums. Perhaps most famously, business-mogul-turned-TV-star Donald Trump has committed to bringing Trump Plaza Jersey City (Washington and First) to the vacant lot south of the Powerhouse. This mammoth two-tower 862-unit project is also a partnership between a New York financier and Jersey developer Metro Homes LLC.

Like most other waterfront towers, these will bear the hallmark of New York architectural style: slimness, verticality, plate glass frontage, hi-rise elegance, a certain corporate feel. But the waterfront is zoned for skyscraping projects. Once all the parcels of land east of Marin Boulevard are occupied, developers will have to turn further inland, where most neighborhoods have protected their block grid through historical preservation ordinances. The future of Downtown development may not be the Shore Club, but instead LeFrak’s small-scale projects west of Marin Boulevard and the Newport shopping mall.

In picturesque Hamilton Park, noted for its array of well-preserved nineteenth-century brownstones, the LeFrak Organization has erected two smaller rental properties meant to echo the architectural scale of the neighborhood. The Roosevelt (10th and Manila), the second and smaller of the buildings, filled almost immediately once units were made available. “As we did during the construction of the Abraham Lincoln – the rental property right next to The Roosevelt – we tried to evoke colonial 1910 apartment-building style”, offers LeFrak. “I’m glad we got a second shot at it, because I think we got it right to a greater extent this time.”

Although it may not appear so to a casual visitor or to a New Yorker scanning our skyline from the West Side Highway, hi-rise waterfront development in Jersey City has always been accompanied by a parallel interest in the refurbishment and preservation of our pre-existing housing stock. Many of the city’s most notable homegrown developers – Liberty Harbor’s Jeff Zak and Peter Mocco, for instance – began their real estate ventures with restoration projects. Brothers Paul and Eric Silverman of Exeter Properties – best known for their breathtaking restoration and adaptive re-use of the Majestic Theatre (228 Montgomery Street) – are extending their track record of historically sensitive development with two ambitious developments elsewhere in Hamilton Park. Exeter has taken pains to give the residences at The Schroeder Lofts (234 Tenth Street) an eco-friendly design. Closer to the park, the nascent development at the old St. Francis Medical Center (25 McWilliams) promises to bring a pedestrian-friendly strip of boutique retail to the historic neighborhood.

“We’ll be restoring the park facing on the west side of the building,” explains Eric Silverman, “There’ll be a market and a dry cleaner, and we envision a health club and a nursery school. We’re going to remove the bricks in the windows, and create a new façade. As always, the plan will be to create a structure that’s a destination, a visual focal point – one that blends in with neighboring buildings and encourages and enriches the pedestrian experience for everybody in the area.”

“We haven’t always done small-scale stuff, but we have always done good stuff”, continues brother Paul. “We generally have picked projects that nobody else wanted, but where we’ve seen possibilities for restoration and the productive expansion of a neighborhood.” Exeter’s immediate future plans include a further extension of their transformation of Grove and Montgomery Streets. Sketches of their mixed-use development at the southeast corner of the intersection – which will take the place of the disused Sim’s Carpet Building – suggest that the building will echo architectural features of both the Majestic Theatre and City Hall. Exeter’s work on Grove Street demonstrates how property developers can alter the feel of a streetscape, knit together city blocks, and augment the visual coherence and ambient pleasure of an urban Downtown. The Silverman brothers’ long experience restoring property in Jersey City and their investment in the community has deepened their understanding of the city’s needs. “We spend a lot of time getting to know these neighborhoods. We attend the organization meetings – Van Vorst Park Association, Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association – and we listen to what gets said. We do business here, too.”

As residential development expands westward, away from the waterfront, dialogue between neighborhood groups and builders will become increasingly vital. Schenkman-Kushner, creator of the Grove Pointe (100 Newark Avenue) mixed-use complex, altered the design of their structure after a protracted negotiation with Jersey City smart-growth activists. “We needed some additional density to make the numbers add up”, states Jeff Persky, a principal at Schenkman-Kushner and one of the project’s co-developers. “We got together with neighborhood leaders, and agreed to put a park by the PATH station. In return, they agreed to the density changes.”

The Harsimus Cove Association and the Downtown Coalition of Neighborhood Associations recommended that Grove Point be stepped back from the street to create a more human scale for pedestrians. They also requested that the builders use materials compatible with the brick-and-mortar Harsimus aesthetic. Rather than resenting these suggestions, Persky and Schenkman-Kushner incorporated them into the redesign of Grove Pointe. “I actually appreciated their input,” says the developer, “and I believe the final project was better than what we originally proposed. We were able to take their ideas and implement them in a way that was mutually satisfactory. I was very appreciative of the time they spent, their knowledge of the neighborhood, and their passion for Jersey City. It ended up being a great team effort.”

If Grove Pointe and the redevelopment of the PATH station was a cordial negotiation, the foundation of the Powerhouse Arts District was a full-bore diplomatic struggle. The debate over whether or not the municipal government should dedicate the Warehouse District to arts-related enterprise lasted for more than a decade, and drew in activists, politicians, journalists, developers, historians, builders, and rubberneckers attracted to an acrimonious argument. When Acting Mayor L. Harvey Smith signed the PAD ordinance last autumn, the battle reached a tenuous equilibrium. Under that ordinance, all new development in the district must conform to the regulations specified in the city law; residential loft space must accommodate the needs of working artists, and a small percentage of all units must be set aside for moderate-income arts professionals.

So far, those who’d predicted that these restrictions would stay the hand of developers have been proven resoundingly incorrect. The PAD is redeveloping at a healthy pace – and arts-related businesses are moving in. Waldo Lofts (159 Second Street), slated to open in the winter of 2006, will feature huge hallways, hoist beams on the ceilings, and copious natural light in its 82 condominium units. Two blocks south, the Caulfield Brothers will be bringing a 13,000 square foot black box theater to its development at 126 Morgan Street. Rental lofts at 150 Bay Street and condominiums at 311 Washington Street are currently under construction and, like other developments in the district, both have reserved lofts that will be distributed by lottery to artists that have registered with the municipal government. Greentree Construction, co-developer of the Schroeder Lofts, is working on two buildings in the PAD – and 140 Bay Street has become the first of the former warehouses to open appropriate ground-floor art space.

“We’ve just had the first opening at our brand new art gallery,” boasts Greentree developer Vince Wilt. “Right now, it’s open by appointment. But we have brought in a local artist to take charge of it. There’s always reason to worry when you’re developing property, especially in something like an arts district. But I like where we are at the moment.”

Ten blocks south, in Paulus Hook, a quieter negotiation between activists, preservationists, and the high priests of the profit motive has been taking place. There, among the historic townhouses and riverfront walkways, residential construction has been unceasing ever since the commercial property boom of the late Nineties threw up majestic office towers east of Hudson Street. A few of the condominium developments along the northern edge of the Morris and Essex basin, such as the deluxe Liberty Terrace (25 Hudson Street), do attempt to capture some of the grandeur of the waterfront office towers. But most projects in Paulus Hook attempt to blend into the neighborhood, mimicking the rhythms and characteristics of the three-story nineteenth-century Italianate and Greek Revival architecture with wrought-iron, brickface, and antique fenestrations. Essex Commons (66 Essex Street) and the Grandview (93 Greene Street) aren’t brownstones, but they do their best to disguise that; the multi-unit buildings seem like natural extensions of these elegant blocks.

Developer Jeff Zak is a Paulus Hook native, and he’s brought some of the qualities of his historic neighborhood to an elaborate plan for an 80-acre parcel of land on the south side of Grand Street. Liberty Harbor North (333 Grand Street) is easily the most audacious project under development in Jersey City, and possibly one of the most remarkable in the entire country. Rather than developing a single building or an enclave, Zak and partner Peter Mocco are aiming to create an entire neighborhood – a seven-street, tightly constructed mixed-income and mixed-use community modeled on the historic districts that provide Downtown with so much of its unique character.

Liberty Harbor North will be developed in accordance with the principles of New Urbanism, a planning doctrine emphasizing walkability, architectural variety, interconnectivity, and human scale. “What it really is, is anti-suburbanism,” explains Zak. “New urbanists copy traditional urban patterns – ones that are proven facilitators of community.” The dimensions of the seven new city blocks planned for Liberty Harbor North are equivalent to those in Paulus Hook and Van Vorst Park. As befits a development founded on a belief in the efficacy of mass transit, the light rail will run down the middle of a central boulevard.

Never ones to cut corners, Zak and Mocco have brought in urban planner Andres Duany to oversee the development. Duany, one of the founders of the New Urbanism movement, is perhaps the most theoretically rigorous and conceptually sophisticated urban designer in the world. “(JC Planning chief) Bob Cotter recommended him to us in a fit of genius. We’d had the site for several years. The initial proposal featured large towers surrounded by car parks. It was cold and bleak. Everybody was stalled during the recession, and during that time, we saw how outdated the older plan had become.”

The new plan, according to Zak, involves targeting as many demographics as possible. Development will intensify and become denser toward the Morris and Essex basin; to the north, Liberty Harbor promises something for everybody. “We have plans for spaces for students, lofts for artists, for empty-nesters. We’re doing retail. When the market is there for office space, we’ll have room for that, too.” And when will this ambitious plan be realized? “At best, it’s a ten-year project”, confesses Zak, “and at the worst, it takes us twenty years.” But the developer goes on to explain how such flexibility is actually an asset. “We can react to the market absorption. If we’d built a gigantic tower, and it didn’t fill up, we’d be sitting on stories of unused space. But this way, we can build a hundred units at a time, and take a series of small bites. Eventually, we’re going to get there – to that total New Urbanist dream”.

While the Liberty Harbor North project might be the most elaborate local expression of that vision, elements of smart growth theory are apparent throughout Jersey City. Infill and adaptive reuse – the retrofitting of disused buildings to accommodate new projects – have become widely adopted techniques for jump-starting the rehabilitation of neighborhoods. On the crest of the palisade, The Beacon (50 Baldwin Avenue) is a 315-unit retooling of the former Jersey City Medical Center on Montgomery Street. The art deco design of the massive structure and the quirky dimensions of many of the apartments might bother some who demand uniformity and contemporary style, but the structure is bound to radiate personality to anybody with a little imagination.

In Lafayette, the rapidly redeveloping neighborhood just southwest of the Downtown (and one short stop away from Jersey Avenue on the light rail), adaptive reuse projects are transforming Communipaw Avenue and Monitor Street. At The Foundry at Liberty State Park (300 Communipaw), developers are rapidly converting a typesetting factory constructed in 1904 into a modern condominium complex. Around the corner, The Independent (125 Monitor Street) renovation will contribute another 163 units to the region’s sudden growth, and the spectacular, disused Whitlock Mills cordage factory will soon be reborn as a residence and retail center. Still further south, a world-class golf course and a massive condominium tower will eventually fill the open space between the southern terminus of Liberty State Park and the still-growing Port Liberté enclave.

And what of that perennial bugaboo: the property-price bubble? Many of the developers we spoke to confessed to some mild trepidation, and almost all expected the Hudson County property boom to slow. But even those who had their doubts about the stability of the national real estate market were still bullish about Jersey City. “The average income along the waterfront is now just as high as it is in Short Hills,” testifies Dan Frohwirth, chief of the city Economic Development Corporation. “And Governor Corzine is now saying that he wants development fast-tracking in the cities. With gasoline prices as high as they now are, we’ll probably see more and more people from the suburbs thinking about returning to urban centers. Remember that New Jersey is virtually built out, and the cache of Jersey City continues to increase. We haven’t seen the end of this yet.”

estryker

May 1st, 2006, 02:30 PM

Great article JCMan320! Have been reading some of the Jersey City posts and have to say, could not agree with your defense of Hudson county more . . .

Years ago I lived in a studio on 1st Street in Jersey City and did a daily commute through the WTC to the East Village. It was a massive apartment on a quiet street around the corner from a fantastic Italian-American bakery, polish grocers, a vietnamese-run video shop and an always lively Newark Avenue. I suppose that was just at the point when Jersey City had begun stepping out into its own. It is great to see that the development is continuing at great pace.

There were still some problems, then, with the whole urban fabric of the area still. For instance, the dominance of two supermarkets in the Grove Street area and the unfortunate Newport-Pavonia mall, meant that pockets of the area still had a certain Queens Boulevard-like feel. (i.e. not the Jane Jacobs ideal that had always existed in a good part of the Grove Street area, but a parking-lot, car-culture dominated, big box store atmosphere) The other major downside to the area was the double-fare system (paying both for MTA fares and PATH fares), which always seemed rather unfair to a community which was, after all, still largely low-income reliant on Manhattan jobs. The third deficit of the area was whole swathes of brownfield sites and boarded up buildings - this was especially true at the time of areas at the southern end of the downtown area, nearest to Liberty State Park. And then, the fact that it was near impossible to walk to Liberty State Park (which, itself, suffered a certain lack of inspired landscape design) without trudging through heaps of mud.

So . . . beyond the waterfront development, what's the status of the downtown area now? The character of the community? The quality of life, restaurants, street culture, etc.

And . . . Is there a real developed urban fabric linking the grove street area to the waterside development now (instead of what used to be a very dull walk with nothing happening, empty lots, and no street life to speak of)

With any luck, it has not gone the way of Hoboken with its concentration of meatheads, former fratboys and sorority girls - suburbanities living in an urban area without losing their suburban mentality. Jersey City was fantastic then; it just needed a bit more of a boost. . .

nostalgic in london. . .

injcsince81

May 1st, 2006, 10:01 PM

Years ago I lived in a studio on 1st Street in Jersey City and did a daily commute through the WTC to the East Village. It was a massive apartment on a quiet street around the corner from a fantastic Italian-American bakery, polish grocers, a vietnamese-run video shop and an always lively Newark Avenue.

Heh - it's a small world - years ago I lived on 2nd St in JC, opposite that fantastic Italian-American bakery - you mean Pecoraro's, right?

It's still the best.

Jersey City is definitely coming into its own, despite the crooked politicians running it. Crooks have always been the bane of Hudson County, and today is no different. It is amazing that in this day and age, in a democratic country, next to NYC, you can have a county (and a city) so corrupt.

JC is rising despite all that. But our taxes are rising, too, because money is either stolen or misappropriated.

estryker

May 2nd, 2006, 06:16 PM

injcsince81

May 3rd, 2006, 07:41 PM

Yes! That's the name of it! Oh, i really miss the food there. Yeah, totally fattening as f***, but they were always so lovely in there. . . The only city neighborhood i've ever lived in where people remember you by name if you come a few times . . .

2nd street . . . oh yeah, that was much nicer than 1st street overall . . . I lived on the first floor of a bright yellow building with steep steps out front. Second from last block before 1st stree ends. Weird little corner of the city, but I loved the quiet.

Is it still cheap to live around there? I only ask, because i need to come back to New York for three months or so in the next year and I'm trying to decide whether to go across the East River or the Hudson river for cheaper rents. . .

estryker - it is definitely cheaper to rent (or own) in JC than either Brooklyn or Manhattan. Check out craigslist or talk to a local realtor. The area around 1st and 2nd st and Newark avenue has changed a bit - you have art galleries there now and a restaurant with live jazz!

And Pecoraro's is still dishing out the best italian bread around. The polish store is still nearby (on Jersey Ave, off Newark). And an Italian deli with fresh mutz right next to the Pecoraro bakery. Darn, I am staring to miss all of that as I typing this, even though I still live in JC...

estryker

May 4th, 2006, 07:10 PM

I will definitely have to consider it . . . my one concern would be my twice a week commute to New Haven through Grand Central . . . Herald Sq to Grand Central is sort of a bitch to make isn't it . . . and a long trip . . . I'll have to do some comparison of East Harlem, places on the 7 train, and JC . ..

anyways, thanks for the JC update!

JCMAN320

May 5th, 2006, 10:08 PM

Very quitely Newport has begun construction of a hotel on the corner of 6th and Washington Street. There are pile drivers and bulldozers on the site. It will be about 20 stories from what I'm told. This will give Jersey City 5 Hotels in Downtown alone! Jersey City will most likely get 2 more first class hotels, one in the Liberty Harbor North area in the Historic District area of Downtown, and one in our Powerhouse Art District so in total in the next few years Downtown JC will have 7 hotels! I will get more information as becomes available.

JCMAN320

May 6th, 2006, 08:42 PM

Athena Secures $112M Construction Loan

JERSEY CITY-The Athena Group has secured a $112-million construction loan for its 33-story condominium development here. The project, which will carry the developer’s “A” brand, will rise at 389 Washington St., one block west of the Hudson River.

The deal was put together by the New York City-based Sonnenblick-Goldman, which arranged the construction loan with Corus Bank, based in Chicago, and the joint venture equity with GoldenTree Insite Partners. As reported by GlobeSt.com, GoldenTree was announced as Athena’s joint venture partner this past October, when the project was unveiled.

“This project will capitalize on the growing demand for Manhattan-style luxury residences within Jersey City’s waterfront district,” says Louis Dubin, president of the Athena Group. “We feel that this project will play a major role in the continuing growth and development of this city.”
According to Ken Browne, who’s managing the project for Athena, “A” Jersey City will consist of a total of 250 condo units, along with 10,500 sf of ground-floor retail space. Floors two through six will consist of a 238-space parking garage.

“The building will have a brick and glass facade,” says Browne, who notes that the project is being designed by the Hillier Group in association with Schuman, Lichtenstein, Claman and Efron Architects. “Each apartment will have its own balcony and panoramic views.”

GoldenTree is a year-old New York City-based joint venture between Tom Shapiro, who heads the group as president, and GoldenTree Asset Management. Other founding partners include Josh Pristaw, formerly of Coventry Real Estate Advisors; Matthew Ross, most recently with Sterling American Property; and JR Herlihy, who came from GMAC Commercial Holding Capital Corp.

According to Sonnenblick-Goldman president Steven Kohn, the “A” Jersey City is the latest of several fundings his firm has arranged for Athena. Among other recent financings were 43 W. 64th St. and 838 Fifth Ave., both condo projects in New York City.

JCMAN320

May 9th, 2006, 04:15 AM

Citigroup to ditch downtown for Jersey City

Citigroup Inc. is making plans to relocate 1,500 workers from lower Manhattan to New Jersey - even as its chief executive leads the charge to bolster business downtown, according to a published report.
The proposed shift to a 32-story building in Jersey City comes as the financial services giant seeks to sell its 363,000-square-foot office tower at 250 West St., Crain's New York Business reported.

Workers affected by the move are part of Citigroup's Smith Barney investment banking division.

But the move comes as the city and civic groups work to keep businesses in lower Manhattan and attract new ones to the area in the wake of 9/11.

Citigroup's chief executive, Charles Prince, is co-chairman of the Partnership for New York City, a civic group trying attract businesses downtown.

Company officials, however, boast that despite relocating some of its staff to New Jersey the company is still the largest private-sector employer in New York.

The company leases about 750,000 square feet of office space in Manhattan.

Citigroup is negotiating a lease for 370,000 square feet of space at the Newport Office Center VII in Jersey City, where rents run $30 a square foot. Rents in Manhattan run from $35 to $55 a square foot.

Citigroup may move unit here

Tuesday, May 09, 2006
By JACK HERMAN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Score one for New Jersey - maybe.

Jersey City may soon receive an economic boost, as Citigroup Inc., plans to sell its 363,000-square-foot office in Manhattan and possibly relocate its Smith Barney investment banking unit - and 1,500 jobs - across the Hudson, according to a report in Crain's New York Business.

"If that's true, I would welcome Citigroup to the vast group of companies now along the Jersey City waterfront," Mayor Jerramiah Healy said through his spokeswoman.

The location reportedly eyed by the financial giant is at 480 Washington Blvd. in Newport Office Center VII. Citigroup would sublease 370,000 square feet in the 32-story building from the Union Bank of Switzerland.

Citigroup spokeswoman Shannon Bell had little comment on the situation, telling The Jersey Journal the company is "looking at a number of options."

Mark Arena, spokesman for UBS, offered no comment.

The building Citigroup will likely sell is at 250 West St. in New York. The move would come despite Citigroup chief executive Charles Prince's position as co-chairman of the Partnership for New York City, a civic group seeking to lure more businesses to downtown Manhattan

kliq6

May 9th, 2006, 10:16 AM

what can you say, JC offers newer and cheaper rents then over 95 percent of NYC buildings, lower energy bills, and barely any employee taxes levied against employers for having workers in a place, something that i cant for the hell of me get why NY state taxes a company for each person they have sitting in a desk in the state at work. jersey actually gives you a employee credit, what a novel idea!!

To be honest ive never gotten why any firms, would move there workforce out of NYC just to set up shop in Westchester, where eveything is the same except space rent is less, it make no sense at all. If i wanted to save cost and get something in return, id leave the state as a whole.

JC man, as a guy who has worked in NYC commercial leasing for 15 years and been beaten before by these deals, my hats off to you for living in a state that supports business and not attacks business

JCMAN320

May 10th, 2006, 09:06 AM

Apple Tree House rehab kickoff today

Wednesday, May 10, 2006
By JACK HERMAN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Better late than never.

Plans first slated the start for last August, but, now, the historic Apple Tree House will finally get its facelift.

The prominent Dutch Colonial-style structure on Academy Street hosts its renovation's official kickoff at noon today.

"It's finally a reality, the money is there," said Guy Catrillo, a Jersey City planning aide. "At this point in time, I look back, and (the wait) was well worth it. It was done right."

For years, people called for the renovation of the house, likely built around 1759 and most famously noted as the spot of a supposed meeting between George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette to discuss battle plans for the Revolutionary War. The restoration will return the building, also known as the Van Wagenen House, to its 1860 condition.

Currently, the house has both city and state recognition as an historic site, and it's applying for designation by the National Register of Historic Places. Catrillo said he hopes the site, which will be transformed into a museum, can be a great educational aid in the future, as its roots go back to the Dutch settlers of the 17th century.

The city has contracted the historic restoration firm of Schtiller & Plevy, which also fixed up the Old Bergen Church built in 1841, to complete the exterior renovation within nine months. It will cost about $900,000, but none of it will come from the city's coffers.

The founding of the Apple Tree Conservancy will also be announced at the groundbreaking.

worm

May 12th, 2006, 05:01 PM

I have walked by that apple tree house for years and always wondered why this city sould let it go to such complete ruin. I am so excited to hear this!!! I will walk by there on my way home from work and see how construction is going. Thanks for the report JCMAN!!

JCMAN320

May 13th, 2006, 04:52 PM

THE HUDSON
http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/images/zoom/GRCPCB/hudson_rendering.jpg

Overview
The Hudson (formerly called 126-142 Morgan Street) is a massive full-block artist-centric building that is being developed in the P.A.D on the lots bordered by Warren, Bay, Morgan, and Provost Streets.
Like many of its neighbors, The Hudson will be a mixed-used building that will rise as high as 17-stories - consistent with the roof lines already established by the 140 and 150 Bay. From the artist renderings it appears that the buildings are three separate structures of varying heights with interlocking entrances and presumably common walkways. The entire building is envisioned to include:

-263 residential units.
-9.5% of the residential units will be set aside for artist work/live areas.
-A 400-seat arts theatre and gallery, encompassing over 13,000 square feet (corner of Morgan and Warren)
-A school for arts instruction
-Over 6,000 square foot designed to house a restaurant or café (corner of Warren and Bay)
-217 parking spaces (though this number may have fallen with the latest plan amendment)
-Common rooftop courtyard.

At the time the plan was approved, the residential units were broken as follows:

IBR – 150 ranging from 700 – 900 sq/ft)
2BR/3BR – 78 (ranging from 925 – 1,300 sq/ft)
Duplexes – 11
1 – 1020 sq/ft
2 – 1150 sq/ft
7 – 1400 sq/ft
1 – 1410 sq/ft

24 artist live/work units. According to the plans the entire 3rd floor ringing Provost, Bay and Morgan Streets, including an interior courtyard, will be dedicated to the artist/work units.

The artist/work units will be broken down as follows:

2 – 1,000 sq/ft
10 – 1,100 sq/ft
3 – 1,200 sq/ft
2 – 1,250 sq/ft
1 – 1,300 sq/ft
3 – 1,400 sq/ft
2 – 1,600 sq/ft
1 – 1,640 sq/ft

The JC Planning Board approved the initial building plans back in May 2004 with a more recent amendment passing in September of 2005. In April 2006, another one-year extension was granted the developer due to delays in getting the NJDEP to perform additional testing.

