Jersey City Rising

[JCMAN320]

A flood of problems at Downtown construction site

Police are investigating what could be $100,000 worth of property damage to a Downtown construction project.

According to police, someone plugged up the sink in a sixth-floor bathroom of a building under construction on Mongomery Street between Warren and Washington streets, then turned on the faucets. The water ran all weekend, cops said.

The result: Water damage that extends from the sixth floor to the basement, police said.

The matter remains under investigation

[tbal]

That sucks....MG looked to be nearing completion and I was really starting to see the impact it will have on the former Colgate area with all those awesome new retail outlets...oh well, I guess we'll have to wait awhile more before that area comes to life.

[sfenn1117]

lol JCman I got the Home Alone reference. How does one even get to the sixth floor of a building under construction?

[tbal]

Another piece in Square domino game poised to fall
Journal Square (http://www.thenewjournalsquare.com/) has lost its colonel.

The Kentucky Fried Chicken (http://www.kfc.com/) on the block next to the PATH (http://www.panynj.gov/CommutingTravel/path/html/) Transportation Center in Jersey City closed up shop Friday to help make way for a planned two-tower development.

The closure leaves Square denizens with one fewer fast-food spot but also raises hope that the blighted block will someday be a first-class destination.

The Square, once the commercial and cultural heart of the city, has long been on the decline but recent redevelopments have pointed to a brighter future.

Last month, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency purchased both the KFC building (12 Journal Square) and the site of a former Wendy’s (http://www.wendys.com/siterequirements.jsp?javascript=1&browser=1&cookie=1&flash=0&flashversion=6) (14 Journal Square) for $2.7 million to help make room for the planned retail/residential project.

While much of the block has already been razed, that leaves one more privately owned property on this block — 15-16 Journal Square, home to McDonald’s, Song’s Hallmark (http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/home|10001|10051|-1?landingPage=homepage), HT Wireless, and a dentist’s office — the agency is buying to turn over to Harwood Properties, the Jersey-based developer responsible for the $350 million project.

A developer’s agreement requires Harwood Properties to reimburse the JCRA the money it spends to acquire the buildings.

Bonnie Friedman, a spokeswoman for the Harwood Properties, said the developer offered to extend KFC’s lease, but the fast-food chicken chain declined the offer.

Lowell Harwood, managing partner of Harwood Properties, has said he hopes to break ground early next year.

Robert Kang, owner of the McDonald’s building, and the JCRA are still haggling over a selling price, city officials have said. The property is worth $2.5 million, according to a JCRA appraisal. Earlier this month, the Planning Board gave the project preliminary site plan approvals. As outlined at that Dec. 13 meeting, the project will consist of two towers — one 52 stories, the other 46 — containing 1,034 apartments, 150,000 sq. ft. of retail, and three levels of parking.

Harwood Properties is also under to contract to buy 1-7 Journal Square from Ralph Tawil, a New York investor who left Journal Square earlier this year after paying the city $1.1 million in building and fire code fines.

Two business still operate out of 1-7 Journal Square: Three Brothers Pizza and Daily Tortillas.

Roger Doyle, a dentist with offices at 15-16 Journal Square for the past 36 years, is nervous about having to relocate.

“I’d like to stay in this area,” said Doyle, who has three years left on his lease with an option for another 10 years. “The problem with relocation is where and the rent you’d have to pay.”

Ken Thorbourne

[badger2]

At the risk of being annoying, any updates on progress at the American Can Building (Canco Lofts)? Thanks -

[tbal]

If its a nice day, I'll be more than happy to snap some end-of-year shots of the American Can building (and others) on Saturday. :)

The Athena Tower is looking incredible next to the Marbella, btw!

[macmini]

I don't know if any one has already posted this since it's been awhile. I know it's been discuss the plans for a 300-room Hilton Hotel in the Liberty Harbor North redevelopment area off of Grand Street. This is the first I've seen of any renderings and details of the project.

http://www.gradarchitects.com
http://www.gradarchitects.com/large/95.jpg





Project Title: Liberty Harbor North Client: Tramz Hotel Location: Jersey City, NJ Expertise: Hotels & Hospitality Size: 2.2 Acres Cost: N/A Description: This entire waterfront lot, facing a marina, has views of lower Manhattan, New York Harbor, and the Statue of Liberty. This coordinated development replaces demolished industrial facilities in the redevelopment zone of Jersey City, NJ contains:
300 Room Hilton Hotel with Street-Level Shops
Banquet & Conference Facilities
Full Health Club
21-Story Luxury Condominium Tower with Duplex Penthouses
8-Story Liner Block-Front Condominium Building
Eight 4-Story Townhouses
Multi-Story Interior Parking Structure with Richly Landscaped Rooftop GardenThere are approximately 275 units of all types. Many of the units have balconies or full terraces and provide large living-dining and bedrooms with marble baths. A variety of unit sizes are provided, from one-bedroom to four-bedrooms, with the predominant number being two-bedroom.

[JCMAN320]

No mac this hasn't been posted thanks for the headsup. I can't wait. Along with the Hyatt, Marriot, Candlewood, Doubletree, the Westin u/c, and now this planned Hilton will give Downtown JC 6 hotels! Great to hear. Good slouthing :)

[macmini]

This is a great article about Jersey City the Good & the Bad I didn't see it posted so sorry if it was already posted.

If You Lived Here, You’d Be Cool by Now

Ever get the feeling that the New York of your dreams is happening elsewhere? These days, the half-life of a hot neighborhood can be measured in mere weeks. To find the optimal balance of commodious bistros, tasteful urban decline, and cheap(ish) rent before it disappears, run like hell to...Jersey City?
By Adam Sternbergh (http://nymag.com/nymag/10222)http://nymag.com/news/features/jerseycity061204_5_560.jpg
Oasis Café (Photo: Michael Schmelling)

*Sorry to get you all out of breath. You’re already too late.

Perhaps you are happy in your neighborhood. Perhaps you are ensconced right where you are. Perhaps you never indulge the stray notion that maybe it’s time to pull up stakes and move to Brooklyn or, if you live in Brooklyn, maybe you should check out Astoria or Jackson Heights. Perhaps your interest is not roused by each new story of the underground loft parties in Bushwick, or that very reasonably priced warehouse conversion in the South Bronx (sorry—SoBro), or that awesome and as-yet-undiscovered pocket of Red Hook with that one really great new restaurant. In which case, good wishes to you, and move along. There’s nothing for you to read here.

See, once upon a time, it was easy: If you’d always dreamed of living in New York City, all you had to do was move to New York City. Your decision of where to live once you got here was primarily a function of economics (what you could afford) and community (who you were, who you wanted to become, and who you wanted to hang around with). Beatniks? Please make your way to the West Village. Fancy pants? They’re holding a space for you on the Upper East Side. Immigrants? You’ll find a familiar and populous neighborhood already established. Artists? Take your pick of cheap, available space. Manhattan is only twenty square miles, but there was room enough for everyone.

Then not that long ago, maybe fifteen years back, something happened. As New York became more prosperous and more glamorous and less dirty and less scary—morphing from the bankrupt city of The Warriors and Escape From New York in the seventies and eighties to the glittering city of Sex and the City and Friends in the nineties—more and more people came to pursue the dream of New York, and so the dream itself became more and more elusive. Manhattan became overcolonized, then overpriced. Its internal boundaries bulged, then burst. Old neighborhoods became financially inaccessible, so new ones were carved out. Now the Upper West Side is swallowing Harlem. The flow from Brooklyn to Manhattan has reversed course. The meatpacking district, once synonymous with “the district in which meat is packed,” became synonymous instead with cool, then not cool—and it all happened in about three weeks. “Downtown” has gotten so skittish that it’s hopscotched from the East Village to Soho to Tribeca to the Lower East Side, before eventually packing up and marching right across the bridge to Williamsburg.

Phrases like “Brooklyn is the new Manhattan” and “125th Street is the new Soho” have become a regular part of the conversation, creating a double-ended sense of disorientation: Not only is one place now cooler than you assumed, but the other one’s no longer as cool as you thought. In his quasi memoir Nobrow, John Seabrook sounded a familiar lament: “By the time I was ready to buy an apartment, Soho was too gross, too ruined by commercialism,” he wrote. “I ended up buying in Tribeca, where in my own way, I try to make the present feel like the past. To me, Tribeca is like Soho before the money took over.” And he wrote this six years ago, not twenty. Now Tribeca’s the most expensive Zip Code in the city—the money’s taken over—and somewhere else, someone’s out there looking for the new Tribeca (Dumbo?) and trying to make that present feel like the past as well.

As a result, even dug-in New Yorkers suffer from a kind of neighborhood ADD, perpetually suspecting that their dream of New York, whatever that might be, is happening elsewhere—not in another city, but in another borough, another neighborhood, another block. This is driven in part, of course, by money—priced out of Manhattan, you turn to Brooklyn; priced out of Brooklyn, you turn to Queens—but also in part by that anxious feeling you get when you’re attending a great party, but you can’t help hearing that there’s a louder, more raucous party going on down the hall. The reason many people come to New York, after all, is to marvel at its glories and revel in its parade of daily wonders. But to live here now is to endure a gnawing suspicion that somebody, somewhere, is marveling and reveling a little more successfully than you are. That they’re paying less money for a bigger apartment with more-authentic details on a nicer block closer to cuter restaurants and still-uncrowded bars and hipper galleries that host better parties with cooler bands than yours does, in an area that’s simultaneously a portal to the future (tomorrow’s hot neighborhood today!) and a throwback to an untainted past (today’s hot neighborhood yesterday!). And you know what? Someone is. And you know what else?

Hot Neighborhood Entropy

Red Hook? Already over. Lower East Side? It’s hot—no, wait, it’s not. No, wait, it is again! The life span of a trendy neighborhood used to be measured in decades. Now it might not last long enough for you to make the subway ride out there.

Right now, that person just might be living in Jersey City.

“Shake off the old perspectives and move into a new way of perceiving the world around you,” reads the introduction to the first issue of New, a palm-size booklet full of glossy Jersey City attractions. And sure enough—its pages promise an undiscovered land so packed with bistros and wine bars and galleries and day spas that you’d think you were wandering lost in Paris.

You’ll find one such bistro, a cute and cozy four-year-old place called Madame Claude Café, nestled at the corner of Newark Avenue and 4th Street, tucked in among a Texaco station, a Gulf station, a funeral home, and a building marked demolition and concrete local 325. This is the first difference you notice between the Jersey City of the booklet and the Jersey City of walking-around-downtown Jersey City. The spas and boutiques are there, all right, but you’ll need the booklet to find them, scattered as they are amid a blighted landscape of dollar stores and empty lots.

For the record, downtown Jersey City is not Eden. It’s not even nice. Downtown Jersey City is pretty much what you think it is, if you ever stop to think about Jersey City: an industrial hub from which the economic lifeline, the railroad, was pulled a long time ago, leaving a hole that was filled by poverty and crime and, in some areas, a nasty toxic legacy in the soil. The entirety of Jersey City is huge and sprawling, the second-most-populous city in the state (next to Newark), but the current revival is centered in the long-neglected area anchored by the Grove Street path station, only a couple of stops from Manhattan. Beyond a kind of hardscrabble grittiness, there’s little here to romanticize, even for the locals. While Manhattan has ghosts of all persuasions to lure you to its canyons—Dorothy Parker, Lou Reed, Carrie Bradshaw—Jersey City is haunted by Nathan Lane, Martha Stewart, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner from The Cosby Show. The city’s better known for its string of ethically flexible mayors who eventually wound up in jail. A photograph of the current mayor, naked and passed out on his front porch, wound up in a story in the New York Times. And that was before he got elected.

Even its name, Jersey City, is a double-barreled insult, “worse than the punch line ‘Jersey’ alone, with the image of urban squalor added on, like insult to injury,” wrote Helene Stapinski in Five-Finger Discount, her memoir of growing up on the wrong, rancid side of the Hudson. People like her great-grandparents “did not settle in Jersey City. They settled for Jersey City. They were settlers of a different kind, the kind who always feel cheated, because they settled for less.” For a hundred years, Manhattan has been the backdrop for dreams. Jersey City, if you’re looking west, has been the backdrop for Manhattan.

But then, isn’t that exactly the kind of flowers-in-the-concrete place that’s ripe to be discovered? Aren’t there pockets of Brooklyn—hell, pockets of Manhattan—that once seemed burned out and blighted until, all of a sudden, they weren’t?

I set out from the WTC path station—traveling directly through the ghostly ground-zero pit, as though riding a monorail through a brightly lit attraction at a macabre amusement park—to Grove Street. I’m headed to Madame Claude to meet with Ingrid Dahl, a 26-year-old bass player with hair shaped like a candle flame, and her bandmates, Stephen Hindman and Penelope Trappes, who together form the local glitch-pop band Lismore. The three of them are, by local standards, graybeards of the renaissance: Stephen’s lived here for nine years, Penelope seven, and Ingrid four. And they are the perfect Jersey City evangelists, exactly the kind of people you imagine living on the vanguard of the coolest scene in the city. Penelope’s from Australia and wears her blonde hair in eye-skirting bangs. Stephen, who grew up near Pittsburgh, has a dyed-black asymmetrical haircut that recalls Robert Smith of the Cure. They each have an excellent “How I wound up in Jersey City” story, none of which starts, “Well, I’d always dreamed of moving to Jersey City...”




http://nymag.com/news/features/jerseycity061204_1_198.jpg

Penelope was living in Bahrain and working as a flight attendant for Gulf Air when she took a vacation to New York and met a guy—from Jersey City. “I ended up crashing on this guy’s couch. Then I ended up marrying this guy. Then I ended up divorcing this guy,” she says. Ingrid, who grew up between New Brunswick and Taiwan, settled here after graduating from Rutgers. On the day she moved in, her bike was stolen. Later that month, someone broke into her car, took it for a joyride, then smashed it into a tree in front of her house. Meanwhile, someone kept breaking into her apartment—it turned out to be her next-door neighbor, who had just been released from prison and was under house arrest. Stephen arrived in Manhattan to work as a drum-and-bass D.J. and spent a few months couch-surfing while he looked for a cheap place. On the day before his self-imposed deadline, when he was supposed to fly back to Columbus, Ohio, he found a two-bedroom in Jersey City for $650. “I’d stayed in Queens for a couple of weeks and hated it,” he says. “I’d spent some time on a couch on Christopher Street—that was awesome. Jersey City seemed like somewhere between Christopher Street and the last stop in Queens.”

Jersey City, they say, is affordable, friendly, and still in the first flush of an artistic explosion. They’re excited about what’s happening and are eager to get the word out—as though they’ve stuck the message of the Jersey City revival in a bottle, tossed it in the Hudson, and are waiting for it to wash up on the other side. “I’ve had lots of opportunities to move to Williamsburg, the East Village, West Village, the Lower East Side,” says Ingrid. “But something keeps me here.”

There are, however, a few amenities they’re missing. “An all-ages music
venue,” says Ingrid. “We definitely need that.”

“Any kind of music venue for local bands,” says Penelope.

“And a couple more bars,” says Ingrid.

“And a couple more cafés,” says Stephen.

“More post offices,” says Penelope.

“And a 24-hour diner,” says Ingrid. “There’s nowhere to eat late.”

After dinner, they take me to LITM, which stands for Love Is the Message, a cool lounge with brick walls and warm lighting on downtown’s main drag, Newark Avenue. This stretch has been designated “Restaurant Row” by the city, which is odd because currently there’s only one restaurant. When LITM’s owner, Jelynne Jardiniano, who grew up in Jersey City, opened three years ago, she had to fight a local ordinance that forced restaurants on Newark to close by midnight because of concerns about noise and drunks.
“Growing up here, we were scared of downtown,” Jelynne tells me. “But now people come in here and say, ‘We weren’t sure about buying here, but then we saw your place.’ ”

“Newark Avenue is going to explode,” says Robert, Jelynne’s husband. “We want people who’d go to Soho to come here. It’s a new frontier. Ten years ago, who went to Tribeca?”

During drinks with the Lismore bandmates, the conversation turns to another former frontier, Williamsburg. “Williamsburg got all weird,” says Stephen. “But at least they already had their scene. All those bands like Interpol and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, they got big and got signed. If Jersey City got weird before anyone got signed—man, that would suck.” Penelope mentions that she heard that Interpol just bought a house in downtown Jersey City.

Later, Ingrid says, “I wish I was older, so I could have lived in Williamsburg ten years ago.”

While I was writing this story, people kept asking me three questions, often in anxious succession.

One: Where’s Jersey City? (It’s right next to Hoboken, across the Hudson from Battery Park City, where you see the Goldman Sachs building and the big Colgate clock, a remnant of a torn-down soap factory.)

Two: Are you going to move there? (I’ll admit, the thought’s crossed my mind. I am certainly now no more hesitant to go to Jersey City for dinner or an art opening than I would expect my whiny Manhattanite friends to be about coming across the bridge to Brooklyn.)

Three: Is it too late to buy? (Probably. The pretty brownstones along historic Van Vorst Park City—buildings that, in the eighties, the city would have essentially given to you for free—now list at more than $1 million each.)

When I moved to New York two years ago, I settled in Brooklyn for all the usual reasons: a combination of the practical (cost restraints, proximity to the subway) and the intangible (brownstones, the Brooklyn Bridge, I kind of liked the movie Smoke). My block, as it turns out, features exactly no brownstones and exactly one recent murder. Still, I like it: It’s Brooklyn, in New York, a place I’ve mythologized all my life.



http://nymag.com/news/features/jerseycity061204_3_560.jpg
Life (Photo: Michael Schmelling)

Toronto, where I came from, is a metropolitan, multicultural, dynamic city in which people are notorious for talking wistfully of living somewhere else. I assumed that by moving to New York I’d escape that wistful longing, and I did, sort of. But what I found is that in New York, people don’t fantasize so much about other cities—London, Montreal, San Francisco, Berlin—as they do about other eras. A friend of mine recently moved to Bushwick, the next frontier in gentrified Brooklyn, and he always sells it by saying, “It’s like Soho in the eighties or Williamsburg in the nineties.” You need only to flip through On the Street, Amy Arbus’s new book of photos taken in the East Village in the early eighties, or read reviews of Up Is Up But So Is Down, an anthology of writing from the same era, to be reminded of a time when, as one reviewer put it, the city was “infused with the energy and violence of a city where blackouts and social protests were routine, the East Village was still filled with tenements, and the subway was covered with graffiti”—and then, oddly, to feel nostalgic for that time. And yet we regard this nostalgia with a self-mocking irony. Gawker, for a time, reported gruesome murders under the snarky catchall heading “NYC Is EDGY!”—the joke being that we’re glad it really isn’t while simultaneously kind of wishing it still was.

This perpetual churn of nostalgia is what drives us to seek out a present that feels like the past, to find the next neighborhood that will remind us of the neighborhood that’s already gone. It’s what spurs Ingrid to talk fondly of the Williamsburg of ten years ago, or prompts Amy Dubin, the cheerful, spiky-haired proprietor of a downtown Jersey City tea shop called Janam, to remark, “I love New York. But compared to the New York of the seventies, it’s not so...colorful, in terms of music and fashion and art. It feels kind of muted.” In Jersey City, by contrast, “there is an excitement here. People feel like this is a movement that could have historical significance, like Williamsburg has.”

It’s understandable to want to recapture—or, I guess, capture—the feel of that bygone New York that lured you here in the first place. This desire, as it happens, also makes for a great sales pitch. All across America, developers are pitching new loft conversions or luxury condos as having “a Soho feel” or “a Williamsburg vibe,” or, magically, both. “We want it to be a cross between Williamsburg and Soho,” said a Philadelphia developer of his $100 million development to the New York Times last year.