JCMAN320

May 13th, 2006, 05:11 PM

In the Region | New Jersey
Desperately Seeking Artists
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/05/07/realestate/07njzo.xl.jpg
Dith Pran/The New York Times
The Waldo Lofts building in Jersey City includes warehouselike amenities. James F. Caulfield Jr., left, one of the developers, says the building appeals to artists and people who like to live near them.

By ANTOINETTE MARTIN
Published: May 7, 2006

JERSEY CITY
WHAT comes first — the artists, or the funky warehouse-type buildings with big open spaces and lots of light? It is the buildings, of course. Everybody knows that artists find good buildings; buildings do not come looking for them.

In Orange, though, where the city and a nonprofit developer want to create an arts district, they are starting with industrial buildings and hoping draw artists. About 30 big old empty factories and warehouses straddling the city border are ripe for conversion into lofts and studios.

And here in Jersey City, the footprint of the old warehouse district is the site of the Powerhouse Arts District, an eight-block area being redeveloped as a live-work community for artists that has about 140 structures available for conversion.

A few smaller buildings in the Powerhouse district have already been rehabbed and are starting to open for occupancy or creative pursuits. A handful of others are being worked on, and developers are fighting over the rights to renovate dozens more. The builders are promising city planners and arts agencies that they will try their best to instill new life into old structures without denuding them of their vintage industrial charm.

And in one case, a developer is instilling classic industrial features into a brand-new building in order to cater to artists. "Maybe sometimes a building does come looking for them," said James F. Caulfield Jr., one of two brothers who run Fields Development Group, which is constructing the complex.

The project, called Waldo Lofts, is a 12-story, 82-unit condominium building at 159 Second Street scheduled to open in September. Mr. Caulfield said he takes it as a compliment that people walking by comment on the lovely restoration.

The Waldo is specifically designed with the industrial amenities that artists prize — tall ceilings, tall windows, hoist beams for lifting large artwork or heavy materials, shop sinks for washing paintbrushes — and it includes cutting-edge kitchen appliances and free wireless hookup.

The combination has already proved attractive, Mr. Caulfield noted, not just to artists, but also to people who like to live alongside them.

"There is a niche of people who can afford the market rate, and who want this type of lifestyle," he said.

In addition to the amenities tailored to artists, a patio will be set up on a loading dock that will extend out to the sidewalk, Mr. Caulfield said. He said that he and his brother, Robert, envision it as a place for residents to "sit, read a book, play the guitar and soak up street activity."

Regulations require that a certain number of the units in every arts district building be made available at below-market prices — in this case $250,000 to $350,000 — to artists certified by the city's Arts Commission. All seven such units at Waldo Lofts have been sold; about half of the other 75 units have been sold for $300,000 to $700,000, all to people who are not certified by the Arts Commission.

Gary W. Heinz, 33, is among the buyers who are not artists. He recently quit his job on Wall Street to start GWH Ventures, which he describes as a "preservation-oriented real estate development company." He plans to set up a home office in his Waldo Lofts apartment.

"Waldo Lofts is new construction," he said, "but it still retains character. That's very appealing to me." Mr. Heinz said the idea of buying in the Jersey City arts district as it begins to flower was also appealing.

"It's like buying into TriBeCa when it was starting to happen as a place for artists, and getting in on the excitement of that," said Mr. Heinz, who currently rents an apartment in Jersey City.

Jersey City already has the greatest concentration of artists living within its boundaries of any municipality in New Jersey, according to a study by the Urban Land Institute. The Powerhouse neighborhood, named for a gorgeous but decrepit turn-of-the-century power plant building that is a candidate for restoration, has a particular history with artists and their admirers.

Even before the idea of a formal arts district surfaced about a decade ago, many artists found havens in the gritty warehouse district at the edge of Jersey City's downtown. A group called ProArts has held an annual tour there for years, putting works on display in vacant buildings.

In Orange, the development has centered on the old industrial area too. The Valley Arts District is planned for the neighborhood straddling the city's border with West Orange. Though that area has no history with artists, developers and city officials are certain that they will flock to a neighborhood of converted factory buildings — and that people who are "birds of a feather" with the artists will, too.

Patrick Morrissy of Hands, a nonprofit development company that has been working to revitalize neighborhoods in Orange and East Orange for a dozen years, said plans call for creating 80 to 100 live-work spaces for artists that will remain moderately priced. Hands plans to create a total of about 700 loft condominiums in a number of old hat factory structures for the Valley Arts District.

The ratio of affordable arts space to market-rate lofts may seem a little low, Mr. Morrissy said. "But the truth is you don't have to have too many artists to make other people want to be there," he said.

Mr. Morrissy said he believed that creating an arts district could accomplish many goals for the economically depressed city: "revive businesses, beautify a neighborhood, expand recreational opportunities, create careers and attract people back into Orange."

He added that it could improve academic achievement, too. "We know that for kids who are really into the arts, their academic achievement is generally higher. If little Johnny plays violin, he does better at math. So, we are really looking to reach those goals, not just to bring in people to sip chardonnay and look at some paintings."

Mr. Morrissy said that a recent grant from the Wachovia Regional Foundation was being used to finance community arts programs — artists working with schoolchildren, for example — but that work had not yet begun on the buildings.

^^Meanwhile, in Jersey City, the Fields Group is already planning a second major project on Morgan Street, to be called the Hudson. An existing packing warehouse will be renovated to create a 400-seat theater, and a new 260-unit condominium building will be adjacent to it, with shop space at street level and a pool and sundeck on the roof.

injcsince81

May 14th, 2006, 11:43 AM

http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1291/zwire/images/2006/05/story/20060501_111019_1_story.jpghttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif Liberty National Golf Club, located just south of Liberty State Park. The exclusive 165-acre course, which was built at a cost of $129 million, is set to open on July 4. Course photograph by David Cupp, courtesy of Liberty National.

more at: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16564111&BRD=1291&PAG=461&dept_id=523595&rfi=6

JCMAN320

May 14th, 2006, 10:09 PM

Another PATH station in Jersey City?

It’s been 33 years since the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey built a new station for its Trans-Hudson rail system — a fact that is not derailing Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy in his quest for a PATH station in the Marion section of the city.

“We want to encourage people to use mass transit rather than all these motor vehicles that are clogging the daylights out of the county, the city and the state,” Healy said.

With some 1,000 units of housing slated for the largely residential area, city officials are pushing into high gear to convince the Port Authority to add an above-ground station at the corner of Broadway and West Side Avenue, an idea that the agency is decidedly cool to.

Read all about it and see what Jersey Journal commuter columnist Bonnie Friedman thinks of the idea in tomorrow's Journal

TimmyG

May 15th, 2006, 10:19 AM

NEW PATH STATION?

Proposal to ease traffic for the Marion section
Monday, May 15, 2006By BONNIE FRIEDMAN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
It's been 33 years since the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey built a new station for its Trans-Hudson rail system - a fact that is not derailing Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy in his quest for a PATH station in the Marion section of the city.
"We want to encourage people to use mass transit rather than all these motor vehicles that are clogging the daylights out of the county, the city and the state," Healy said. With some 1,000 units of housing slated for the largely residential area, city officials are pushing into high gear to convince the Port Authority to add an above-ground station at the corner of Broadway and West Side Avenue, an idea that the agency is decidedly cool to.
In March, the City Council passed a resolution requesting a station there and Healy is scheduled to meet with Port Authority officials to further discuss the proposal.
The Marion section is only several blocks from the Journal Square PATH station but buildings along Tonnelle Avenue prevent easy access, forcing commuters to take circuitous routes to and from the PATH train.
Councilman Steve Lipski, who represents portions of the Marion section, says the Port Authority should provide a PATH station because, in his view, the agency's payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for facilities such as the Holland Tunnel and the Journal Square Transportation Center are lower than they should be.
According to Healy, the Port Authority pays about $800,000 a year for all its properties.
"While we greatly appreciate having a PATH train, we know they (Port Authority of New York and New Jersey) are giving far greater amounts of money to Newark," Lipski said.
Marc Lavorgna, a spokesman for the Port Authority, said that while agency officials are looking forward to discussing the proposal with the mayor, the opening of a new PATH station is not part of the its long-term capital budget.
He declined to comment on the agency's PILOTs.
One official familiar with the project suggested asking developers to pay a portion of the construction cost since a new PATH station would likely add to the value of nearby property.
Roughly 500 units are in the works for the American Can site on Dey Street and 239 condominium units are planned for the old Volkswagen showroom on Kennedy Boulevard.
But both Lipski and Healy oppose the idea of asking developers to contribute to mass transit projects.
"When developers come in, we look for them to do their portion on buildings, new sidewalks and open space," Lipski said. "The Port Authority is not going to get off the hook so easily."
James McCann, an attorney for the developers of the American Can site, did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Residents and business owners interviewed in the Marion section recently generally embraced the idea of a PATH station.
"The Marion section needs a lot: development and a school," said George Taite, who grew up on Wales Place and is one of the owners of Puccini's Restaurant on West Side and Broadway. "A transportation hub would help the area and all of those things help business and the people in the area."
But Chris Nardone, the owner of N. Nardone Equipment & Supplies, which has been in business on Broadway for 21 years, feared a PATH station would create a nightmarish parking situation.
"It'll be crazy here with the parking and people in and out," he said. "I'm going to close this place and open a deli, like the lady at the Hoboken PATH station."

macmini

May 15th, 2006, 09:27 PM

It's nice to see more projects going on in the Bergen/Lafayette section of Jersey City. This is the first I've heard about this project Library Hall.

http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/images/zoom/Library_Hall/libraryhall.artist.01.jpg

http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/images/zoom/Library_Hall/libraryhall.artist.02.jpg

http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/images/zoom/Library_Hall/libhall.0106.03.jpg

http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/images/zoom/Library_Hall/libhall.0106.jpg

Library Hall
704 Grand Street
Jersey City, New Jersey

Overview
With all the developer’s attention seemingly focused on Downtown, its easy to overlook another part of town beginning it’s own renaissance – Bergen Hill. With the Webb Park revitalization complete and The Beacon and the Whitlock Cordage Mills restoration and construction well underway, this neighborhood is coming alive with activity. Now another new and interesting redevelopment project is materializing – Library Hall.

You wouldn’t know by looking at the white/red painted brick building sitting at 704-712 Grand St., but there is a lot of history gathering dust on this lot. With approval from the Planning Board last August, the developer has started to kick the dust clear. This project wil feature a unique blend of new and old architecture that should give folks looking to live in a historical building without forgoing the conveniences of modern design something to savor.
Library Hall, a five-story building with roots dating back to 1866, has housed town hall meetings, a library, a police precinct, a sawmill, and most recently rugs. It’s next reincarnation is already planned - a condominium building. The new condo complex will feature twelve “loft-style” units each with it’s own basement storage area and eleven parking spaces. Other amenities include hardwood and tile floors, high-end appliances, and laundry facilities in each unit.
The units will be priced at market rates (estimated to be the high $300k to low $600k) and will include a five-year, 30% tax abatement. The developer will be accepting non-binding $2,500 commitments in April with the anticipated completion in December 2006. If you are commuting downtown or into NYC, the Garfield Avenue Light Rail station is a six-minute walk and buses to Newport and Journal Square are available.

1st floor (http://jerseycityvibe.com/images/stories/pdfs/1stfloor.pdf) . (click on link for pdf layout)
The ground floor will consist of two commercial units (749 and 664 sq ft) suitable for a small office or business (for example a real estate agency) and eleven parking spaces. A new glass enclosed entrance tower will be built on the southern side of the building and will contain a lobby area and a steel staircase. Additionally, an elevator will run through the center of the building.

2nd floor. (http://jerseycityvibe.com/images/stories/pdfs/2ndfloor.pdf) (click on link for pdf layout) Units will have twelve-foot ceilings.

unit 1. 2BR, 2BA (1,035 sq ft)
unit 2. 2BR, 2BA (1,106 sq ft)
unit 3. 2BR, 2BA (1,087 sq ft)
unit 4. 1BR, 1BA, plus den (815 sq ft)3rd floor (http://jerseycityvibe.com/images/stories/pdfs/3rdfloor.pdf) / 4th floor (http://jerseycityvibe.com/images/stories/pdfs/4thfloor.pdf) duplexes (click on link for pdf layout). These two-story units will have a mezzanine level and stunning 16-foot exposed brick arched windows that will provide NYC Midtown views.

unit 5. 2BR, 2BA (1,740 sq ft)
unit 6. 2BR, 2BA (1,806 sq ft)
unit 7. 2BR, 2BA (1,876 sq ft)
unit 8. 1BR, 1BA, plus den (1,325 sq ft)5th floor (http://jerseycityvibe.com/images/stories/pdfs/5thfloor.pdf) penthouse (click on link for pdf layout). The floor of this new addition will be set just underneath the rafters of the existing roof with ceilings that will rise ten feet.

unit 9. 2BR, 2BA (1,035 sq ft)
unit 10. 2BR, 2BA (1,106 sq ft)
unit 11. 2BR, 2BA (1,087 sq ft)
unit 12. 1BR, 1BA, plus den (815 sq ft)

TriHobo

May 18th, 2006, 01:35 PM

JUST SAY JERSEY
By DAKOTA SMITH
May 18, 2006 -- Jersey City is about more than office parks these days. The city across the Hudson from Manhattan is seeing a residential construction boom and soon might be known for its abundance of new condos and rental buildings.

According to the Jersey City mayor's office, 24 residential projects have recently been completed, another 21 are under construction and 23 more have been approved.

"We're riding a tremendous wave of investment," says Mayor Jerramiah Healy.
Think big towers with waterfront views, multi-use sprawling residential/commercial developments, historical renovations and one very exclusive golf course.

In the big - extremely big - category is Trump Plaza Jersey City, a two-tower, 860-unit development planned for 88 Morgan St. When completed in fall 2007, the two towers, clocking in at 50 and 55 stories, will be the tallest residential buildings in New Jersey. Prices will likely range from $400,000 to $4 million. The Trump Organization and Hoboken-based Metro Homes are the developers.

Metro Homes is also behind the 431-unit Gull's Cove condominium at 205 Luis Munoz Marin Blvd. in the Liberty Harbor North redevelopment area. Open for sales three weeks ago, prices start in the high-$200,000s for 500-square-foot studios.

Gull's Cove will eventually contain 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, including a Wachovia bank, coffee shop, restaurant and dry cleaners. A deal with childcare company Kindercare is also pending, according to Metro Homes managing partner Dean Geibel.

"The whole idea is that you're buying into a lifestyle, that you have an instant neighborhood," Geibel says.

Of course, the "instant neighborhood" idea in Jersey City was spearheaded by the Manhattan-based LeFrak Organization, the developer behind Newport, a sprawling, 600-acre development on the Hudson River. Known as a rental community, Newport is adding more sales buildings, including the 220-unit North Tower of the Shore Club at 580 Washington Blvd. Construction will begin this June.

The South Tower sold out - with little advertising - just six months after opening for sales last September, says Jamie LeFrak, managing director of the LeFrak Organization.

Part of Jersey City's draw is simply its small cost per square foot, believes LeFrak. Prices currently average about $600 a square foot, he says, compared to the $700 a square foot in some hot parts of Brooklyn.
Off the water, adjacent to the Grove Point PATH station, construction has begun on Grove Pointe, a 67-unit condominium and 458-unit residential building located at 102 Christopher Columbus Drive, which opened for sales three weeks ago and is 25 percent sold. Prices start at $495,000 for a 750-square-foot one-bedroom. The development will house 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

In Jersey City's historical Hamilton Park District, construction will begin this summer on the 225-unit Hamilton Square, a partial conversion of the St. Francis Hospital at 25 McWilliams Place. The condo building is being developed by Jersey City-based Exeter Property Company, which has restored many historical buildings in Jersey City.
Exeter is also behind Schroeder Lofts, a 60-unit loft building just outside of the Hamilton Park district, at 242 10th St. The building is 40 percent sold since opening for sales in February. Prices for 930-square-foot one-bedrooms start at $414,000.

In Jersey City's Powerhouse Arts District, an eight-block historical area, Hoboken-based developer Fields Development Group is planning to break ground on The Hudson, a 260-unit new construction/conversion loft building planned for 10 Provost St., in July. The sales office is expected to open in October.

Fields Development is also behind Waldo Lofts, an 82-condominium conversion located at 159 Second St. Half of the units have sold since the sales office opened in February - prices start at $390,000 for a 700-square-foot loft.
Another conversion - on a massive scale - is The Beacon, housed in the former Jersey City Medical Center, an Art Deco building located at 50 Baldwin Ave., in the heart of Jersey City. More than 70 percent of the 315 luxury residences - the first phase of the project - have sold since the building opened for sales last October. Prices start at $350,000 for a 760-square-foot one-bedroom.

Meanwhile, Jersey City is getting plenty of ink for Liberty National Golf Course, scheduled to open this spring on the Hudson River. The golf course, reportedly built at a cost of $150 million, will have an initiation fee of $500,000, with annual dues of $20,000.
Rudy Giuliani and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft are already signed up as members. A high-speed private ferry will bring Wall Streeters to the first tee.

JCMAN320

May 20th, 2006, 06:59 AM

ANCHOR STORE
Fresh Grocer planned for Newport

Saturday, May 20, 2006
By MARGO CHALY
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Fresh Grocer supermarkets, which specializes in organic and fresh foods and has a catering service, will open a store in Newport on the Jersey City waterfront next year, says owner Patrick J. Burns.

"We are extremely excited to open the Fresh Grocer in Newport," Burns said. "We believe our fresh-market style will have tremendous appeal to Newport residents, and will be another important and practical addition to the spectrum of amenities Newport offers."

The 30,000-square-foot supermarket, which will also have a cafe, will serve as the anchor store for the Newport River Market, a collection of outdoor shops, restaurants and services.

TimmyG

May 20th, 2006, 11:25 AM

Fresh Grocer supermarkets, which specializes in organic and fresh foods and has a catering service, will open a store in Newport on the Jersey City waterfront next year, says owner Patrick J. Burns.

That store should do very well in Newport.

JCMAN320

May 21st, 2006, 04:52 PM

BUILDING BOOM
The wholesale revitalization of Jersey City is exciting, but not without growing pains

Sunday, May 21, 2006
BY STEVE CHAMBERS
Star-Ledger Staff

There's a gold rush happening on New Jersey's Gold Coast.

Within an eight-block radius of City Hall in Jersey City, a half- dozen heavy duty cranes stand like giraffes looking over an unprecedented wave of residential development.

Consider that 4,600 housing units are under construction in the city and another 4,400 are approved. Ten thousand more -- vir tually all in luxury skyscrapers -- are planned during the next decade, an infusion of wealth and highly educated professionals into a city many had given up for dead a generation ago.

And these are no fly-by-night developers. Donald Trump is building two towers, one 50 stories and the other 55. Big suburban players like Toll Bros. and K. Hovnanian Homes are building their own large-scale residential buildings.

"It's like Hong Kong," Mayor Jerramiah Healy said.

With growth like this, no other city in New Jersey is likely to change its character as much as Jersey City over the next 10 years. City fathers say it will become a sixth borough of New York, with all its fabulous wealth and exciting night life.

But it will come at a cost.

The city already has huge demographic divides. The downtown below the Palisades and along the Hudson River has been transformed from a Latino barrio to an increasingly wealthy, white and Asian enclave over the past two decades.

The money is creeping up the hill, but the downtown still has the feel of a separate city. Brownstones the city all but gave away during the early 1980s sell for nearly $1 million. Parks like Hamilton and Van Vorst are filled with young children, and residents are no longer moving away to the suburbs after their children reach school age.

These downtown newcomers have, in recent years, begun to mo bilize more against the rapid growth, packing Planning Board meetings to force concessions from developers and grumbling about the coming traffic and the shortage of open space.

"Honestly, it is exciting, but it's also a little frightening," said Vale rio Luccio, who chairs the Downtown Coalition of Neighborhood Associations. "It's also tiring. I feel like I am going from meeting to meeting to hold down the fort. I feel like the little boy with his finger in the dike."

REVERSING THE LONG DECLINE

Developers insist they are only scratching the surface of incredible demand. They point to Manhattan's high prices and commuter weariness in the suburbs.

"Jersey City is the best-kept se cret," said Peter Mocco, who plans 7,000 residential units at Liberty Harbor North. "The more people who find out about it, the better it is for everyone. It's so exciting. I don't believe with all the development under construction or planned that we will meet the need."

Carl Goldberg, whose Roseland Property three years ago finished a 40-story residential building close to the waterfront called Marbella, said it has one vacant apartment. This despite rental prices that start at $1,750 for studios and rise to $3,815 for three bedrooms.

"The urban lifestyle once predicted for the Gold Coast is finally coming into its own," he said. "It's a maturation of the lifestyle. All the quality-of-life elements are there: mass transportation, retail opportunities, a restaurant scene."

Like most cities in New Jersey, Jersey City had been on a long slow slide in population since the early 1900s, when Irish and Polish immi grants packed its crowded tenements.

With the rise of the suburbs after World War II, it accelerated, bleeding 80,000 residents until it reached a low of 220,000 in 1980. In 2000, it reached 240,000, nearly passing Newark to become the state's largest city.

ADDING A CITY

Given the flood of new construction -- it will add as many housing units as entire cities like Montclair by the next census -- the race for bragging rights may well be over.

Beginning in the 1980s, desperate city officials got things going by creating several downtown historic districts, selling units the city had seized for nonpayment of taxes for $8,000 and offering tax breaks that made them free. Then, a few deep- pocketed investors gambled on the waterfront, starting the Newport complex in 1986.

The key to the resurrection of the downtown was the PATH system -- with its direct rail links to Midtown Manhattan and Wall Street -- and some of the best views of the New York skyline anywhere. As New York City began its own climb, it dragged Jersey City with it.

PATH makes three stops downtown, which already boasts more office space than Denver or Cleveland, and has five historic districts filled with century-old brownstones and a growing number of luxury residential skyscrapers.

Daily ridership from those stops has steadily risen in recent years to surpass the previous highs realized before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

Development got another boost beginning in 2000 with the coming of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, which acts like a modern-day trolley and has virtually blanketed the downtown with rail lines.

Some of the most explosive growth in recent years has followed that rail line west. Paulus Hook, a historic district on the southeast side of the downtown is now virtu ally built out, and growth is pressing west to Mocco's site, where the first of 26 new city blocks are going up on what had been a vacant dumping ground for construction debris.

The project is beginning with 667 townhouses and apartments built in lower-rise brick structures meant to mimic the adjacent Van Vorst historic district. But as the development continues south, plans call for 30-story buildings along the Morris Canal facing Liberty State Park.

WHAT THE RESIDENTS SAY

Friday morning, a steady stream of commuters and residents pushing strollers or walking dogs passed through Van Vorst Park, an oasis of green and quiet near the construction sites.

Margaret Whalley, 43, a mas sage therapist, and her husband moved to the city three years ago from Manhattan, partly because they thought it was a great place to raise two children. They had lived in the same neighborhood eight years ago and noticed big changes in their absence.

"The new restaurants are nice, but I hope it doesn't lose its edge with all the growth," Whalley said. "The diversity is great, and it's not as crowded as Manhattan. But I guess change is coming. It's inevitable."

Leila Haddad, 39, agreed. The owner of a café called Sweet Pris cilla, Haddad said she wonders if the 100-year-old sewer system, narrow road grid and sparse park space can handle the flood of new development. Like many others, she is worried recent tax hikes might drive out old timers -- even herself.

Still, she marvels at the changes. Her brownstone has tripled in value since she bought it eight years ago for $325,000.

"Traffic is already becoming a nightmare," she said. "But mostly I see positive changes. There is broad revitalization. People are raising children here, and they seem to be hanging in there after they're old enough to go to school."

There has been a bit more squawking in nearby sections like Hamilton Park, where residents are lobbying City Hall to create a park on a former railroad embankment that runs down Sixth Street.

URBAN FEVER

Mayor Healy said he would prefer to see a new light-rail line linking the waterfront through an existing tunnel called the Bergen Arches to the underutilized New Jersey Turnpike Exit 15X in the Meadowlands. Commuter lots or garages there could ferry thou sands of people downtown without clogging roads, he said.

"Residents are going to have to start living like they do in Manhattan," he said. "You have several PATH stops and light rail, so you don't need a car."

Asked whether he believed the rush of new development was going too far, Healy said: "I'm not going to say there is too much suc cess, too much prosperity. This city was hurting for a long time. I'm happy for whatever interest, investment and development done in Jersey City."

Stephen Marks, director of planning for Hudson County, said intense development is beginning to tax roads, parks and schools. There is room to grow, he added, but only if proper investments are made by developers and the state.

"It's an exciting time, and we are looking to double the amount of park space," he said. "But we can't do it alone."

The urban development fever has infected some of the state's most entrenched suburban builders -- ones who helped make sprawl a dirty word by putting up countless subdivisions on farm fields.

Toll Bros. is building a 230-unit high-rise on the northern end of the downtown, and K. Hovnanian Homes has already built one project in Paulus Hook. Hovnanian, the state's largest developer, also is negotiating to purchase a downtown lot and convert two approved office towers into a residential project.

"It's a reflection of how effective the state's land-use policies have been," said Doug Fenichel, a Hovnanian spokesman. "We've become an urban builder."

OmegaNYC

May 28th, 2006, 04:06 AM

It's cool seeing JC, becoming one of the most hip, and vibrant city not only in NJ, but in the nation as well. I just hope and pray, that my hometown can follow suit. :(

macmini

May 29th, 2006, 03:12 PM

New Pictures taken Saturday May 20th, 2006

Grove Pointe

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/grovepoint1.gif

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/grovepoint2.gif

Montgomery Greene

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/mg1.gif

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/mg2.gif

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/mg3.gif

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/mg4.gif

Liberty Terrace

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/lt1.gif

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/lt2.gif

K. Hovnanian at Paulus Hook

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/khovph1.gif

OmegaNYC

May 30th, 2006, 02:09 AM

Nice pics!!!! I was at Liberty Park today and around that area. Man that place is magical! :D

Kris

June 1st, 2006, 03:09 AM

June 1, 2006
LeFraks Envision Even Bigger Skyline Across Hudson
By CHARLES V. BAGLI

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/06/01/nyregion/01lefrak600.jpg
The developer Richard LeFrak in a building under construction in the Newport complex in Jersey City, where his family has built more than a third of the high-rises on the Hudson River waterfront.

Slide Show: Jersey City Waterfront Through the Years (http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2006/05/31/nyregion/20060601_LEFRAK_SLIDESHOW_1.html)

Standing atop a condominium tower under construction at the Newport complex in Jersey City, Richard LeFrak looked south at a forest of green-glass commercial towers and brick residential buildings that seem to leap from the waterfront. His family and their partner built them, 20 in all.

Although the LeFraks cannot lay claim to the tallest tower (the 800-foot Goldman Sachs building at Paulus Hook), they have built more than a third of the high-rise skyline that has grown up along Jersey City's once dilapidated waterfront. And today, exactly 20 years after his father, Sam, embarked on a seemingly quixotic bid to transform these rusty old railroad yards into Newport, Mr. LeFrak is announcing plans for another hotel and four more apartment towers.

The announcement comes on the 20th anniversary of the start of Newport and calls attention to the part that the LeFraks have played in the current Jersey City housing boom. The new plans represent a $750 million investment, on top of the nearly $2.5 billion that the LeFraks say they have already plowed into Newport.

Mr. LeFrak, 60, said the family is making good on a promise by his father and Melvin Simon, the shopping center developer, to build a community where dilapidated piers, warehouses and railroad tracks stood.

"We're celebrating that we got this far," said Mr. LeFrak, who was involved with Newport from the beginning and has now been joined by his sons, Jamie and Harry. "We're celebrating that the vision of my father and Mel Simon is pretty well complete."

The scale of the undertaking is hard to imagine. At 600 acres, Newport is twice as big as Co-op City in the Bronx. There are 11 residential buildings containing 4,135 apartments, eight office buildings with 5.5 million square feet of office space, a 187-room hotel, a marina, a 1.2-million-square-foot mall and many other buildings and stores. Across the river from Chelsea, the complex stretches the equivalent of about 14 Manhattan blocks. Samuel J. LeFrak, who died in 2003 at 85 and built more housing in New York City during his life than any other private developer, saw the possibilities in Jersey City when most builders turned up their noses.

"Sam was bigger than life," said Bob Cotter, director of planning in Jersey City. "His dream was to build this city on the left bank of the Hudson River. He came over and did it. The waterfront has given Jersey City a panache that it never had."

But some urban planners, neighborhood advocates and residents have complained that Newport has a suburban sensibility. Many of the buildings stand alone, with little connection to one another, or to the older, grittier sections of Jersey City to the west, they say. There is a public esplanade along the Hudson River, with sweeping views of Manhattan, but it is bordered by Newport buildings, giving it the impression of a private enclave.

"I love living in a place that takes your breath away," said Monica Coe, an architect who has lived at Newport for 10 years. "At night you see the sparkling lights of Manhattan, rather than the brick walls you'd get in Manhattan. But it's a little like living in a feudal holding."

Dan Falcon, a 15-year resident, said: "Newport has been malled off from the city. We wanted the city to have access to the waterfront."

Mr. LeFrak does not dismiss the criticisms. "It's a valid point," he said. "We're trying to address that now that we have some density."

The company is filling in some of the empty space between buildings and adding street-front stores, to create street life, and small parks, if not the larger park-on-a-pier that some residents wanted. On a recent morning, office workers and women pushing baby strollers could be seen on the streets.

The LeFraks are known for a kind of efficient, if unimaginative, boxy building that provides the maximum space for the rent. But the buildings in the next round are more interesting, with one, the Ellipse, a sleek, elliptical residential tower designed by the well-known Arquitectonica of Miami.

In the late 1970's, the Jersey City waterfront was a web of train terminals owned by bankrupt railroads. Newport began not with Samuel LeFrak but with Mr. Simon and another mall developer who wanted to build a shopping center anchored with a Stern's department store.

Mr. Simon's bankers urged him to find a partner to build housing. He put in a cold call to Sam LeFrak, persuading him to travel from his office in Queens. The developer then called his son.

"He said, 'Richard, you'd better take a look at this,' " Mr. LeFrak recalled. "I've been dreaming about something like this my whole life."

Sam LeFrak, in characteristic fashion, vowed to undertake "probably the largest job that has ever been built since the pyramids" and create the "experimental prototype city of tomorrow."

Mr. Simon built the mall and the first office building, while the LeFraks built several apartment towers. "He built all the other buildings with cash," Mr. Simon said. "We couldn't afford to borrow the money."

Progress was slow and a devastating recession in the early 1990's sent the nascent "Jersey gold coast" into a tailspin, and the LeFraks say they had huge losses in the first 15 years.

But since 2000, they have built seven office buildings, attracting financial tenants from Manhattan like J. P. Morgan Chase, Knight Securities and Insurance Services Office with cheaper rents and tax breaks, surprising brokers who doubted that the New Jersey waterfront would ever attract office tenants.

The LeFraks have the option of building more commercial space, but the vacancy rate is 14.1 percent, according to the brokers Cushman & Wakefield. And new housing is what's hot. K. Hovnanian and Equity Residential recently bought a commercial site on the waterfront, where they plan to build a 900-unit apartment complex.

Even Donald J. Trump has found Jersey City, lending his name to a $415 million project to build two residential towers, one 50 stories and the other 55 stories.

Mr. Cotter said there are 7,000 apartments planned or under construction within a mile of City Hall, two or three times the number five years ago, fueled by the soaring sales prices and rents across the Hudson River.

"It's not Manhattan," Mr. LeFrak said on a recent walking tour of Newport. "But it's not bad. And it just might," he paused, raising a finger, "might, be better than Brooklyn."

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

STT757

June 2nd, 2006, 12:56 PM

Developers plan to bolster Jersey City waterfront

Friday, June 02, 2006
BY STEVE CHAMBERS

Star-Ledger Staff

Nearly two decades to the day after they broke ground on a questionable gamble to transform Jersey City's waterfront, members of the LeFrak and Simon families un veiled plans yesterday for four more buildings in the Newport complex.

Top government officials in attendance, including Gov. Jon Cor zine and U.S. Sen. Frank Lauten berg (D-N.J.), praised the influence of the families in transforming the northeast corner of Jersey City into the leading edge of the Hudson River Gold Coast.

Richard LeFrak, son of the late Samuel LeFrak, who along with Melvin Simon started Newport on June 4, 1986, said the family was committed to completing the 500-acre project all the way to the Hoboken border.

"Twenty years ago, my father and Mel stood on this land and made a public promise to transform Jersey City's eyesore -- its abandoned and deteriorated Hud son River waterfront -- into a beautiful, vibrant and economically viable, showcase urban community," LeFrak said. "We have kept that promise."

LeFrak said he and his sons, Jamie and Harrison, intend to double the number of residential units to roughly 9,000 and will add 11 acres of parkland, another 1 million square feet of office space and amenities including an ice-skating rink.

The complex already includes more than 4,000 residential units, 5 million square feet of office space and the Newport Centre Mall.

He said $2.5 billion in private capital has already poured into the site, and the new buildings represent an investment of another $750 million. New construction includes three residential high-rise towers and a Westin hotel and conference center.

The jewel will be the Ellipse, a 460-foot tower of steel and glass that will contain 325 apartments.

The LeFraks have long been sensitive to criticism that their complex has an antiseptic feel, despite its coming of age in recent years with the addition of ethnic restaurants and a private elemen tary school. The Ellipse is being designed by a well-known architec tural and planning firm, Arquitec tonica, which has built space-age creations from Miami to Manila.

The LeFraks spared no expense at an anniversary celebration yesterday, trotting out a mini-documentary on the complex that vividly contrasted the waterfront of the 1980s -- with dilapidated rail yards, construction debris and packs of wild dogs -- with the thriving complex of today. It fea tured tributes from three governors -- Corzine and predecessors Jim Florio and Tom Kean -- and re membrances from Sam LeFrak, who died in 2003.

A commissioned study by Rutgers University's Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy reported that the complex had paid $870 million in taxes and generated another $430 million in income-tax revenues and $291 million in other taxes. The same study found the complex created 22,500 construction jobs and houses 30,000 business-operations jobs -- 10 percent of Hudson County's job base and nearly one-quarter of all jobs in the city.

Richard LeFrak also acknowledged the assistance of government funding in the success of the project, most notably the Hudson- Bergen Light Rail, which runs between Newport Centre Mall and the residential and office properties that line the waterfront.

The complex also benefited from tax abatements and, most re cently, state legislation that will allow the LeFraks to recoup up to $20 million from an environmental cleanup fund that didn't exist when they were building the development.

Corzine said public investment is justified, because Newport has become an economic engine and job creator that has benefited the entire state.

"This is one of the most exciting places in all of New Jersey," he said.

The article in the paper included renderings for the new buildings, the Arquitec tonica building looked the best. Im also excited that they are building a Westin Hotel, I've stayed at Westin's and loved their beds.

With a W Hotel in Hoboken, a Hyatt and now a Westin in Jersey City the Gold Coast has really come to life. Add a JW Marriott and they will be set.

JCMAN320

June 2nd, 2006, 07:23 PM

I saw a rendering of the the Westin Hotel. It looks amazing. It is curved on the Sixth street side is curved and elegant. It will be about 15 stories and have 432 rooms and New York get ready for the Elipse a building you wish you had! Keep it up Jersey City!!!!!

z22

June 3rd, 2006, 02:13 AM

Can you post those renderings here?

badger2

June 3rd, 2006, 10:53 AM

Anyone have any updates on the proposed redevelopment of the American Can Building? Curious.....I really think that given the weakening of the residential sales market, the American Can building redevelopment becomes far less feasible. It's all about price-points. Once prices start dropping on or near the waterfront, the American Can project loses what once may have been a significant edge. Additionally, the fact that it is phased development does not help their cause. What happens if you buy into the first phase and the market is not strong enough to justify development of the second? All the buyers of the first phase will find themselves with homes in the middle of an industrial wasteland. Personally, I would not purchase a condo at this location unless I knew the developer was totally committed to developing the entire site.

Would love to hear some updates!

JCMAN320

June 3rd, 2006, 02:42 PM

badger2

June 3rd, 2006, 03:00 PM

Not as committed as you might think. If phase 1 does not do well, do you think he would move on to phase 2? Better yet, do you think construction financing would be available for phase 2? The answer is "no." If further residential development is not financially feasible, other alternatives would be explored. I highly doubt any of these alternatives would benefit anyone that may have bought into phase 1. I wouldn't be surprised if Pilot payments are phased as well.

cweed

June 6th, 2006, 11:48 AM

worm

June 6th, 2006, 02:10 PM

On a side note, did anyone see the season finale of the Soprano's? It featured scenes taken from the VIP Diner on Sip and JFK....

How is construction going for The Beacon? Last I heard they sold about half of their units. What will happen if they don't get all their condos to sell? Will they not pursue phase 2 of construction? I hope that both the American Can Factory and the Beacon do well but I do have some reservations about the real estate market right now...

cweed

June 6th, 2006, 03:00 PM

soprano's really? very cool, thanks for the info, will have to check it out :-)

I dont know... i'm not very fond of the beacon, many people are talking about it, but the place just seems so gloomy.... i dont think i would like to live there...

FiveNines

June 6th, 2006, 10:23 PM

Any new developments in the west side area? last i checked the west side station residences have been building up both loft buildings and droyer's point is almost fully built up... also, i noticed njcu has been on top of their west side campus, they have fully torn down that old steel plant next to 440...

My wife and I just purchased one of the loft units over there. I'll admit, we were a little nervous about the area but there seems to be so much potential. I don't know, we'll see I guess...

We're currently in Paulus Hook but as everyone here already knows...it's just too damn expensive.

The last I heard from the managment office over at Westside Station is that they (Centex) are currently negotiating a deal to purchase the UHaul lot across the street (I forget if that's Claremont). However, if they are successful, the people I spoke with don't think the plans will be a mirror image of the current townhouse/loft development but rather it will look more like the Belleville townhouse development. That's just what I heard...

Across the Westside Station light rail parking lot is another, smaller condo building going up right now called the The Residences at Westside Station. No relation to the Centex development though.

Also I heard K.Hov was starting to build out Society Hill across 440.

It may have been posted here already but here's a link to the NJCU redevelopment plan.

http://www.njcu.edu/programs/westcampus/documents/scup/SCUP_Mid_Atlantic_FINAL_2005_files/frame.htm

JCMAN320

June 6th, 2006, 11:39 PM

I know the person who is selling those Westside Station homes and they will purchase that and that green warehousr fronting 440 and knock it down and build a hotel in its stead. NJCU will start construction of the West Side Campus this summer. Yes the Station at WestSide 6 story condo builing is already under construction. Also the lot across from it will be developed by the same developer who is building the Station at Westside. Also the fenced in old Mac Video will become a condo building as well possibly 8 stories. It's great to see my neighborhood come alive with all of this construction. Born and raised in the same neighborhood and on the same block my entire life and I onyl live 5 blocks from all of this development it is really great to see.

In reagrds to the Beacon, it will do very well. I go to school there in the area at Saint Peter's College and trust me it will do well and sell out. The demand is going to be crazy up there with JSQ development booming, this will do well. The area is not that bad at all. The projects will get torn down and have affordable townhomes built in their stead, and Bergen Ave from Montgomery to Sip Ave will be done over with McGinley Square Park being renovated and lamposts and brick pavers being put it in along Bergen Ave from Montgomery to Sip Ave. Also the old beautiful 7th Precient building is getting renovated for condos and having an addition added to the top. The Lincoln Park neighborhood which is the same area is georgeous with its late 19th and early 20th Century mansions. Turst me the area will pick up more so than it is now. When I first went to Hudson Catholic as a freshman in 2000, the area was far worse. There has been such an improvement. Also the Jersey City Armory just being redone and renovated has helpred the area. Also the parking lot between the Armory and Hudson Catholic will have a 3 level parking deck with a nice facade and stores along the bottom to add to the exsisting abundence of retail already there.

Also yea I saw the episode with the VIP in it. If many don't know JC has been in the Sopranos MANY MANY times throughout the shows history.

worm

June 7th, 2006, 10:06 AM

I really appreciate your optimism, JCMAN....but...Look how long it's been taking just to tear down the Duncan Projects. The projects over by the Beacon are still occupied so relocating all the tenants could be a long and difficult process to say the least. I do agree that the Journal Square area and surrounding neighborhoods has yet to complete it's rennaissance, but all signs indicate that the NJ housing bubble is in fact deflating. Although I was not born in JC, I was born and raised in NJ. The former stigmatism of Jersey City is no longer, but it has been slow in coming. Since I have moved here (McGinley Sq) in 2000, I have seen substantial progress no doubt, but with all of the housing stock being added to the area, I hope that the market actually has enough buyers to warrant it, especially outside of the downtown area. I also hope that Jersey city beefs up it's infrastructure so that it can maintain a quality of lifestyle that is still urban, but not inadequate.

cweed

June 7th, 2006, 01:06 PM

FiveNines: where did you hear about society hill being built up across 440? i havent heard about this yet, i heard about k-hov expanding society hill/droyer's point across kellogg once honeywell remediates that site...

JCMAN320: you always have so much 'inside info' on jc development! very impressive! i do like the way west side is developing, after all, the area is fairly easy to attack because a big portion of it is industrial and it is so much easier to buy out a lot from a company to build condos than it is to convert a block of old homes with residents to new construction condos..........

JCMAN320

June 7th, 2006, 05:03 PM

Worm: It not just optimisim, its just fact, even though the NJ housing bubble has begun to shrink, Jersey City has bucked that trend. I have a pervious post a page or two back on this thread from an article that I found that backs it up. My uncle's construction company got the job for the first two buildings of the Beacon and says that the other buildings are already up for bid and thats his company might get it. So these are the reasons I feel optimistic. The Duncan Ave Projects have been taking long I agree but I don't feel that is any indication of a softening housing market.

Cweed: Yes Society Hill has expanded with the creation of Droyers Point down on Kellogg Ave. Yes they will extend across to the old Honeywell site once clean up is finish in 2009. The project will be similar to LIberty Harbor North mixing homes with retail and parks etc...In otherwise an "anti-suburban" development.

cweed

June 7th, 2006, 05:27 PM

JCMAN: is there any project information websites on the future development on the honeywell site?

JCMAN320

June 7th, 2006, 07:25 PM

Nothing yet cweed. I can give you the website about the cleanup and the history of the site. Once I find out more for future development of it I will let you know.

http://www.441route440.com/

JCMAN320

June 8th, 2006, 09:29 PM

Wow either I'm slippin or there is just more development going on in this fine city than I can keep up with! :)

Milestone for LSC expansion

Friday, May 19, 2006
By MARGO CHALY
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The reopening of a larger and improved Liberty Science Center in Jersey City drew a little closer yesterday as the last steel beam was put in place.

The commemorative beam, signed by employees and members of the board of trustees, was unveiled during the afternoon ceremony celebrating the 100,000-square-foot, $108 million expansion of the museum. It will be 295,000 square feet when it reopens in July 2007.

The addition will house staff offices and one new gallery and make room for more exhibition space in the existing building.

"It is our goal that students of the region develop a large appetite for science early on," said LSC CEO/President Dr. Emlyn Koster. "We are a place of lifelong learning and understand the important role of a museum in the local community."

When the Liberty Science Center opened 13 years ago, it was the intention of the founders to expand it within a decade. The new changes are meant to accommodate the more than 800,000 yearly visitors.

Meanwhile, as construction continues, the "Eat and Be Eaten" exhibit featuring live animals can be found at the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal at Liberty State Park.

The Liberty Science Center is the most visited museum in all of New Jersey!!

JCMAN320

June 9th, 2006, 12:26 AM

http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1291/zwire/images/2006/06/story/20060602_172051_1_story.jpg
Newport Westin Hotel will be 253ft tall and have 429 rooms and be completed by 08.

http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1291/zwire/images/2006/06/2006/06/story/20060602_172052_2_story.jpg
Aqua will be 330ft tall and construction will start in 08 and the building will be all glass

Renderings of the Ellipse are elusive I'am trying to find the rendering that I saw in the paper, once I find it online I will post ASAP!!! That building is simply stunning!!!

TeddyJ

June 9th, 2006, 11:29 AM

macmini

June 9th, 2006, 04:25 PM

New Pictures

Shore Club

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/June2006/sc2.gif

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/June2006/sc3.gif

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/June2006/sc4.gif

Trump Towers

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/June2006/tr1.gif

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/June2006/tr2.gif

Washington Commons

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/June2006/wc1.gif

Grove Pointe & Columbus Circle

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/June2006/gp1.gif

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/June2006/gp2.gif

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/June2006/cc1.gif

"A"

http://static.flickr.com/62/160797388_e4e3809310_o.jpg

OmegaNYC

June 10th, 2006, 01:17 AM

Man, Jersey City aint nothing to be played with. It's amazing how this city can have a better skyline, than cities that are twice it's size. Keep it up JC!!!

lofter1

June 10th, 2006, 01:55 AM

Is Trump tearing down this old beauty ???

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/June2006/tr1.gif

JCMAN320

June 10th, 2006, 04:09 AM

Nope that is the cornerstone of our Powerhouse Art District. That is the original powerhouse the ran the Hudson Manhattan Railway, know known as PATH. The city has been talking to developers that specialize in powerhouses about restoring it and turning it into a performing arts center or for it to house shops and restaurants like a powerhouse in Baltimore's inner harbor that was turned into a Hard Rock Cafe and Barnes and Noble on bottom. That will be next to Trump Plaza, so turst me it will get done because Trump will not let it sit like that next to its building. The big sticking point has been that PATH has its substation right behind the powerhouse making it almost impossible to develop with it there. So the PANYNJ has been in talks with the city on spots where to move it to somewhere else along the line not anybody's way.

She is a beauty though. It was built 1909 when the PATH Subway first ran. You can find no one today to do brick work like that. It's an industrial cathedral.

FiveNines

June 10th, 2006, 01:49 PM

Great Indian restaurant right across the street called Amiya...Boy did they step in shit by building there. When the Trump towers finish those guys are going to be making a killing...

I'm over in Liberty Towers about 5 or 6 blocks away from that site and the amount of construction over there is amazing.

JCMAN320

June 11th, 2006, 04:21 AM

REBIRTH OF A LANDMARK
Restoration of a Jersey City monument to healing and politics brings relief and concern

Sunday, June 11, 2006
BY BRIAN DONOHUE
Star-Ledger Staff

For decades, life and death dramas echoed through the giant buff brick buildings of the old Jersey City Medical Center.

There were the first squalls of 350,000 babies born in the Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital from 1931 to 1979.

The scolding voice of Mayor Frank Hague, one of the 20th century's most notorious political bosses, boomed from the office he kept in Murdoch Hall. Sirens wailed as ambulances brought victims of fires, falls and, on Sept. 11, 2001, victims of terrorist attacks. And from the wards and waiting rooms came the whispers and wails of a million human dramas.

Little by little, the place fell silent. Buildings built too large emptied over the years, left to rot. The hospital moved to a new, modern home in 2004, the last patient waving from his gurney as he was loaded into an ambulance.

Today, the sounds of the city are back.

This time, it's the roar of cranes and shouts of workers restoring the 10 high-rises in what is, by several measures, the largest historic preservation project in state history.

Manhattan developer Metrovest Equities has begun converting the first two buildings of what eventually will become a mini-city of 1,100 condominiums, apartments, shops and restaurants renamed The Beacon.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the medical center is considered the state's largest and most detailed example of art deco architecture, with facades, lobbies and other historically significant areas protected by state law. Developers must restore, not alter them. They are eligible for tax breaks in return.

Workers have begun restoring miles of terrazo floors and lobbies of marble and brass. Three theaters, mini versions of the ornate movie palaces of Hollywood's golden age, will be restored and converted to screening rooms. Scores of terra-cotta engravings of Egyptian kings, Greek gods and floral motifs are being touched up.

Historians say Mayor Hague spent as much time here as he did at City Hall. His mahogany paneled office, complete with a mysterious secret door to a back hallway, is being converted to a poker room.

BEAUTY IN THE DETAILS

"It's dynamite, particularly the public spaces," said Dorothy Guzzo, administrator of the New Jersey Historical Preservation Office. "The interior, the art deco detailing is just wonderful. It's very much like you would see in Rockefeller Center in New York, it was that level of detailing."

The $350 million project has plenty of competition in Jersey City. Several towers rising along the city's waterfront are offering buyers new luxury condos a short commute from Manhattan.