As I drive around downtown Jersey City with Steven Fulop, the area’s recently elected 29-year-old city councilman, he offers me a tour of Waldo, which is Jersey City’s own version of Brooklyn’s Dumbo, complete with derelict warehouses, an overarching development plan, and a marketing-friendly acronym (it stands for Work and Live District Ordinance). “It will have a Soho-Village kind of vibe,” he says. “It’s like the Village was 40 years ago. Not that it’s going to take us 40 years to get there.”

In fact, downtown Jersey City, with its mishmash of brownstones and warehouses and condos and Williamsburgian industrial blocks, is like a tabula rasa for gentrifiers. There’s a burgeoning art scene side by side with a blooming skyline of luxury waterfront towers. (And, as one satisfied owner said to me, “When I look out, I’ve got a view of the sun rising over the Manhattan skyline, while over there you’re looking at the sun setting over New Jersey.”) On the picturesque streets around Van Vorst Park, if you squint, you could almost be in Park Slope. Then again, if you turn around and walk in the other direction, you could almost be in downtown Toledo, stranded on a windy office block near a Chili’s or a coffee shop inexplicably named Hawaii Cup-O.

Whatever your dream of New York life is, downtown Jersey City is ready to fulfill it, or at least some reasonable facsimile. “When we opened this store, people were like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. This feels just like the West Village,’ ” says Cliff Rullow, an Englishman who owns Life, a high-end men’s boutique.

“We’ve been called the sixth borough, but everything here is better than Brooklyn. I like to call us the second borough,” says Fulop, the young councilman.

“At Marco + Pepe, you could convince yourself that you are in Chelsea,” writes a reviewer of the charming restaurant right across from City Hall—on the same corner, in fact, where Helene Stapinski grew up.

“When she said we were going to Jersey City, my first reaction was ‘Ugh,’ ” says John, a Brooklynite, of his companion Betsy, a Manhattanite, while returning from a house party on the 12:15 a.m. path train to New York . “But it’s really gentrified well. They should make it a borough.”



http://nymag.com/news/features/jerseycity061204_4_560.jpg
Iris Records (Photo: Michael Schmelling)

There are roughly four types of people who push the frontier of gentrification: creative types in search of cheap rents; gays and lesbians drawn to affordable, like-minded communities (and Jersey City, just a few path stops from the West Village, has a strong gay community—on the first day I visited, the City Hall was flying a rainbow flag); young couples and new families who’ve been priced out of the neighborhoods in which they’d hoped to buy; and speculators driven by those tantalizing stories of the $150,000 Boerum Hill brownstone or the just-before-the-neighborhood-exploded Tribeca loft.

Typically, the gentrification process is linear and unfolds over time. First the artists seek out a neighborhood (usually an abandoned industrial zone or vibrant ethnic enclave) that’s cheap and relatively accessible. Then come the scenesters, who have more money but who still want an authentic urban lifestyle because, seriously, no one moves to the suburbs anymore. All they want is an affordable place on a non-eyesore-ish block within walking distance of a few cute restaurants, and a couple of good bars, and a halfway decent bookstore, and a yoga studio, and a wine store that isn’t just full of cheap swill for rummies, and maybe a children’s boutique with adorable $80 hand-sewn frocks hanging off a wooden tricycle in the window, and a Starbucks, and a Whole Foods. And they’re willing to bet that, if just a few of those things are in place already, the others will come along soon enough—so that eventually their new neighborhood will look pretty much identical to the ones they couldn’t previously afford. At which point the developers arrive to throw up new condo buildings named after the neighborhood, and the hipper chains start to sniff out a new lucrative demographic pocket—and the artists have long since moved on, along with a good chunk of the neighborhood’s previous residents.

This neighborhood ADD is a luxury, of course, afforded to a certain kind of urban nomad, those who aren’t obliged to choose their home based on necessity, community, or need. So instead, they—all right, we—have become settlers, in both senses of the word: constantly seeking out virgin territory where we can enact the dream that brought us here, or at least the closest version we’re willing to accept. And the more we hear about these neighborhoods happening elsewhere, the more fidgety we become. Which means the gentrification cycle speeds up. In Williamsburg, the transformation from artist colony to condo glut took about ten years. In Dumbo, maybe five. In Jersey City, it’s not a cycle at all. It’s happening all at once.

No neighborhood better illustrates this than Waldo, or, as Councilman Fulop prefers to call it, the Powerhouse Arts District. For years, an abandoned warehouse at 111 First Street served as an unofficial squat for Jersey City artists. Two years ago, the city seized the building and evicted the occupants, and the warehouse is now waiting to be torn down to make way for a Rem Koolhaas–designed condo tower—which will contain subsidized housing, somewhat ironically, for local artists.

This kind of urban-biosphere approach is springing up in cities all over the continent as a way to resurrect underused—and suddenly fashionable—industrial properties. The goal is to artificially accelerate gentrification, sort of like digging up an untended garden of wildflowers and building a greenhouse instead. A block away from 111 First, the massive Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse sits gutted, awaiting some presumed influx of galleries and performance spaces and, possibly, a Barnes & Noble and, if they have trouble filling it, a couple of big family restaurants. The project’s been granted by the city to the Cordish Company, a Baltimore-based developer that renovated similar powerhouses in Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia; Baltimore’s Power Plant now houses a Barnes & Noble, a Hard Rock Café, and an ESPN Sportszone. And, on a nearby corner, the skeleton of a luxe Donald Trump development, Trump Plaza Jersey City, with top prices at $1.24 million, and which, at 55 and 50 stories, will become the two tallest residential towers in the skyline, is already starting to rise, scheduled to be open in 2007.

I didn’t move to New York to live in Jersey City,” says Amanda Assadi-Rullow, publisher of the New booklet.

“I didn’t move from England to end up in Jersey City,” says Cliff Rullow, her husband and owner of Life.

They’re explaining to me how they wound up in Jersey City. Like many pioneers, their story involves a series of fortuitous accidents (my favorite of these is the guy who says, “I was looking in Hoboken and got lost”) and at least a little bit of arm-twisting. Cliff and Amanda were living in Brooklyn, near Prospect Park, when they got priced out of the neighborhood. So they started looking for a better deal. A friend who lived in Liberty Towers, a well-appointed high-rise on Jersey City’s waterfront, convinced them to come across the river for a visit. Cliff says, “We walked in and our jaws dropped. Then we went up to his apartment and our jaws dropped further. After that, it was an absolute no-brainer.”

Listening to them, it’s easy to see the upside: great views, short ferry ride to the city, better value for the money. But it’s also easy to see the downside: It’s not New York. It’s not even New York State. It’s Jersey City.

“Look, not everyone is prepared to make that move,” Cliff says. “If you’ve moved from the West Coast or from another country, you want to be in Manhattan. That’s part of your dream. For us, I think we’d gone past that. And there’s so much potential here.”

His store is a glimmering white box stocked with Seven jeans and Y-3 sneakers and Paul Smith Crombie coats, located in the tree-lined downtown neighborhood of Paulus Hook. Some Jersey City lifers still call the area by its old nickname, Gammontown, from the Dutch word gemeen, which means “abandoned” or “vile,” as the neighborhood was once known for its persistent infestation of rats. Now the brownstones are filled with prosperous transplants from Manhattan’s financial and fashion industries—the kinds of people Cliff would spot carrying bags from shops in Soho and wearing $200 jeans, which convinced him a store like his could succeed. “The stigma is slowly but surely changing,” says Cliff. “Now we have what the West Village has. The meatpacking district has a guide. Now we have our own guide.”

Rob Finn, a 29-year-old who grew up in Jersey City and recently bought a house, explains it like this: “My whole life, I’d say I grew up in Jersey City, and people would give me that look. Now when I say it, they don’t give me that look anymore. The look they give me is more like, ‘Oh, I hear there’s a really cool wine bar there.’ ”

For Amanda and Cliff, their bet on the city has paid off—so much so that, recently, they were priced out of Liberty Towers. They’ve since bought a chic home on a pretty block in Greenville, which is known as one of rougher areas in Jersey City. Only three years ago, crossing the Hudson on the ferry, they felt like pioneers. “But we got pushed out already,” says Amanda. “It’s already working against us.”

So there you have it: Downtown Jersey City is already over. Forget I said anything. Or, rather, Jersey City finds itself both dawning and in its twilight, both undiscovered and overdeveloped. It’s the beneficiary and victim of our restless devouring search for the next “next”—the promise of an idealized future in some reminder of the romanticized past.

As it turns out, this isn’t a “Jersey City is the new blank” story; it’s “Blank is the new Jersey City.” People priced out of downtown are moving on to nearby Journal Square or Jersey City Heights or Greenville. Heck, a couple of months ago, the New York Sun declared Newark the sixth borough—why not, it’s only a few more path stops down the line. The Times, a year ago, went one better, proclaiming Philadelphia the next great neighborhood for New Yorkers. Artist friendly! With a Soho feel! And the commute’s not as bad as you think! And I will admit, I remember thinking, just for a moment, Hmmm, maybe Philadelphia … Like most people, I’m willing to chase my dream of New York almost anywhere.

[macmini]

50 Columbus Plaza in New York Post Home
http://specialsections.nypost.com/news/nypost/nyphome/20061207/p55.asp


THE PATH TO YOUR RENTAL


Commuting to Manhattan will be easy from Jersey City’s 50 Columbus, a 400- unit new rental building located right next to the Grove Street PATH station. But if you opt to own a car, you’ll be set, too: The Costas Kondylis-designed building, which also will have 25,000 square feet of ground-floor rental space, will include a parking garage with room for 950 cars.

Opening for leasing next May, 50 Columbus will offer studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms with interiors by Andres Escobar, and many will have views of the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty. Amenities will include a concierge and a 6,000- square-foot, two-story recreation center with a pool, children’s play area and tennis court. Rents are expected to range from $1,700 a month for a studio to $5,000 for a three-bedroom.

[macmini]

They Don’t Make Passover Matzo Here in Jersey City Anymore
December 31, 2006
By JENNIFER V. HUGHES
New York Times

AFTER 74 years of matzo baking at the Manischewitz plant here, it was all coming to an end, and the house rabbi, Yaakov Horowitz, was philosophical.

“The Jewish experience is one of transition,” he said as he prepared to supervise the last kosher-for-Passover run of the crackers before the operation moves to Newark in the spring. Earlier this year, the 100,000-square-foot property was bought by Toll Brothers for $34.6 million. The place where some 75 million sheets of matzo crackers have been baked each year is destined to become another condo development in the city’s gentrifying warehouse district.

“There is a great amount of sadness that the facility so many people looked to for so many years will assume a more, shall we say, mundane character,” said Rabbi Horowitz, as the run of Passover matzo began on Dec. 20. Still, Rabbi Horowitz saw the poignancy in having the final, one-day run take place during Hanukkah. “Part of Hanukkah is about people connecting the old with the new,” he said. “We’re thrilled to be entering a state-of-the-art facility.”

The Jersey City plant will continue making other products, which include regular matzo, matzo meal, noodles and jars of gefilte fish, until it closes. Manischewitz also licenses its name to another company for wines.

The new plant, on Avenue K in Newark, will be more efficient and twice the size of the Jersey City factory, Rabbi Horowitz said. Most of the 100 employees in Jersey City will make the move to Newark, company officials said.

Jersey City’s warehouse district was once the heart of a thriving industrial center, filled with factories and rail lines. Its industrial base declined in the 1980s, and about 10 years ago artists began moving into the area, which was designated the Powerhouse Arts District by the city in 2004. That ordinance regulated aesthetic issues, provided for artists’ living and working space and mandated affordable housing.

Now, condo and retail projects are completed, in the works or planned for at least six former warehouses. They will add more than 1,000 housing units and almost 800,000 square feet of retail space, said Bob Cotter, the city’s planning director.

The fight over the most prominent artist’s enclave, 111 First Street, which involved residents and preservationists as well as the developer, landed in court; a settlement last June allowed the developer to build 40 stories tall, instead of adhering to the original building’s height. The old building has been demolished, and the design for the new building by Rem Koolhaas is scheduled for completion in mid-January.

Conceptual drawings for the six-story Manischewitz building are similar, calling for a high-rise tower similar in height to 111 First Street, about 400 housing units and 70,000 square feet of retail, said Bob Antonicello, executive director of the city’s redevelopment agency.

That was what some preservationists feared after the 111 First Street settlement.

“If you want to have anything resembling a neighborhood, you can’t have these warehouses packed next to skyscrapers,” said Joshua Parkhurst, president of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy.

A Toll Brothers spokeswoman declined to talk about plans for the site.

The neighborhood that city planners are hoping will become a new SoHo was not so trendy in the 1950s when Bob Starr began serving as the president of Manischewitz, a post he held for 41 years.

“It was horrible — this neighborhood was one of the worst slums in the city,” Mr. Starr, who was visiting the plant, said, over the roar of the mixing machines.

The matzo meal is mixed on the plant’s sixth floor, then heads down a chute to the fifth, where it is rolled flat and moved by conveyer belt into a huge brick oven that dates to the building’s erection in 1932.

Mr. Starr said the closing of the Jersey City plant was emotional, even though he has been retired since 1992. “I spent most of my life right here,” he said.

[MrWolf]

Badger - Hopefully the American Can update will be enough to tide you over for now.:D


http://www.nj.com/images/newspapername/jerseyjournal1.gif
BUSTIN' OUT ALL OVER THE PLACE


Wednesday, January 03, 2007

W ith Donald Trump and the CEO of Reebok making a splash in Hudson County's real estate market, 2006 was the year of the heavy hitter. The star power brought notoriety to Hudson County - even if Trump's television apprentice Randal Pinkett snubbed Jersey City when he chose to work in Atlantic City instead.
But 2007 likely will be remembered as the year of the innovator, as a number of nontraditional projects are built, some far away from the Hudson County waterfront.
Here's a list of what to watch in the local real estate market.


The Powerhouse Arts District

10 The historic Manischewitz factory on Bay Street in Jersey City is set to move its matzo-making operations to Newark early this year, setting the stage for a battle between preservationists and Toll Brothers, the new owner of the factory, which wants to follow Lloyd Goldman's lead and build to the sky.
Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy and the members of the City Council sit right in the middle of the action, so watch their public comments closely to see which direction the wind is blowing.
Toll Brothers, which bought the factory for $36.4 million, is expected to lay out plans sometime this year for a 40-story building, equipped with 400 housing units and 70,000 square feet of retail.
As for the Powerhouse itself, city officials are awaiting a Port Authority study that should clean up all the legal, logistical and financial questions standing in the way of its renovation. Watch for the Baltimore-based Cordish Company to take a lead role.


Big boxes on Tonnelle Avenue

9 For decades, trucks ruled the road on Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, but they are soon to be replaced by consumers in much smaller vehicles. As one of the central pieces of his administration, Mayor Nicholas Sacco pledged to transform this thoroughfare into a commercial powerhouse - and look for a lot of progress this year.
From 69th to 91st streets, Tonnelle Avenue will be filled with big-box stores like Costco, Lowe's and Wal-Mart. Thanks to millions of dollars in state funding, Tonnelle Avenue will also be widened throughout North Bergen and equipped with traffic lights with left-hand-turn signals to move traffic along.


The Hub

8 With new leadership in place, the city hopes to bring housing to support the commercial district along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Don't expect to see construction, but residents should at least see some plans.
Though the path has been cleared, don't expect everything to go smoothly. Neighborhood groups are still trying to wrestle some control of the district away from the Jersey Redevelopment Agency and its executive director, Bob Antonicello.


Union City High School

7 Construction of the new, modern Union City High School at the old site of Roosevelt Stadium on Kennedy Boulevard has been slowed by the unexpected presence of large rocks beneath the soil.
City officials, already hinting that the expected September 2008 opening will be pushed back, are now crossing their fingers that everything will go smooth in 2007.
It is slated to become a unified 10th-through-12th grade high school, turning Emerson and Union Hill high schools into schools for eighth- and ninth-graders and sending a ripple effect down the line that promises to reduce class size across the board.


Hoboken redevelopment

6 Outsiders may laugh at the idea of redevelopment in red-hot Hoboken, but the truth is - despite all of its residential growth - there are still large pockets of the Mile Square City that need a facelift.
The city's planners will draw up redevelopment plans to transform these industrial areas into residential projects. These areas include the southwest redevelopment plan, western edge redevelopment plan, the renovation of the Hoboken Terminal and the Neumann Leather building.
These redevelopment plans are political documents, so expect a fight between the city and residents who want to see more open space.
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Harrison waterfront

5 The new Red Bulls soccer stadium, scheduled to open in July 2008, will be the centerpiece of a $1 billion redevelopment plan that will convert Harrison's industrial waterfront into a modern, live-work-and-play transit village anchored by 800 apartments and dozens of stores and restaurants.


American Can Co.

4 Dubbed the CANCO Lofts, this onetime industrial complex is quickly becoming one of the more interesting residential spaces in Jersey City - and perhaps one of the more affordable ones.
Expect the developer, New York-based Coalco, to open sales offices in the first quarter of 2007 for the first round of roughly 200 units. The units will feature large bay windows, ceilings as high as 27 feet, and price tags starting in the high $200,000 range.
"We are very concerned about pricing, but also with providing a good product," said Edward Worukyoff, director of marketing.
Many analysts are watching the success - or failure - of the project to gauge consumer interest in redevelopment projects in residential neighborhoods like the Marion section. Officials with the company say they are already getting feedback from an introductory Web site and a billboard.


The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor

3 The highly anticipated project is expected to launch this summer when shovels hit the ground, marking the start of construction for the first 500 or so civilian units at the old Military Ocean Terminal.
The city has staked much of its financial future in the massive redevelopment project, and residents should expect to see more development plans as the year goes by.
The first round of approvals included 600 housing units, a 150-room hotel and some commercial/retail space, along with the right to convert two existing six-story Army warehouses into mixed-use facilities and put up a 22-story residential tower on 14 acres.


Journal Square

2 For perhaps the first time, a large swath of Journal Square is now in the hands of one developer - opening the door for one of the most highly anticipated projects in the city's history and promising to transform the face of the historic square for decades to come.
Jersey City-based developer Harwood Properties plans to break ground this year on two towers - one 52 stories, the other 46 - containing 1,034 apartments, 150,000 square feet of retail, and three levels of parking.
The 350-million project comes after years of legal wrangling as the city attempted to spark action in the onetime commercial hub.


The Beacon

1 Widely considered as the thermometer of everything not Downtown in Jersey City, the multimillion-dollar restoration of the historic Jersey City Medical Center will begin to take shape this year.
George Filopoulos, president of Metrovest Equities, said he has sold 85 percent of the Beacon's first 315 available units for a price range of $320,000 to $750,000. Owners are expected to move in this spring, and the company plans to begin offering its next phase of units by the end of the year.
The success - or failure - of this project will go a long way to setting the bar for the rest of the inner-city's market. If the pace begins to slow, or there is downward price pressure on the units, it could impact developments throughout the city.



© 2007 The Jersey Journal© 2007 NJ.com All Rights Reserved. if (window.print) window.print(); if (_pdata){ sendpdata(); } if ( (document.cookie).indexOf('v1st')>=0 && (document.cookie).indexOf('GTC=')

[macmini]

check out the plans for a new home depot in Jersey City it looks like the upscale expo type stores like the one on 23rd and 59th street.

http://www.sblm.com/retail_homedepot.swf

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/145/345880247_feb4f673f2_o.jpg

[JCMAN320]

It's already u/c outside the Holland Tunnel. Will be quite impressive.

[nafco]

I respect that they are actually trying to design this one, but whats the need for big box stores continuing to emerge in close proximity to the downtown area. Cant they designate a more industrial area not as close to the waterfront which should be prime real estate for offices and residences?

Its good that they are developing the area, but at the same time, its not the most exciting thing when you first enter the city from manhattan to see a linens and things and a home depot.