A few, perhaps, can even rival views from The Beacon's hilltop perch just off the New Jersey Turnpike, vistas that stretch east to the Manhattan skyline and Atlantic Ocean and west to north Jersey and the Watchung Ridge.

But Metrovest President George Filopolous says those buildings simply can't compare when it comes to the history and architecture of this giant.

"What you have here when you're done is just so unique compared to everything else that's being built today," he said. "We have people who are prewar fanatics and they fall in love with the buildings."

Preservationists are relieved.

When hospital officials announced plans to move in the 1990s, many feared the complex would fall to the wrecking ball.

As the hospital prepared to move to its current downtown location, Guzzo said the state put easements on the exteriors and many of the larger public interior spaces to ensure no developer could change them.

The project is the largest ever approved by the state for a 20 percent federal tax credit under the Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit program, Guzzo said. The credits cannot be used for condos, so Filopoulos said they will be applied to the cost of renovating public and commercial space.

With easements prohibiting him from carving up unique spaces, like 30-foot-high lobbies, theaters and solariums, Filopolous said, "We came up with as many ideas as we could" -- a billiard room, a water grotto, a giant reading lounge, and a place where residents can play Texas hold 'em in Hague's office.

"That one," Filopolous said, "just jumped off the page."

A RICH HISTORY

The first hospital opened on the site near Montgomery Street and Baldwin Avenue in 1882.

It was demolished and replaced by another 1909, with additions and renovations over the next two decades, including a 22-story surgical building and a 16-story nurses residence.

Elected in 1917, Hague had visions of a world class hospital that would provide the city's poor with free health care -- and in the process, keep them loyal to the Democratic machine from birth until death.

In October 1931, Hague oversaw the opening of the Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital, named after his mother, with room for 400 mothers and babies. The 10-story neoclassical building featured a stainless steel chandelier in the delivery room, penthouses and a movie theater on the top floor.

Over the next decade, more buildings were added, ranging from 15 to 23 stories, making it the third largest medical facility in the world and a monument to the policy of municipal socialism historians later dubbed "Hagueism."

Politics, as much as brick and mortar, built the place.

Most construction money came from municipal bonds and loans, and grants from the federal Works Progress Administration, established to create jobs during the Depression.

Hague's ability to bring home WPA funds was epic, partly because his power to garner votes was crucial for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1936, for example, Roosevelt won Hudson County by 117,000 votes, but won New Jersey as a whole by only 30,000 votes.

It was Roosevelt who laid the cornerstone of the JCMC's new medical building at a groundbreaking a month before the election.

But from the time it was built, the medical center proved too large and costly for the city to maintain. The Margaret Hague hospital was the first to be vacated. Today, it is a wreck, its copper wiring and plumbing stripped by scrap scavengers and graffiti-covered cinderblocks now sealing the stone archway entrances.

Other buildings sit boarded up empty, their darkened hulks dominating the view from the Turnpike like the skyscrapers of comic book metropolis Gotham City.

To start, Metrovest is focusing on two buildings, a 22-story building renamed the Capitol and the 21-story Rialto, the former Building B, which served as the hospital's main entrance. The two buildings will contain 315 units.

Units in two more buildings go on sale in September. Sales of the condos, which range from $350,000 for a one-bedroom to $2.3 million for a penthouse with a 4,000-square-foot terrace with wraparound views are brisk, Filopoulos said.

The first new residents are expected to move in early next year. Developers hope the entire 10 buildings will be completed by 2010.

City officials see the development as a crucial step to spreading the economic revival taking place on the Hudson River to the neighborhoods farther west.

Not everyone is elated.

Advocates for the poor have decried the lack of affordable housing in the plan, calling the conversion to luxury condominiums an ironic twist for a hospital built to serve Hudson County's poor.

"Those buildings have served this community forever and now we're being locked out of the whole area," said Denise Booker, 52, who was born in the Hague hospital and grew up around the corner. "The poor won't get near it unless they're a repairman or a maid."

Filopolous said the cost of preserving the buildings made it impossible to offer anything but market rate condos. He said he has committed to setting aside one building as affordable senior citizen housing.

Historians say Hague, whom kept a penthouse on Park Avenue in Manhattan, a home in Florida and took frequent Paris vacations, might feel right at home in The Beacon.

"He would probably like to have his old penthouse back," said Bob Leach, director of the Jersey City Historical Project and the city's in-house expert on all things Hague. "His ghost will be happy hobnobbing with the rich."

Brian Donohue may be reached at bdonohue@starledger.com or (973) 392-1543.

P.S.: A little historical note from me. The JC Medical Center was the 3RD LARGEST HOPSITAL IN THE WORLD when it was constructed and the first "medical center" in the world.

lofter1

June 11th, 2006, 11:17 AM

Jersey City Medical Center:

http://image07.webshots.com/7/7/39/88/85873988sBytfm_ph.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/83857258/1085873988031860892sBytfm#)

http://image40.webshots.com/40/7/90/16/324279016DqjszM_ph.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/323962115/1324279016031860892DqjszM#)

steveikin

June 12th, 2006, 03:51 PM

TimmyG

June 12th, 2006, 04:03 PM

I believe that the Westin will be on Sixth and Washington, near the mall. The Aqua will be on River Drive, near the Shore Club Condos.

macmini

June 15th, 2006, 02:34 PM

Sweet development

Planning Board to review two projects for chocolate factory site near border
http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1291/zwire/images/2006/06/2006/06/story/20060610_122346_2_story.jpg
AFTER – There are plans to build residential
housing on the property, as seen in this rendering.

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 06/10/2006

The Jersey City Planning Board will be hearing an application this Tuesday for two residential developments to be built on the Jersey City-Hoboken border.

The projects, known as "Van Leer Place North" and "Van Leer Place South," will be located on Hoboken Avenue in Jersey City. Together, they will total 443 residential units and 446 parking spaces.

They will also have 8,690 sq. ft. of retail space, a 1-acre park, a walkway leading up Hoboken Avenue to the Heights, and a shorter walkway down to the NJ Transit Second Street Light Rail Station in Hoboken.

The projects will be built by Hoboken developers George Vallone and Danny Gans in the next five to six years, on two sections of the old Van Leer Chocolate factory property, a total of seven acres.

Recently, Gans said construction would start in spring 2007 if they receive approvals at the Planning Board meeting this Tuesday.

Vallone said the cleanup would take six to nine months, since the property contains a high concentration of white-cake arsenic dumped there before the Van Leer factory existed.

Developing in 'no man's land'

A visit to the old Van Leer Chocolate factory site last week found it a crumbling ruin, with some of the old factory walls still standing. 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.

Vallone has been involved in the project 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.

The site sits next to the Hoboken Avenue headquarters of the Hoboken Motorcycle Club.

On the surrounding blocks, there are old warehouses, junkyards, including the Erie Lackawanna Warehouse on 16th Street, an Exxon gas station on 18th Street, and some factories.

Further south, there is the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, the Holland Gardens Housing Complex, and some shops. It is some ways, it's a no man's land.
Not always a no-man's land

But Gans last week refuted that view, pointing out that there are a number of businesses near the site, and that it's in close proximity to a NJ Transit rail station.

"I only live five blocks from the site on the Hoboken side," Gans said. "While people see it as abandoned, I don't see it so far removed from many nice establishments. And it will help spur more development in the area."

Gans pointed out that there is already development of residential housing at 833 Jersey Ave., the former site of the Magashoni Apparel Company by an unnamed Hoboken-based development company. And also there is also the construction of a condo complex at 700 Grove Street by Toll Brothers, Inc., and the Cliffs Lofts project on Paterson Plank Road that will see 124 market-rate housing units with 88 parking spaces.
Tuesday

Gans is looking forward to presenting the project.

"It just takes time," Gans said. "There are a lot of little things and lots of small pieces to take care of in terms of what's being presented in the site plan. It's virtually the same plan as [discussed] before, except we're making sure the garage access is on Monmouth Street rather than Hoboken Avenue as originally intended."

Gans said he and Vallone will also seek approval from the Planning Board next week to rebuild a portion of Monmouth Street, which stops south of the site. He said there's a part of it that runs north of the site, interrupted by a several buildings in between.

Gans said the amount of available land allows for "an amenity package" for future residents.

"Because of the size of the property, we have a tennis court, a small putting green, a swimming pool as well as having a 1-acre park with playground equipment," said Gans. "I don't know of many developments that offer these amenities."
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.

©The Hudson Reporter 2006

z22

June 16th, 2006, 01:45 AM

bAdger, the developer will start this summer, and is fully commited to the project and doing the whole complex. The council approved an abatement and the Developer will give PILOTS to the city while the comlpex is rehabbed and renovated and converted and z22 once I find the renderings online I will post them.

Renderings of the Ellipse are elusive I'am trying to find the rendering that I saw in the paper, once I find it online I will post ASAP!!! That building is simply stunning!!!

JCMAN320, I'm still waiting. You are slothful.

badger2

June 16th, 2006, 12:04 PM

I doubt he can get his hands on any renderings for the American Can Building. Not for anything, his enthusiasm is impressive, but I believe somewhat misplaced when it concerns development in the somewhat marginal (or sub-marginal...) areas of JC. With the softening market, and volume of product in the pipeline, development in the outskirts, the less desirable areas will be seriously impacted. I would wager....

badger2

June 17th, 2006, 12:05 AM

The Loft product will never sell in the American Can Building market. The only thing that will save the project is the newly proposed PATH station....which will never happen. JCMan - I will wager.....

JCMAN320

June 17th, 2006, 02:34 AM

Whats with the hostility? Jesus Christ. I know alot this my hometown. I think the American Can Company will sell. I told you JC is bucking the national housing trend. Also that area is not sub-marginal or less desirable, the neighborhood is an old Italian middle class neighborhood. Im sorry I havent been on top of things I had a friend murdered, my mother and grandmother in the hospital all in one month so excuse me if all of this info is the furtherest thing from my mind!!

lofter1

June 17th, 2006, 11:35 AM

JCMAN -- Sorry to hear your sad news ... hoping that you move through this tough time with some peace of mind.

JCMAN320

June 17th, 2006, 11:16 PM

Thank you Lofter I appreciate it. Badger sorry for flying off the handle.

Loew's Jersey featured on A&E 'Breakfast'

Saturday, June 17, 2006

The Loew's Jersey Theater in Journal Square will be featured tomorrow on A&E's "Breakfast with the Arts," which begins at 8 a.m.

The two-hour show will focus on the five "wonder theaters" that the Loew's company opened in 1929 and 1930.

The program will contrast the Loew's Kings theater in Brooklyn, which has been closed for almost three decades and has fallen into disrepair, with the Jersey City theater, which is once again showing movies and hosting arts programs after a years-long restoration by the nonprofit Friends of the Loew's.

JOURNAL STAFF

OmegaNYC

June 18th, 2006, 03:13 AM

Hey JCMan, sorry to hear what happened. That's just terrible to experiance. Thanks for the info on A&E show. I'll make sure to watch it. This reminds me of the old Fabian theater here in Paterson. It's old and fell into disrepair, decades ago. Thought the city "tries" to restore it into it's former glory. ~_~

TeddyJ

June 18th, 2006, 10:35 AM

JCMan, check your PMs

badger2

June 18th, 2006, 12:57 PM

JCMan -

My apologies. I was an a##hole. Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

TimmyG

June 19th, 2006, 01:18 AM

http://www.nj.com/images/spacer.gif
JCMan, sorry to hear about your friend and your mother and grandmother. I hope they will be well soon.

Journal Square towers closer to reality

The highly-anticipated 40-story, two-tower development planned for Jersey City’s Journal Square has taken another step forward, as City Council members voted to permit residential housing on the block next to the PATH Transportation Center.

“Progress has been made on the waterfront. Now it’s reaching Journal Square,” City Council President Mariano Vega said Wednesday night, capping off the unanimous vote.

Lowell Harwood, managing partner of Harwood Properties, the builder, praised city officials for taking action, noting he’s 90 percent pleased with the pace of the project.

“I never give anything I’m doing a perfect grade,” joked Harwood, who signed a deal in February to purchase 80 percent of the properties on the block, including the old Hotel on the Square building, which is now demolished.

Besides the properties he’s under contract to buy, Harwood has to purchase three other buildings on the block before he can build: 15-16 Journal Square, which houses McDonald’s and Songs Hallmark, and 12 and 14 Journal Square, home to a Kentucky Fried Chicken and formerly a Wendy’s.

Harwood has been negotiating with the owners but has not reached an agreement. If he can’t strike a deal, his contract with the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency calls for the city to step in and take the properties through eminent domain.

The owners — who couldn’t be reached to comment — would have to be paid fair market value and Harwood would be on the hook to reimburse the city for all expenses.

Get the full story in tomorrow's Jersey Journal

Ken Thorbourne

z22

June 19th, 2006, 02:14 AM

JCman, sorry to hear about what happened. I'm not gonna bug you anymore. Hope everything will get better soon.

TimmyG

June 19th, 2006, 09:47 AM

From the Jersey Journal

Stores, residences and parking approved

for 40-story towers next to PATH Center

Monday, June 19, 2006

Six weeks ago, Harwood inked a 65-page agreement with the JCRA which calls for him to build two residential towers, ground floor retail, a hotel and three sub-surface parking levels.
But test borings are showing rock near the surface, so the underground parking has been scrapped, Harwood said.
The latest plan calls for a loading dock and one level of retail shops underground, with the street level and second floor dedicated to retail, and floors 3 through 7 devoted to parking, Harwood said.
The eighth level would be the "amenity floor" for the residents living in the 1,000 rental units. The two towers - one 40 stories tall and the other "slightly taller" - would be built on top of the eighth floor, Harwood said.
Two business are still operating at properties Harwood is under contract to buy - Three Brothers Pizza and Daily Tortillas.
The current owner, Ralph Tawil Jr., is negotiating with these businesses to leave, Harwood said. Tawil left the Square in disgrace earlier this year, paying the city $1.1 million in fines for building and fire code violations he accumulated over 20 years.
Harwood is also seeking a partner to share the risk in this massive venture.
"We're talking to some very strong people to be a joint venture," he said. "In this economy, you're trying hedging your bet."

JCMAN320

June 19th, 2006, 10:31 PM

Everybody thank you for your condolences it is much appreciated. Basger thanks for the apology I appreciate it. I'm hanging in there. On a lighter note, I'am glad to hear this biggest development in JSQ history is going through. I'm also glad to hear that they made it taller than it originally suppose to be.

tone99loc

June 19th, 2006, 11:58 PM

Wow this is very exciting - Journal Square has been crappy for as long as I can remember, but this is cool..Does anybody know more about the proposed 40 story towers? I'm guessing they're "luxury" units for yuppies (is there any other kind of residential tower built these days?) -- They really should consider beautifying JS - Right now they have the Columbus statue, a few short trees, and some sort of fountain, but I always found JS to be ugly -- way too much concrete and chintzy stores; I hope this project spurs development for the entire area..Let's knock on wood...

JCMAN320

June 22nd, 2006, 12:45 AM

Growth Stretches Areas of the Sun Belt

By Haya El Nasser and Paul Overberg, USA TODAY

(June 21) - Americans' unquenchable thirst for more space and cheaper housing is creating another boom in parts of the Sun Belt and redrawing the map of the USA halfway through the decade.

The 2005 city population estimates released by the Census Bureau Wednesday show that growth is shifting from large central cities that grew rapidly years ago to smaller, outlying communities in California, Texas, Arizona and Florida.

"Smaller places are grabbing more than half the growth this decade," says William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution, a think tank. "It wasn't so in the 1990s."

Among the top gainers since 2000: Gilbert (near Phoenix), Miramar (Miami), Elk Grove (Sacramento), Rancho Cucamonga and Irvine (Los Angeles).

Elk Grove grew the fastest from July 1, 2004, to July 1, 2005: up 12%, to 112,338.

It's not clear whether more people are moving within their state or are flocking from other regions to more remote Sun Belt communities. Big cities such as Dallas and Phoenix are not growing as fast as in recent years.

Texas is scoring big. San Antonio has overtaken San Diego as the No. 7 city, at 1.26 million. Four of the seven fastest-growing cities that have populations above 500,000 are in Texas: Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso.

"Across Texas, we've seen a resurgence in the last two years," says Steve Murdock, Texas state demographer.

Fort Worth had the biggest gain among the nation's large cities from 2004 to 2005: up 3.5% to 624,067. San Antonio was fifth at 1.7%. Both grew at faster rates than Dallas and Houston.

"Dallas ... really has no place to grow," Murdock says. Fort Worth "still has substantial room for expansion. Same is true of San Antonio."

San Diego registered a 0.7% decline to less than 1.3 million from 2004 to 2005. State estimates, however, show the city still growing a little bit, says Beth Jarosz, analyst at the San Diego Association of Governments.

"Regardless, San Diego is growing extraordinarily slowly, and we think part of the reason is high housing prices," she says. "There's a shift away from expensive coastal areas. ... It takes a little bit of pressure off our housing market."

Other highlights:

-- Washington had a 0.7% drop to 550,521, from 2004 to 2005. The nation's capital probably will slip below Nashville (549,110) and Las Vegas (545,147) by next year.

-- Green Bay, Wis.; Erie, Pa.; Cambridge, Mass; and Berkeley, Calif., could slip under 100,000 by 2010.

-- More cities with 100,000-plus residents shrank from 2004 to 2005 than in the previous year: 97 vs. 82. Costly coastal cities are among the new losers: New York, San Diego and Long Beach.

Frey says 20 cities went from loss to gain, including Indianapolis, Wichita, Jersey City and Fort Wayne, Ind.

OmegaNYC

June 22nd, 2006, 02:49 AM

Frey says 20 cities went from loss to gain, including Indianapolis, Wichita, Jersey City and Fort Wayne, Ind.[/quote]

cool! I was thinking about moving to JC one day. I like it there.

TimmyG

June 23rd, 2006, 10:31 AM

Two towers will rise

Friday, June 23, 2006 By JARRETT RENSHAW

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
More than 800 units - a mixture of residential and rental - are coming to the Jersey City waterfront in two 500-foot towers.
The project, located at 77 Hudson St., is a joint venture between K. Hovnanian and Equity Residential. The pair recently closed on a $77 million deal to buy the property from Hartz Mountain of Secaucus.
Though the two towers share the same base, which contains a parking garage and retail space, the companies have different plans for each tower, to ensure that they don't compete against each other, according to company officials.
K. Hovnanian will sell 420 units, with prices ranging from the low $300,000s to $2 million for penthouses, in one tower. Equity Residential will manage the 481-unit rental tower, which will feature studio apartments around $2,000 a month to three-bedroom units of more than $4,000 a month.
"We are very bullish about the Jersey City market," said Randy Brosseau, area vice president for K. Hovnanian. "There are a lot of suburban couples moving to cities, and people from Manhattan are still looking to Jersey City, were they can get more for there money."
Company officials say they hope to break ground on the project next month.
The City Council has granted the developers a 25-year tax abatement.
JARRETT RENSHAW can be reached at jrenshaw@jjournal.com.

TriHobo

June 26th, 2006, 11:00 AM

110 and 111 First St. - Towers?

City close to settling with real estate mogul, may forgive millions of $$$ in finesRicardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer
. http://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif
</B>A legal settlement is apparently in the works between the owner of 111 First St. and Jersey City government that could allow the landlord to build luxury apartment towers and escape millions of dollars of fines.

Lloyd Goldman, the owner of the former artists' residences at 110 and 111 First St., has a lawsuit pending against the city for $100 million for stopping his intended demolition of the one million square foot 111 First St. building in order to build new housing on the site.

At the same time, Goldman has to contend with over $70 million in fines levied by the city's Fire Department for various building code violations.

City Council President Mariano Vega said on Friday that the City Council at their next meeting this coming Wednesday may approve a resolution for the two parties to drop any litigation between them and come to a settlement.
What the settlement would entail

Vega said the settlement would call for amendments to the city's Powerhouse Arts District (in which both properties are situated) that would allow for three 40-plus story towers to be built, with two on the 110 First St. property and one on the 111 First St. and other measures.

The city's top lawyer, Bill Matsikoudis, and the attorney for 111 First St. owner Dan Horgan, both declined comment last week because there is ongoing mediation regarding the legal disputes between the two parties.

Mayor Jerramiah Healy said he couldn't comment on a possible settlement because of the ongoing mediation.

However, some residents and politicians in recent months have had private discussions with Matsikoudis about a possible settlement. Some of them are speaking up against it.

Also, Ward E City Councilman Steven Fulop on Thursday addressed questions and concerns on the future of 110 and 111 First St. at a meeting of the recently formed Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association (PADNA).
Vega: Fines would be forgiven

Vega has been privy to the negotiations, which have taken place since late last year, according to various sources.

Vega said the settlement would call for amendments to the Powerhouse Arts District to allow Goldman to build the towers, since current zoning prohibits such height.

"This has to come to an end sometime soon. There's too money and too much time being spent on this issue," said Vega. "But I think there's a settlement that will be beneficial to all sides."

Vega said the settlement would call for fines to be forgiven, for a 30 percent discount on any luxury apartments in the towers if they were built to accommodate artists, and at least a million dollars to be paid to the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund, as well as affordable housing units to be built within the towers.

He also said that at Mayor Healy's request, a "world-class architect" would be retained by Goldman to design the towers.

When asked about his reaction to the settlement idea, Vega said that this is what is best for the city.

"At the end of the day, I know there will be displeasure especially from the residents who live in the Powerhouse Arts District," he said, "but I have to look out for all the residents not just a narrow band of people."
A Powerhouse of frustration and anger

Charles Kessler has lived in Downtown Jersey City with his wife since 1982. Kessler has been involved in the Jersey City arts scene for over 20 years and has worked with city planning to create what is now the Powerhouse Arts District (see sidebar).

He says he would not like to see the end of an area that could be a showcase for the city.

"The city should be defending their zoning," said Kessler. "The thing that bothers me is that the Powerhouse Arts District will be thrown out the window, and it is thriving now."

Kessler cited new residents moving into the recently opened buildings in the district, such as 140 Bay St. and 150 Bay St., as well as two art galleries. Also, there are future projects approved by the Planning Board for the area.

Another major concern is that allowing Goldman to build the towers would send a signal to other developers who are planning to build in the district that they should also be allowed to build highrises instead of complying with the zoning.

Kessler said much of what he has learned about the pending settlement has been from Matsikoudis, with Kessler coming away frustrated whenever he tried to impress upon Matsikoudis the need to save the district.

"There were two one-hour conversations and several informal conversations, and it seemed to me when we were talking, that he was practicing his arguments for court," said Kessler. "I would tell him 'Bill, you are not listening.' " But Kessler conceded that Matsikoudis may have his hands tied by Mayor Healy and by the lawyers for Goldman. He complimented him for beating Goldman in court last year when Goldman was pushing to get 111 First St. demolished.
Powerhouse neighborhood organization

They may have only moved into the Powerhouse Arts District in the last year, but the residents there are making themselves known to the larger community.

They have formed the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association (PADNA), with Rich Tomko as their president.There are 90 active members of the PADNA.

There has been $75-$100 million of private capital invested in the district in the last three years.

Tomko, who lives with his wife in the Morgan Lighthouse building at 143 Morgan St., led a PADNA meeting that took place on Thursday at the Nobis Art Gallery on First Street.

At the meeting, about 30 members of the PADNA were in attendance to question Ward E City Councilman Steven Fulop about the proposed settlement with Goldman. Fulop said that the feedback he was getting from them would be relayed to Matsikoudis and Vega in a morning meeting on Friday.

Carrie Craft-Chu and her husband Robert moved into 140 Bay St. in November. Craft-Chu, when hearing about the settlement, uttered the prevailing sentiment, "That's sucks."

She suggested that there should be litigation against the city by the residents.

The couple later said they may consider moving out, since they were attracted to the Powerhouse Arts District by the lack of highrise buildings, the arts element, and the cobblestone streets.
Legal fund

Jill Edelman, an architect who also lives in 140 Bay St., said after the meeting that a legal fund has been forming for possible future litigation.

Many residents came to a consensus that they will appear at the council meeting this coming Wednesday to speak out against the settlement.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com
Sidebar
Powerhouse Arts District in jeopardy

The Powerhouse Arts District is 10 blocks of historic warehouses that have been designated as an arts and entertainment district, plus two more adjoining blocks. The City Council approved the district in October 2004.

The district is designated to be a 24-hour, pedestrian-friendly environment with loft-style condos and rental units, restaurants, clubs, galleries, theaters and of course work/live spaces for artists.