[JoeSas]

I can't see that area being used for office or residential due to its proximity to the Holland Tunnel so I am happy to see they at least tried to make it a bit innovative and useful. I just get a little nervous when I see a white/light colored building, like the light bricks at Grove Pointe/Columbus Tower. They need to make sure they regulary powerwash because they can look old and dirty in no time.

[TimmyG]

I like that the parking for the Home Depot will be on the roof. Will there be a surface parking lot also?

[JCMAN320]

No it will all be on the garage roof. No surface parking

[ianmac47]

Any big box store in the downtown is only temporary-- as long as you consider a decade or two temporary. Within 20 years everything east of the Turnpike will have been built out or historically preserved. Metro Plaza will be replaced with towers. So will Target and A&P. Its a matter of money. When the value of the land out weighs the value of selling things. Eventually the stores will reach a maximum amount of merchandise they can move, but the value of the land will continue to increase. Hopefully, no one will want to "preserve" big box stores in the future and they will be flattened easily.

[tbal]

This is long overdue, but here's construction update for you guys....

Washington Blvd:

The Westin Jersey City Hotel is starting to become very noticeable when driving down Washington Blvd:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-4.jpg

Looking Northwest from the corner of Sixth Street and Washington Blvd:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-5.jpg

View of the Athena Tower from the intersection of Warren & First Streets:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-7.jpg

Viewing the 111 First Street demolition with the Athena Tower rising in the background:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-9.jpg

The Trump Tower is also starting to look quite vertical:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-8.jpg

Looking at Trump Tower I from the Southwest:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-11.jpg

Trump and Athena make a powerful impact on this once desolate stretch of Washington Blvd (here we see NJ's current tallest residential tower - the Marbella - in the background, with Trump in the foreground, and Athena and the Powerhouse in the center; and the 111 First Tower will supposedly start rising just to the left of Athena this summer!).

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-13.jpg

Greene Street:

The Mongomery Greene Tower is almost 100%:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-19.jpg

At 77 Hudson, we see the first signs of above-ground contruction, with forms for some of the first floor walls under construction (left side of photo):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-15.jpg

And here's an overview of the 77 Hudson Towers site (mostly of the East Tower):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-14.jpg

[tbal]

Looking down Columbus Drive, the parking deck of Columbus Tower I is working its way toward completion:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-17.jpg

Here's a view of the Columbus Tower taken near Trump Tower I:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-10.jpg

Exterior work on Grove Pointe is also wrapping up:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-16.jpg

One last look at Grove Pointe, looking down Bay Street:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-12.jpg

And finally, here are a few shots of the Hamilton Square site:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-21.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-20.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-24.jpg

I know I was a little lazy this week, but next time I'll try to include some shots of The Beacon, Gull's Cove, The Shore Club Towers, The Cliffs, 833 Jersey Ave (if anything is going on there), and the demolition at the Harwood Journal Square Towers site (if it is underway), and of course anything else that starts up by then (if anything).

[ianmac47]

Laziness, I know thee well. 833 Jersey Avenue is just a dirt pile still. Well, today its probably nice and muddy.

[JoeSas]

Are there renderings of the Westin JC online? How tall is it set to be?

[LincolnParkResident]

This posting of the updates in Jersey City, is great to read and share from here, really tells about how Jersey City is changing for the better.

Here is another article on Jersey City I found out on the Web, not sure if you have read it or not:
http://www.njbmagazine.com/2006aug/jersey_city.shtml (http://www.njbmagazine.com/2006aug/jersey_city.shtml)

In the article to note is: “Jersey City and announced plans for three residential towers that will add 688 rental apartments and 220 more condominium units to the Newport community” which would be” 24% only condos. As the rental building will be financed from the condo sales. So out of all the abatements there will be only an additional 800-900 condo’s there, where today, I think there is 1 condo building and 11 rental buildings in the Newport area. The city is going to lose with all those abatements on the rentals as, the structuring of the abatements, states when resold at a higher price, the taxes increase as well. Now the developer isn’t going to have their taxes increase, cause obviously the buildings aren’t going to change hands after being built like condos will.

If from what Lefrak is doing is any indication, (as a reference: posting #1211) when Mocco states “there could possibly be a hiatus in the project if he doesn't make enough unit sales, which were slated to fund the rest of the project.” Red light comes up to me that out of the 6500 or so residences he is creating at that percentage there would 1,500-1,600 condos and the rest all rentals (4,900-5,000) and of course the numbers are increasing it seems. The marketing, or the way it is being told of course the other way around for condos to rentals. According to history and they way Mocco has built before as he has a building which they only sold 25-30% of the condos on the corner of 1st and Monmouth, which makes them unwarrantable so higher interest rates to buyers and other legal problems. And Mocco/A-1 Properties is one of the Kings of the rental business in downtown Jersey City. Someone told me once, somewhere between 30-50 of the good size buildings they run downtown, yet horrible management. It is very interesting to get from the zoning office the master redevelopment plan was for the city 12-15 years ago for this area Liberty Harbor is going in, and now how much it is deviate in everyway from it, now that Peter Mocco got all the land he wanted for next to nothing. State on that master plan, 100 units per acre and nothing in this zone of taller than 20 stories, now approvals of 32 story building and 126 units per acre.

Could make for downtown Jersey City, to be a lot more luxury rentals and a lot less luxury condos if both developers are holding true to form with the comments already made on their current way it is sounding.

Trump and Harborside. I am sure there is probably an agreement between the two of them. If you look at the development there he is building the Western one first. Why, views of course. (Currently starting at something like $800/SF and going up to $1,200/SF and getting it because of the name) So when that 2nd tower is built, as I am sure it will be, there goes them except for the top 5 floors. Think about it, easier to sell a condo there, if it is highly marketed (the 2nd isn't being built right after the 1st) & sell the 1st building , if it is perceived there is a good chance a 2nd building will not be built, at this time. And I am sure the city, Trump and Cushman & Wakefield came to terms, it will be building 1 (Trump) then building 2 will go in (Trump) and finally to block all the views of Trump will be the Harborside Tower. As I remember “Mr. Trump announced that he would take the lead in developing the tallest residential building in the state a block from 111 First Street.” And now the 67 Story Metropolitan is approval, I guess that is taller, and Jersey City it sounded like they made a promise to Trump on this. Plus look or listen to the advertisement as to why buy there.

Another piece of information on Lefrak, not sure if many of you knew that the Fisher Company, as was stated by one of the Mr. Fisher’s who manages the sight, they are part of the Lafrak family and sounds like there was something in there as to how the land, for each of the two condo buildings, was found/acquired. (The Second Street project, known as "Hudson Exchange,"), which if you bought a 3 bedroom at the Madalay (formerly Avolon Cove Tower), guess what, when that building is done no more view except a narrow slit between building on Manhattan. So they are going to do just like when he put Liberty Terrace(last asking price per SF is $800-850 I heard) in front of 1 Greene Street, for a long time one of the very prestigious condo buildings in downtown to live and own in, and destroyed many owners views on NYC.

Toll Brothers and the Manischwitz Factory, to get an idea, just go their prime showroom and they will tell you all about it, located in Hoboken on Washington Street between Newark and 1st . They are suppose to be putting in 2 buildings right with those blocks, one of the requirements, which will be a first for Jersey City, is a full theater “as in they type Broadway Plays” are done.

The Metropolis with Metrovest, not sure if most of you realize it, but they own something like 55-60% of the units in the two buildings (270/280 Marin Blvd) and no bank will give a mortgage on the rest of the coop units to high of risk. The building of the two buildings, after having talked to someone who owns an independent unit in there, most likely there is some type of agreement with the rest of the building owners and Metrovest putting in the 2 additional buildings. At the time I talked to him, it was only 1 building so the parking garage makes senes needing to put in.. I am sure it is something, with Metrovest, and having to sell off X amount of the homes so the other owners can actually get mortgages on the units when they want to sell them. The buildings/development as it sits now, is one of the only ones in the area, where one has to do an all cash transaction, and when that happens, guess what, you can’t get the same price from a buyer, and it really limits the buyers willing to buy with all cash, especially as a mortgage is a tax incentive for the write off of interest.

The Beacon, not sure if anyone one has gone to their sales office, but some have mentioned there is additional land which Metrovest has obtained and plan on putting in a shopping center with a grocery center down the hill or the base of the hill next to the projects, and I heard possibly some townhouses as well. Asking price of around $500/SF and the 2 buildings currently selling really don't have the views of the future ones.

Journal Square and the two buildings (as with the 200 feet up on the palisades and the height of them will make them close to Goldman Sachs building, and will make for a view of them from a good distance away) being put up there isn’t just from a living/shopping situation will be great marketing/publicity for the area and Jersey City, tourist from out of the area, but also just think of the next time you are landing Newark and not sure on the other airports, with towers that big, people will go what is that. So the pilots will be able to mention Jersey City too and not just NYC. If you have noticed how people have pointed out from time to time the Goldman Sachs building, and no one wants to say where it is located, but as the pilots tell them where to look for the Statue of Liberty and from the air they aren’t that far apart.

On the new construction, I heard from mortgage broker the prediction is it will all sell and the property values aren’t going to be dropping like people suggest. What is happening instead is people aren’t going to put down deposits of 10% and make no interest on that. With the huge inventory, the builders are going to have to come back to normal as in the rest of the country where you building it and it start to fill 2 or 3 months before completion instead of this gracious 6…..9….12….15…..18…..and even 24 months before completion. Though, it is fun to hear how desperate they are becoming, even with all the promises by the marketing companies they have hired and run their sales offices. Someone told me that these same marketing companies approached the developers to use them instead of the local realtors and said look what we have done in NYC.

The rumor has it the developers are paying out 8-10% of the purchase price of each unit to the marketing companies, not the normal amount of 2-3% when one budgets for marketing of new construction. And those companies are NYC based and hire many from NY where they will be spending their incomes not Jersey City or this area.

Jersey City and Hudson County, someone was talking about population size. Not sure if most you are aware, but Jersey City makes up 48 or 49% of the population of Hudson County as of the last census. Yet, when it comes to county jobs only has something like 25% of the county jobs. Next senses many feel Jersey City and all the Hudson County taxes will be becoming here and Job with having 51-54% of the populations. And the rest will pay for what they had done to this city for the last 25-30 years.

West Side Avenue and programs to increase it. It already has the program set up, and I understand it is either State Funded or has something additionally from the Federal Government. The Small problem I understand very few people know about it, and thus not applying for the funds.

Tear downs someone had mentioned about. A point to note is yes the city needs to get involved, and more so their needs to be a set a guideline developed and will be on a case by case bases of whether the property can be torn down or whether it must be gut rehabbed as in “Historically” beautiful exteriors are involved. And no one is better to do this than the Office of Building and Permits, as they issues the demolition permits, and would have to hire 1 and at most 2 people, as there really have not been that many homes completely torn down and rebuilt. Plus, have a person like this out there, gives them knowledge of who needs construction permits, and thus who will need new C of O’s and things can be noted on those titles or deeds before the property can close and change hands so the city can get a new assessed value and more taxes on the property. In areas of the city which has the blight, some of those properties are getting in taxes a fraction of the new taxes, even with the 5 year tax abatement given on those buildings. Most of the time one half and sometimes One fourth of what the new abated taxes will be. Plus those new homes, which generally sell and thus attract better home owners who maintain properties, help to increase surrounding property values and people who care about the neighborhood. And just like downtown, get people reporting the crimes and help clean up the crime in the city even more.

Jersey City, I have lived in for about 9 years, and if has definitely changed, and with all the development one thing Jersey City has been over looking or ignored is with a couple of these parking lots downtown they need to acquire them, just like Hoboken did a few years back. It is not too late, or Jersey City will face the same problem Hoboken had, with having to pay a lot more for the land when they may have to tear down residences. When I first got a car 5 or 6 years ago, could always find a spot right on the street almost in front of the place, now having to circle blocks is not fun and it is only getting worse. As if some haven’t noticed with higher priced homes and condos, guess what the owners all want cars when renters don’t care as much about having one.

[LincolnParkResident]

Referencing #1036 and #1057. The “affordable housing” low income/moderate income subsidy by the builder and with them only paying $1,500 per unit. Yes it is very low and maybe they should pay $3,000 per unit, or better yet, why not have it be 1% of the sale price, and maybe make it on say units under $600,000 and over that it goes to 2% of the sale price. This would be much per positive than a set amount per, as it helps to create for developers/builders who aren't doing all luxury buildings too. That way it does not raise the prices like telling them they have to pay $150,000 per unit.

This would be a definite blow and the developers/builders will built else where. Here is a very good article by one of the local Realtors (a broker who doesn’t have one location outside of Hudson County either), who has just put an office in at Grove Street in downtown Jersey City. It is all about the debate with what and how it affects the community with the moderate/low income house. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1DF173DF93BA35756C0A96E9482 60 (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1DF173DF93BA35756C0A96E9482 60)

Low income/moderate income housing is suppose to have guidelines for who can get it, what the income has to be and well as how they can act. Certainly in Jersey City it isn’t enforced nor it seems in Hoboken, which makes for every other tax payer and renter ultimately pay the price. Generally in this area, but of course it depends on the building, the income is suppose to be something like those making $18,000 to $30,000, but look at the vehicle some of them drive and they aren’t older ones either.

One thing I can tell you, from people I have gotten to know and talk to from going to the Park Tavern on West Side Avenue, is this type of housing the quickest way to find where the Crime especially with drug dealers and prostitutes in the city live, is look for the moderate and low income housing. I am not saying all who live in them don’t work regular jobs, but many do find it easier to get the hand out from the city, and find to stay in this they can’t have jobs they get W-2’s or they would be showing they make too much and the City won’t let them stay.

Unless of course you are in Hoboken, then there is Marine View Plaza. One person I talked to in a bar in downtown Jersey City, said she lived there as I have talked to others. Some, and it sounded like a large percentage, people who are at this place with the free utilities or paid by the city of Hoboken, make over $100,000 a year and others more than $200,000 per year...let me tell you there are alot of people who are sick because they only make $40,000-50,000 and aren't that low and pitiful to have to get subsidies.

Every single one of them, every 6 months, for the benefits of living in these units should get an audit of their income, they say harassment, (guess what, you are taking everyone else and you want everyone else to pay you to live) as well as a rule every single one should have to have a W-2 income, or need a letter from an employer stating how much they made in the last 6 months or some kind of factual paper work of their income.

We have more than enough places there is “affordable housing” available, simply put this city and the Mayor’s office need to get positions set up to work on enforcing it with the units currently available, and set up development for the money already collected to create those new units available. And one of those places, I am not sure but if it does qualify to have built is more Senior Citizen housing developments run by the city.

Not sure if many of you have heard, it takes something like 6-8 years to get a spot in one of these. Usually with some of them, the person will not be a live that long, as many times it is not planned out years in advanced of when someone will move out of the apartment or sell their house/condo to live there. Some illnesses at that age are rather rapid. Thus, it enables the home to have new residents, and also to work on making the inventory what is needed than seeing some of these homes which can become an eye sore as the owner can keep it up as they are too old, and can’t afford to maintain it properly.


Each of these buildings, would be owned and operated by Jersey City or how the other city housing for Senior Citizens is run. And a point with seniors to note is many have been tax payers in the past in Jersey City or they most likely would not be living in this area. And I am sure something city hall could set up with new buildings like these as to who qualifies and who does not, and create a way to help determine the rents by time of residency and other factors. As I have heard, yes the rents they pay are something like $50-200 and everything is included or almost everything. Plus having more of these services, from what I see for medical and Medicare which we all get to pay in taxes, make for less when Ambulances on onsite nursing care is available, than in individual homes and buildings.

The amount of $150,000 will only lead to higher prices, not lower of these new condos being put in. Right now the lowest I are at the Beacon in the $300,000 range, will jump to the $450,000 range for that same unit to pay the “affordable housing” requirement, which will make for Jersey City to become even more unaffordable for the 1st time home buyer to buy in.

As far as with getting the money for “affordable housing” and put that on developers forget about the parks, or the 6th Street embankment which when I looked at a map it is essentially 5.4 acres of potential new park space out of that 50 acres they say they need. Posting #1233 referencing.

[macmini]

Got $42 million?

Trust Company building goes on the selling block

Do you have $42 million stashed away in your savings account?

If so, then 35 Journal Square is there for the taking.

The 84-year-old building on the corner of Bergen and Sip avenues is for sale. A Dec. 27 New York Times article listed a $42 million price tag for the 12-story 201,000-square-foot structure.

The building contains numerous law offices and other corporate tenants, and is likely to stay that way for the time being.

Construction on the building, known as the headquarters of the now-defunct Trust Company of New Jersey Bank, started in 1920, and the building opened in 1922. At the time, it was the tallest building in Jersey City. and its famous landmark sign on top of the building could be seen for miles.

Changed hands in 2005


The building was sold in 2005 to current owners Journal Square Properties LLC, a subsidiary of Sackman Enterprises, which is a New York City residential real estate development and management firm. Handling the current sale of the building, which has been on the market for the past two months, is Massey Knakal Realty Services of New York.

North Fork Bank, which acquired Trust Company in 2004, currently occupies about 10 percent of the building, according to North Fork Bank CEO John Kanas. But Kanas said last week that if the building is sold, the bank will not move out because North Fork signed a series of renewable 15-year leases.

The New York Times listed the building as 75 percent vacant, but Paul Smadbeck of Massey Knakal said the present owners are currently courting between eight to 10 potential tenants to fill the vacancies.
The building with two addresses


Shortly after the building was completed, the then-25-year-old Trust Company of New Jersey published a booklet in 1921 titled "The History of Hudson County and of the Old Village of Bergen," which contains the following description of the building:

"Towering from the crest of Bergen Hill, with command of view that includes the whole panorama of the Island of Manhattan, the Hudson River, the great harbor, and New Jersey inland to Newark and Oranges, stands the new building of the Trust Company of New Jersey."

The limestone and brick building was originally slated to be about 100,000 square feet, according to a local newspaper account at the time. With additions over the years, it grew to its current size of 201,000 square feet.

The building is 11 stories, and also contains a basement, and the layout remains unchanged.

There are two entrances for the building, each with their own address - the bank's being 35 Journal Square and the offices at 921 Bergen Ave.

There are also four retail spaces on the ground floor level on Bergen Avenue.

The building was the creation of the famed New York architecture firm Clinton and Russell, who were renowned for their design of the Broad Exchange building still standing in lower Manhattan. The firm went on to design other Jersey City structures such as the Hotel Plaza, now Plaza Apartments, on Sip Avenue and Enos Place.

The Trust Company's book stated that the architects "have made it a perfect expression of the Italian Renaissance style, attaining height and magnitude with effortless grace."

Special details were particularly applied to the bank, with its Italian marble floors and mahogany wood and bronze metal trim throughout the space.

In the early 1990s, a $1 million renovation of the building was overseen by Alan Wilzig, the son of the Trust Company's late President Siggi Wilzig. Windows on three sides of the building were replaced, and green awnings and new brass doors were installed. Gold leaf was painted on the building's exterior.
Big place for lawyers


"This building was built to give a sense of strength, a sense of power," said Irwin Rosen, who has been practicing law out of a sixth floor office in the Trust Company building for over 25 years with law partner Erwin Pollack.

Rosen, who grew up in Jersey City, remembers the building from his childhood and was especially taken with it when he moved in.

"You have million dollar views of the city from here," said Rosen. "You can see Journal Square, the Hackensack River, and you used to be able to see the Hudson River."

Rosen said the building was not only known in Jersey City as being the Trust Company's headquarters; it was also the premier location for many of the city's attorneys.

"[Mayor] Frank Hague's attorney John Milton had an office on the top floor of this building," said Rosen. "John Loftus, once the dean of the Seton Hall Law School, had a law office here. Former state Senator Joseph Tumulty, also an attorney, occupied the office I'm in now."

Rosen also remembered Siggi Wilzig, who passed away in 2003.

"For the first 24 years I was in this building, there was never an official lease with paperwork," said Rosen. "Every year there would be a meeting with Mr. Wilzig or his sons and the lease would be renewed by a handshake."

Rosen said he was not worried about having to relocate because of the pending sale.

"I have confidence I will be here for a while. I know I have a lease for a couple more years," said Rosen, who also served as Wilzig's attorney.

Rosen showed his office, which he said still has much of the original woodwork, plus other period touches such as an old push button switch for lights.

He also saved the original glass paneling on his front door, which he said looked like "the front door of an attorney's office," as opposed to the solid wood that replaced it.

He also fondly recalled the Trust Company's boardroom on the top floor.

"There was an elevator for visitors and there was one elevator leading up to the top floor that was controlled by the Wilzigs that no one else used."

Although he relishes the past, Rosen looks forward to the future of the building, saying that renovations to the one-time bank offices on his floor will allow for new tenants to move in.

"This building was a ghost town after the Trust Company ceased operations and all the employees left," said Rosen. "But now I am hopeful that new life is coming into the building."
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

[LincolnParkResident]

http://www.stevenfulop.com/

[macmini]

Jersey Journal Update

http://www.nj.com/images/spacer.gif
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
http://www.nj.com/images/spacer.gif
Square building on block for whopping $42M
The old Trust Company building — once the largest building in Jersey City — in on the selling block once more.

The price tag is $42 million, according to officials.

The posting of the Journal Square landmark comes less than two years after Journal Square Properties LLC, a subsidiary of New York-based Sackman Enterprises, bought the 84-year-old building from the Trust Company of New Jersey Bank.

The building, located at 35 Journal Square, is roughly 70 percent vacant. Its largest and most visible tenant remains North Fork Bank, which operates roughly 10 percent of the building.

The 12-story, 201,000-square-foot building is being marketed as office space, but a residential conversion is not out of the question, said Paul Smadbeck, director of sales at Massey Knakal Realty Services, which is handling the sale of the building.

Behind the scenes, city officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the building remains office space and helps reinvigorate the office market in Journal Square. However, the first people to look at the building during the private showing were only interested in a residential conversion, say city officials.

The Square is also the scene of a massive redevelopment plan.

Harwood Properties plans to break ground this year for two high-rise residential towers this year, signaling a transformation of Journal Square.

City officials say the pricetag for the Trust Company building may be a bit too high, saying that more than $200 per square foot in a section of town that has yet to prove its value is out of line with the market.

Last year, 26 Journal Square, sold for just over $14 million.

Jarrett Renshaw

[hfnj]

Hi,

I am looking to rent an apt. in Jersey City, near Hamilton Park or the historical district. Can someone let me know what is a reasonable price for a nice condition 1 bedroom around 650+ sq ft? I am also trying to avoid paying any broker fees, if possible. I noticed many "upscale" rentals do not include any utilities, including heat. Is this a common thing in NJ?

Many Thanks
HF

[macmini]

Jersey City

Across the river from Manhattan, a low-cost comfort zone is growing
By Jonathan Scheff
Special to amNewYork

January 11, 2007

(http://www.amny.com/news/local/am-city0111,0,5039159.story?page=1#topix) What's in a name? For Jersey City, everything. Most residents have a 15-minute commute to downtown or a 30-minute commute to midtown Manhattan, and yet there is one problem in some eyes: Jersey City is in New Jersey.

"JC and Brooklyn are the same. They are a Rorschach test with Manhattan in the middle," said Beverly Rogers, a lifelong resident.

Indeed, JC has undergone the same growing pains as Brooklyn. The Paulus Hook area, JC's equivalent to Park Slope, offers swank pubs and cozy restaurants while charging astronomical rents.

And just as blue-collar families and artists were pushed out of Park Slope into Bed-Stuy or Crown Heights, low-income residents in JC moved out to Journal Square or Jersey City Heights.

Yet JC remains much cheaper than Manhattan or Brooklyn -- where real estate can cost a third of the price of comparable properties across the river and residents can have a decent night out for $50.

Garrad Bradley, who recently opened Imagine Atrium on Jersey Avenue, said: "I looked around Manhattan for months and months. With rents and all, I couldn't find a place that would support my bookstore."

you can read the full article @ http://www.amny.com/news/local/am-city0111,0,5039159.story?page=1

[macmini]

Just read on the kannekt message board from someone who went to Grove Point Sales office today. That Starbucks and Duane Reade have already signed on for retail space in Grove Pointe. The starbucks is great news the Duane Reade is ok better then Mcdonalds. I just hope the rest of the retail is a restaurants or upscale bar.

[LincolnParkResident]

As they are suppose to be paying with Citi-Mortgage on the lease too, where the pizza place and liquor store used to be will be Foxton's the real estate company, with a lease per month of somewhere from $24,000-26,000 a month, and I am sure they will have plenty of cars to take up all those remaining parking spots on the streets. Get out those walking shoes.

When I bought my place I used a "Buyer's agent" and they told me it would cost me 3% no matter what well worth it, I think I paid out $8,000 to my agent at closing, and saved myself something like $25,000-30,000 and there was even another in the building, which was similiar and asking a but less, but as I trusted my agent's negotiating abilities, I got the better deal. The other was in worse condition, and it closed a few months later for more than I paid, I guess I made the right decision. The one I bought, was originally listed higher than that unit, but I guess they didn't get too many showing. The owner when I went to look the 1st time, said I was the 1st in 3 weeks to see it. My agent told me, and it was reflected when I closed on it, was with one of those discount brokers. I guess I was the real winner, and the seller who sold to me was the real loser on the deal.

[injcsince81]

As they are suppose to be paying with Citi-Mortgage on the lease too, where the pizza place and liquor store used to be will be Foxton's the real estate company, with a lease per month of somewhere from $24,000-26,000 a month, and I am sure they will have plenty of cars to take up all those remaining parking spots on the streets. Get out those walking shoes.

When I bought my place I used a "Buyer's agent" and they told me it would cost me 3% no matter what well worth it, I think I paid out $8,000 to my agent at closing, and saved myself something like $25,000-30,000 and there was even another in the building, which was similiar and asking a but less, but as I trusted my agent's negotiating abilities, I got the better deal. The other was in worse condition, and it closed a few months later for more than I paid, I guess I made the right decision. The one I bought, was originally listed higher than that unit, but I guess they didn't get too many showing. The owner when I went to look the 1st time, said I was the 1st in 3 weeks to see it. My agent told me, and it was reflected when I closed on it, was with one of those discount brokers. I guess I was the real winner, and the seller who sold to me was the real loser on the deal.

Huh?

[LincolnParkResident]

Huh?

The property was asking x and I got it for 210,000, so what is giving them $8,000 for saving me that much on a 1400 SF 2 bedroom a couple of years ago, and all thanks to a "buyers agent" which showed me they can be more important than a "listing agent" who only care about after getting the listing to have it sold, since they sucked the seller with the low commission. The "listing agent" could careless since they are doing the low commission thing than really negotiating for the seller, as the seller didn't really care who they got as long as they could get a low commission and quality they really didn't consider. And so as the agent said to me, they love to over list the price, give super low commissions, and push the seller into accepting anything. As the "listing agent" knows they aren't going to get showings, and can saw see to the seller, that is all anyone is going to offer. So in the end the seller, wanting to do an over real value asking price and going for extra low commissions is the real loser in the end.

[JCMAN320]

'Green' is talked up as the Gold Coast style

Saturday, January 13, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A crowd of about 100 - architects, engineers, employees of Jersey City, developers and activists - gathered on the sixth floor of the old St. Francis Hospital yesterday to hear the benefits of environmentally conscious building.

Real estate developers Paul and Eric Silverman hosted "Sustainable Jersey City," a city event to promote a "green" approach to building.

The Silverman brothers are converting the old hospital into a residential complex.

Several of the speakers talked about "smart growth," the concept that building near transportation hubs is a huge energy saver.

New York City, for example, with its high-rise and rowhouse style construction and extensive public transportation system, leads the nation in energy efficiency, said George Hawkins, president of the advocacy group Sustainable New Jersey.

One housing unit helps insulate the other, he said. And only the brave drive their cars into Manhattan.

Glenn A. Wrigley, the city's chief architect, rattled off several construction projects the city has undertaken with a huge dose of "green" included.

The J. Owen Grundy pier at Exchange Place, for example, is being rebuilt with non-corrosive materials that won't leach into the water, he said.

The new West District police station and Rescue 1 Firehouse on Communipaw Avenue will feature high-efficiency windows, highly reflective roofs covered with recycled rubber shingles, and plumbing that saves water, Wrigley said.

Some developers "get it," city officials said, mentioning the Silvermans and holding up the Goldman Sachs building on Hudson Street as a model of high-rise "green."

But most developers will probably have to be compelled to do the right thing, said Jersey City Planning Director Bob Cotter.

"In my experience the only way to get this done is to have it in the city code," Cotter said. "The only way to require it is to require it."

[JCMAN320]

Intresting thought on the area of JC between the Holland Tunnel and Railyards and on redeveloping the railyards courtesy of Newyorkssixths.com:


Rail Yard Redevelopment: Jersey Edition

Perhaps you may recall what now seems a lifetime ago, the fight over what to do with New York's West Side rail yards in the dirty thirties. Local residents there wanted nothing to do with redevelopment fearing high rise buildings would ruin the character of the local neighborhood. Meanwhile, its still the dirty thirties.

Well now according to Hoboken411, its New Jersey's turn to have a go at redeveloping rail yards.

"There is great concern that Mayor David Roberts has given the unofficial green light to the construction of high-rise office and condo towers running from the train station straight up Observer Highway."

Even if Roberts did green light development along the rail yards, we assume there will be a long a protracted fight to stop it. One only needs to look to the Jersey City side to see what we're talking about: Back in early 2001, there was a plan to build the Millennium Towers on the Jersey City side of the rail yards. That met with community opposition and the proposed 45 story towers are now nothing but artist's renderings in an architect's portfolio.

We're for high rises along the rail yards for several reasons. Building over railroad tracks costs quite a bit of money, and money is after all what drives development. If it won't be profitable to redevelop the rail yards, the rail yards will remain an eyesore and will prevent a contiguous urban landscape from forming.

Second, the entire neighborhood north of the Holland tunnel exit and south of Observer Highway is essentially a wasteland, just like the dirty thirties on Manhattan's West Side. The only way to begin to revitalize these areas are a few high rise towers to act as anchors.

Third, fighting these sorts of things only puts off the inevitable, which means in the interim, housing shortages (leading to higher rents) and parking shortages (leading to road rage) and underused mass transit (less incentive to increase and improve service).

Finally, there really isn't a neighborhood that would be disrupted by high rise towers along and above the rail yards. Observer highway does a great job of amputating Hoboken from Jersey City. If you've never walked from Hoboken to Jersey City as we have, you have no right to talk. Take a stroll from Washington Street to say the Newport Mall, and you'll understand what we mean about a vast wasteland. Pedestrians can easily meet with death along the route, not to mention the rather ominous empty lots on the Jersey City side of the rail yards.

In the end of course, the money will talk. If developers can find a way to turn a profit redeveloping the rail yards, then they will be. And if they can't, then they won't.
Labels: Hoboken, Holland Tunnel

posted by Ian at 10:23 AM 1 comments

[macmini]

Good deal, great space — but it's still Jersey City
Area can't overcome being perceived as remote; bargain-hunters go downtown


By: Laura Koss-Feder (http://www.newyorkbusiness.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=&category=contact)
Published: January 14, 2007 - 6:59 am

Richard LeFrak, chief executive of Manhattan-based developer The Lefrak Organization Inc., has an answer for all those companies fed up with Manhattan's soaring rents.

The answer is a place where acres of state-of-the-art Class A space can be had for rents that average under $32 a square foot, a place that is about as close to Manhattan anyone can get without actually being there: Jersey City, N.J.

Though Mr. LeFrak's arguments sound persuasive, the response to them has been profoundly underwhelming.

Despite midtown's huge run-up in rents and steep drop in vacancy rates over the past three years, 2.6 million square feet of prime property remains on the market in Jersey City.

That translates to a 15.8% vacancy rate as of September, according to Trammell Crow Co.

Deals that were sealed late last year, including Deutsche Bank's lease of 280,000 square feet at Harborside 1, show that Jersey City has appeal for bargain-minded tenants.

The new leases have also eaten into inventory a bit. But brokers don't see such scattered transactions turning into a massive land rush anytime soon.

Strictly overflow

"Jersey City is fundamentally defined as a release-valve market for Manhattan," says Gregory Scott, a senior vice president at Trammell Crow.

Mr. Scott estimates that the rent differential between Manhattan and Jersey City has to be over $12 a square foot for firms to feel compelled to move across the Hudson.

Jersey City's rents are a fraction of midtown's, but most businesses fleeing those prices go no farther than downtown, where rents for Class A space average about $40 a square foot.

Though that figure is up 20% from a year ago, it's only $8 more than what landlords like Mr. Lefrak and Harborside owner Mack-Cali Realty Corp. are asking for space in Jersey City. The gap is narrowed further by savings on commercial rent tax and sales tax, employee relocation benefits and other incentives available to downtown tenants.

Viable alternative

Landlords on the western bank of the Hudson also continue to face a perception problem.

Even though unsightly holes in Jersey City's landscape have been filled by 7.7 million square feet of office space over the past decade, many workers still regard the area as unappealing and isolated.

"For those who live in the city, commuting to Jersey City on the PATH train is a long, slow ride," says Richard Economou, a senior vice president for the Equis Corp., a Manhattan commercial real estate firm. "It's not as convenient and as fast as the subway," he says.

Businesses that choose to relocate from New York risk major staff defections, says Peter Cohen, director of government services for commercial brokerage NAI James E. Hanson Inc.

Longer term, apartment construction is one of the things that's likely to help Jersey City. In the past five years, 11,589 condominium and rental units have been completed there, and about 19,000 are being built or have been approved for construction.

"This new housing will help lead to office vacancy rates coming down," says Mr. Cohen, who is based in Hackensack, N.J.

That is certainly Mr. LeFrak's hope. In the past 20 years, his firm has completed 5 million square feet of office space and more than 4,000 housing units in Jersey City.

"No company that really wants to be on 57th Street and Fifth Avenue is going to come to Jersey City," Mr. LeFrak says. "But it is a viable, strong market attracting more and more smaller companies."JERSEY CITY’S OPEN ARMS

Vacancy rates for Class A office space.

3Q 2000 0.3%

3Q 2001 5.7%

3Q 2002 18.4%

3Q 2003 13.0%

3Q 2004 17.5%

3Q 2005 19.0%

3Q 2006 15.8%

[JCMAN320]

Jersey City will come back with the office market. What about that report that other comapnies were having serious discussions about building more office buildings. It's good to see the vacancy rate drop since last year and I expect to keep going down.

Typical NY ignorance again. If it's not NY it's no good to New Yorkers. ****in elitest attitude is sickening.

[ianmac47]

I think the vacancy rate could get down as low as ten or twelve percent over the next six months in jersey city. The only real concern would be as the world trade center buildings come online in the next five years, plenty of cheap commercial space will be available.

[tbal]

The vacancy rate quoted in the article does not account for all of those huge long-term leases that we read about in the past few months...in another article that I read a few weeks ago, it was stated that the vacancy rate accounting for the leases signed by Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch, and E*Trade (and a few smaller firms) toward the end of 2006 is closer to 10%, and also keep in mind that if we narrow the discussion to the cluster of office buildings in downtown Jersey City (the waterfront), the vacancy rate is probably below 10% (Journal Square has a very high vacancy rate at the moment).

[macmini]

It's that typical NY ignorance that keeps company's from coming here they are willing to move to that dump L.I.C just because it has a NY address. I don't believe JC vacancy rate it that high, but don't believe it's under 10% ethier. An Journal Square vacancy rate is so high because the prices are just to high. If you take off all the empty Goldman Sachs space then we might be under 10%.

[Ninjahedge]

Guys, in all fairness, JC still does not match a Manhattan localle.

I am not saying that it is bad or that it sux or anything so juvenile, but any time I drive through there I am reminded more of the urbanized areas of other less long-term city centers. I see uniform store fronts, and no real easy way to, say, walk from the Chase building over to get some lunch anywhere besides the areas right around it.

NYC has a layout advantage in that you can walk 5 blocks and get a dozen different places (depending on where you are), it has that in there, and it is only losing it in a few.

I do think JC needs to try to keep an eye on overdevelopment though. The key to their survival is not to make space TOO available to everyone, but to make it DESIRABLE, and that has to jump the NJ phobia.


As for the article that says the barrier is Observer Highway, they are over-simplifying it a bit. I would call it more as the raillines. You get the crossroads under these things and they are beatup little abandoned potholed messes. Also, teh land on the other side costs MUCH DINERO (sp) in regards to demolition, removal and haz mat for buildings taht would be, pretty much, right next to a noisy rail-yard.

If they found a way to limit that noise, you would see more peopel interested. Also, if you had a quicker way for people in lower Hoboken to just walk ove to A+P or Target on the other side instead of giving up their parking space, you would see that happen too.

JC Buisness district is coming along nicely, but it still does not have a heart and a flow to it. They really need to look at the area and figure it out before too much is build and cannot be tweaked to get that flow.

JC is not starving anymore. They do not need another p3nis building. ;)

[macmini]

Ninja no one is trying to compare Jersey City with Manhattan only people in Hoboken do such silly things. I was comparing JC with L.I.C and if you ever been there like I have then you would know L.I.C is a dump. But still company's are moving their employees there. L.I.C is were JC was 10 years ago and some how it's more desirable because it's NY spare me. An in the article she talks about the commute from NY to JC this has to be a joke it's not great, but it's 10x better then try to from Manhattan to L.I.C. An why does she assumes just because you work in the City you live in the City their are plenty of people live in Jersey an don't like the commute to NY. Other then the facts in the article this is just NY ignorance at it's best.

[macmini]

Views from in the 1.5 mil penthouse @ the Waldo Lofts
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/349347961_8be4bfa111_b.jpg

You can see A & Trump from the condo
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/349366212_dea1c777fe_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/349366219_c506e62af0_b.jpg

[ramvid01]

Ninja no one is trying to compare Jersey City with Manhattan only people in Hoboken do such silly things. I was comparing JC with L.I.C and if you ever been there like I have then you would know L.I.C is a dump. But still company's are moving their employees there. L.I.C is were JC was 10 years ago and some how it's more desirable because it's NY spare me. An in the article she talks about the commute from NY to JC this has to be a joke it's not great, but it's 10x better then try to from Manhattan to L.I.C. An why does she assumes just because you work in the City you live in the City their are plenty of people live in Jersey an don't like the commute to NY. Other then the facts in the article this is just NY ignorance at it's best.

Eh?

I don't know about you, but I'd like to know what company IS moving to LIC, because as far as I know, there isn't any besides the ones that are already there (Citi). You guys are making a big deal out of nothing. LIC is nowhere near being what JC is, and it definitely not getting swarms of workers your talking about. And the commute from Manhattan to LIC isn't as bad as you make it to seem. It's actually pretty good, but the areas vibe just doesnt compare to JC's.

[macmini]

Eh?

I don't know about you, but I'd like to know what company IS moving to LIC, because as far as I know, there isn't any besides the ones that are already there (Citi). You guys are making a big deal out of nothing. LIC is nowhere near being what JC is, and it definitely not getting swarms of workers your talking about. And the commute from Manhattan to LIC isn't as bad as you make it to seem. It's actually pretty good, but the areas vibe just doesnt compare to JC's.


ramvid you might want to pick up a paper some time and try read it. It was in Crain's about a month or two that two Manhattan firms were close to signing a lease in LIC. I don't remember what two company's it was, but they were not talking about Citi since they had already signed their lease . An I did not say they are swarms of workers in LIC.