The district is bound approximately by Marin, Washington, Second and Morgan streets.

The current redevelopment plan calls for height limits of approximately 12 to 14 stories. Ten percent of all new residential units in the district are required to be affordable for low and moderate-income artists. About 12 percent of all ground floor space has to be set aside for art galleries.

z22

June 26th, 2006, 12:42 PM

Isn't it the Powerhouse Arts District zoning was approved after 111 First was already filed (but not yet approved) to be built as highrise? If so, the project should be grandfathered anyway. Maybe I'm missing something.

JCMAN320

June 26th, 2006, 10:11 PM

This should not be allowed the city had been fighting the Goldman citing that its in a hisoric district. I'm sick of that bastard he actually sent his gones down there to try and burn it down one time. He's an asshole. I will be done at City Hall to stop this. I can't believe that some of the city council is actualy laying down for this prick. He also knocked down 110 first under the cover of dark without permission. He just wants to get his way and trying to boss the city around. Fu<k him. I'll protest this all the way. Something should be built there that is in keeping with the historic character of the warehouses some dating back to 1883. That is being done already with 4 projects, so this should not go through.

FiveNines

June 27th, 2006, 10:26 PM

I don't think the powerhouse district is going to turn out the way many envision. That area is being pinched by luxury highrises. And even if the city mandates that x number of loft units are reserved for artists, it's only a token amount.

It's simply a clash of economics.

I used to live in Long Island City, Queens and I saw the DUMBO and Willimamsburg transformations from artist colonies into trendy, overpriced areas that forced the real artists out into areas like Red Hook. The same will happen here.

JCMAN320

June 27th, 2006, 10:42 PM

Vega defends deal to allow towers to rise at 111 First

Tuesday, June 27, 2006
By STEVE CHAMBERS
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

After a fierce struggle with a billionaire developer, a colony of artists was forced to move last year from a historic warehouse they turned into a warren of studios near the waterfront in booming Jersey City.

Now, following a year of tense negotiation and legal wrangling, the city is poised to sign an agreement with developer Lloyd Goldman that will allow him to build at least one and possibly two high-rise residential towers through the middle of 111 First St. One of the towers could be 40 stories high.

The agreement - which is slated to be discussed at tomorrow night's City Council meeting - also will allow the developer to build another high-rise next door, on the site of another warehouse he tore down.

Supporters of the agreement say it has provisions that will preserve the historic nature of the district while resolving costly and risky litigation, but opposition is already bubbling among the ranks of historic preservationists, artists and new district residents.

Council President Mariano Vega defended the settlement as the best deal for the city, something that will end expensive litigation and pave the way for a special piece of architecture on the site.

"We have worked feverishly to protect the city's interests and accomplish the values we set out for the district, while not giving away the store," he said. "We have a reasonable settlement."

Vega said the city forced concessions from Goldman that will protect the district and be good for the city. He said the developer will donate $1 million to the arts, set aside 117 of perhaps 1,000 residential units for lower-income residents and preserve a facade that will maintain the hip streetscape the city was attempting to create. He said a major gallery and performance space will be included in the project.

Discussion with neutral engineering consultants hired by the city supported Goldman's contention that the building was unsafe, Vega said. He said it's likely the building will be torn down and the facade re-created with the original bricks.

Goldman argued it could cost tens of millions of dollars to renovate the building, and district restrictions meant the project would be a money loser. He threatened to mothball the building and wait out the administration.

Instead, Vega said, Goldman has agreed to hire a world-class architect who will work to make the skyscraper project something special.

"The mayor wanted a world class architect, and that means much more money has to be spent by the developer," Vega said. "We want something that will help define the zone and certainly allows it to be distinguished from any other high rise."

Community activists are livid, however, that Goldman will win and, in their mind, the Powerhouse Arts District will be corrupted.

"It's a drag to see that someone with so much money and power can basically impose himself on an entire city," said Jeff Baker, a former resident of 111 First St. who restores and builds historic doors. "Jersey City is such a great city, but it's growing so fast that I see a great void in arts and entertainment."

JCMAN320

June 27th, 2006, 11:06 PM

Assembly OKs tax on hotels

Tuesday, June 27, 2006
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City moved one step closer yesterday to collecting millions of more dollars a year from its growing hotel industry when the Assembly approved a bill that would allow the city to collect a hotel occupancy tax.

State law allows cities with at least 150,000 residents, which includes just Jersey City and Newark, to collect from hotels either an occupancy tax or a property tax. In Jersey City, where just about every hotel has a tax abatement, that translates into a choice between payments-in-lieu-of-taxes or a hotel occupancy tax.

The bill, if approved by the state Senate by the end of the week, would allow Jersey City to collect both.

"Not only are these hotels getting a tax break in the form of the abatement, they don't have to pay a hotel occupancy tax and a property tax like the rest of the hotels in the state," said Jersey City Assemblyman Louis Manzo, who voted for the bill.

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy says the bill could create more than $5 million a year of renewable revenue for a city whose residents have just seen their property taxes increase by close to 20 percent.

The hotel occupancy tax bill, A319, originally was paired with a 1 percent payroll tax, but that part of the bill was removed in committee before being sent to the floor.

Assemblywoman Joan Quigley of Jersey City, one of four local sponsors, said including the payroll tax in the original bill was a "typographical error."

The voting on the bill split along party lines, 48-31, with Perth Amboy Mayor and Assemblyman Joe Vas abstaining.

TimmyG

June 28th, 2006, 12:09 AM

Instead, Vega said, Goldman has agreed to hire a world-class architect who will work to make the skyscraper project something special.
I'll believe this when I see it.

TimmyG

June 28th, 2006, 12:41 PM

Anxiety: Will new condos hurt Hamilton Park?

Wednesday, June 28, 2006 By JARRETT RENSHAW

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
The neighborhood around Jersey City's historic Hamilton Park is bracing for its first major facelift in years, as more than 350 new residential units are slated for construction before the end of the decade.
The cornerstone of the redevelopment of the neighborhood, spearheaded by the family developing team of Eric and Paul Silverman, is the demolition and refurbishing of the defunct St. Francis Hospital, which will be turned into 225 condo units.
The proposal, dubbed Hamilton Square, will call for demolition of only a small portion of the existing hospital to make way for a pedestrian-only cobblestone walkway that will connect Erie Street and McWilliams Place.
The walkway, an extension of Pavonia Avenue, will be lined with retail shops and perhaps a cafe, but the storefronts will not face Hamilton Park due to resident concerns, the developers said.
"We feel excited about the project. It will be a real compliment to the neighborhood and the neighborhood will be a real compliment to the project," said Eric Silverman, noting the project's red brick exterior that will be similar to the brownstones that are predominate in the neighborhood.
The project includes four units that will have elevators that open right into the posh condos, the developers said.
Eric Silverman would not specify the expected selling prices of the condos, which are slated to be constructed in stages over the next couple of years, but he said they would be "market price."
Nearby, the Silvermans are involved in a number of other projects, including the Schroeder Lofts on 10th Street, which will include 60 loft-style units. The building is 40 percent sold since the sales office opened in February.
On Ninth Street, the Silvermans plan to keep the hospital's parking garage for now, but they hope to turn that space into condos sometime in the future, says Eric Silverman.
With all this new development, residents are anxious to see what it means for their quality of life issues as well as property values.
"A lot of people think that the neighborhood density is going to be a problem, but others say that the addition of these condos are going to drive up property values, which is a good thing," said Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association President Sam Stoia. "Right now, it's just too early to tell what's going to happen."
However, people seem to agree that the influx of new residents should bring a small boom to local restaurants and stores, while the look of the building will compliment the neighborhood's historic look.
Getting the St. Francis project past the drawing board stages proved difficult for the Silvermans, who were confronted by an active neighborhood group that wanted some issues addressed.
The local neighborhood groups have lauded the Silvermans for their engagement of the community, which they note began early in the process and has continued since.
"They are the exemplar of what we hope developers do when building in a community," Stoia said.

FiveNines

June 28th, 2006, 11:40 PM

"It's a drag to see that someone with so much money and power can basically impose himself on an entire city," said Jeff Baker, a former resident of 111 First St. who restores and builds historic doors. "Jersey City is such a great city, but it's growing so fast that I see a great void in arts and entertainment."

Same story. Who's going to revive the powerhouse district for a bunch of starving artists? That's prime luxury real-estate.

JCMAN320

June 29th, 2006, 12:44 PM

I was there and the city wound up agreeing to the settlement 6-2 once council person absent to avoid fines and fees. The world class architect will be David Childs. and it will a 60 story tower with 1,250 units for artists and affordable housing at the base with a caberet and huge gallery space at 111 first street and it would blend in with the industrial feel and the tower would be condos. At 110 will be a 20 story tower with a sculpture garden and restaurant over looking it. Artists and other people in the area are going to get a lawyer and sue the city so this isn't final.

The big scrap is that the ordinance with the zoning was passed 4 times unanimously and now the council is changing it for one developer and now other developers can sue and say why did u change for one guy and not for me. I hope this gets reversed because this is all thats left we had peope at city hall and Brooklyn and DUMBO that were fed up with "you people" as they put it and came to Jersey City cus they love it and its true artost housing and if this damm developer gets his way this will go the way of DUMBO and become for the rich.

TriHobo

June 30th, 2006, 09:43 AM

At 110 will be a 20 story tower with a sculpture garden and restaurant over looking it.

The building at 110 can be a maximum of 350' so I suspect it will be taller than a "20 story tower." Also, the sculpture garden is part of Athena's "A" project. Speaking of Athena, they have partnered with New Gold Equities on the development that will occur once the settlement is finalized.

badger2

June 30th, 2006, 11:55 PM

JCMAN -

Got anything new for me on American Can? Hope things are well for you....

lesterp4

July 1st, 2006, 12:04 AM

Soon Jersey City will be getting bigger buildings than Manhattan.

tbal

July 1st, 2006, 04:55 PM

I first noticed heavy construction equipment on the site Thursday afternoon. As of this morning, there were 12 steel I-beams driven into the ground in various places throughout the parking lot that will be excavated. Looks like K. Hov & Equity Realty are trying to get things moving quickly...

RYinNJ

July 1st, 2006, 05:28 PM

investordude

July 2nd, 2006, 02:21 AM

OmegaNYC

July 2nd, 2006, 04:37 AM

full scale slum? You gotta be kidding me........ JCMan is gonna flame you.....

TimmyG

July 2nd, 2006, 10:20 AM

A lot of Jersey City does have urban vitality without being a slum. Most of downtown outside of Newport does at least.

injcsince81

July 2nd, 2006, 11:39 AM

I'm skeptical there is really a significant artist community in Jersey City to displace. Jersey City is just not even remotely bohemian - it's either a full scale slum or an office/residential business park - there is no inbetween and I just don't believe there ever was.

On the other hand, I find Jersey City provides an important need for suburban style high density apartments and office parks. This kind of development can and should be criticized when it occurs in Manhattan/Brooklyn since these areas really are urban and have urban vitality. But I also think the metro area NEEDS to have housing for people who wants something inbetween. Most other affluent metro areas are building housing for this market, and even further out parts of New York such as the new smart growth in White Plains and New Brunswick. As that happens, offices and jobs spring up where this "unhip" but affluent employable group locates.

Wouldn't it be better for them to locate next to Lower Manhattan so the jobs stay here. And then, those "unhip" people will jobs can actually buy art, thereby keeping the arts community commercially viable in the city.

Anyways, I'm all for development to rid Jersey of blight and attract talent to New York.

There were about 100 artists at 111 First before they were displaced. Most of the "art" was not good, incomparable to Manhattan or Brooklyn art, but some was quite good.

At the recent day of promoting arts in JC there were about 20-30 galleries to tour. Some with good art. Again, lesser than NYC art, but art nonetheless. Many of these artists live in JC.

So your "not even remotely bohemian" comment is uninformed and untrue, to put it mildly. I am sure JCMan320 will find some stronger words.

Your last sentence reveals your true motives.

Are you afraid that artists are being priced out of Manhattan and will come to JC?

That is already happening, but I think the artists are moving to Hudson (NY), not JC.

OmegaNYC

July 2nd, 2006, 04:57 PM

I'm telling ya, JCMAN is gonna flame 'em. :D

z22

July 3rd, 2006, 01:03 AM

Does anyone have more detail on San Remo, Monaco I and Monaco II?

All I have is from this website which doesn't say much:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16871975&BRD=1291&PAG=461&dept_id=523586&rfi=6

Also, where exactly on the Washington Blvd? Are they going to be built at the current parking lot of the Doubletree?

tbal

July 3rd, 2006, 01:27 AM

Excellent find, z22-
This is the only online article I have seen for Monaco I and II and the San Remo. My guess is that the construction will start within a year, since the Westin is going up nextdoor to the Doubletree, and to remain competitive, Double Tree will need to expand to offer the type of amenities the Westin will offer. The site for the proposed towers is particularly desirable because of its location near the Newport mall, Shoprite/BJ's, the Newport PATH station, and proximity to the lightrail, so I'm sure that Roseland will want to capitalize on this soon.

z22

July 3rd, 2006, 07:34 PM

And I guess the first picture in the article has some clues about those buildings. I wish the photographer focused more on the rendering, not that guy.

Hopefully when JCman is here, he will give us more info.

Have a nice holiday anyway.

JCMAN320

July 4th, 2006, 01:08 AM

LET THE FLAMMING BEGIN!!!!!!!!

Sorry for my hiatus I was at Indianapolis for the Grand Prix. Great city by the way!

OK calling JC a slum. Who the hell are you kidding?? JC is not a slum. Thats like calling Brooklyn a slum. JC has many many many great areas. Yes we have rough areas but show me one city that doesn't. You know I wish I could see from your point of view but luckily enough for me I can't get my head that far up my ass!! JC is 400 years old!!!! JC is a great old city and at one time all parts of it were nice, but like all cities in the 70s an 80s it hit its rough spots. If you would go around JC for yourself you would see how many nice areas it has. Investor you make ingnorances look like it got beat with the ugly stick and went back for seconds. Try and educate yourself instead of being ignorant and arrogant.

I don't know any more on the American Can Company than what I have read in the paper. Also with the artists they are already here and have moved from DUMBO and the Village to here so too late. :)

OmegaNYC

July 4th, 2006, 01:53 AM

JCMAN, it's good to see you're back! Man I was just waiting for the flamming! :D

investordude

July 4th, 2006, 11:10 AM

FiveNines

July 5th, 2006, 08:17 PM

My point is simply that the areas that are edgy in Jersey City don't strike me as bohemian enclaves. My hope is people can have a realistic conversation without getting uncivil with people they disagree with. JCMan, I admire your enthusiasm for Jersey City, but I also feel I share optimism for the city and just have a different perspective on making things better.

From my eyes, I think its obvious that large parts of Jersey City have been down on their luck beyond the waterfront. The hope of new construction changes that. Most of that new construction (the Beacon, Journal Square, etc) is in places that desparately need investment and more affluent tax payers. For the most part, they aren't displacing artists - they're displacing abandonment. And they bring art customers to Jersey City, which it needs if it aspires to build an arts community.

If some people get displaced by this, its capitalism and its ultimately better for most of the people in the city and the broader region.

You make a couple of good points - and we can debate whether or not Jersey City contains 'bohemian enclaves.' I would agree that the artist colonies in Jersey City are not as apparent or numerous as those in Williamsburg, DUMBO or the several locales in Manhattan. I suppose the question is, should art be a part of the foundation for any city that is growing rapidly? Take a look at the Wells Fargo building. Now from my understanding that building is a mixture of wealthly residents and artists. Can the two coexist? Probably not; and you're correct, it is capitalism.

There's seems to be two types of thinking when it comes to urban renewal projects (and believe me I'm no city planner by any strech of the imagination). One school of thought believes that city planning should be the focal point; that redevelopment is driven by a vision of the city at some point in the future (i.e. we think it should look like this). The other school of thought suggests that urban renewal is more of an organic process - that it just grows into whatever it is destined to grow into. Sucessful renewal cannot be 'artificially' created or planned and that each new addition to the community seeked to be part of it.

I don't know if one's necesarily better than the other but JC may be a combination of the two right now. And again, whether or not JC has a vibrant artist culture or not, the growth along that particular area (powershouse district) will not be a hotbed of artists when it's all said and done.

Perhaps other areas of JC though...

OmegaNYC

July 6th, 2006, 02:02 AM

The way I see it, JC is still growing. Like JCMAN said, this city is over 400 years old, and Jersey City have seen a lot in those years. It's amazing to see where Jersey City is now, then it was 30 years ago. I think in time, JC will see a major thriving artist community not only in the PAD, but in other areas as well. Out of all the major cities in NJ, JC is really the only one that has done a major turn around

worm

July 7th, 2006, 02:05 PM

I live in what might be considered an "edgy area" according to investordude. On my block alone, there are four artists, including myself, that I know of. We are all working professionals, so to many, we don't have that williamsburg look that you might think are indicative of an artist enclave. If you have ever ventured out to the McGinley square area, you will find that there is an artist community here. It's just not as obvious as some areas of Brooklyn.

investordude

July 8th, 2006, 05:13 AM

I'll try to check out McGinley Square.

According to the emporis website, construction of 77 Hudson began on 6/25/2006. The article previously posted dated 6/23 refers to the site coming soon, but emporis goes further to claim construction has actually begun, which seems like good news.

investordude

July 8th, 2006, 05:16 AM

Sorry, forgot to include link in previos post: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=268011

tbal

July 8th, 2006, 10:53 PM

I snapped a few shots of the 77 Hudson site this morning. During the week of June 25th, I-beams were hammered into the ground. The past week was spent on demolishing the sidewalks, curbing, and parking lot surfaces. Here's a link to the pics:
http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/ (http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/)

tbal

July 8th, 2006, 11:27 PM

BTW - a great site updated regularly is Jersey City Portal.
Check it out at:
www.jerseycityportal.com/forums (http://www.jerseycityportal.com/forums)

There are some unbelievable renderings of 77 Hudson there.

TimmyG

July 10th, 2006, 09:06 AM

PAYMENT MISSED

Question mark for more development at Trump complex

Monday, July 10, 2006 By KEN THORBOURNE

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
The Donald is hedging his bets on a twin-tower condo complex he is building in Downtown Jersey City.
The casino and development mogul told The Jersey Journal he and his main partner in the deal, Hoboken-based Metro Homes, reneged on paying $1.9 million to the city, due June 1, because he's not convinced the project's proposed second tower will become reality.
"I think it's going to be built," Trump said on Friday. "But if the world goes to hell in a handbasket it won't be built - unless you're very foolish."
The first of two towers of what will be Jersey City's Trump Plaza is under construction on Washington Boulevard between Morgan and Bay streets. The first tower - purportedly the tallest residential building in New Jersey at 55 stories - is fully financed and will be a huge success, Trump declared.
But the second tower, planned for 50 stories, "may or may not get built depending on market conditions," Trump said.
"We never really had a starting date on the second tower," he added.
Metro Homes, the majority partner in this venture, did make a $2 million "pre-payment" to Jersey City for Tower I last June, city officials said.
Dean Geibel, Metro Homes's managing partner, said Tower II will be built and the $1.9 million "pre-payment" will be made - just not now.
"Since we know we are not going to be putting this building up right now, it seems a shame to lock it up (the money due the city) in that way," Geibel said.
The "pre-payment" amounts to a no-interest loan to the city; the city repays the money once the developer starts selling units and making payments-in-lieu-of-taxes to the city under its tax abatement agreement.
James McCann, the attorney representing Metro Homes, told the City Council at last week's meeting that banks financing the project are jittery about the prospects for selling out the second tower - perhaps thinking the bubble is about to burst in Jersey City's condo market.
McCann said the banks aren't interested in putting more money into the project until 25 to 30 percent of the units in Tower I are sold, McCann said.
Those units won't go on the market until October, Geibel said, but selling shouldn't be a problem - the 455-unit Tower I has a 3,000-person waiting list, he said. The project, announced last September, is scheduled to be completed in 21 months.
On the table at the City Council meeting, held Thursday morning, was a resolution backing up the due date for the $1.9 million pre-payment to May 1, 2007. In addition, the resolution called for a 5 percent late-payment penalty, and for the developers to buy insurance guaranteeing the money. This "payment bond" would cost the developers roughly $100,000, McCann said.
City officials withdrew the resolution to consider a proposal by McCann to delay when Metro Homes has to purchase the "payment bond."
This fiscal year's spending plan included the $1.9 million pre-payment, but taxpayers won't be left holding the bag since other projects have generated more money than expected, said Jersey City Business Administrator Brian O'Reilly.

investordude

July 18th, 2006, 06:48 PM

Just curious, do you think Trump might be thinking of building the second tower as a hotel project and that might be the source of the delay? he seems interested in building a hotel in Soho, so if he's more enthusiastic about the commercial market in Manhattan, what about Jersey?

TimmyG

July 19th, 2006, 09:44 AM

Throughout Downtown, a slowdown?

Experts fear slowdown in real estate market

Wednesday, July 19, 2006 By JARRETT RENSHAW

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Rising federal interest rates combined with growing concern among the nation's lenders over how much supply Jersey City's Downtown can handle has some experts and local officials predicting a significant slowdown in the city's bullish residential market.
The apparent shift in momentum comes at a time when Jersey City planning officials are bracing for upwards of 20,000 new units - from rentals to condos - in the Downtown region alone over the next decade, and it's now unclear whether the city will hit that target as the market emerges from its borrower-friendly epoch.
The perception of a flooded market has already slowed down one major Downtown project, and one of its high-profile developers - mega mogul Donald Trump - recently told The Jersey Journal the second phase of his Trump Jersey City project "may or may not get built, depending on market conditions."
The attorney for Metro Homes, James McCann, defended a postponement of a payment to the city saying that the lenders for the project have become jittery about the prospects of selling out the second of two towers.
"The banks are a little more skeptical of condo developments, because of the supply," said Dave Barry, of Applied Development.
Downtown Councilman Steve Fulop, who also works in Manhattan's financial district, says the city should consider the market slowdown when banking on revenue from proposed projects.
"I believe there will be a lot of projects that now may not come to fruition in the near term, so I think we need to revisit the abatement process, such as sunset provisions, to make sure that the city gets a return on its commitment," said Fulop.
"Look at the Trump project. It's an approved project, but we're not getting the revenue we expected, and I thinks it's representative of the climate."
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board recently made the decision to raise interest rates for the 17th consecutive time, to 5.25 percent, increasing long-term mortgage rates - as well as the cost for developers who want to borrow money to build the multimillion projects that dominate Downtown.
"Developers are now being asked to put more money up front because of the rate increase, and they are asking whether it's worth it," Barry said.
Jamie LeFrak, of LeFrak Organization Inc., said Jersey City has protection from the bursting of the real estate bubble because of its close proximity to New York City and its colossal job market.
"The job market in New York City is healthy, and people want to live close to their jobs, and they have found Jersey City a great place to live, so that won't change," LeFrak said.

bhulet

July 20th, 2006, 11:02 AM

I am looking to move to Jersey City and was wondering if anyone might be able to tell me about the neighborhood around the 100 block of Greenville????

investordude

July 20th, 2006, 11:59 PM

I noticed this today - http://www.globest.com/news/638_638/newjersey/147496-1.html

I really don't know, of course, but it strikes me we're beginning to see a resurgence of interest in commercial properties in JC. Maybe Trump will still get a neighbor, just not a residential one. Just a thought - (complete speculation, I have no info).

TriHobo

July 21st, 2006, 10:19 AM

The outlook for the long-dormant Powerhouse in Downtown Jersey City got a little brighter this week after the city Redevelopment Authority designated a developer with a lengthy track record for successfully transforming industrial-age buildings into modern entertainment complexes.

City officials say the designation of Baltimore-based Cordish Companies - a key player in the turnaround of Baltimore's Inner Harbor - represents a fresh start for the long-troubled Powerhouse project, which is widely considered the cornerstone of the Powerhouse Arts District.

"This is a turning point for the Powerhouse Arts District and all of Jersey City," Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said in a written statement. "Their work at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore is world class and we expect nothing less in Jersey City."

News of the designation was greeted warmly by members of the community who have long fought to see the site both preserved and used.
"It's excellent," said John Gomez, founder and former president of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy. "We actually visited with Cordish back in 2000, hoping they would come aboard."