[nafco]

http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/images/zoom/111FirstStreet/111first.2.jpg[/URL]
Overview

It's very early (the settlement between New Gold and the City was just reached on June 28th), but below are the details outlined in the settlement. Of course, New Gold doesn't have to build to the settlement specs, but it's certainly a starting point for the discussion.

The owner is permitted to tear down the building, but then must reconstruct the facade using the existing brick,
Residential uses and amenities shall not exceed 710 dwelling units, plus mechanicals and penthouse facilities with a gross residential floor area not to exceed 900,000 square feet,
The tower can not to exceed 550 feet in height, excluding the five story base and all rooftop structures, mechanical penthouses and artchitectual features,
The architect will either be [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Childs"]David Childs (http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=1135&Itemid=106) or Rem Koolhaas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rem_Koolhaas),
The architectural drawings below were prepared by DeWitt Architects (i.e. not Childs or Koolhaas) and have not been submitted for approval by the City. Nevertheless, starving for details...
Three Retail spaces: Corner of Warren and Bay (19,966 sq ft), corner of Washington and First (17,291 sq ft on first floor and 13,199 sq ft), and corner of Frist and Warren (7,985 sw ft)
Artist Gallery / Arts retail on First Street (1,176 sq ft on first floor)
Artist Gallery / Arts retail on Bay Street (2,481 sq ft on first floor)
Artist Gallery on First Street (10,067 on the second floor)
Arist Gallery on Bay Street (5,616 sq ft on the second floor)
Artist Lobby (1,302 sq ft)
Cabaret on the corner of Washington and Bay Street (3,052 sq ft on the first floor and 4,143 sq ft on the second floor)Click into the gallery above for an artist rendering and a layout of the first floor.
A lot has been written about this building and the struggle between the artists and the owner; for the background on the battle between tennants and owner go to the website listed above.
http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=1135&Itemid=106

[injcsince81]

http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/images/zoom/111FirstStreet/111first.2.jpg
Overview

It's very early (the settlement between New Gold and the City was just reached on June 28th), but below are the details outlined in the settlement. Of course, New Gold doesn't have to build to the settlement specs, but it's certainly a starting point for the discussion.

The owner is permitted to tear down the building, but then must reconstruct the facade using the existing brick,
Residential uses and amenities shall not exceed 710 dwelling units, plus mechanicals and penthouse facilities with a gross residential floor area not to exceed 900,000 square feet,
The tower can not to exceed 550 feet in height, excluding the five story base and all rooftop structures, mechanical penthouses and artchitectual features,
The architect will either be David Childs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Childs) or Rem Koolhaas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rem_Koolhaas),
The architectural drawings below were prepared by DeWitt Architects (i.e. not Childs or Koolhaas) and have not been submitted for approval by the City. Nevertheless, starving for details...
Three Retail spaces: Corner of Warren and Bay (19,966 sq ft), corner of Washington and First (17,291 sq ft on first floor and 13,199 sq ft), and corner of Frist and Warren (7,985 sw ft)
Artist Gallery / Arts retail on First Street (1,176 sq ft on first floor)
Artist Gallery / Arts retail on Bay Street (2,481 sq ft on first floor)
Artist Gallery on First Street (10,067 on the second floor)
Arist Gallery on Bay Street (5,616 sq ft on the second floor)
Artist Lobby (1,302 sq ft)
Cabaret on the corner of Washington and Bay Street (3,052 sq ft on the first floor and 4,143 sq ft on the second floor)Click into the gallery above for an artist rendering and a layout of the first floor.
A lot has been written about this building and the struggle between the artists and the owner; for the background on the battle between tennants and owner go to the website listed above.
http://www.jerseycityvibe.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=1135&Itemid=106

excellent info, nafco. Thanks.

The old 111 First is disappearing as we speak.

tbal - could you take pics of demolition as you do your "photo rounds" around JC?

I drive by 111 First every day on my way to work but keep forgetting my camera... :mad:

[TimmyG]

Affordable housing measure stalls on developer resistance
Wednesday, January 17, 2007 By KEN THORBOURNE

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
A proposal to force developers in Jersey City to spend more money on affordable housing is on hold - for now.
The measure, which was scheduled to be considered by the Planning Board last month, was yanked from the agenda after wind of the proposal prompted a deluge of phone calls from developers to city officials.

"We'll be meeting with groups of developers in the next few weeks to dispel the fears," said Housing and Economic Development Corp. Director Barbara Netchert, one of several city officials who said their phones have been ringing off the hook.
The catalyst for this onslaught is an amendment to the city's Master Plan written by HEDC supervising planner Doug Greenfeld. Written in response to new state standards for creating affordable housing, the crux of the proposal would require developers to include one affordable unit in their project for every eight market-rate units they build.
To meet fractional obligations - for instance a third of a unit - the developer would have the option of rounding the number up to the nearest whole and building the unit on site with city assistance, or paying into an affordable housing trust fund at the rate of $250,000 per unit.
Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said the city is still formulating an overall affordable housing plan, but is concerned Greenfeld's proposal could inhibit development.
"When you put a toll on the road like that you might not get the investors," Healy said. "Whatever we come up with has to keep alive affordable housing, but also keep alive the great renaissance that's happened in this city."
Eugene Paulino, a prominent real estate attorney in the city, agreed.
"The difficulty is that the numbers proposed will severely impact developers and cause projects that would be constructed to be abandoned on the drawing board," Paulino said. "I know that is true with a number of developers I've discussed this with."
Greenfeld's proposal piggybacks on guidelines recently announced by the state's Coalition on Affordable Housing, an agency that establishes minimal affordable housing goals for each municipality.
Currently, tax-abated builders who choose not to include affordable housing in their developments pay $1,500 into an affordable housing trust fund for every market-rate unit they build. This fund is now up to $6 million, city officials said.
Denise Booker, Jersey City chapter president for the community group ACORN, called it "unfortunate" the housing amendment was pulled from Planning Board's agenda.
"In essence what's happening is they (city officials) want to turn Jersey City into another Hoboken, which would be unaffordable," she said.

[macmini]

excellent info, nafco. Thanks.

The old 111 First is disappearing as we speak.

tbal - could you take pics of demolition as you do your "photo rounds" around JC?

I drive by 111 First every day on my way to work but keep forgetting my camera... :mad:

injcsince81 you should check out newyorkssixth.com it was dead for a while, but not it's back & he even has a photo blog. Here are some pics of 111 First from his blog.

http://newyorkssixth.com/newyorkssixthphotoblog/2007photos/jan152007/111first0116071.jpg

http://newyorkssixth.com/newyorkssixthphotoblog/2007photos/jan152007/111first0116072.jpg

http://newyorkssixth.com/newyorkssixthphotoblog/2007photos/jan032007/111first0103072.jpg

[Ninjahedge]

What a keeper that one was!

>hurk<

[Ninjahedge]

Ninja no one is trying to compare Jersey City with Manhattan only people in Hoboken do such silly things.

Quite teh contrary, only people in JC do NOT compare one to the other.

Otherwise you are just being willfully ignorant of two large city centers litterally next door to each other! ;)


I was comparing JC with L.I.C and if you ever been there like I have then you would know L.I.C is a dump.

I have been to quite a few of them, and most of the coast up and down Queens/Brooklyn. They have a lot to reclaim there, some nice spots but SO much old industrial to clean and reclaim.

What is the area over in Queens that they have been building high-rise apts/condos, or is that Brooklyn... ?


But still company's are moving their employees there. L.I.C is were JC was 10 years ago and some how it's more desirable because it's NY spare me.

I am not even going there.... :D


An in the article she talks about the commute from NY to JC this has to be a joke it's not great, but it's 10x better then try to from Manhattan to L.I.C.

I think it is really good for some locations, but I am not sure for all of them. I would have to look up the subway map for that....


An why does she assumes just because you work in the City you live in the City their are plenty of people live in Jersey an don't like the commute to NY. Other then the facts in the article this is just NY ignorance at it's best.

Not necessarily. i will have to re-read it (I do not catch some of the references) but I would not be too reluctant about anyone talking bad about JC. Sometimes they have good points, you just have to sift thrugh the other stuff to get to them...

[JCMAN320]

Final vote Jan. 24 on 10-foot setback rule

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

To address concerns new homes are being built with little or no front yard space the Jersey City City Council has introduced an ordinance requiring all new homes to have either a 10-foot front yard setback or yard space compatible with the streetscape.

The council introduced the measure on Jan. 10 at the request of Planning Director Bob Cotter. The ordinance will be up for final adoption Jan. 24.

In other business, the council approved $254,000 from the city's affordable housing trust fund for a senior citizens project at Forrest Street and Bergen Avenue.

It also approved approved $368,000 from the fund for infrastructure improvement and environmental cleanup for the Bernius Court affordable housing site on Bergen Avenue between Ege and Virginia avenues.

EARL MORGAN

[JCMAN320]

Jersey City growing out of it's "ears".

Rumors are swirling that entertainment behemoths Disney and Viacom are considering leasing office space in Jersey City after New York City rents soared.

These billion-dollar entertainment companies would be a welcome addition to the city's office market, providing job diversity to a market that's flooded with companies from the financial sector, not too mention a little corporate prestige.

New York City officials recently made some changes to their "421A" tax abatement program that officials on this side of the river should take a hard look at.

Recognizing there's little need to spark development on some of the most lucrative land in the city, Big Apple politicos are now requiring developers to include a large percentage of affordable housing in order to receive the tax carrot, while continuing the more liberal abatement program in areas of the city that still need a push.

If this sounds familiar, it should.

New York City tax abatements are typically offered for five years and the recipient pays little taxes on the property.

Meanwhile, in Jersey City, tax abatements are issued for 20 to 30 years. The recipient pays substantially more in "payments in lieu of taxes" and the city's cut is substantially more than it would be under traditional taxes, which must be divvied up with schools and the county.

[JCMAN320]

From Ianmac on Newyorkssixth.com:

The Vanishing Skyline

Just a few years ago, a walk along Palisades Avenue afforded magnificent views of the New York City skyline. Out of state visitors arriving by Interstate 78 enjoyed similarly spectacular views of Manhattan as they rounded the final bend of elevated highway before descending into the Holland Tunnel. But over the past five years, New York's skyline has slowly melted away, and now belongs on the endangered species' list.

Waterfront development in Jersey City has accelerated in the last five years, and with lots along the water filling with thirty, forty, and fifty story buildings, the new towers are moving further west. A decade ago, when lower Manhattan still had the twin towers of the World Trade Center, most of Jersey City's skyline did not exist. And by the time the new world trade center is finished, the urban infill on the Jersey side of the Hudson River will obscure the line of demarcation between New York and Jersey City from anywhere but the river's edge.

The Hudson River, the most obvious evidence that there are two city skylines, not one, is still visible in a few spots along the waterfront. Yet, between current construction and proposed plans for new towers, these 'holes' will soon be filled. Once the Hudson River is no longer visible, the vistas from places like the Palisades or the elevated levels of the Turnpike will offer only a single, uninterrupted skyline. The uneducated viewers may find difficulty in identifying Jersey City as its own place, separate from lower Manhattan.

New York's skyline of course will still be taller than that of Jersey City's. Already, the World Financial Center and many of lower Manhattan's other towers surpass those in Jersey City in terms of height. Even with proposals for more tall towers on New Jersey's side, the World Trade Center replacement will raise New York's skyline higher. But its likely Freedom Tower and her smaller cousins will not have the same magnitude of the original World Trade Center; the first fifty stories of the Freedom tower will be hidden by the shroud of Jersey City's skyline. Indeed, much of lower Manhattan, at least from a western viewpoint, will simply be absorbed by Jersey City.

Jersey City's skyline has quickly become one that would rival most international cities, and over the next two decades further development will certainly lead to more towers on the Jersey City side. As a result, very soon, New York's skyline, at least from the west, will disappear altogether.

[nafco]

Good news about Viacom and Disney coming in. Im a little skeptical when hearing about the 10' setback rule though. Not only will that create some awkward facades when new constructions mix with existing, but more importantly, it'll just be an excuse to have hundreds of cars line the sidewalks and destroy the pedestrians right of way.

If there was a rule that only yards,benches and stairs were allowed, id be all for it, but its only going to allow for more curb cuts, garages and perpendicularly parked cars to remove the separation that pedestrians have from the street.

[JCMAN320]

I'm hoping that part of it will just be to allow yards and not garages and curb cuts. I don't understand why some people take out their yard to put a car. I see it everywhere; in Brooklyn, Jersey City, the Bronx. I don't get why this can't be outlawed?

[investordude]

I think the city needs to find a way to provide free, adequate and convenient resident parking if they are going to outlaw people from putting a parking space in front of their house. Otherwise, its basically a cost increase - and a pretty big one at that, for living in Jersey City and Brooklyn. After all, its just one more reason to say the hell with it and move to the suburbs.
I agree it would be nice to preserve the yards, but if I was a politician I'd be frightened of doing something that cost people hundreds of dollars a month for relatively vague benefits like attractive yards.

[macmini]

It looks like newport has broken ground on The Aqua, but LeFrak said construction would start in 2008. Dose anyone know if the change the start date on this project?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/364120061_4af06672b3_o.jpg

[tbal]

I wouldn't be surprised if they moved the date up, given that the 77 Hudson East Tower is the only other rental tower under construction right now that will have nice views of Manhattan (all other towers with views of NYC that are U/C right now are condo)...and given the surge in the rental market here in JC over the past few months, it makes sense not to hold off construction of that thing any longer (plus the Shore Club condos are probably nearly all sold out)...


Anyway, check out these changes to The Aqua to be considered Tuesday night (taken from the 1/23/07 Planning Board agenda):


Case: P06-030.1 Preliminary Major Site Plan Amendment
Applicant: Newport Associates Development Company
Attorney: Charles Harrington
Address: 110 River Drive
Block: 20 Lot: 3.15, 3.16
Zone: Newport Redevelopment Plan
Description: Amendment to original approval granted April 18, 2006. Changes are a reduction in units from 363 to 358, increase in footprint for expanded retail space, internal layout changes, reduction in open space, minimal height increase, and minor facade changes.

[macmini]

Did they push the start date back a year?

Harwood Properties to Develop $350M Mixed-Use Project

By Kelly Sheehan, Online News Editor

JANUARY 22, 2007 -- Jersey City, N.J. -- Harwood Properties, a real estate development company based in Jersey City, N.J., has received the go-ahead to develop a "1 Journal Square," a $350-million mixed-use project in Journal Square, one of the city's historic neighborhoods. The area is near a transportation center and is only a 10-minute subway ride from lower Manhattan in New York City.

Upon completion, the community is expected to bring more than 1,000 residential units within 52- and 46-story towers to the run-down area. It is expected to break ground in early 2008 and be completed within two years, Lowell Harwood, managing partner of Harwood Properties, told MHN. The two buildings will share a seven-story base that will include 155,000 square feet of retail along with parking and amenities, including a gym, pool, yoga studio, deck, playground, theater and dog run.

Jersey City’s planning board unanimously approved site plans for the 1.5-acre project. The board hopes that the complex will restore the thriving business district that, like many other Jersey City neighborhoods, has deteriorated while development attention was focused on the Hudson River waterfront. Journal Square was once famous for its movie theaters, restaurants and department stores.

Currently, the plans call for the construction of rental units, although condominiums will be considered depending on market conditions, Harwood said. Studio-, one- and two-bedroom units will range from 550 to 900 square feet and rent for an average of $2,500. At this time, no other details regarding the residences are available. The project’s retail space may be filled with a supermarket, drugstore and restaurants, along with upscale coffee houses and shops.

Theodore S. Hammer, a managing partner of Haines Lundberg Waehler, an architecture and planning firm in Manhattan, has provided the design for the modern project. “Journal Square was once an exciting and vibrant place, and [this project’s] architecture is design to evoke a Times Square feel,” Harwood said.

[JCMAN320]

Whoa I gotta find this out for myself. I've been hearing this February. I'll get to the bottom of this.

[tbal]

NOOOOO!!!!

I sure hope that the "2008" is a typographical error. However, I don't think they were able to acquire those last few buildings yet...and maybe they're going to settle in court which may take many months. grrr.

[macmini]

If city wants to be a player, then it better bring 'A' game


Wednesday, January 24, 2007
J ersey City has a reputation as a bargaining chip - but this time, city officials are hoping to cash in.
Merrill Lynch is looking for roughly 2.3 million square feet of office space, most likely in the form of a high-rise as tall as 48 stories, and recently sent out requests for development proposals to Jersey City, Manhattan and Long Island City.

Merrill Lynch currently occupies roughly 4 million square feet in New York and another 3 million elsewhere in New Jersey, but its leases on more than half that space are scheduled to expire in 2013.

A representative for the international financial giant was mum about its intentions: "Like any well-managed company, we are in the midst of reviewing our options."
Several sources were initially skeptical about Jersey City's chances, saying corporations often use Jersey City as a negotiating ploy to elicit a better package from New York City.


"They bait New York and pretend they're moving out," one insider said.
But Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy is trying to do his part to bring the company here.


"Jersey City would welcome the addition of Merrill Lynch to our Gold Coast, as their presence here would further solidify our status as the economic engine of the state," he wrote in a statement.


But Healy needs to get even more aggressive - akin to the administration's all-out blitz when the New York Jets were considering Jersey City as a potential site for their training facility and headquarters - to win this time.


He needs to be an entrepreneur, putting on a visible public relations show while simultaneously working behind the scenes to come up with creative incentive packages.


Jersey City's main resources include tax abatements and the state's business employment incentive program, which are dwarfed by the power its peer across the river can wield, so Healy should consider lobbying state lawmakers for greater tools to attract business.


Commuting to 'The Office'?


Perhaps they'll introduce a new character on the NBC comedy "The Office" - one who lives in Hoboken and commutes by train to Dundler-Mifflin in Scranton, Pa.
It could be reality - in 25 years or so.


Pennsylvania officials are currently holding public meetings on reviving passenger rail service between Scranton and the Mile Square City and, via the PATH, the Big Apple.
The proposal highlights the skyrocketing real estate prices in the New York City region, as well as an indication of the lack of decent jobs in post-industrial regions.


In some ways, it's a bit sad. People are willing to spend at least four hours a day on a crowded train since they can't afford to live and work in the same state. In today's busy and fast-paced world, four hours is an eternity and surely could be better spent.


The rail line is not expected to be completed by 2030. Maybe by then we can come up with a better solution than two-hour train rides.
If not, read any good books lately?

[JCMAN320]

Lets go Healy I have seen the plans that Merril Lynch has for their office building next to 101 Hudson that has yet to be buit. I will try and scan and put it on here. It has a spire and is eliptical with a sqaure winter garden base. We gotta get this firm; they already have expanded as much as they can 101 Hudson St. so if they want to expand here and built next to 101 Hudson then we must accomodate.

Let's go Jersey City!!!:)

[ianmac47]

Anyone know whats happening at 16th Street between Jersey Ave and Coles? The whole lot was leveled and looks like its getting prepped for construction, but I haven't found anything on it.

[tbal]

Web Video Firm Subleases 19,000 SF
By Eric Peterson (http://www.globest.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.author.contact.view?client_id=globest&story_id=152400&title=Web&#37;20Video%20Firm%20Subleases%2019%2C000%20 SF&author=Eric%20Peterson&address=http%3A//www.globest.com/news/829%5F829/newjersey/152400%2D1.html&summary=JERSEY%20CITY%2DVectorMax%20will%20use%20t he%20fifth%20floor%20of%20One%20Evertrust%20Plaza% 20as%20its%20HQ.%20TD%20Ameritrade%20is%20the%20su blandlord%20and%20First%20Evergreen%20owns%20the%2 0building.)


http://www.globest.com/newspics/nej_oneevertrustplaza.jpg
One Evertrust Plaza

JERSEY CITY-VectorMax Corp. has agreed to sublease 19,275 sf in a 17-story, 314,500-sf office tower here. The company, which provides web-related video products and services, will use the building’s entire fifth floor as its headquarters. TD Ameritrade is the sublandlord and Evergreen America Corp. owns the asset.

The sublandlord was represented by Frank Doyle and Jay Lapham both with Jones Lang LaSalle’s New York City office. VectorMax was represented by Jonathan Fein and Frank Cento of Cushman & Wakefield. The sublease runs through 2011; further terms were not released.

“VectorMax was looking to open an office in Jersey City as a base from which to expand its business in both New Jersey and Manhattan,” Doyle says. “The firm was able to get high-quality space within the Jersey City waterfront market directly across the river from Downtown Manhattan.”

Built in 1986, One Evertrust Plaza is located at the intersection of Christopher Columbus Dr. and Washington St. Owner Evergreen America occupies space in the building, and other tenants include Daiwa Securities, Lazard Freres, BPD International Bank, Gilbane Building Cos., IBM, Standard Chartered Bank and Time Warner Telecom.

[macmini]

From NYSixth:
Lot Cleared On Jersey Avenue

One day there is a small shanty town, and the next an empty lot primed for new construction. The lot between Jersey Avenue and Coles Street on 16th Street was cleared of buildings and debris. We're not sure what is planned for the site, but its two blocks south of 833 Jersey Avenue, a new luxury mid-rise that recently broke ground, and across the street from housing projects. At the moment, we're hard pressed to find any information on the site, whether its simply a cleanup of the lot in anticipation of a sale, or whether there is a proposed or approved construction project for the lot.

http://newyorkssixth.com/newyorkssixthphotoblog/2007photos/jan252007/16thst0125071.jpg

http://newyorkssixth.com/newyorkssixthphotoblog/2007photos/jan252007/16thst0125073.jpg

[LincolnParkResident]

According to this study, looks like the 3 of the blocks to be acquired, for the HOLLAND TUNNEL project http://www.cait.rutgers.edu/finalreports/Holland-RU4474.pdf blocks 10, 11, 12 for pages 22-23 (pdf pages 27-28)

Otherwise it looks like most of the land would be owned by this company and maybe part of the 300,000 expansion of warehouse space http://www.nrsonline.com/nrshome.nsf/show?openForm&page=nrc

[ianmac47]

I was looking at that report earlier today, but I ruled it as a possibility since its two years old and block 11 is 833 Jersey Avenue, new construction, and Block 2 and Block 3 are proposed projects from Lefrak that they are actively seeking approval for. Also, the 16th Street parcel is not included under those plans.

[JCMAN320]

I would love to see our industrail warehouse base expanded we need blue collars jobs still and always will. It'll be interesting to see what happens with these parcels. That area is like Manhattans dirty 30s tricky area to redevelop.

[Ninjahedge]

Best thing would be more large-scale retail branches. Ones that require a big lot space to have the products they need.

Being so close to the Holland Tunnel, you would get people from NYC who are a little tired of having to go to the small Manhattan shops or way out in the suburbs to buy a breakfront.

I think they should focus on (sadly) something like Ikea. Although I do not like the place, the smaller form-factor and affordable furnature might be more of what the area needs (rather than Exit 13a...)

[phresident]

Lets go Healy I have seen the plans that Merril Lynch has for their office building next to 101 Hudson that has yet to be buit. I will try and scan and put it on here. It has a spire and is eliptical with a sqaure winter garden base. We gotta get this firm; they already have expanded as much as they can 101 Hudson St. so if they want to expand here and built next to 101 Hudson then we must accomodate.

Let's go Jersey City!!!:)

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

Merrill Lynch's site is 99 Hudson

[JCMAN320]

Yup thats it. So it can still be built if Merryl Lynch chooses JC!!! It will be a great addition to the skyline besides we need a spire building to break our flat roof plataeu

[nafco]

wow, they need to update that website. Anyways, 99 Hudson is a nice looking building and hopefully that does go down.

As for the site to redevelop north of the Holland Tunnel. I still dont really agree with the big box stores being built in that area. It is technically some good, close to waterfront property that could be prime location (being thats its between downtown-newport and hoboken.

They could put all the bigger boxier stores on route 440 where they tend to all be anyways. Then again, thats also waterfront with potential for redevelopment so who knows. It just doesnt seem as desirable as Manhattan view property. I think its kind of a waste of good land.

[macmini]

Please!!! The last thing Jersey City needs is any more big box retail put the crap in the suburbs where it belongs. An don't get your hopes up about 99 Hudson I would love for Merryl Lynch to come to JC, but I don't see it happen. :mad:

[Ninjahedge]

wow, they need to update that website. Anyways, 99 Hudson is a nice looking building and hopefully that does go down.

As for the site to redevelop north of the Holland Tunnel. I still dont really agree with the big box stores being built in that area. It is technically some good, close to waterfront property that could be prime location (being thats its between downtown-newport and hoboken.

They could put all the bigger boxier stores on route 440 where they tend to all be anyways. Then again, thats also waterfront with potential for redevelopment so who knows. It just doesnt seem as desirable as Manhattan view property. I think its kind of a waste of good land.

Well, I was not talking big BOX stores (like BJ).

That is why I included the reference to a breakfront.

What I am saying are things like furniture, building supply, big ticket hardware, and possibly other things that are difficult to find space for in the city.

The area by the tunnel will NEVER be 100% desirable land because it is so close to the tunnel! It will always be busy and hard to be used as anythnig but retail, commercial or office space.

But stores like Target seem to be doing really well on teh other side of the tracks from Hoboken. I am just curious what is missing in areas like Manhattan and Hoboken that would best be served by an area that had plenty of development space, easy access, albeit not really scenic or peacefull (no pedestrian malls).

[ianmac47]

Its not unlikely that the tunnel area would become similar to Delancy Street or canal street. Or at the worst, Adams Street or Flatbush Avenue. These are all main arteries with lots of bridge traffic, and none of them have big box stores. Once the value of the land goes up, no one will care that there is heavy traffic on 12th or 14th street. They will live there because the price per square foot will be relatively less expensive then an area with less vehicle traffic.

Building box stores is really just a waste. Ultimately the area around the tunnel entrance will be built dense and tall, which box stores are obviously not. Unless there is a catastrophic event, everything north or 12th street will have proposals for new residential and office towers within a decade. The area will probably be built out in less than two decades.

The biggest obstacle is the project housing, not the tunnel traffic. Past redevelopment efforts have demonstrated that moving projects or integrating new low income housing for redevelopment is completely feasible, again, as soon as the market dictates that the costs of razing the projects (demolition + relocation + land acquisition) outweighs the cost of building someplace else.

For now the choice is easy. Newport has many parcels still unbuilt. The PAD also has plenty of space. There are still a number of parking lots that have yet to be converted into usable towers. Its relatively cheap to acquire a parking lot and build a tower. Its even fairly cheap to buy a factory and raze it (think manoshevitz) for a new tower. Its more expensive to clean up a brownfield and build a tower, but still cheaper than razing projects and rebuilding project housing someplace else.

[Ninjahedge]

One more time, I am not talking BIG BOX. I am talking about the stores that need a large footprint to be able to operate effectively.

Also, some of these stores could also be setup on the ground floor of a tower structure relatively easily, although I do not know how easy or economically a tower could be built in that area (foundation/soils, utilities, etc).

I think one other thing that should be seriously looked into is something like a commuter stop-point. Some place that they could park the car and take a quick, cheap way into NYC on a workday. If Lackawanna was right next to the tunnel and had ample parking, some people might actually opt to park the car and take a $150 path ride in instead of waiting 20-30 minutes to pay $6 to have their car in the city.

The only problem is, there is no really quick way from there into the city. You have to go to Hoboken, or Grove Street/Exchange Place. Nothing to ditch the vehicle and zip over.

This is something that in no way would be easy, but I wonder what they could do if they pursued it....

[JCMiner]

I know there have been a number of projects approved for the Morris Canal Redevelopment zone, specifically just two blocks west of the Liberty State Park Light-Rail station . Most of the lots have been cleared, but I have had no success finding a construction start date on any of these projects. Does anyone have any information?

[invictus77]

I posted this in the Q&A, but was directed toward this thread...

Can someone familiar with Jersey City tell me which are the newest luxury apartments that have been built? I read on another site that there are 7 new apartment sites having opened by Jan. 2007.

Are there any that have been built between 2004-2007 and are on the waterfront?

Thanks for everybody's help so far. I seem to be getting nowhere with google searches.

[LincolnParkResident]

Yes there is a development company which bought a bunch of that land off Communipaw out as well as a bunch along Garfield avenue. The sales office is suppose to be opening on Washington Street in Hoboken.

The developer is sounded like could be connected to who did The Foundry. Since, the ones, who have the developer/development company have left the original Real Estate Company in Hoboken and created their own company, with keeping until the very last few were available, it all to exclusively the original company.

They figure, they can get something like $350-400 a square foot (and in a year or so hoping to sell it around $500/SF), which after individuals see the price think it is cheap, after having looking at the price for a condo in Hoboken being on Washington Street. Less than 2 years ago, condos in that area were maybe $150-200/ SF. And when compared to the Beacon which is around $475-500 a square foot, and less than 1-2 miles from the location of a lot of these developments, becomes very marketable. Especially when the typical New Yorker is just coming off the PATH, and heard everything about Hoboken, and really has driven around the area.

And of course that individual likes to mislead themselves, instead of going to Jersey City, just goes along with the splashy pictures and renderings, and hypothetical advances to the area. That is what they did with The Foundry, and if you ever go on The Beacon Website http://www.thebeaconjc.com/ and go to the "Location" tab, and click the "Last box", and boom, it is Paulus Hook being claimed as "The Community". Which they have been called on it by multiple people, and they work on blowing it off. As well as the pictures and with going to Exchange Place PATH or water taxi and their private shuttle will bring you to them. Or when they advertise the views, which really are the units they have been selling. Which goes to show today, create a futuristic website, and someone who has never been here will get it in their mind, that is what they want with a high percentage before they have been there.

Toll Brothers is doing the same thing, http://www.citylivingbytollbrothers.com/findus_print.shtml with putting office on Washington Street (no where near any of their developments) and all their splash renderings, websites and other splashy advertising, and switch the buyer in Hoboken to less than convient places to live, the other end at 16th Street, Back on Jackson Street, on Jersey City Border, and have a few more coming to downtown Jersey City, and 24/7 able to have in that window the flat screen tv's as people like their technology.

And thus, from both those example, the company doing the sales decided to put an office in Hoboken on Washington Street to sell the development in the Bergen Layfayette Section. They did look at the Grove Street area of Jersey City, but realized buyers coming to Hoboken like to deceive themselves better, and are better at it, since they can't afford to buy in Manhattan, than those coming to Jersey City downtown, who potential are a bit more educated, and not so much into the "Image" of Hoboken. Switching them to the areas of Bergen-Layfayette and Greenville really is much easier to do when they can't afford Hoboken.

Here are the pictures so far I found. Pictures 3 & 4 is on Ocean Avenue, of course described much differently than its real location. The other 3 are in Bergen-Layfayette around pacific and communipaw area. And aren't those renderings wonderful, and whom who can't afford the prices in Hoboken won't be immediately drawn to them, looks kind of like NYC buildings and Hoboken buildings.

[LincolnParkResident]

I posted this in the Q&A, but was directed toward this thread...

Can someone familiar with Jersey City tell me which are the newest luxury apartments that have been built? I read on another site that there are 7 new apartment sites having opened by Jan. 2007.

Are there any that have been built between 2004-2007 and are on the waterfront?

Thanks for everybody's help so far. I seem to be getting nowhere with google searches.

All with great views, but something to add onto the monthly cost:
All don't think one would be the first to live in, and it is possible for each unit to call the utility company PSE&G http://www.pseg.com/ and they can give you an idea of what the last tenant in the unit was paying monthly. Which will vary by temperature difference between you and the last tenant.

Liberty Towers (known as a wind tunnel and really high utility bills, all electrical and a few measurements off between the heating units and the insert area, have heard anywhere for 1/2-1 inch difference)
The Green buildings at Newport, another high utility bill.
The really tall building across from Avolon Cove, off the Shoprite Parking lot, another high utility bill.
The one of the Pier near to the Hyatt, high bill all electric no gas permitted plus you get another bill because it isn't on land, but a pier

Most of the rest is either Condos or older than that.

"The high utility bill buildings" I have heard, depends on its location and direction facing, of course corners are the worst. They are from my understanding for the most part all Electric and no gas which is cheaper for heating but more expensive to build, and range on average at the very low end $200 a month, but more typically $300-500 a month, and as high as $700-800 a month. And part of the reason Portofino and Madaley Bay (formerly the Avolon tower) went condos as they couldn't get it rented as discovered in time.

Same thing for the buildings in Hoboken with high rises and high energy cost, most are all electric.

[tbal]

Since it was a surprise to me, I thought I'd start off with the commencement of major demo work for the Bel-Fuse building....the building has in fact been demolished within the past two weeks, and there is plenty of heavy construction equipment at the site:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-41.jpg

Here's a pic of the demolition permit:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-40.jpg

All that is left of the former Bel-Fuse building is a pile of crumbled brick and concrete:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-43.jpg

One last look at the site:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-42.jpg

Over at 111 First Street, the building seems to be coming down at an increaseing rate. Viewing from Washington Street near the Athena Tower:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-32.jpg

Looking east down Bay Street from Warren Street:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-35.jpg

Finally, over at Metropolis Towers, the foundation of the former lowrise section has been marked up in preparation for the next phase of the expansion project:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-44.jpg

[tbal]

The Westin Jersey City Hotel is becoming more and more noticeable at the corner of Washington Blvd and 6th Street as it reaches one-third of its final height:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-26.jpg

Looking north along Washington Blvd:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-28.jpg

Looking down Washington, across the street from the Athena Tower:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-33.jpg

Further down Washington, the Athena and Trump are starting to add a sense of density to this once relatively empty area:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-37.jpg

Looking up at Trump from Greene Street:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-31.jpg

From Second Street, the Athena Tower looks enormous:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-46.jpg

Looking from the Newport Mall area, you can see the Downtown skyline finally beginning to fill up:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-25.jpg

[tbal]

Columbus Tower is scheduled to open in June (along with Grove Pointe) and exterior work should be completed within a week or so:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-55.jpg

The last floor slab of the parking deck is under construction:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-48.jpg

Looking down Columbus Drive along the soon-to-be retail section of Columbus Plaza:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-49.jpg

Windows are slowly making their way to the top of Grove Pointe as well:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-54.jpg

Looking at GP from First Street:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-53.jpg

Viewing the tower to the south from Marin Blvd:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-52.jpg

[tone99loc]

awesome pics tbal, thanks

lincolnparkresident: I live in the Mandalay and the heating/ac units are terrible - if you don't have the heat on, rooms get really, really cold -- very fast...There are drafts everywhere: all around the windows, around the heating/ac unit, etc...

I can't believe the building is less than a decade old and marketed as a luxury tower, yet the builders did a half-assed job of insulating the place correctly...

[tbal]

The east-facing facade of Gull's Cove I should be going up soon:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-50.jpg

The facade of the terrace area is nearly complete at this point:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-51.jpg

Overview of the Liberty Harbor community:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-57.jpg

Work at 77 Hudson seems focused right now on constructing the footers for the West Tower:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-58.jpg

The East Tower site is ready for vertical construction, with gravel spread for the floor and molding panels for walls stacked along the perimeter of the construction site:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-60.jpg

And finally, the finishing touches are being completed at the Montgomery Greene Tower, with some SWEET looking granite sidewalks being installed this week:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-59.jpg

[LincolnParkResident]

awesome pics tbal, thanks

lincolnparkresident: I live in the Mandalay and the heating/ac units are terrible - if you don't have the heat on, rooms get really, really cold -- very fast...There are drafts everywhere: all around the windows, around the heating/ac unit, etc...

I can't believe the building is less than a decade old and marketed as a luxury tower, yet the builders did a half-assed job of insulating the place correctly...


Exactly what I was noting and why they are making it into a Condo building just like they did with Portofino.

Vast majority of high rises are like that, they can have allowable variances. One which I was once in The James Monroe in Newport, which because it was to be the condo building there, was much better constructed than any of the other brown rental buildings there, and more insulated. The concrete floor had a slope to it or dip in the middle of the room, and by construction standards was allowed which is something like 1/2-1 inch, and could be seen from the base board moldings on the wall, since you know wood isn't so flexible and doesn't hide problems like that.

The building standards are changed and lower, as dollars or cost rise, and government officials want it built faster and change laws, and nothing like the lobbying of the big builders. Many of the builders, on this side of the river now were/and are still from Manhattan, so nothing is any different between the two. Except Manhattan, I heard on many things have even lower standards. That is why, many owners of coops and condos, state they will only live in Pre-War buildings, or ones which like The Beacon is a Pre-War gut rehabs verses a new build, as when it was structurally built, standards were probably 10-100 times higher, though today there are other things obtainable from new construction which Pre-Wars can't have as with cables and electric in mind being hidden or reception for cell phones and wireless internet.

But someone told me for Manhattan they have a real problem with cell phones and wireless internet once you get up over 30 or 40 floors, because of the way the signals are stuctured with the angles, and too many buildings that high so close together....and bad reception every where at that level. But right now anyways in Jersey City you may not encounter that problem for now.

Same thing for the wind tunnel effect can be in the Manhattan at heights with a view. Work as a temp in one of the World Trade Center Towers and it swayed with the wind, you could see from the toilets in the bathrooms with the water going from side to side. And so I am sure many in the AOL Time Warner building are seeing the wind tunnel effect as well. And to make things like the Pre-Wars cost too much to build today.

One things I learned from my Grandfather who was a construction person, and it is still done in the Midwest, but rare to find out here. Pouring cement for a side walk. You can make that square and just pour the cement and it will probably crack in 1-3 years, or the old way it the ramrod, a bit more expensive even though it is recycled steel, and the more you put in for the grid, like on Highways you may notice it put in to make them last. The ramrod done right, it is a certain minimum roundness, the larger the better, more for the concrete to be secured to and where the squares created are like 4x4 or 6x6 squares which are tied together in places and raised a bit for concrete below and about. This makes for the concrete to last longer so it won't crack and usually it starts at 5+ years, where in the upper midwest temps can range in a year from 30 below or more to 100 above, around here more moderate like it is probably last 10 or more years without a crack, even with a small amount put in before it cracks. But it takes time to make that grid from the frame, with cutting it and tying it together, and time eveyone knows is cost or money. The ramrod costs probably for a square of side walk $5-10, but labor of about around here $50-75 each, plus the profit needed, so can get expensive, and the larger the square the more raw materials and labor needed. Can be expensive, so to save today, who cares about the future.

They have wonderful views and other things to them, as the developers and property owners know, which sucker people right in to learn the facts only after it is too late, the ink has dried on the contract and one is now stuck for a period of time.

[tone99loc]

Very informative points LincolnParkResident -

- In some ways, it's hard to believe that a building erected in 1905 is better constructed than one from 2005, but it's true...There are definitely advantages to new construction as far as electrical work and plumbing, but the cost of time, labor, and materials means quality craftmanship is a rarity.

Makes you wonder what some of the building will look like in another 50 years - I'm guessing most won't age too well.

[steveikin]

tbal: I really enjoyed the photos. Thanks for taking the time. - Steve

[JCMAN320]

Tbal great pics and here is some great news on the zoning to protect the great Victorian homes of JC:

New zones to curb multi-lot carve-ups

Saturday, January 27, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

To stem the practice of developers purchasing large Victorian-style homes in Jersey City, ripping them down, and building two or more houses in their place, the City Council on Wednesday moved forward on measures to create new zoning in two areas of the city.