The current president of the Conservancy, Joshua Parkhurst, agreed.
"I am glad to see the process is moving along and I hope that the builders will come to the community groups and include them," he said.

Officially known as the Hudson and Manhattan Powerhouse, the one-acre building on Washington Boulevard stands 140 feet tall. Built in 1906 to provide power to the Hudson Tubes - the predecessor to the PATH - the building is structurally sound, though a leaky roof has caused extensive corrosion.
The details of the redevelopment project are still being negotiated, but informal plans call for a multi-level mix of entertainment and retail. Its listing on the National Register of Historical Places also means it will restored under U.S. Department of Interior guidelines.

The project has long been hampered by the fact that the city's partner, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, houses its transformers for the PATH system at the site.

The Port Authority is spending $400,000 for a consultant to conduct a review of the site, which will look at alternative places for the transformers and the agency's projected power needs in the future, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority.

"From our discussions with the Port Authority, we are optimistic that the issue would be resolved," said city Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis.
It's too early to put forth a timeline, but if and when the transformer issue gets resolved the project will begin to catch momentum, said JCRA Executive Director Bob Antonicello.

How the transformer issue is resolved, along with a host of other considerations, will help determine how the project gets funded. City officials said they expect to lease the space to Cordish, but they would not speculate on other funding formulas.

The JCRA had previously designated a Pennsylvania-based developer at the site, but Antonicello said the project was too large and the city had to find them in default of the agreement.

investordude

July 22nd, 2006, 06:53 PM

description in the times of the first piece of what looks like a pretty major development in JC - about half the scale of Atlantic Yards in magnitude: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/23/realestate/23njzo.html

pianoman11686

July 23rd, 2006, 01:04 AM

Echoing the Upper West Side

By ANTOINETTE MARTIN

Published: July 23, 2006

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

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/07/23/realestate/23njzo.jpg
One appeal of the planned Gull’s Cove condo tower in Jersey City is that it will be next to a new light rail stop and near the ferry terminal.

THE first condominium tower in the 80-acre Liberty Harbor North redevelopment area is now going up alongside a new light rail stop and the commuter ferry terminal at Pier 11 here.

Gull’s Cove, a 16-story tower that will hold 321 residences, ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, is just a small part of a master plan to transform a former industrial area into a neighborhood resembling the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

The master plan — recognized in 2001 by the American Planning Association as a model of “New Urbanism” because of the way it incorporates high-density housing, multiple transit connections and a pedestrian-oriented streetscape — was the creation of the Miami architect Andrés Duany. He is the designer of Seaside in Florida, where “The Truman Show” was filmed; it is considered a New Urbanist icon.

Liberty Harbor North is designed to echo the Upper West Side’s network of small city blocks with town-house-lined streets intersecting a few broad avenues facing the waterfront, according to Mr. Duany.

The overall plan includes 6,500 units of market-rate housing, one million square feet of hotel space, 750,000 square feet of retail space, 4.5 million square feet of office space and two parks totaling about 100 acres.

Two locally based builders, Peter Mocco and Jeff Zak, are the principal developers of the $2 billion project, and control more than half of the redevelopment property. Some sites in the project will be developed by others, as is happening at Gull’s Cove. Mr. Mocco and Mr. Zak have yet to announce the details and timing for their own construction plans.

The other developers that will build pieces of the project include the Applied Companies, which developed the Shipyard mixed-used complex with stores and condominium and rental residences on the riverfront.

Meanwhile, the Gull’s Cove tower is being built by Metro Homes, which is based in Hoboken. It has erected the first five floors of steel for the tower, which is the first phase in a three-building project. Gull’s Cove will eventually include another 110 condos in two additional lower-rise buildings.

Situated about a half-mile west of the Hudson River on the north bank of the Morris Canal, the Liberty Harbor North site offers striking views of Lower Manhattan to the east and the Statue of Liberty to the south, said the Metro Homes principal, Dean Geibel.

“The mass transit access from our building can’t be beat,” he asserted confidently one day last week as he stood at the light rail stop opposite the front doors of the building under construction, and looked toward the ferry terminal clearly within sight.

The light rail system makes a direct connection to the PATH train station at Exchange Place, providing a total commuting time to Manhattan that can be as short as 15 minutes, he said.

Furthermore, there is nearby street access to the New Jersey Turnpike and the Holland Tunnel, and Newark Liberty International Airport is only 10 minutes away, Mr. Geibel pointed out.

The condominiums at Gull’s Cove, which are being marketed by Century 21, range in size from 548 to 2,415 square feet and are listed at prices ranging from the high $200,000’s to $1.2 million.

Condominium shoppers can view the variety of floor plans available at gullscove.com, the project’s Web site, and also see digital renderings depicting apartments finished with the materials and appliances that come with a “standard’ or “upgraded” option package.

Standard features include plank flooring, ceramic tile baths, Whirlpool appliances and black granite countertops. The upgraded package includes cherry or mahogany flooring, marble or porcelain tile, premium-grade KitchenAid appliances, and black or sand-colored granite countertops. In addition, closet spaces can be customized with the upgraded package.

Gull’s Cove will have a 24-hour attended lobby and offer concierge services, Mr. Geibel said. It will also house its own cafe, restaurant, bank, fitness club, child-care center and newsstand.

A putting green and landscaped deck are to be installed on the roof of one of the lower buildings, and the complex will include three levels of covered parking.

One of the Liberty Harbor North parks is to be situated on the west side of Gull’s Cove, beside the canal. Various views from the condo tower will overlook the park, the harbor, the Statue of Liberty, the Manhattan skyline and, closer at hand, two historic neighborhoods: Van Vorst to the east and Hamilton Park to the north.

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

ablarc

July 23rd, 2006, 02:53 AM

Did Duany also do the uninspired architecture or only the planning?

Seaside is great, but Duany's been coasting since.

TimmyG

July 23rd, 2006, 04:52 PM

This was in the Jersey City Reporter. Does anyone know what the article means when it says that 77 Hudson will be the first Manhattan style skyscraper in JC?
http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif
1,000+ new neighbors
JC waterfront to house two 500-foot skyscrapers by 2008
By Rebecca Kaufman, Reporter Staff Writer07/21/2006

Ground was broken Tuesday for two 500-foot skyscrapers, including 1,000 new condominiums and apartments, to rise at 77 Hudson St. near the waterfront.
The new project by K. Hovnanian Homes and Equity Residential is "just another step in the advancement of Jersey City," said Mayor Jerramiah Healy at the ceremony Tuesday.
The 1.76-acre parcel is located on Hudson and Sussex streets.
Randy Brosseau, a regional vice president at K. Hovnanian, said, "[We want to build] a building that will stand the test of time."
He added, "There are two words that describe our project best: Luxury and style."

One tower will hold 420 condominiums to be sold by K. Hovnanian, and the other will hold 481 apartments operated by Equity Residential.
Equity Residential is expected to rent out the apartments during the winter of 2008, and K. Hovnanian is expected to occupy the condominium building during the spring of 2009. K. Hovnanian plans to begin selling homes at the property around the end of this year.

The towers of 77 Hudson will be the first Manhattan-style skyscraper in Jersey City, and will feature a curtain wall system, with floor-to-ceiling glass, according to John Cetra of the New York architecture firm Cetra/Ruddy Inc. Many nontraditional materials will also be used, including terrazzo-like countertops, chiseled marble, and custom-designed cantilevered master bathroom vanities, he said.

The condominiums, 75 percent with Manhattan skyline views, will include approximately 215 one-bedroom units, 144 two-bedroom units, 19 three-bedroom units, and 42 studios. The apartments will include 132 studios, 209 one-bedrooms, and 140 two-bedroom units.

However, the towers will not only add housing to Jersey City, but also availability of extensive amenities. The building will have nearly 19,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor to hold new restaurants and stores, as well as a Spa/Fitness center, and a dramatic hotel-quality lobby. A parking garage will contain 920 spaces for residents. On top of the 10-story parking garage will be a landscaped deck, connecting the two towers, with a pool and a dog run. K. Hovnanian Homes is one of the nation's leading home-builders. Equity Residential is the largest publicly traded apartment company in America.

The new towers of 77 Hudson will not only benefit the Hudson River Gold Coast, but also the other areas of Jersey City, Healy said. "Jersey City revitalization began on the Hudson Waterfront about 10 years ago," he said. "I know that is has spread west to the Hackensack River and also to the northern and southern borders. Originally, there were areas where no one would invest. Now there are five or six bidders on every vacant lot or building anywhere in Jersey City." Jim Driscoll, the division president of K. Hovnanian, said that the project would be all around beneficial: to the city, new tenants, and the company.

"We can't foretell the direct effect it will have on the rest of Jersey City, but it is an excitable housing opportunity - affordable luxury living," Driscoll said.

Mayor Healy said that the construction of 77 Hudson might also inspire other residents in Jersey City.

"Prosperity is contagious," Mayor Healy said. "People are suddenly taking care of their homes -sprucing them up, cleaning, and painting."

Cetra said, "[77 Hudson] will bring vitality, utility, and twenty four- seven community."

Residents will have just 10 minutes travel time to the Financial District in Manhattan. The location is three blocks from the Exchange Place PATH station, and across the street from a Light Rail stop. There's even some good news for New York residents, officials noted.

"We're giving those on the east side [of Manhattan] a nice view of what's happening in Jersey City," Healy said. Cetra added, "We are enhancing the view from Manhattan."

lofter1

July 23rd, 2006, 08:42 PM

"Manhattan-style"? Not sure what that means (other than a marketing ploy).

Emporis has a rendering of 77 Hudson: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=100719

That image makes it look like a cousin to Trump's Riverside gang :confused:

Cetra / Ruddy is also doing the Ariel on the UWS. Nothing as of yet on their website regarding 77 Hudson.

z22

July 23rd, 2006, 10:30 PM

TimmyG

July 24th, 2006, 12:48 AM

"Manhattan-style"? Not sure what that means (other than a marketing ploy).
It probably is just a marketing ploy then.

alphaman

July 28th, 2006, 01:36 PM

JCMAN320

July 28th, 2006, 06:49 PM

Cookson is staying from what I know. It is kept up very well it's not that bad. I know what you mean it looks out of place but it's staying I believe. That use to be Alpha Metals and is now Cookson Electronics. The U-Store It across the street from it will be gone as well as the old truck stop, the old green warehouse will all be gone and be part of the development. This development is 8 blocks from my house.

FiveNines

July 28th, 2006, 07:05 PM

To the person the knows the Centex Homes at westside; do you know what will happen to the factory (Cookson) next to the townhouses of Centex? It seems to be an eyesore next to those expensive townhouses. Thanks for anyone in the know.

I'm moving into that development sometime in September and I've been in constant contact with the builder and sales office. I've been pushing for some landscaping (i.e. some tall trees) both on the side of the new condo building (facing the assembly plant) and behind facing the green monster. They are telling me that it is in the plans - so we'll see.

I know an overnight turnaround is not in the cards in that area but at least it seems to be a pretty quiet area right now.

JCMAN320

July 29th, 2006, 04:39 PM

That neighborhood is not a bad area at all I've lived and grown up on the Westside my entire life. It may gentrify a bit more, but as far as quality, I have always felt safe here and enjoyed living on this side of the city.

JCMAN320

July 30th, 2006, 09:58 PM

For all you Jersey City haters; here's another article going against your thinking. Also our offical nickname is Chilltown it stems from 70's hip-hop and it's been our nickname since I can remember and we even have a magazine called Chilltown Magazine. Enjoy :)

WILLING TO BE CHILLING
With plenty of young people, bars and down time, Jersey City No. 2 in nation

Saturday, July 22, 2006
By JENNIFER MARKOWITZ
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City residents don't have to worry about keeping cool this summer because a recent survey ranked it second on the first-ever list of America's "chillest cities."

The survey, conducted in June by Sperling's Best Places and Bailey's cream liqueur, analyzed and compared the 100 most populous U.S. cities to determine which city's residents have the most opportunities to "chill together."

"I go out to bars all the time," said Andre Cepeda, 21, of Newark Avenue. "What's great about Jersey City is that no matter where you're at you can get anywhere."

Cepeda said he goes out with friends every weekend to local bars where they can dance. If no one volunteers to be the designated driver, they just take a bus.

The survey looked at which city had the most plentiful bars, parks, coffee shops, sporting events and accessibility of public transportation.

Long commuting times and high average working hours lowered chill factors for interfering with potential time to relax.

Rated against other medium-sized cities, such as Honolulu, Albuquerque and Colorado Springs, Jersey City climbed the "chill index" with its high per-capita expenditure for at-home entertaining, numerous bars and large population of 25-to 34-year-olds.

With summer in full swing, residents have been chilling more and flocking to the bars after a day of work.

David O'Brien, 31, owner of the Merchant on Grove Street, said weeknights have taken over Friday and Saturday as the bar's busiest times. When he is not working he prefers to relax and enjoy Jersey City's tight-knit, diverse community and numerous recreational opportunities

Bartending next door at Bar Majestic, Tiffany Baker, 25, also opts to relax in her downtime, participating in pool tournaments, shopping and getting massages and facials.

New to town, Lynda D'Amico has been spending the summer months exploring the city, enamored with what she calls the city's "rawness."

"I love Downtown - the music, the art, the architecture, the people. The city is real. It's emerging with this incredible energy," she said, adding that when she spends a night out, she goes to Bar Majestic to hear her favorite deejay.

During Happy Hour Thursday at the Merchant, co-workers Marc D'Angelillio, 22, and Jameson Hustek, 23, were enjoying a drink while they praised Jersey City for being eclectic, accessible and for always producing a good time.

The two both said it is a combination of "the people," "the price" and "the personality."

Journal staff writer Margo Chaly contributed to this report.

OmegaNYC

July 30th, 2006, 11:18 PM

Hey congrats to JC! (or should I say "chilltown") :)

pianoman11686

July 30th, 2006, 11:43 PM

Not at all surprising considering how many college grads go to New York to find work these days, only to discover that living in Manhattan is too expensive. At my school alone (which is a national university, not a regional one in the area), 25% of all graduates go to New York for their first job. That's a huge influx of talented, energetic single people that are making good money to start, and like to spend it on fun activities. Jersey City seems to be doing a pretty good job at marketing itself as a hip place to live, and more power to 'em. But still, not surprising.

The winner was Honolulu, by the way.

JCMAN320

July 31st, 2006, 12:49 AM

Majestic II - the sequel
Planning Board approves two projects downtown

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 07/28/2006

The developers who recently turned historic Majestic Theater into condominiums are planning a followup of sorts.

The original Majestic Theater, on the corner of Montgomery and Grove streets, is a six-story, 45-unit complex completed in 2004.

Developers Eric and Paul Silverman now have a larger project planned for the same block.

The Jersey City Planning Board at its Tuesday meeting approved unanimously the Majestic II Redevelopment Project, a two-building, 88-unit development that will encompass Montgomery, Grove and York Streets.

There will also be 96 parking spaces and 8,880 sq. ft. of retail. The Majestic II will be overlooking City Hall.

Currently on the block are an empty storefront (formerly a deli and a carpet store), a church that closed recently, and several apartment buildings with empty lots beside them.

Neighbors cautiously optimistic

Following a presentation by an architect and engineer, several area residents praised Silverman but urged him to do monitoring of the area when construction starts, to test the stability of the area. They also encouraged them to acquire empty lots on York Street for the project.

Silverman said he would work to ensure the monitoring and to acquire the lots.

The board, in approving the project, also praised the proposed construction. New board member Phillip Matsikoudis remarked that the "Silvermans do grade A work."

Board member Michael Sottolano said he looked forward to the project getting under way as it would be wonderful addition to the area, and will force city officials to get started on renovating City Hall.

Silverman after the presentation said that he was "happy, very happy." He also said that the groundbreaking will take place in the next six months, with the project taking a year and a half to complete.

The Silvermans are also currently renovating the old St. Francis Hospital near Hamilton Park into 225 condos and retail.

Columbus Corner

The Planning Board also approved on Tuesday a project known as Columbus Corner that will be built at the corner of Christopher Columbus Drive and Wayne Street as a part of Barrow Street.

The project will consist of one building with three sections: one seven stories, one 4.5 stories, and another at three stories.

There will be a total of 58 residential units with 45 parking spaces and 4,925 sq. ft. of retail.

The developers are Five Star Investments Inc., a development firm based in Jersey City whose principals are employees of the Del Forno Real Estate firm.

The project is named for the Columbus Corner Redevelopment Area it is located within. It is also partially located within the Van Vorst Historic District.

James Lindemon, the architect for the project, made the presentation in front of the board.

Planning Board member Leon Yost asked if there would be green space built into the project for tenants to have access to. Lindemon said the plans could be amended to allow for a "green roof."

Board member Sottolano complained that the different facades of the building did not blend in each other and considered the transition "too harsh."

The board placed seven conditions for the developer to meet before construction begins, including providing green space and communicating with the Planning Board and Historic Preservation Commission regarding the project.

After the presentation, Lawrence Perlaki of Five Star Investments, when interviewed, said that he was happy see the project get started after four years of delays.

New Planning Board members

There are two new members of the Planning Board, both of whom started their tenure at the previous Planning Board meeting on July 11. The two are Philip Matsikoudis and David Ruiz Jr.

Matsikoudis is a former Jersey City police officer who currently works as an attorney. He is the brother of the Jersey City Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis.

Matsikoudis' term on the board expires on June 30, 2010. He is replacing former member Robert Lopez.

Ruiz is currently an employee of the Hudson County Improvement Authority. He was picked to serve as an alternate member of the board, replacing Roseanna Petruzelli, who served in that capacity but has been promoted to a full-time member, replacing longtime board member Jeni Branum.

Ruiz's term expires on Dec. 31 of this year. Petruzelli's term expires on June 30, 2010 while - RK

OmegaNYC

July 31st, 2006, 12:58 AM

Damn, Jersey City isn't to be played with. Wow, that city is moving up, and fast! Makes me want to move there. :D

JCMAN320

July 31st, 2006, 01:04 AM

Omega we would love to have you here brother, this is a great city!!!

JCMAN320

July 31st, 2006, 01:45 PM

Visions of Liberty State Park 'west'

Monday, July 31, 2006

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy is being shortsighted in championing a warehouse for the banks of the Hackensack River in Jersey City, former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler told The Jersey Journal last week.

Schundler, who favors using the land for open space, called the warehouse a "low-value investment" that would ultimately stymie the development of the city's western coast.

Schundler said Healy should think about the 87-acre PJP landfill as another Liberty State Park - an environmental oasis that attracts jobs and housing to the entire city.

The decision about what to do with the site is "hugely important," Schundler said.

"If you don't do it (use the land for open space), a lot of people are going to say the mayor doesn't have vision and sold out the west side of the city," he said.

Schundler said he's spoken to Healy about the issue and believes that Healy is operating under the false impression that the city would be stuck with cleaning up the landfill if the warehouse deal fell through - even though Waste Management, one of parties responsible for the site, signed an agreement with the state six years ago to pay to cap the site.

"I appreciate Bret Schundler's opinion as a former mayor and as a resident," Healy said. "However, I respectfully disagree with him entirely.

"It would be irresponsible of me . not to pursue economic opportunities for the blue collar residents of our city who have bills to pay and families to feed," he continued.

"As my administration sets out to reduce the financial burden on taxpayers set forth by previous administrations, I welcome the $100 million investment and tax ratables that Jersey City would receive on a property that has sat idly for over 40 years."

Healy said that he was aware of Waste Management's obligations and that Schundler, who "did a lot of talking" during their conversations, probably didn't hear him.

KEN THORBOURNE

JCMAN320

July 31st, 2006, 01:53 PM

I'am posting this article to show how easy it is in here in Chilltown, Hoboken, Bayonne, and Union City to get around without a car and PATH, Lightrail, buses, taxis, ferries, and people biking and walking and even scooting show that it is easier, just like in NY, to not have a car and to show that you can get around just as easily here as you can over there. :)

His daily scoot commute is partly innovation, mostly perspiration

Monday, July 31, 2006

W ith summer in full throttle - and my clothes from last summer fitting ever so tightly - I've been trying to find a way to squeeze some added exercise into my daily routine.

However, once I get home from a grueling day at work, exercise usually ranks somewhere between cleaning out my closet and penning the first chapter of the next great American novel.

But Sakiya Sandifer, 35, a Paulus Hook resident who runs We Think LLC, a creative business consulting firm, has learned to incorporate exercise - and fun - into his daily commute.

The Chicago native gets to and from his business appointments on a scooter - and I'm not talking about the motorized kind. Sandifer rides a $30 Razor handlebar scooter around Jersey City, Hoboken and New York City.

"I originally got it because I wanted my daughters and I to be able to do something together," said Sandifer, who is a former personal trainer. "I started doing it last summer on a fluke outing into the city. But then I realized I was on to something."

Nowadays, Sandifer - who recently wrote a self-help book called "Think, Think, Think and Think Again" - gets on the scooter and rides into New York City via the PATH train. Once in the city, he rolls from appointment to appointment on his trusty scooter.

"The train stops where I used to park and walk three blocks," he said. "I'm just gliding by everyone."

Sandifer admits that his clients sometimes do a double-take when catching him on the scooter. But he just laughs it off as "I'm still a big kid."

When it comes to choosing between a scooter, bike, skateboard or some other mechanism, Sandifer recommends choosing wisely.

He had originally purchased a pair of inline skates and then promptly traded them in for three scooters - one for himself and each of his two daughters.

"My body told me I was not supposed to be roller blading," he joked.

He considered using a bike, but decided that it would be too difficult to cart up and down the staircases at PATH stations.

"Just one flip and you're done," Sandifer said.

Hudson County residents are used to getting out of their cars.

According to Bikes at Work, a car-free advocacy group, three mid-sized cities in Hudson County - Jersey City, Union City and Bayonne - rank within the top 25 car-free places in the nation.

And when it comes to small cities, Hoboken comes in at No. 2, ranking behind only the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Sandifer saves handsomely on tolls and parking. And he doesn't need to do his cardiovascular routine at the gym.

"It's an extreme lower body workout," he said. "I have a client on 27th Street, and I can be on my scooter and get there in 16 minutes at the total cost of $3."

FiveNines

July 31st, 2006, 09:24 PM

What's this warehouse project? I haven't heard anything about it. Are they talking about that open land where 440 makes that turn under I-78?

JCMAN320

July 31st, 2006, 09:47 PM

No it's the landfill site next to the Holy Name cemetary on 1&9. The one at the bottom of Sip Avenue.

macmini

August 2nd, 2006, 11:23 PM

JCMan do you know any thing about this project the building looks great but it's pretty weird spot for a 'luxury' building, if you ask me.

http://www.wavestoneproperties.com/images/833jersey_lg.jpg

http://www.wavestoneproperties.com/prop_833jerseyave.htm

OmegaNYC

August 2nd, 2006, 11:58 PM

Nice pic, where are they going to put it?? Oh btw, welcome back macmini. Haven't seen you in a while. :)

JCMAN320

August 3rd, 2006, 12:31 AM

I've heard rumors about this project, but this is the first time I'm seeing something visual for it. That whole area near the Hoboken boarder, where this will be located, is part of a redevelopment plan. This building will definately have neighbors because there are other lots around where this will be built where developers have bought land and have concrete plans for developments. I will go to the site and take a picture of it and post it so everyone has a better idea of where it is.

I love this building by the way, it as absolutely beautiful and great to have you back macmini.

Also everybody I'am starting my job for Jersey City Vibe.com and will meet with developers and go to the planning boards and be getting info on new buildings. Here is the site I'am working for: http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/

OmegaNYC

August 3rd, 2006, 01:05 AM

That's cool, JCMan. Looking forward to seeing reports from you. This is a nice site. :)

macmini

August 4th, 2006, 06:05 PM

Thanks guys it's good to be back!!

It looks like Applied is building Two rental communities next to Gulls Cove.Applied is joining Shenkman/Kushner Affiliates on Liberty Harbor North, two super premium rental communities designed by acclaimed architectural firm HLW. The two buildings will rise above the celebrated waterfront and feature over 850 luxury apartments and 50,000 square feet of retail.

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

I just found another Liberty Harbor project this is the first I've heard about this project but it looks very nice.
http://www.gmacrealestateipg.com/properties/documents/libertyharbor_office2.pdf

JCMAN320

August 4th, 2006, 08:05 PM

Sweet mac. Go JC go JC go!!!! Go JC go JC go!!!!! I love this city!!!

z22

August 4th, 2006, 10:26 PM

Wow. I didn't realize that Liberty Harbor will have 32-story office tower(s). The building looks very interesting. This must be an updated plan. The buildings from the old plan from DPZ (http://www.dpz.com/project.aspx?Project_Number=9901) don't look so attractive.