The new zones, known as R-1A zones, expand minimum lot size requirements. An ordinance creating the zone was adopted for an area on the West Side that lies mostly between Gifford Avenue to the north, Harrison Avenue to the south, Bergen Avenue on the east and West Side Avenue on the west.

The vote was 7-0-2, with the area's representative, Ward B Councilwoman Mary Spinello, voting with the majority and Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano and Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson abstaining.

Ernesto Tolentino, a Gifford Avenue resident, told the council the measure would rob him and his heirs of at least half a million dollars.

"The city is proposing to devalue my property by one-third and give me nothing for it," Tolentino said. Eight members of the public spoke in favor the proposal, two of them local homeowners.

The council also voted 9-0 to introduce an ordinance creating the R-1A zone in a section of Greenville, loosely bordered by Garfield Avenue to the east, Ocean Avenue to the west, Lembeck Avenue in the south and Danforth Avenue in the North. The measure will be up for a final vote on Feb. 7.

Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano said he decided to support the ordinance after meeting with 50 homeowners who would be affected by it.

[tbal]

Thanks for the compliments, guys.

It's a great thing to hear that the character of that part of Jersey City will be preserved instead of some developers trying to take advantage of the area...

Does anyone know what the status is for Monaco I & II, the San Remo, Hudson Exchange, or the Metropolitan (last thing I heard was that tax abatements had been granted for some of these, but have any permits for preliminary site work been issued?). Also, does anyone know if Koolhaas has released his design for 111 First St. yet? I thought it was going to be made public in mid-January.

[macmini]

Great photos tbal!!!!!!!


does anyone know if Koolhaas has released his design for 111 First St. yet? I thought it was going to be made public in mid-January.I was just about to ask the same thing whats up with the renderings for 111 First Street it's way pass mid-January.

The American Can Condo's ( Canco Lofts ) has a website not much info yet!!

http://www.cancolofts.com/
(http://www.cancolofts.com/)
Found this great picture on flickr of JC growing skyline. Columbus Plaza is bigger then I though an it will have some amazing views.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/364831589_a81347a598_b.jpg

[JCMAN320]

Great pic mac!! Well word on those projects more pricesly the beautiful Metropolitan will break ground this spring according to newyorkssixth.com. The others; the San Remo and Monoco 1&2 and Hudson Exchange probably later in the spring or summer. Also 111 First I'm still waiting as well. Hopefully well see these projects soon. C'mon guys we all know that without fail once spring comes new cranes come out of hibernation and start building.

[pianoman11686]

Hmm...I'm not really liking most of the buildings in those construction pics. Columbus, Athena, and Grove Pointe all look pretty abominable. Hopefully 77 Hudson, Trump, and Metropolitan will turn out better.

[wander118]

anyone get any info on when the new journal square tours will begin construction? Someone posted an article last week saying not till '08 which is dissapointing! Thanks.

Also, they must be making some head way over at the beacon. even tho its already been pushed back, i heard that people will definitely be moving into the first phase this may.

[Ninjahedge]

awesome pics tbal, thanks

lincolnparkresident: I live in the Mandalay and the heating/ac units are terrible - if you don't have the heat on, rooms get really, really cold -- very fast...There are drafts everywhere: all around the windows, around the heating/ac unit, etc...

I can't believe the building is less than a decade old and marketed as a luxury tower, yet the builders did a half-assed job of insulating the place correctly...

Now you know TL99!

When the wife and I were looking around for places about 3 years ago, (hell, I was looking 4 years ago on my own, but in a different price range!!!!) we noticed all the cheap construction shortcuts. Bay window bottoms showing exposed (painted) plywood, loose fitting/cheap windows. Water stains, missing mullions/lintels, moulding that looked like it came from scrap (not the right size, rough cut at the edge (no sanding). Bouncy floors, thin walls, granite counters on pressboard cabinets.

They were all designed for 5 years. Unload and go.


Oh, one little thing though. Condos on Washington Street were going for about $400/sf 3-4 years ago, depending on where and what. Most were 1200-1500 sf. I do see how Toll and others are doing bait-and-switch for some of the less desirables out in the dead presidents and out by the railrod tracks (BTW, do NOT get ANY there, they run the engines 24/7 there even if they are not moving and it is extremely noisy!!!!!!).

Just FYI....

[JCMAN320]

anyone get any info on when the new journal square tours will begin construction? Someone posted an article last week saying not till '08 which is dissapointing! Thanks.

Also, they must be making some head way over at the beacon. even tho its already been pushed back, i heard that people will definitely be moving into the first phase this may.

The Beacon wiil be opening it's first phase this spring is true. The article about the Hardwood Towers opening in 2008 I hope is a typo; if it is true it is crushing to wait even longer for this great project to get going. I will try and find out what the real deal is.

If it is early 2008 I guess I can wait a one more full year because hell we here in Jersey City have been waiting 20 plus years for this; another year won't kill us.

[JCMAN320]

$3.2M state aid boost to bolster security in city's 'Gold Coast'

Monday, January 29, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City is cashing on the biggest Homeland Security grant in the state, officials said last week.

The city is slated to receive $3.2 million from the state's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness - mostly to shore up security on the city's financial "Gold Coast" and outfitting a state-of-the-art emergency management office, said Sgt. Greg Kierce, the city's Office for Emergency Management coordinator.

The grant represents a $1.8 million increase over last year's $1.4 million award, Kierce said.

Roughly $1.7 million of the grant will be used to implement the "Interim National Infrastructure Protection Plan" in the Jersey City financial district, Kierce said.

About half of this money will be used to install closed-circuit TV cameras, and the rest will be used to build barriers that could be used to isolate areas if necessary, he said.

Another $1.5 million will be spent on communications and other technology equipment for the OEM office on Summit Avenue. The office - a section in the new firehouse facility - should be fully operational by early summer, Kierce said.

The balance of the money - $81,500 - will pay for a "domestic preparedness planner" to monitor and report to the federal government how the money is being spent, Kierce said.

Retired Jersey City Police Capt. William Costigan will be hired for this position, officials said.

[JCMAN320]

Ed board analyzes progress after visit to district

Monday, January 29, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

In what some are calling a historic event, the commissioners of the state Board of Education met in Jersey City earlier this month.

The 12 state board members, including state Department of Education Commissioner Lucille Davy, spent from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. meeting with students, principals, parents and local school board members on Jan. 17.

It was the first time since Jersey City became the state's first takeover district in 1989 that the state board members have met in one of the three state-run districts, officials said.

"We wanted to meet with the Jersey City district to learn more about the many great things the district is doing," said state Board Vice President Arcelio Aponte, who is also associate vice president for facilities and construction management at New Jersey City University.

"It was a historical event," Aponte added. "It enforced for me that Jersey City is making a lot of strides."

In his formal comments to the state board members, Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr. noted the "upward trend" of test scores, the district's 93 percent attendance rate, and the district being named a 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education winner for closing the achievement gap.

Two days after this meeting, the district turned another potentially historic corner. On Jan. 19, state-empowered education experts began pouring over district documents - the start of a process that could eventually return the state-run district to local control.

The process, known as Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC), will take several months and include school visits and interviews with teachers and principals, officials said.

The QSAC experts will analyze the district's performance in five areas - instruction and program, personnel, operations, governance, and fiscal, officials said. At the end of the process, Commissioner Davy could decide to keep the district state run or intervene only in the areas the district needs help, said Nicholas Duva, the district's associate superintendent for planning and development.

The soonest the district could return to local control is July 2008, since QSAC builds in a mandatory one year transition period, Duva said.

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

The 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education Awards were given to the top five most progressive school systems in the country for closing achievement gaps and improving test scores. Jersey City ranked in the top 5 actually tieing New York City for second and only behind Boston.

Also Jersey City consistanly has the best public school in the State of New Jersey called McNair Academic HS. It has been ranked top in the state for the past 10 years and was recently ranked 15th in the USA out of several hundred thousand highschools according to USA Today.

I have every right to be proud because well this is my city and my mother is a PS teacher and has been for over 25 years here in Jersey City! :)

[nafco]

not sure about the date of the towers in JSQ, but it does seem like they are pretty anxious to buy up the properties and take them down as fast as they can. They are already a couple holes in the site and im sure they want to start as quickly as possible to bring the area up.

btw, does anyone know if the building in the background to the immediate site is going as well or will the towers butt up right against it?

[JCMAN320]

Nafco that building is the old PSE&G Headquarters from the 20s and 30s. That building is used by Hudson County Community College as one it's academic buildings so it will stay. The Harwood Towers won't go right up against it exactly. The towers will be moved west about 2 ft towards JFK Blvd to expand that area btwn the towers and the PSE&G building.

That was a parking area but will be converted into a pedestrian plaza and walkway connecting Sip Ave. to the JSQTC. Right now people use it but it's ugly and covered with asphalt and it's unsafe with the back of those buildings waiting to be knocked down.

[Radiohead]

Thanks to tbal for the pictures. Years from now those pictures will be an invaluable archive of the rebuilding of the JC waterfront as it was happening.

This is my favorite photo of the Jersey City skyline taken from Manhattan. I can't remember where I got it, but it's been on my hard drive for 2 years.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/374019196_3b68798bb0_o.jpg

[JCMAN320]

Great pic radiohead. This city of mine is really growing up. Here is an article about the largest restaurant festival in the state called Hudson Restaurant Week. Enjoy!

10 DAYS OF TASTING 'Restaurant Week' returns with your favorites, new choices too

Monday, January 29, 2007
By EVIE NAGY
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Hudson Restaurant Week is back, giving you 10 days of sampling some of the areas best menus on a budget. Today through Feb. 9, nearly 30 restaurants in Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken and North Bergen will offer prix-fixe lunches and dinners at discounted prices with no coupons or passes required.

Participating restaurants range from sushi bars to Irish pubs to classic bistros, representing Hudson County's finest cuisine. In addition to long-standing favorites like the Brass Rail in Hoboken, several brand-new dining spots have joined the event. Newcomers include Mercy Grill and Shades of Hoboken, which both opened on New Year's Eve, and O'Connell's, which arrived in Downtown Jersey City in October.

"I think it's a great event for restaurants in the area," said Patrick Hennessy, owner of O'Connell's, an Irish bar and grill. "I'm not sure what to expect because it's our first time, but the idea for me is to show off our food."

Hudson Restaurant Week is a bi-annual culinary celebration that promotes Hudson County as a premier dining destination in New Jersey. The event was created in 2005 by Tamara Remedios of Get Out Hudson magazine and is held in January and July, the restaurant business's slowest times of the year. Get Out Hudson has also created www.HudsonMenus.com, featuring downloadable menus from more than 150 area restaurants, as well as the Hudson Deck, a deck of dining cards that can be redeemed at participating restaurants for $10 off a $40 meal.

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF RESTAURANTS participating in the event, visit www.HudsonRestaurantWeek.com.

[Ninjahedge]

3/4 of them being in Hoboken.... ;)

[JCMAN320]

Sure Ninja whatever you say...;)

[JCMAN320]

Federal gov't is screwing public housing here and in every city!!!

50 layoffs of housing agency staff

Saturday, January 27, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Jersey City Housing Authority, reeling from its largest budget cuts to date, will lay off 50 workers, the authority's director said this week.

Appearing before the City Council on Wednesday and then the Hudson County Board of Freeholders the next day, Jersey City Housing Authority Executive Director Maria Maio said the federal government cut her agency's budget by $3.6 million this year.

Unlike last year, when the agency suffered a $2.8 million cut but could confine layoffs to mostly white-collar workers, this budget slash will affect the response time the agency's 2,600 households can expect from maintenance workers such as plumbers and electricians, Maio said.

This is part of the pattern of the "federal government's disinvestment in public housing," Maio told City Council members.

"There is a crisis affecting public housing," she said.

The layoffs will take effect March 9 and include 30 maintenance workers among the 50 getting axed, she said.

Maio said she calculated the cuts based on the amount of money the agency is entitled to under a formula worked out by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.


Healy and Booker to discuss housing cuts

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy and Newark Mayor Cory Booker are scheduled to discuss federal cutbacks to local housing authorities during a joint appearance in Newark today.

The Jersey City Housing Authority recently announced it would lay off 50 workers, including maintenance staff, at his housing complexes. This follows cuts that were announced last year.

Healy and Booker will talk about the funding, which comes from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, at a senior housing site in Newark at noon

[Ninjahedge]

Maybe the intelligent thing to do would be to take soem cash and invest in training of some of the residents in these places to be able to do some of those jobs on their own?

If this is a disinvestment, they have to find some way to get the labor cheap, but also find some way to encourage the residents to take better care of the places they are living in.

There will always be repair costs in a building, but they would save a lot of money if they could stop vandalism and other sources for mistreatment. Also, providing training for some of these guys might be a good way to get them to unclog their own sink or toilet rather than wait 3 days for someone to come over...

(Not the BEST solution, but still...)

[LocoAko]

I'm a Junior at McNair right now. Too bad if the state hands back control I think it'll be my last year or I'll be out of the JCPS system by then, but it will still be a great accomplishment. The state people came and were roaming the building and sat in on a lot of our classes. We tried to make a good impression on them. :)

When MAHS was rated 15th in the nation by Newsweek, we had photographers come to the school. My photo appeared in Newsweek. It's terrible though. They have a lot of photos from my school, but I was doing a sit up and look very constipated and I was about to laugh because the photographer was all up in my face. Maybe you've seen it! :)



Ed board analyzes progress after visit to district

Monday, January 29, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

In what some are calling a historic event, the commissioners of the state Board of Education met in Jersey City earlier this month.

The 12 state board members, including state Department of Education Commissioner Lucille Davy, spent from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. meeting with students, principals, parents and local school board members on Jan. 17.

It was the first time since Jersey City became the state's first takeover district in 1989 that the state board members have met in one of the three state-run districts, officials said.

"We wanted to meet with the Jersey City district to learn more about the many great things the district is doing," said state Board Vice President Arcelio Aponte, who is also associate vice president for facilities and construction management at New Jersey City University.

"It was a historical event," Aponte added. "It enforced for me that Jersey City is making a lot of strides."

In his formal comments to the state board members, Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr. noted the "upward trend" of test scores, the district's 93 percent attendance rate, and the district being named a 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education winner for closing the achievement gap.

Two days after this meeting, the district turned another potentially historic corner. On Jan. 19, state-empowered education experts began pouring over district documents - the start of a process that could eventually return the state-run district to local control.

The process, known as Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC), will take several months and include school visits and interviews with teachers and principals, officials said.

The QSAC experts will analyze the district's performance in five areas - instruction and program, personnel, operations, governance, and fiscal, officials said. At the end of the process, Commissioner Davy could decide to keep the district state run or intervene only in the areas the district needs help, said Nicholas Duva, the district's associate superintendent for planning and development.

The soonest the district could return to local control is July 2008, since QSAC builds in a mandatory one year transition period, Duva said.

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

The 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education Awards were given to the top five most progressive school systems in the country for closing achievement gaps and improving test scores. Jersey City ranked in the top 5 actually tieing New York City for second and only behind Boston.

Also Jersey City consistanly has the best public school in the State of New Jersey called McNair Academic HS. It has been ranked top in the state for the past 10 years and was recently ranked 15th in the USA out of several hundred thousand highschools according to USA Today.

I have every right to be proud because well this is my city and my mother is a PS teacher and has been for over 25 years here in Jersey City! :)

[JCMAN320]

Is that all for Victory Hall?
Arts venue will be school instead

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer

The 103-year-old Victory Hall building on Grand Street, a venue for arts events in Downtown Jersey City, will morph this coming fall into a preschool affiliated with nearby Our Lady of Czestochowa (OLC) School on Luis Marin Boulevard.

Father Tom Iwanowski is the pastor of the OLC Church on Sussex Street whose parish includes the school and Victory Hall. Iwanowski said the school's preschool program, known as Little Harbor Academy, has seen tremendous enrollment growth in recent years projected to increase in the 2007-2008 school year. Victory Hall will be renamed Little Harbor Academy for the new school year.

"There will be some sadness to see Victory Hall no longer have the kinds of interesting arts and community-oriented events, but I think people understand that it's not be torn down for condos but will be for educational purposes," said Iwanowski.

The pastor said he broke the news around December to board members of Victory Hall, Inc., the non-profit organization formed in 2002 to organize and oversee the events in the building under a lease agreement with OLC.

Victory Hall Inc.'s lease runs out on Nov. 30 of this year, and the slate of classes and special events lasts until late June.

Last week board members and others who have enjoyed the use of the building also weighed in with sadness, yet understanding.

But the board members will be allowed to use the name "Victory Hall" for any future site they move into or build.

History of the building

Victory Hall was built in 1904 as a social hall for the Elks Club, whose headquarters was on the corner of York Street and Marin Boulevard, where currently the OLC School is located.

In 1919, the OLC Parish bought the Elks headquarters and Victory Hall. In 1929, the Elks building was replaced by the present school and later, Victory Hall was remodeled and became a center for parish social events.

Iwanowski said last week that the first two floors of Victory Hall are already used for Little Harbor Academy's classes, but the third floor was designated for Victory Hall, Inc.'s use.

But the jump in the preschool's enrollment over the past two years has created the demand for more space.

"You have all this development here in Downtown Jersey City with new families moving in, which is a blessing for OLC," said Iwanowski. "But it's interesting since the reason Victory Hall became the community center that we now know is because there was less use when the parish's population decreased."

In 1998, residents living near OLC who were involved in the arts approached the parish on making Victory Hall a place for cultural and artistic events. Renovation work was done on the neglected hall. By 2000, Victory Hall, Inc. was formed and by 2002, it started gaining a reputation as a cultural center that hosted a wide variety of events.

Iwanowski helped to get the 501c 3 started and he still serves on their board. He said Victory Hall welcomed those without deep pockets to hold their events.

"Some people may not know this, but we only charged a nominal fee because of all various groups who have come to us to hold events in Victory Hall," said Iwanowski.

A victory to be found by all

K.K. Sexton has been on the board for the past four years at Victory Hall and served most recently as the curator of the exhibit "American Diaspora: Transformations in an Age of Uncertainty" held there last fall.

She sees the change in the building's use as positive.

"We are sort of looking at this as an opportunity for the board," said Sexton. "This lights a fire under us and it makes us even think on a bigger level."

Sexton said meetings to discuss finding a new space comparable to Victory Hall are forthcoming.

Andrew Hubsch, another member of the Victory Hall, Inc. Board said he is also enthusiastic about a new Victory Hall site.

"Because of our good reputation, we have been progressing on discussions with City Councilmen Steven Fulop and Mariano Vega and [City Planner] Bob Cotter on where we are going," said Hubsch.

Vega said he looks forward to helping the Victory Hall Board in any way to find a new locale.

"They have done great work in the last couple of years in promoting the arts in Jersey City and I want to see that continue," said Vega.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

[JCMAN320]

Where'll Colgate clock end up?
$1 million for city is riding on answer that Goldman likes

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

If the historic Colgate clock had ears instead of arms, they would surely be ringing these days.

That's because the Jersey City landmark is silently at the center of a legal shell game between city lawyers, Goldman Sachs and the Colgate-Palmolive Co.

The clock was installed on the Colgate factory in 1906 and has most recently served as an icon of the city's industrial past - not to mention being the lone piece of advertising facing New York City.

Jersey City attorneys want the $1 million they argue was promised to them by Colgate in exchange for keeping the clock on the waterfront.

Colgate officials don't dispute the amount, but they do say the cash was contingent on relocating the clock from its current position on the south side of the Goldman building to the pier near Sussex Street, a plan that is now facing opposition from Goldman Sachs officials - who say onlookers might think the clock and its logo signify their prestigious building is owned by Colgate.

City officials barred Goldman Sachs from putting its own logo on its building, the state's tallest.

But in order for the city to collect, it must play the role as mediator - or even potential litigator - between Goldman and Colgate.

One likely scenario is a collaborative effort to turn the current site into a park, paying homage to the city's industrial past and to the country's military veterans, as well as providing a home for the clock.