JCMAN320

August 5th, 2006, 02:27 AM

Yes JC will fill up the remaining vacancy in other office buildings especially 30 Hudson and Newport Tower 7 with the impending office boom which has already started with the moving of jobs to Harborside Financial Center recently. The we will build more office buildings and continue to be an awesome alternative for business. Jersey City is seriously starting to come into it's own. :)

investordude

August 5th, 2006, 12:20 PM

I noticed they restated results and announced they are in negotiations to walk away with some projects. Does anyone know if this includes the JC high rises?

I certainly hope not - but just trying to parse their news release.

macmini

August 6th, 2006, 06:13 PM

525 units at Grove Street station

'Grove Pointe' to include renovation of PATH Plaza

http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1291/zwire/images/2006/08/story/20060804_162122_1_story.jpg

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer

The mammoth construction project happening near the Grove Street PATH Station on Newark Avenue is known as Grove Pointe - a 29-story building that will consist of 67 condominiums and 458 rental apartments when it is completed in 2007.

Grove Pointe broke ground in May 2005.

The official address is 100 Columbus Drive for the rental properties and 102 Columbus Drive for the condominiums.

The project is being developed by SK Properties, a subsidiary of Schenkman/Kushner Affiliates based in Bridgewater.

There will also be 535 parking spaces and 20,000 square feet of retail on the site.

The project will also include the revamping of a one-block section of Newark Avenue and the triangular park area at the entrance to the Grove Street PATH station.

The developers would like to make the area a pedestrian plaza for both their residents and for the public. There are plans for a section of Newark Avenue to be closed off to cars during the week at midday hours and on the weekends. But that is still being worked out by the developer with the city.

Condos for half a mil

According to Danielle Scalera, sales associate for the Grove Pointe project, the condos are going out to market right now, and advertising for the rentals will start next year.

Scalera said one-bedroom units ranging from 750 to 987 square feet are starting at $535,000 and two-bedroom at 1,081 to 1,289 square feet will be priced at $655,000 and above.

"People see it in passing on their way to work, word-of-mouth, a lot of people live in the area and they have been renting here for a while, and they thought wanted to invest in something," said Scalera. "What better place to live than where it is convenient to the PATH Station?"

Others are noticing the impact of the project on the area. City Council President Mariano Vega, who lives only a few blocks from the site, lauded the project.

"I think you have to appreciate it when it's finished. They build it to respect the historic district and they built down rather than encroach on the area," said Vega.

Grove Pointe will also contain an outdoor common area and a heated pool on the seventh floor, a multi-floor fitness center, a billiards room, and a home theater room that can be rented out by residents only.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com
Sidebar
Also 1,150 units nearby

Besides the Grove Point development at the Grove Street PATH station, there is another project rising nearby overlooking Christopher Columbus Drive.

Construction on "Columbus Plaza" has commenced and is scheduled for completion in early 2007.

Located on Columbus Drive and Warren Street, the project will be constructed in two phases, and will have 1,150 units of housing.

Phase I, already underway, includes a 35-story tower with 392 residences, a multi-level 1,120-car parking garage, 27,000 square feet of ground floor retail, eight townhomes, and a new on-site entrance to the Grove Street PATH subway station.

Phase II will consist of 1.1 million square feet of either a 30-story office tower or 750 residential units in multiple towers with retail and parking. - RK

©The Hudson Reporter 2006

OmegaNYC

August 7th, 2006, 01:25 PM

Now that is nice! :)

JCMAN320

August 7th, 2006, 01:50 PM

Jersey City, it's a model for hot market

Monday, August 07, 2006
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The marriage of the European-style Port Liberte development and the prestigious Liberty National Golf Course has sent home prices skyward and spurred developers' interest in an industrial area that dominates this part of the city.

Thus far, Applied Development of Hoboken has erected 805 units - a mixture of townhouses and condominiums - on the isolated corner of land in New York Harbor. The development features a man-made canal system that adds European charm and space for the residents' valuable water toys.

The next phase of development has already begun. It will include a mixture of medium and high-rise towers that will sit behind the current buildings. Once complete, which it's expected to be in 2012, the community will boast 1,813 residential units on 54 acres.

Liberty National Golf Course, dubbed the most expensive course ever built at $129 million, hugs the community's northern edge - creating a mental distance from the city and adding to the perception of suburban living in an urban setting.

The unique community is just another example of Jersey City's scorching real estate market. Units that five years ago sold for $240 per square foot are now selling at more than twice that, says Michael Darata, project manager for Applied Development, adding that several properties recently sold for nearly $2 million.

And now the golf course, combined with the success of the Port Liberte project, has spurred interest in this area of the city that has long been home to industry.

"We are now seeing a lot of interest in building residential properties between Port Liberte and Caven Point athletic fields and around Bayside Park, which is putting a lot of pressure on the industrial sites," said Bob Antonicello, head of Jersey City's Redevelopment Authority.

However, any major residential projects would have to include substantial changes to the zoning in the area, Antonicello said.

The future is now bright for Port Liberte, but it had a bleak beginning.

In the 1980s, a group of European investors and a Somerset bank that had begun construction at Port Liberte filed for bankruptcy after the real estate market went belly up and they were dragged down by the high costs of building the development's signature canals.

After a series of legal maneuvers, including a federal bailout of more than $1 billion worth of properties in the Garden State in the early 1990s, Applied Development bought the property.

JARRETT RENSHAW can be reached at jrenshaw@jjournal.com.

JCMAN320

August 7th, 2006, 01:51 PM

All they need, and NYC just a ferry trip away

Monday, August 07, 2006

Dawn Dattolo is glad to be a statistic.

She and her husband - who works in Jersey City's financial district - moved to Port Liberte from Central Jersey two years ago after her kids left the nest.

"It's like our own little community here," Dattolo said. "We can take the ferry to Manhattan, go into Jersey City, and then return here."

Dattolo is admittedly not concerned with Jersey City politics, and in many ways who can blame her. Like others in her community, she and her husband have inherited a tax abatement, which means her taxes are stable, unaffected by the city's political winds.

"We still pay more than in Central Jersey. It's expensive to live here," Dattolo said - adding they pay more than $6,000 per month in maintenance and homeowner association fees on her property and the boat slip behind the house.

The only reminders that the development lies within an urban environment are the views of Downtown Jersey City and Lower Manhattan. The community boasts a bank, day care, ferry to Manhattan, cleaners, mini-market, restaurant and spa, among other amenities. However, Dattolo says she does take advantage of Jersey City's restaurants and night life more than Manhattan's.

"If you were dropped right in the middle of this community, you would never feel like you were in Jersey City," said Michael Darata, project manager for Applied Development. "This is for people who work in Manhattan, but want to return to the suburbs."

JARRETT RENSHAW

JCMAN320

August 7th, 2006, 01:54 PM

Warehouse or parkland: Compromise in works

Monday, August 07, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

"The Great Warehouse Debate" in Jersey City could turn in to "The Great Compromise" if two City Council members have their way. Council members Steven Lipski and Mary Spinello - the council's most prominent swing voters on what to do with the old PJP landfill in Jersey City - are pushing a plan that would bring both the 883,000-square-foot warehouse and open space to the 87-acre site.

"This is a major battle, but we are trying to figure out what's best for everybody," Spinello said. "We are trying to compromise on open space and the warehouse - not neither nor."

The debate has focused on roughly 41 acres of the landfill owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. The church wants to sell the land to the California-based AMB Corp. to build a huge warehouse, which would accept cargo from Ports Elizabeth and Newark.

But the landfill, which was the scene of underground fires that raged for years, encompasses both this land owned by the church and property owned by Edwin and Nathan Siegel.

The entire site is bordered by Broadway to the north, Duncan Avenue in the south, Route 440 on the east and the Hackensack River on the west. The Siegels' land is on the northern side of a small stream that cuts through the middle of the landfill.

The Siegels owe $16.5 million in fire code fines on the property, city officials said.

The idea, according to Lipski, would be to declare the entire landfill an "area in need of redevelopment," which would give the city the opportunity to either buy the site or seize it through condemnation. The city could then configure the site so as to accommodate both the warehouse and the open space, he said.

Mayor Jerramiah Healy, the warehouse's biggest promoter, said he's open to the idea, but didn't think counting on city money to play a role was realistic.

"I am open to any and all options that will provide the city with tax ratables and jobs," Healy said. "And partner to all of this has to be AMB. They are the private company that is willing to invest $100 million.

"This city has been fiscally challenged for 20 years. Nothing has changed," Healy added, dismissing the notion that the city might foster a compromise by putting its own money into the mix.

County officials, who have said they wanted to use the site for open space, are open to the compromise proposal, according to Jim Kennelly, a spokesman for the Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise.

"If the (Healy) administration feels that this is a solution and can address their desire for development and leave open the opportunity for us to expand the footprint of Lincoln Park to the north, this sounds like a very promising compromise," Kennelly said.

AMB's attorney, Robert Cavanaugh, said no one has formally spoken to him about a compromise, but "AMB is open to any reasonable discussion the city wants to have to resolve this."

But Paul Catsandonis, a warehouse opponent and chair of the Lincoln Park Advisory Committee, called the potential compromise "unacceptable."

"You are still going to have all the problems a warehouse is going to bring - traffic, pollution and damage to the infrastructure," he said.

TimmyG

August 7th, 2006, 01:55 PM

Phase II will consist of 1.1 million square feet of either a 30-story office tower or 750 residential units in multiple towers with retail and parking. - RK
More office space would be nice for JC, but I have a feeling that the building will end up residential.

JCMAN320

August 7th, 2006, 02:09 PM

If they can hold out on it till the impending office boom I think it'll be built

TriHobo

August 9th, 2006, 09:13 AM

http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1155079440_jerseci2.gif
While there has been a lot of new residential construction activity recently on the east side of the East River, the west side of the Hudson River has not fallen asleep and today K. Hovnanian and Equity Residential had a ground-breaking ceremony for two 48-story residential towers at 77 Hudson Street in Jersey City, New Jersey.
K. Hovnanian is the largest homebuilder in New Jersey and it will erect 420 condominium apartments in one of the towers and Equity Residential, the largest publicly traded real estate investment trust in the nation, will erect 481 rental apartments in the other tower.
The building will have an 8,300 sq. ft. Spa/fitness center with massage rooms, steam and sauna areas, screening room and a Pilates/Yoga Room - all with dramatic views onto an artfully landscaped 13,000 sq. ft. outdoor plaza deck with a swimming pool and Jacuzzi, which creates a private park. This space, designed by landscape architect HM White Site Architects, features walking paths and large expanses of lawn for picnicking interspersed with gently rolling hills. The project also includes a business center and a virtual golf club.
Cetra/Ruddy is the architect for the project. The condominium tower will have 215 one-bedroom units, 144 two-bedroom units, 19 three-bedroom units, and 42 studios with prices estimated to range from the mid $300,000s to $2 million. Each condominium unit will have a parking space in the project’s garage and the building will have about 19,000 square feet of retail space on its ground floor. 77 Hudson St. is one block away from the waterfront area of historic Paulus Hook and two blocks from the Exchange Place Path Station, adjacent to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System, and one block to the New York Waterway Ferry.

kurokevin

August 9th, 2006, 03:03 PM

I just found another Liberty Harbor project this is the first I've heard about this project but it looks very nice.
http://www.gmacrealestateipg.com/pro...or_office2.pdf.

I could not help but mention the bizarre marketing of this building "Prime Office Space" with POS bolded or Piece of sh*t. That's going to make me giggle all day long

TimmyG

August 10th, 2006, 12:07 PM

Jersey City's crime stats available online

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Jersey City crime statistics for each of the city's four police districts became available on the Police Department's Web site for the first time yesterday.
To view the statistics, go to www.njjcpd.org (http://www.njjcpd.org), click on the COMPSTAT button and then select a police district from the drop-down menu.
Statistics compare the two-week period ending July 17 with the two-week period ending July 30, and show the difference in the number of reported incidents. The crimes listed are arson, assault, auto theft, burglary, criminal mischief, drugs, theft, prostitution, rape and robbery.
The statistics page also gives information on that district's commander.
"We're putting the information online because we want it to be accessible to residents and because it's a promise I made," Police Chief Tom Comey said yesterday.
The online statistics are the same as those used by police in assessing crime trends and allocating resources, Comey said.
MICHAELANGELO CONTE

macmini

August 10th, 2006, 12:13 PM

New Jersey awards $21.9M jobs grant to Deutsche Bank to bring 1,200 jobs to Downtown Jersey City

NJ awards $21.9M jobs grant to Deutsche Bank
by David Jones - Crain's New York

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority is trying to lure Deutsche Bank to Jersey City with a $21.9 million business employment incentive grant.

The NJEDA is hoping the money will interest Deutsche Bank to relocate 1,200 employees to Harborside Financial Center, a waterfront office complex located next to commuter ferry service and the PATH train, from its other offices. The bank is already leasing 90,000 square feet at Harborside.

Deutsche Bank, which had to apply for the grant, has not indicated whether it will definitely expand in New Jersey, but it told New Jersey authorities that it planned to expanding its offices in New York or expanding in New Jersey.

"Some companies execute the grant and some companies don't," said Glenn Phillips, spokesman for the Economic Development Authority. "It's one of the factors a company will consider in deciding to relocate to New Jersey."

The incentive grant, which has a ten-year term, is awarded based on a formula that gives back 80% of the income tax that new employees would pay New Jersey.

Deutsche Bank said it has about 10,000 employees in the New York area, including 350 in New Jersey. Most of the New Jersey employees currently work in the Harborside complex.

In 2001, Deutsche Bank received a $1.7 million business employment incentive grant to relocate 80 workers to Summit, N.J.

JCMAN320

August 10th, 2006, 12:39 PM

Yea boy!! HAHA. Keep those jobs coming to JC baby. Here is more news pertaining to JSQ.

HCCC buys Square area building

Thursday, August 10, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

As part of an overall county plan to own rather than rent its space, the Hudson County Community College has purchased 2-10 Enos Place in Jersey City, the building that houses the county's welfare offices.

The college paid $3 million for the three-story brick building on Jan. 31, said Jennifer Christopher, a spokeswoman for the college.

Within five years, the college plans to demolish the structure and build a parking garage on the site; and the county plans to relocate its welfare offices to the old Block Drug building on Cornelison Avenue, officials said.

The county raised the $3 million purchase price for the Enos Place property by selling 15-year bonds, said county spokesman Jim Kennelly. Under the state's "Chapter 12" program, the state will split the debt service on the loan with the county on a 50-50 basis, he said.

In the meantime, the county's Department of Health and Human Services, including the Divisions of Social Services and Welfare, will continue to occupy the space, officials said.

The county had been paying Journal Square Equities, the previous owner, $702,242-a-year to lease the facilities, Kennelly said.

By the end of the 2008, the county plans to have relocated 14 different departments in six buildings into the old Block Drug building on Cornelison Avenue, which the county purchased for $14 million two years ago, Kennelly added.

At that point, the county will realize a savings of $470,000-a-year, he said.

The college is investing roughly $73 million in Journal Square and North Hudson over the next five years, Christopher said.

Besides buying the Enos Place property, the college plans to build a new library at 67 Sip Ave., construct science labs at 162 Sip Ave. and 870 Bergen Ave., and acquire 141 Sip Ave. for green space, she said.

In addition, the college is building a new North Campus in Union City and making masonry and roof repairs to its headquarters at 25 Pathside in Journal Square, Christopher said.

steveikin

August 10th, 2006, 09:35 PM

TimmyG

August 10th, 2006, 09:49 PM

^^^^
That's good news for Journal Square. Has anyone heard more about the highrises that were proposed for the square?

JCMAN320

August 11th, 2006, 12:18 AM

Yes. They will be built because they were approved. The Harwood Comapny is in the midst of trying to buy the remaining buildings that are there. Two buildings are already torn down and 3 more to go. They will have high end stores on the bottom with big high windows and the stock ticker going around the base. Also the city and with help from my college Saint Peter's, are redoing Bergen Ave from Montgomery to Sip Ave right at JSQ with new sidewalks, brickpavers, parking meters, decorative street lamps, store front facade resotration and the street will be repaved and now with the old school look for Bergen Ave from Communipaw all the way to Sip Ave joinign it with the redone JSQ. Also McGinley Square Park will get redone into a beautiful public plaza and Bergen Square, where JC began in 1660 as a small village, will be done very well and made to look old world. It really is becoming a pleasent walk from PATH to Saint Peter's College.

With the old configuriation of Bergen Square from 1660, the old Bergen Church from 1730, the cemateries across from it dating back to 1660 with the original founders of JC and with namesakes of some of the streets here buried there, the Apple Tree House where Genreal Goerge Washington and Genereal Lafayette met under an apple tree to discuss battle plans for the battles here in Jersey City and New York, a new McGinley Square Park, updates streetscape, the old Med Center getting redone and the Armory, the "Heart" of Jersey City is getting revived

Also a few scenes for a movie is being filmed currently at the old Loews Jersey Wonder Theatre across from PATH Plaza.

With a mighty Downtown, Midtown Jersey City is on the comeback everyone watch out!! :)

TriHobo

August 11th, 2006, 10:48 AM

Quandary for Office Tenants: Downtown or Jersey City?

The developer Larry A. Silverstein (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/larry_a_silverstein/index.html?inline=nyt-per) has been betting that tenants for the new office towers at ground zero will finally come knocking on his doors when space gets tight in Midtown and rents soar to unprecedented levels.
Indeed, after largely ignoring his newly built skyscraper at 7 World Trade Center for two years, tenants like Moody’s Investors Service; Mansueto Ventures, a business magazine publisher; and Darby & Darby, a law firm, have suddenly started leasing space there that would bring hundreds of workers downtown.

But leasing is also getting hot again one mile to the west, in Jersey City, where a forest of office towers grew up on the waterfront in the 1990’s as companies fled the higher costs of Manhattan.

Citigroup, which announced two years ago that it was moving 1,600 workers to western New Jersey from downtown, just signed a lease that would send another 1,200 high-paying executives from Lower Manhattan to the Newport complex in Jersey City. Deutsche Bank is nearing completion of a deal to move 1,200 workers to the Harborside complex in Jersey City from Manhattan.

Until recently, the percentage of vacant offices in Jersey City languished in the double digits, refusing to budge. So most developers scurried to erect condominium towers. But after word of Citigroup’s possible move to Jersey City first surfaced three months ago, the level of interest in the New Jersey waterfront by New York-based companies has jumped to the point where the developer Richard Lefrak is considering building his eighth office tower in Jersey City, at a site now earmarked for residential development.

“There’s a lot of activity on the waterfront,” said Mitchell E. Hersh, chief executive of Mack-Cali Realty, which owns the Harborside complex and is negotiating with Deutsche Bank. “Rents here are roughly half of what they are in Midtown. We’re seeing a lot of interest, corporate expansions as well as financial services.”

The moves by Citigroup and Deutsche Bank are only the latest illustrations of the difficulty of retaining jobs in New York City and rebuilding the business district in Lower Manhattan. Increasingly since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, financial institutions and other companies have sought to decentralize. And with rents rising again in Manhattan, there is an economic incentive to relocate at least technical jobs to less-expensive places.

In the past, the battle for jobs has often led to border wars, as New Jersey offered sizable subsidies to lure companies across the Hudson and New York countered with tax breaks of its own to keep the companies in place. Many economists condemned the strategy as self-defeating for both sides.

Eric J. Deutsch, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/a/alliance_for_downtown_new_york/index.html?inline=nyt-org), a business group, said that demand was still growing downtown, especially since rents in some prime Midtown buildings have climbed above $100 per square foot a year. In the last 18 months, he said, companies from outside Lower Manhattan have leased 1.5 million square feet of space downtown. In addition, Royal Bank of Canada, the AIG insurance company and Legg Mason, the brokerage firm, are all about to sign leases for some of the large blocks of downtown space.

To retain jobs and handle growth, he said, there is a need for more new buildings. “While the New Jersey waterfront will always be a lower-cost alternative,” Mr. Deutsch added, “Lower Manhattan is the ideal location and a better value for tenants who want to be in New York City.”

There are four new towers planned for ground zero, with 8.8 million square feet of space, and they face a lot of competition from New Jersey, which offers even larger tax breaks and other subsidies than a tenant can get downtown.

The lure of lower costs and tax breaks can be enticing, even to a company like Citigroup, whose chief executive, Charles Prince, is co-chairman of the Partnership for New York City, a civic group working to entice companies downtown.

After Citigroup announced in 2004 that it was sending 1,600 workers from Lower Manhattan to Warren, N.J., a spokeswoman vowed: “We’re keeping all our space in Lower Manhattan. We’re not giving up an inch of space.”
But now the bank has sold its building at 250 West Street and is moving the executives who worked there to Jersey City.

The average rent downtown may be $38.57 a square foot per year, 35 percent cheaper than the Midtown average, according to CB Richard Ellis, a real estate broker. But the average on the Jersey waterfront is only $28.87 a square foot. And under New Jersey’s Business Employment Incentive Program, Citigroup will get a tax rebate worth an estimated $37.1 million over 10 years and Deutsche Bank will get one worth about $22 million over the same time period.

Shannon Bell, a spokeswoman for Citigroup, said yesterday that the bank remained the largest private employer in New York City. “We expect to continue to add jobs here and to keep our headquarters here,” she said.
Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, said that another border war would be unwise.

“What’s important to New York is that these jobs remain within our regional economy,” she said. “We’re long past days where New Jersey is the enemy. It’s more important that these jobs don’t move to Maryland, Tampa or India.”

macmini

August 11th, 2006, 11:54 AM

Renderings of Monaco 1, 2 and Sanremo

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/monacoandsanremo2.gif

http://www.jerseycityportal.com/realestate/images/monacoandsanremo.gif

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

Go to residential + projects and go downt to MONACO 1,2

New project on Washington Blvd.

The towers on Washington Blvd. would be known as the San Remo, Monaco I, and Monaco II. The developer is Roseland Property Company in Short Hills, N.J. The construction date has not been determined.

James Davidson, the architect for San Remo, Monaco I, and Monaco II, gave an overview of the project's architectural plans.

Davidson said the three towers will have parking decks; the San Remo with its own and the Monaco I and Monaco II sharing one connecting both buildings, with entrances to parking on Fourth Street and Sixth Street.

He also said there would a renovation of the hotel and added space to the hotel that would accommodate 200 more hotel units, over 8,000 square feet of retail, and parking for retail.

Planning Board Chairman John Cardwell told Davidson that he hopes the developer does provide parking for the retail, since the Planning Board was "very deceived" several years before when approving the final construction plans for the Marbella Apartments only a block away from the proposed towers.

"Nobody never answered us, nobody responded when we asked why do you have five spaces, when we approved 36 spaces for retail...so I hope you don't deceive us," said Cardwell.

Planning Board Commissioner Jeni Branum pointed out there should be more recreation space for children and even a dog run for the three-tower project.

"You come here with 674 units and 200 for the hotel; you can't expect those people to use what's already down at Newport....you got to bring green space, you got to bring activity space, and I just don't mean pools," said Branum.

Davidson said there would be a recreation area in each of the three towers.

RandySavage

August 11th, 2006, 12:09 PM

Gotta love those classic Jersey quotes at the end...

Dagrecco82

August 11th, 2006, 12:11 PM

Fancy!

badger2

August 11th, 2006, 12:38 PM

JCMan - or anyone else for that matter....has anyone heard ANYTHING on the American Can project???

JCMAN320

August 11th, 2006, 05:13 PM

I love those towers. I'm also loving the news that the office boom is starting ot emerge in Jersey City. See people this why 85% of the trading that occurs on "Wall Street" actually occurs in Jersey City.

Also I have not heard any more news on the American Can Comapny whatever news on it that was reported last is as much as I know to date.

NewYorkYankee

August 11th, 2006, 05:30 PM

I love those towers too! Everytime I've rode down the West Side Highway I always look toward NJ, its skyline is impressive.

krulltime

August 11th, 2006, 05:47 PM

I love those towers too! Everytime I've rode down the West Side Highway I always look toward NJ, its skyline is impressive.

You can thank Manhattan for that. ;)

Those new towers are very nice indeed. Why can they do towers like that in Brooklyn or Queens is beyond me.

pianoman11686

August 12th, 2006, 12:31 AM

I love those towers. I'm also loving the news that the office boom is starting ot emerge in Jersey City. See people this why 85% of the trading that occurs on "Wall Street" actually occurs in Jersey City.

I find that hard to believe, especially considering how much trading occurs in Stamford these days.

As for firms relocating to Jersey City: I don't have a problem with it when it's a result of limited supply in Manhattan pushing firms to look elsewhere. What I do have a big problem with is absurdly large tax breaks and incentives being given to all these financial firms, most of which make profits of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars a year. I remember reading somewhere recently that between only 1996 and 2001, New Jersey spent $550 million to lure companies from New York, most of that being concentrated on the Gold Coast. This kind of government policy only puts additional pressure on New York City and State to offer their own incentives, and sets up possibilities for a bidding war where ultimately, the location that "wins" often loses tax revenue because of all the incentives. It just doesn't make sense, economically, but is rather more of a political move for a mayor, or governor, or senator to proclaim, several years down the line, that he/she helped create all these new jobs and the associated benefits with them.

All that being said: as long as the NYSE and the Federal Reserve Bank physically remain on Wall Street, the corporate elite will remain in Manhattan. It still is, singlehandedly, the financial center of the US, and renowned as being the biggest market for stock trading in the world. What I'd really like to see is a push to increase the liquidity and derivatives markets, which these days are much more concentrated in London and secondary markets like Zurich and Frankfurt. That would really lend some credence to New York assuming the title of financial capital of the world. Jersey City, meanwhile, will continue to remain relatively anonymous as a destination mainly for back-office jobs.

z22

August 12th, 2006, 12:39 AM

What is this buidling?

stache

August 12th, 2006, 06:48 AM

I was wondering that myself.

macmini

August 12th, 2006, 12:52 PM

Come on pianoman NY would give big incentives without NJ giving them did any one really think Goldman Sachs were going to move their HQ to NJ.

I find that hard to believe, especially considering how much trading occurs in Stamford these days.

As for firms relocating to Jersey City: I don't have a problem with it when it's a result of limited supply in Manhattan pushing firms to look elsewhere. What I do have a big problem with is absurdly large tax breaks and incentives being given to all these financial firms, most of which make profits of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars a year. I remember reading somewhere recently that between only 1996 and 2001, New Jersey spent $550 million to lure companies from New York, most of that being concentrated on the Gold Coast. This kind of government policy only puts additional pressure on New York City and State to offer their own incentives, and sets up possibilities for a bidding war where ultimately, the location that "wins" often loses tax revenue because of all the incentives. It just doesn't make sense, economically, but is rather more of a political move for a mayor, or governor, or senator to proclaim, several years down the line, that he/she helped create all these new jobs and the associated benefits with them.

All that being said: as long as the NYSE and the Federal Reserve Bank physically remain on Wall Street, the corporate elite will remain in Manhattan. It still is, singlehandedly, the financial center of the US, and renowned as being the biggest market for stock trading in the world. What I'd really like to see is a push to increase the liquidity and derivatives markets, which these days are much more concentrated in London and secondary markets like Zurich and Frankfurt. That would really lend some credence to New York assuming the title of financial capital of the world. Jersey City, meanwhile, will continue to remain relatively anonymous as a destination mainly for back-office jobs.

pianoman11686

August 12th, 2006, 04:59 PM

Come on pianoman NY would give big incentives without NJ giving them did any one really think Goldman Sachs were going to move their HQ to NJ.

You're using a specific example that was unrelated to what I'm talking about. Goldman Sachs saw a situation that it could take advantage of, and they did. It was a security/safety issue that was blown out of proportion, and Pataki accommodated them. That doesn't change the fact that New Jersey spends millions of dollars a year (this Deutsche Bank relocation being a prime example) to lure jobs out of New York, which sets up the bidding scenario I talked about. The more desperate governments become to retain jobs, the more their net revenue will decrease as a result of absurdly high subsidies. In the end, the only people that "win" are the corporations themselves.

tbal

August 12th, 2006, 08:32 PM

z22 - I was wondering that too. It almost looks like it's in the spot currently occupied by Shoprite & BJ's, or the Waldo Lofts building. Maybe that is a building that was originally proposed for the lot on which the Waldo Lofts have been built.

macmini

August 12th, 2006, 08:56 PM

You're using a specific example that was unrelated to what I'm talking about. Goldman Sachs saw a situation that it could take advantage of, and they did. It was a security/safety issue that was blown out of proportion, and Pataki accommodated them. That doesn't change the fact that New Jersey spends millions of dollars a year (this Deutsche Bank relocation being a prime example) to lure jobs out of New York, which sets up the bidding scenario I talked about. The more desperate governments become to retain jobs, the more their net revenue will decrease as a result of absurdly high subsidies. In the end, the only people that "win" are the corporations themselves.

I was just giving one example you think Goldman Sachs is the only corporation that has tried this. They do it all the time and if it wasn't NJ then it would be some where else. Whether it's Wall Street or Banks it's the same old we need to move jobs to cut cost.

pianoman11686

August 12th, 2006, 09:38 PM

TeddyJ

August 12th, 2006, 10:23 PM

FiveNines

August 12th, 2006, 11:11 PM

Yes, you did give one example, and that's the only example I can think of in recent memory where a company used security concerns (not cost-cutting), to extort subsidies from the government. Furthermore, the situation was made symbolically important as a way to preserve Lower Manhattan's (not New York City as a whole) as the world's financial capital. You're using a straw-man argument that does not apply to the countless other corporate handouts that have been awarded by the New Jersey government in past years to lure more jobs to Jersey City and other commercial districts.

Don't get me wrong: I'm just as much against New York giving subsidies and tax breaks to these corporations as I am with regards to New Jersey. It's something almost every state does. You need only to look at the intense competition between Midwestern and Southern states in the past year or so to see how much money governments throw at Japanese car companies looking to build factories here. The bidding process only makes the eventual subsidy that much bigger.

New York is already at a disadvantage when compared to other commercial districts in the US, because of the high costs in maintaining offices here. It doesn't need New Jersey handing out millions of dollars in incentives to make things even more costly and cumbersome. Like I said, in that case, the only winners are the corporations themselves.

It sounds to me like your argument is more of a systemic argument than anything else. You seemingly point the proverbial finger at only one entity along the circular government-corporation-employee chain as the root cause of the problem, that being the corporation. The current local economic cost structure of New York is just as much to blame as are the current economic incentives doled out by the state/city Governments of New Jersey and Jersey City. The shift in the short term via incentives coupled with lower costs will continue to benefit the local economy of Jersey City. But over the longer term, I believe it's safe to assume the price gaps that exist between Manhattan and Jersey City will contract; housing being a prime example. Capitalism has a very efficient way of dealing with cost structures that have become out of whack. If we accepted the merits of your argument and allowed Jersey City to stop the economic incentives awarded to corporations, then I would argue that NYC's cost structure would continue to spiral out of control even further. If that's what you're arguing for....

The truth of the matter is that Jersey City does not exist to benefit Manhattan.

z22

August 12th, 2006, 11:53 PM

With or without NY/NJ war, the governments still give money to these corporations. According to GoodJobsNY, here is the information of some of the deals:

Company: Bank of America
Date Approved: 2/10/04
Total Benefits: Allowed $82.6 million plus savings on lower interest rates conveyed by $650 million in tax-exempt Liberty Bonds.
Competing Sites: Charlotte, North Carolina

Company: Pfizer
Date Approved: 6/10/03
Total Benefits Allowed: $47.5 million
Competing Sites NJ, MI

Company: The Hearst Corporation
Date Authorized 12/10/2002
Maximum City Subsidy: $23.9 million
Competing Sites: Charlotte, North Carolina

What about the deals that were announced without the real competition:

Company: New York Stock Exchange
Date Announced: 12/22/1998 (later withdrawn)
Total Subsidy: Ranged from $1.3 billion (approx. $1.1 billion from city) to $785 million (approx. $500 million from city)
Competing Sites: New Jersey (Seriously???)

Company: New York Mercantile Exchange
Date Announced: 8/4/1994
Total Subsidy: $183.9 million
Competing Sites: New Jersey (Seriously???)

Company: New York Board of Trade
Date Announced: 4/4/1999
Total Subsidy: $31 million
Competing Sites: none

My point is this. As long as there is any other place that is cheaper than New York even outside NY Metro, the city is going to keep paying them not to move out. As long as there is a potential job creation in New Jersey, it will keep giving them treats to lure them in. It is just the way it is. So, don’t be too upset about this thing.

pianoman11686

August 13th, 2006, 01:26 AM

It sounds to me like your argument is more of a systemic argument than anything else.

You're right, it is systemic, because there are egregious examples of government subsidies occurring all over the country, mainly for the sake of a governor being able to claim that he/she has brought thousands of new jobs and stimulated the economy. What is never mentioned, however, is how much it ends up costing the taxpayers. The juice isn't always worth the squeeze, as they say.

You seemingly point the proverbial finger at only one entity along the circular government-corporation-employee chain as the root cause of the problem, that being the corporation.

You misinterpreted my statements. I never blame the corporations as the cause. As institutions that are geared in every way to ultimately make a profit, it is their interest and their right to look for any ways to cut costs. One of those ways is bargaining for subsidies by threatening to move jobs elsewhere. But the reason that those subsidies are made available in the first place is because of government. It's wasted money, in my opinion. In economic theory, there are two kinds of government spending: productive, and unproductive. The former is something that increases economic growth, mainly by investing in infrastructure, e.g. mass transit, schools, public services, security, etc. This investment pays off because it makes everyone more productive, and the end benefit is that the increased economic revenue more than offsets the costs to the government. The latter is something that is often done with the intention of being productive, but ends up wasting money. Corporate handouts and one-time tax refunds are prime examples.

The current local economic cost structure of New York is just as much to blame as are the current economic incentives doled out by the state/city Governments of New Jersey and Jersey City. The shift in the short term via incentives coupled with lower costs will continue to benefit the local economy of Jersey City.

You're right; New York is a victim of its own success. Because of how attractive a place it has become over the years, costs are exceedingly high. But that's the case in every other major global business district. That makes sense economically, because the supply is not big enough to meet the demand, and it hardly will ever be. That's why New Jersey's office vacancies are higher than New York City's. It's also why, in an even narrower example, Midtown's vacancies are lower than Downtown's, even though Midtown has much more office space.

But my reasoning is: why give out incentives (if you're New Jersey) if you already have a decided advantage in terms of costs to do business? Companies will relocate employees (at least the back-office jobs) out of New York, if the costs to keep them there are not worth their value to the company. Adding incentives is just icing on the cake; it shouldn't need to occur, but because it does, it forces New York to respond by offering even more incentives. That's what I'm arguing against. And while Jersey City's local economy may "thrive," it's still losing too much in tax revenue because of the subsidies and the tax cuts that it doesn't necessarily need for companies to lease office space there.

But over the longer term, I believe it's safe to assume the price gaps that exist between Manhattan and Jersey City will contract; housing being a prime example.

Is it safe to assume that? Housing in Jersey City has gotten more expensive, but it's gotten even more expensive in Manhattan. I don't see any gap narrowing. And even if it did narrow, and the prices for office space followed suit, Jersey City will still always be less desireable, because it doesn't have the central location that Manhattan does, and it doesn't have the cachet.

Capitalism has a very efficient way of dealing with cost structures that have become out of whack. If we accepted the merits of your argument and allowed Jersey City to stop the economic incentives awarded to corporations, then I would argue that NYC's cost structure would continue to spiral out of control even further. If that's what you're arguing for....

Wait, you're saying capitalism is efficient at dealing with cost structures, but you want governments to keep subsidizing? That doesn't make any sense at all. That's not capitalism; that's closer to socialism, if anything. I've already explained that Jersey City has an inherent advantage in costs of doing business, because it is not as desireable. If, in fact, things got so expensive in New York that office buildings were becoming vacant, then rents would drop until companies found it economically viable to come back. That's capitalism working its magic. As soon as you argue that government has to step in and pay companies to keep jobs in the area, you're acknowledging that capitalism has failed.

The truth of the matter is that Jersey City does not exist to benefit Manhattan.

No, it doesn't, but no one is arguing that, and it's a moot point. What's being argued is whether government subsidies should/should not exist to benefit private enterprise. In my opinion, they shouldn't. Jersey City will still have a viable commercial district without them because of its cost advantages. Companies that are making hundreds of millions of dollars a year in profits should not be getting millions of dollars in subsidies to bring back-office employees there, which they would most likely do anyway.

JCMAN320

August 13th, 2006, 01:51 AM

The 85% is true look at Jersey City's Economic Development Site.

Also that fourth building I think is in the spot where Athena is getting built.

Also all of this bickering is foolish. Like it or not Jersey City is in the "international eye" as far as more people coming here and corporations alike. We have always been a landing pad for immigrants just like Brooklyn and now more people from the former Soviet countries, Engalnd, and increasing number of Greeks are moving in. Also finance wise it is. More comapnies are coming here. Like or not you Manhattan centric people, Jersey City is still growing and hasn't even reached it's full potential. Yes housing stock has become increasingly expensive. Old crime ridden neighborhoods are slowly gentrifying and the cops increase their presence. Also Jersey City's urbaninity is very attractive. it cohesive urban fabric is what makes it very attractive. With the corportations getting tax breaks I agree I don't like them cus us the middle class have to make up the difference. But more businesses are coming here and sre starting not to even ask for tax breaks so I see that as a good sign. Also people and corporations alike want to be here. No longer are we just a place to settle for. We are place that is sought after and desired and now stepping out of Manhattan's shadow that has been cold and dark for so long, and coming into our own.

Like I said if you have a problem with JC, you better learn to get over it because we are here to stay.

pianoman11686

August 13th, 2006, 03:08 AM

The 85% is true look at Jersey City's Economic Development Site.

The website only says that 85% of NASDAQ trading occurs in Jersey City. Dow Jones is still by far the largest stock market in the world by trading volume; Nasdaq is third largest, I believe. So taking that quote and extending it to include all of Wall Street is misleading, on your part.

Furthermore, I'd still be somewhat skeptical of even that statistic, as no source is given on their website. It's easy to state those kinds of numbers when they concern the city you're trying to promote (not you specifically, but the people associated with that website).

Also all of this bickering is foolish.

Is it? We're not talking about "New York is better than Jersey City," or something childish of that nature. We're debating about the merits of government subsidies to private enterprise, which seems like an important enough issue. Jersey City happens to be a relevant example, which is where you come in and commence your pro-JC spiel.

Like it or not Jersey City is in the "international eye" as far as more people coming here and corporations alike. We have always been a landing pad for immigrants just like Brooklyn and now more people from the former Soviet countries, Engalnd, and increasing number of Greeks are moving in.

Maybe proportionally, but you can't even begin to compare Jersey City in scope to Brooklyn. Even when JC reached its population peak in the early 1930's, Brooklyn alone had nearly ten times as many people living there, and most of the population growth was being fueled by immigrants. So please, do not make those kinds of comparisons. Nowadays, as Brooklyn gentrifies, Queens has overtaken the role of leading destination for immigrants in the area, and continues to remain the most ethnically diverse place in the country, and arguably, in the world.

Also finance wise it is. More comapnies are coming here. Like or not you Manhattan centric people, Jersey City is still growing and hasn't even reached it's full potential. Yes housing stock has become increasingly expensive. Old crime ridden neighborhoods are slowly gentrifying and the cops increase their presence.

Ditto New York City.

Also Jersey City's urbaninity is very attractive. it cohesive urban fabric is what makes it very attractive.

Maybe it still is now, but taking a look at all of the new residential mega-projects, it doesn't seem like they're being integrated with the streetscape very well. For the most part, they're self-enclosed mini-cities, and seek a level of isolation from the outside city. That's not a good thing.

With the corportations getting tax breaks I agree I don't like them cus us the middle class have to make up the difference.

Well, at least we agree on that issue.

But more businesses are coming here and sre starting not to even ask for tax breaks so I see that as a good sign.

Oh yeah? Which ones? And don't give 10 or 20-people firms as examples, as we know those don't have the same kind of impact as a Deutsche Bank or Citigroup-type firm that has the potential to bring thousands of employees and receive tens of millions of dollars in subsidies.

Also people and corporations alike want to be here. No longer are we just a place to settle for. We are place that is sought after and desired and now stepping out of Manhattan's shadow that has been cold and dark for so long, and coming into our own.

Like I said if you have a problem with JC, you better learn to get over it because we are here to stay.

I don't have a problem. In fact, I recognize that there needs to be a place like Jersey City to provide residential and commercial alternatives (although I'll admit, I'd like to see downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City begin to participate more in this role); it wouldn't make any sense if there wasn't. As I keep restating, what I do have a problem with is when opposing governments get into bidding wars with businesses and end up handing out unnecessarily generous incentives. In the end, it only benefits the corporations themselves. If Jersey City is really as attractive as you say it is, then there should be no reason for all the tax breaks and other subsidies.

JCMAN320

August 13th, 2006, 04:16 AM

There is no reason for tax breaks the politcians just give them out lilke lollipops at doctors office for no reason as added encentive when it's not needed. As I said more businesses are coming and not requesting tax breaks!!! Also if you care to look outside beyond Downtown JC, as most of you Manhattan centric people, such as yourself, all see it as, you will see that there are great brownstone, rowhouse, apartment, and one and two faimly home neighborhoods just as great and beautiful as any in Brooklyn or Queens.

I'm not comparing it to in scope of population!!! In terms of diversity. Many of you people choose to not acknowledge our history as a huge landing pad for immigrants. Our land mass and size doesn't allow for 2 million people if you pay attention to our geography. I'm talking diversity and great neighborhoods beyond Downtown as well.

Look closesly they are doing the best they can they have stores and restauraunts on the bottom, which are all required in new residential and office projects. Remember some places where they are building them, was warehouses and railyards, so they are building from scratch. Also I would harldy put Liberty Harbor North into a catagory of not being welded into the urban fabric as it is being built as a continuation of Van Vort Park neighborhood with the same street width and architecture. Also our art district, is coming along great with so many art centric developments and warehouses matching the existing ones so we can have a vibrant district that would rival the many great ones in NY.

Yes Queens has taken over Brooklyn in terms of diversity but we are consistantly ranked as one of the top most diverse cities in the country. NY is not the end all to be all and maybe if you look pass it and learn that you will see how great a city we really are and coming to be and might learn something new for change.

RYinNJ

August 13th, 2006, 12:16 PM

Within this discussion it should also be said that, the borders of New York City expand well beyond those drawn on a map to include the entire New York City metropolitan region. Manhattan is limited in what it can provide as far as space for expanding business and areas such as Jersey City and Stamford allow for the financial industry to remain in the region by filling those needs for space. Without these cheaper alternatives, these companies would be fleeing to places in the south where regulations are not quite as stringent and taxes are minimal. Keep in mind, states such as New Jersey, New York and Connecticut already subsidize these states. The amount of taxes we pay to the feds is so disproportionate to that of the south, its no surprise these states can offer this kind of corporate welfare. Bottom line, all of us in the NYC metro area should be happy these companies are here rather than say, Nashville! So long as the tax structure is the way it is at the federal level, we will still be at the mercy of big business and forced to offer this corporate welfare in order to keep business here.

As far as Brooklyn not being able to attract as much new development as JC, simple answer: NYC regulations, bureaucracy and neighborhood organizations are a nightmare for any business. It’s amazing anything gets built in NYC.

Last point, JC will never compare to Manhattan nor will Manhattan ever compare to say Brooklyn. Each has its own character that is constantly changing and developing over time. Brooklyn is a very different place then it was ten years ago. The same applies to JC. Some development in JC isn’t the most attractive (i.e. older Newport) but that is changing and JC has some wonderful new projects in the pipeline. I think one could find some heinous developments in Manhattan that we here in NJ are forced to look at. Trumps development on the Westside is atrocious as is most of Battery Park City.

stache

August 13th, 2006, 12:26 PM

Top drawer people will not move to some cracker town and business knows that.

pianoman11686

August 13th, 2006, 10:07 PM

Stache raises a very important point. One reason New York doesn't have to worry about competing with places like Nashville is because of the incredible talent pool that exists in the area. Companies know this, and having access to the greatest number of educated people in any area in the country is a big factor when considering where to set up your headquarters or other major offices. Maybe it's not as important as it was 50 years ago, but it still is. From my school alone (which is located in North Carolina), 25% of all graduates get their first jobs in New York City, most of those being in finance and law.

JCMan: You have to chill. I can already sense you're getting fired up about anything that I say that can be interpreted as an attack against your beloved Jersey City. Please recognize that this is not my intention, and recognize, furthermore, that we happen to be on the same page here, about the core of the argument, namely: We're both opposed to corporate handouts by the government. But, when you say things like this:

We have always been a landing pad for immigrants just like Brooklyn and now more people from the former Soviet countries, Engalnd, and increasing number of Greeks are moving in.

I have no choice but to respond the way I did, because you're making Jersey City sound as significant as Brooklyn. The fact is, people that were coming here from Europe weren't coming to Jersey City in particular; they were coming to United States, and New York was the major gateway. But because of its proximity, Jersey City inherited its own diverse ethnic neighborhoods, which is not surprising.

Now, moving on to the main issue. You say you're against government subsidizing of business, but yet you continue to defend New Jersey, based on the good feeling you get when you see all this new development going on in your hometown. The only thing you offer to justify this is:

As I said more businesses are coming and not requesting tax breaks!!!

Like I said before, give me some concrete, significant examples, because a few pages back, there was an article posted that described tens of millinos of dollars in subsidies that Deutsche Bank and Citigroup would receive by moving employees to Jersey City. This seems to be more of the rule, not the exception. And like I said before, it's not so much the corporations' fault, because they will look to save money wherever they can. It's the government's fault for making incentives available in the first place, and giving corporations the chance to bargain for more by dangling jobs in front of politicians like bait on a fishing line.

A few excerpts from a couple articles I've read up on, that single out New Jersey as the state that is most proactive in looking to compete for metro-area jobs by offering incentives:

The states won't, on their own, stop using subsidies and preferential taxes to attract and retain businesses. There is anecdotal evidence that some state and local governments recognize they are all losing in this economic war. Nevertheless, as long as a single state engages in this practice, others will feel compelled to compete. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut all recognized that they were losing from this competition, and in 1991 they informally agreed to stop competing with each other. It was not long, however, before New Jersey broke the deal.

Full article here (http://minneapolisfed.org/pubs/ar/ar1994.cfm).

A more recent example:

It seems New York City just can't get a break. Last week, as the city's Relocation and Employment Assistance Program expired, New Jersey Governor James McGreevey announced reinstitution of the state's own incentive plan. With New York still suffering from the economic downturn and Lower Manhattan construction projects up in the air, the situation could turn into one fierce battle for corporate tenants.

"With the Business Employment Incentive Program, New Jersey can give back to a company that relocates there up to 80% of the income taxes paid by all of the employees that were moved," said Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York. "I think it is critical that we reinstitute our program, without which we cannot continue to be competitive."

Full article here (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3601/is_49_49/ai_105617738/print).

New Jersey knows it already has an advantage when compared to New York because costs are lower here to do business. I don't think there's anything wrong with benefitting from that advantage; in fact, it makes economic sense for companies to relocate jobs to other facilities where location isn't essential to doing the job. Ever heard of outsourcing?

What I have a problem with, as I've stated many times already, is the exploitation of this competitive advantage by offering more in terms of corporate welfare, which, especially in the case of big financial companies like Citigroup or Deutsche Bank, is not necessary. Then people wonder why Brooklyn and Long Island City don't have as many office workers as Jersey City. It's not a problem unique to New Jersey, as many states do it. But, because the issue came up here, it's a relevant example, and that's why it may sound like I'm singling it out.

As for all the residential developments: I'll save my judgment for when most of the construction is finished. When I drove through Jersey City a few months ago, looking at some of the new condo buildings, I was unimpressed. Lots of construction sites, old warehouses, abandoned lots, mixed in with low-income residential neighborhoods and suburban office-park style commercial buildings near the waterfront. You can argue with my description, because I didn't see everything, but that's the impression I got. And, from what I can tell from preliminary renderings, many of these new highrise buildings do give me the impression of planning that is not truly urban, but suburban in nature. Maybe I'll change my mind when I visit again (don't know when that'll be), but I'd much rather live in Hoboken at this point, if I had to move to that area.