If that does not materialize, the city appears willing to put more legal muscle into relocating the clock.

Goldman officials - intent on making their displeasure known to Colgate - are quick to remind the company when the clock is not telling the accurate time, which happens enough that Colgate has hired a part-time employee to swing by the clock several times a day.

In fact, when this newspaper's photographer was taking photos yesterday, a voice from inside the clock yelled, "It's off by a couple minutes. It's going to take about an hour before it's telling the right time."

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

My opinion is that it should stay where it is as part of the proposed park that shall be called Veterans Park. On the master plan map that location is referred to as "Future Veterans Park". I hope it stays because just like the Coca-Cola sign in LIC, this pays homage to our industrail past and has been a fixture in the Jersey City skyline since the early 20th century.

[macmini]

Once and Future Journal Square
LONG AWAITED

The 1.5-acre site in Journal Square in Jersey City where two skyscrapers will hold 1,000 units of housing, a new retail center and five floors of parking. Construction is expected to start later this year.

Originally appeared in The New York Times on 01/28/07
By ANTOINETTE MARTIN

JERSEY CITY

JOURNAL SQUARE — which was once the centerpiece of vibrant downtown — slouched into seediness after the mass defection of middle-class families to the suburbs more than a half-century ago.

It has been waiting ever since for a comeback, at least in the view of those who knew it when. And that group would certainly include Lowell Harwood, 77, who as a boy helped out at a busy parking lot on Journal Square, and jostled through crowds to get to the movies at one of three grand theaters there.

Now Mr. Harwood, the managing partner of his family's third-generation firm, Harwood Properties, is engineering the hoped-for comeback.

Last month, city officials unanimously approved Harwood Properties' plan to revitalize an entire city block that had fallen into decrepitude and gone onto fast-food heaven. (Mc-Donald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a small Mexican restaurant occupy three prominent storefronts where a hotel, a bakery and an old-style cafeteria once thrived.)
Two residential skyscrapers would anchor the "new" block with more than 1,000 units, a retail center, five floors of parking, a rooftop fitness center — and even a rooftop dog run.
"We're going to bring it back," Mr. Harwood said. From his" company's eighth-floor office in the building next to The Jersey Journal, the newspaper for which the square is named, he looked down at the 1.5-acre site across the street, Journal Square Plaza.

"All the excitement," he added. "The people on the streets. It will be a renaissance like in New York City neighborhoods, in Harlem and other places you would have never thought people would be dying to move into again."

Right now, parts of the Journal Square plan are in flux — especially the issue of whether to build two towers right away, or build one at a time, and the question of condominiums versus rentals.

"We're leaning toward building the bigger tower first — 545 feet and 51 stories," Mr. Harwood said. "We're leaning toward more rentals than condos, given the market right now — but we're just leaning, not decided, because the market changes all the time."
Scott Harwood, Mr. Harwood's nephew, who is a partner in the company, said the final decision about condos or rentals might not come until the start of construction later this year. The company is working to persuade various current tenants in several buildings — purchased in 2005 from a developer whose rehab plans had fizzled — to relocate.
Besides the fast-food restaurants, there are a number of dollar stores and check-cashing joints. The Harwoods, though, are looking for more upscale shops for the two floors of retailing in their new complex. "We would also like to get a grocery store in the building," the senior Mr. Harwood said.

They see the future Journal Square as an urban neighborhood, populated by young professionals, many commuting to Wall Street and Midtown.

The residential towers will consist mostly of one-bedroom units, with some studios and two-bedrooms, Lowell Harwood said. Neither purchase prices nor rental rates have been determined yet, he said. But he added that he expected a typical one- bedroom to rent for roughly $2,000 a month.

Each unit will have a washer-dryer and hardwood floors. There will be ample parking in the building — 674 spaces, to be built on floors above the retail level but below the residential towers. And most apartments will have far-reaching views taking in the Statue of Liberty, the Hudson River and some part of the Manhattan skyline, Mr. Harwell said.
The Harwood site is adjacent to the Journal Square Transportation Center, where commuter bus lines operate, and an adjoining PATH train station. The train ride is 12 minutes to the World Trade Center and 20 minutes to Penn Station.

The site also abuts the four-story Hudson Community College building on Sip Avenue.
Journal Square was once home to three highly ornate movie palaces —the Loew's Theater, the Stanley Theater and the State Theater — all within two or three blocks of the redevelopment site.

Four years ago, the State Theater was demolished and a new 12-story, 130-unit apartment building rose on n the site — the first new structure at Journal Square in more than 20 years. Harwood Properties was one of a group of local developers that were partners on the project.

"The one-bedroom units there were snapped up, and today the building is fully leased," Mr. Harwood said, "which is why we are going to put predominantly one-bedroom units in this development."

The Journal Square redevelopment effort started almost a decade before the State Theater project, with the busy PATH station as the catalyst. In 1999, a pedestrian area was created to set the area off, featuring fountains, old-fashioned lampposts and a statue of Jackie Robinson, who made his debut as the first black player in professional baseball in a game at Jersey City's old Roosevelt Stadium in 1946.

The Harwood family business began in Manhattan, in the 1920s, when Lowell's grandparents, Wolfe and Sarah Harwood, bought a trolley car garage and transformed it into an automobile garage.

The business went on to acquire 35 New York City parking lots, then lost them all during the Depression.

In 1936 Lowell's mother, Laura, decided to rent a parking lot in Jersey City — the one where Lowell worked as a boy — and the Harwoods went on to become deeply entrenched in Jersey City real estate and development.

Today, Mr. Harwood runs his business with Scott and another nephew, Brett Harwood. He has built a number of large commercial and residential buildings in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia.

In addition to the Journal Square project, he and a partner are working on plans to build a mixed-use residential building at the southwest corner of 44th Street and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan.

[wander118]

Once and Future Journal Square
LONG AWAITED

The 1.5-acre site in Journal Square in Jersey City where two skyscrapers will hold 1,000 units of housing, a new retail center and five floors of parking. Construction is expected to start later this year.


Wow, I know I'm biased because I live in the direct area, but this is really the development that I'm most excited about. good article, thanks!

[JCMAN320]

I can't wait just because this is something that will benefit the city as a whole since every bus line in the city goes to JSQ and it is the heart of Jersey City that will be revived with the boundless oprotunities for imporved businesses in the area and the two beautiful movie palaces that help anchor the square. Along with the beautifully restored Hudson County courthouse and the JC Justice Complex, JSQ is where people from all ove Hudson County and Jersey City come to just in their daily lives. To have such a developlment like this right in the middle of it all can do nothing but help JC and Hudson County!!!!!

Let's get this mother built ASAP!!!! Im opinion this along with the Medical Center are the two most exciting developments in JC because it will improve the midtown section of JC!!

[ianmac47]

Even with this development though it will be quite some time before the area really has a major transition. That being said the towers and the Beacon will obvious act as two polar anchors, but I think there will need to be some other real heavy investment before the area becomes the little yuppie haven that the article claims the towers will bring.

[ianmac47]

Im opinion this along with the Medical Center are the two most exciting developments in JC because it will improve the midtown section of JC!!

There are two big obstacles to this. First, transportation. Second, the disconnect in the areas between Bergeline Ave and the Turnpike.

Other than the PATH, the transportation in the square is awful. Further, The Beacon is too far away from mass transit, and because of the way the development is going in there, its going to be a rather closed community. Beacon residents won't ever have to leave the Beacon property once the whole thing comes together, and when they do leave, it will be on those little Beacon Jitneys.

What I'm getting at is that the city needs to start considering some alternative mass transit options in the JFK / Bergenline Ave corridor. I'd suggest actually that a southern subway line be dug from Exchange place underneath either Montgomery or Grand Streets (then to Fairmont) up to Bergenline and then run it south into Bayonne, or North to Union City

A southern route subway isn't so crazy if you consider Liberty Harbor will be adding a whole lot of folks who at the southern or south western end will be 8 to 14 blocks from Grove Street. A line up Grand or Montgomery Streets would cut that distance in half while negating the need for the Beacon to run Jitneys, assuming there was a station adjacent to the Beacon either on Montgomery or Fairmount.


Secondly, the areas between Montgomery and Sip east towards the downtown really need to be redeveloped to connect the square with the downtown. There are vacant lots, project housing and suburban style neighborhoods in between there; none of those things are beneficial to creating an urban environment. They isolate the square and the beacon from the downtown. For most downtowners, Jersey City ends at Brunswick Street. That means the money and investment ends there too.

Probably the solution that would be most successful would be to replace the existing projects on Montgomery with high rise towers with retail bases, and rezone Mercer and Wayne Streets west of the turnpike for higher density.

[JCMAN320]

I understand what your getting at but its going to be tough to do a subway line and not to mention expensive because the Palisades part of JC is solid rock. You dig 500 ft down and it's solid rock, that's why Harwood couldn't put the parking underneath the towers and has to incorporate them in the building itself.

Right now if you look at a map the three major roads that connect midtown and downtown JC are Montgomery, Newark, and Grand. Newark is the best because of all the retail, courthouse, schools, and just about seemless connection to midtown. I agree that Montgomery st. holds the greatest potential. The Montgomery Gardens towers and the suburban 1950's neighrborhood acorss from it replaced and industrial neighborhood of warehouse and laundry factories in the 60s.

The mass transit isn't bad at all. There is a taxi stand at McGinley Square Park; which is currently under going renovation; the Montgomery-Westside; and Newport Mall buses run right past the Beacon and have at stops at each corner of the complex on the corner of Baldwin and Montgomery St. and Mill Rd and Montgomery St. Also the Number 80 bus turns off of Montgomery on Bergen Ave.(not Bergenline thats Union City) and continues to JSQ along Bergen then down to Exchange Place. Also the Bergen Ave. bus runs along Bergen Ave to JSQ. All this makes the Beacon accesible to mass transit just because its a city bus and not lightrail or subway does not make it a lesser alternative.

Also that is very sad that people who live in Downtown feel it ends at Brunswick because on top of the Palisades are great neighborhoods that desreved to explored. The Heights right above Hoboken is a great middle class neighborhood with Central Ave as its main shopping corridor, the West Side; my "hood" is extremely diverse and enegergetic with beautiful Lincoln PArk right in it's heart; and JSQ and McGinley Square and hell even Lafayette is turning around and it is a very, very historic neighborhood that I cannot stress enough with Liberty State Park along side it. Hop on the lightrail to explore these neighborhoods.

Also when people JC isn't cohesive, they better be only talking about Downtown where yes along the Waterfront there are areas that need work and it's happening but the rest of the city for the most part is fuill of great neighborhoods that are very cohesive and extremely urban. Hell there are many parts of Brooklyn that are less refined and cohesive then Jersey City

In closing Ianmac I agree with you on many things and feel your same passion but buses are fesiable hell they had worked for me most of my life before the lightrail was built and I do wish a subway could be built but it is so expensive and the hard rock of Palisades make it extremely expensive to bore through. One only has too look at the PATH cut on either side of JSQ to see how tought that rock is.

A better alternative would be to take the 6th St. embankment and run the light rail along their with stops at Jersey and Newark Ave. and then continue it through the Bergen Arches with a big stop at the Hudson County Courthouse which would be used for students at Dickenson High, the Courthouse, the southern section of the Heights and for JSQ considering it would be a short jaunt from the JSQ transportation center; then extend it out to Secaucus Junction. Then at the same time use the very wide Christopher Columbus Dr; once know as Railroad Ave for the large elevated trackes above it that took trains to Jersey City Penn Station; and the lightrail above it or along it's middle with stops along the way and turn it to run up Montgomery St to Mcginly Square. Somethings like those would go along way.

[LincolnParkResident]

Give me a break, not only is the cost more than this city can afford, it is unrealistic, look at the 2nd Avenue Subway line in NYC and the funding for years they have been trying to do.

Most likely in time, just like Society Hill has there will be a bus line committed to it as well which will run in some type of loop. And Port Liberte is the same way for non rush hour times.

[wander118]

The distance between jsq and the beacon is really over stated. Its only about a 15 minute walk. I live farther south on bergen ave, and it only takes me that much time. If Beacon residents walk up to bergen ave (3 blocks), you can catch a number of buses (5 min ride) to jsq.

anyone have any info on the proposed St. Peter's College improvement plan?
http://www.jcedc.org/saintpeterscollegeareaimprovementos.html

I know they're working on the mcginley square park right now, but i haven't heard anything else about the parking structure/retail space next to the armory.

[ianmac47]

A subway line is certainly not a quick or cheap solution. At the very least, it would probably take ten years of planning and another ten or twenty for financing and construction. Yet, its probably also an essential project to undertake.

There is not doubt that the Jersey City coast has experienced dramatic growth, and much of that was only possible because of the PATH system. While ferries and buses carry a significant number of people into Manhattan everyday, the PATH provides a permanent, frequent, and continuous connection between New York and Jersey City and is the one trait that distinguishes Jersey City and Hoboken from the rest of the New Jersey Hudson Coast. Further, the subway connection is what makes Jersey City an alternative to Brooklyn, Queens, or Harlem. Edgewater, Union City, Fort Lee—these cities are all very close to Manhattan and have bus and ferry services, but none of them have a subway link to Manhattan.

Development downtown is quickly filling the PATH to capacity at peak times. Already the downtown has another 15 or 20 thousand residential units planned, proposed or under construction, and more on the way. This all very good news for Jersey City. It means more money is coming in to the city, the population is growing and there is more investment. But once the downtown land is filled, one of two things will happen. Either prices and rents will rise dramatically as demand far outstrips supply, or development will move west. But in order for development to keep moving west, there needs to be adequate transportation to move people in and out of Jersey City, primarily to and from Manhattan.

Furthermore, new developments in Newark and Harrison are over the next few years going to add thousands of riders to the WTC-NWK PATH line. If PATH trains leave Newark all filled up, there won’t be room for passengers from Jersey City to get on the train. Already many peak trains are filled to capacity. More and longer trains are not really the solution because the rail system is already running trains very close together.

Since subway planning and construction is such a long process, its something that needs to be thought about and considered now, not in ten or twenty years when it will be apparent that the PATH is inadequate to handle the volume of people coming to Jersey City. As I said, a subway line is at a minimum a multi-decade long process. Waiting until the subway line is needed before considering to build it means a much longer period when transportation is under capacitated.

Buses are a viable alternative for a time. However, buses have a much lower capacity than a subway train. Buses typical can handle 50 to 60 passengers, while subway rail cars 160 to 180. Already JFK Boulevard is clogged with jitney buses. The Beacon plans on running its own jitney service on top of all the other private services already out there. The Beacon is going to add thousands of people, and their jitney buses, while aesthetically pleasing are far to small to really be able to move all the residents in and out of the complex at peak times. Further, the intersection at the Grove Street PATH is already under capacitated to handle the amount of bus traffic that comes in and out of there. The square really isn’t much better. Anyway, the point is that yes, buses are a useful form of transportation, but they offer too little capacity to be effective as future development comes to Jersey City.

I do agree a light rail ling down Sixth Street is another necessary project. The area on the western end of Hamilton Park—Division, Monmouth streets are quite far from the PATH trains. And yes, the Bergen Arches absolutely should carry commuter rail lines again. A light rail through the Bergen arches could do a lot to bring more reinvestment to the Heights.

Further, a light rail line running west could continue out over the Hackensack River parallel to route 7 into North Arlington with a terminus at the Garden State Parkway. Route 7 is a huge avenue for commuters coming from the Parkway to cut through to Jersey City and the Holland tunnel. Surely, at least some of those drivers would take a light rail train if that was an option.

In regards to the division between the downtown and everything west of Brunswick, I think there is quite a bit at play there. In part, it’s the fact that there is a clear economic divide between ‘new’ downtown residents and most of the rest of Jersey City. This is most dramatic along Montgomery where there are housing projects abutting up against brownstones. But its also true along Newark Avenue as well.

But its not just a socio-economic issue. I think actually geography is working against the western half of the city, primarily the Palisades. Steep hills do not encourage people to walk between the downtown and the heights. Combine that with the perception of higher crime, as well as dilapidated buildings, there really is little incentive for downtowners to venture west on foot. And if a downtowner is getting on the subway, they probably go to Manhattan, and if they get in a car, its probably to Paramus or Edgewater.

And yes, I agree, that the downtown neighborhoods in some cases are sort of these cold, hollow, soulless places. I have to say Paulus Hook surprises me in this sense; on a Saturday afternoon there is just nothing going on in the streets. I’ll be walking around there and won’t see anyone else for blocks and blocks. And obviously Newport has a certain corporate not quite lived in yet feel to it. I think though some of this disconnected will be corrected over time. Two years ago, Paulus Hook, Newport and Grove Street had big empty parking lots between them. There was no pedestrian friendly streetscape. In a year, Washington Commons, Athena, Columbus Plaza and Grove Pointe will connect those neighborhoods with actually people. Trump and 111 First will follow shortly afterward. So I think that is changing rapidly, and within the next five years the streetscapes will really come to life downtown.

[tbal]

I am sure hoping that we see the construction begin this year on at least one of those towers...I'll be ready with my camera as soon as I see some activity at the site!

I agree with wander118 that this is the most exciting development in JC right now. Those towers are going to stand out so amazingly as you drive down the Turnpike on the way to the Holland Tunnel!!

[JCMAN320]

Ianmac I agree with you that they should plan now for the future. Just a correction as well; we have city buses running in 90&#37; of the city not jinteys. They are long city buses just like the MTA, but run by NJTransit and Red&Tan companies. Jitneys serve most of the North Hudson area and some areas of the Heights but for the most part JC has regular city bus service so does Bayonne and Hoboken and Weehakwen with many many different bus routes that run over the old street trolley routes.

As for just saying housing projects next to brownstones give people the wrong image. They are not towers they are actually built to fit in the exitsing brownstone strucutures they are just public housing. The only towers left in JC are Montgomery Gardens, which are no where near brownstones, and half of the Duncan Projects. They are not many dilipated buildings left around the housing projects and if there is they will most likely be renovated of get knocked down but their seems to be a renovation momvement of exitising homes around McGinley Square and the area around the Beacon. I'am also sure that the spruce up of homes and businesses is being spurred by the Becon. Public housing is neccesary and what JC has been doing by replacing projects with low-mid income family homes that people own is a model that has proved succesful in Europe and I'm suprised is not being practiced in NYC quite fankly. If it is I apologize and I applaud NYC.

I don't mean to be touchy, but I want to portray the city as accurate as possible and is really not bad at all in most areas as I'm sure JC posters on here know. You have your good and bad areas like any city; more good then bad.

[cromdur]

I've used JC public transportation all my life and have found it to be extremely convenient. Buses running on west side ave take you to downtown or journal square. A subway in JC wouldn't add to this convenience. Extending the light rail through the bergen arches is also not a good idea. Many people, including myself, love the natural beauty of the arches (a one mile long valley cut into the Palisades) and wish for it to become a park. The lowest point in the arches is 85 feet, which is almost nine stories. You'd need an elevator for commuters to reach a station there. The arches end near the tonnelle circle by rout 1&9. This isn't a pedestrian friendly area and the neighborhoods surrounding the circle already have access to buses and the privately run shuttles.
As for running the light rail over the 6th street embankments, many people would rather have this space turned into passive space. You can google the embankments and view some neighborhood run sites with rendering of what an embankment park would look like. Jersey City is small. Out of the top 100 cities with populations over 100,000, Jersey city has the smallest land area (square miles). I can walk from my apartment on kensington and JFK and be on central ave within 30 minutes or in JSQ in 15 minutes. If anything, JC needs more buses connecting greenville, the heights, downtown, and west side. A person living on ocean ave is hard pressed to find a reliable means of transportation taking them to newport, central ave, or the shops on west side.
I would like to hear what other opinions on JC transportation.

[tbal]

I see some really great points made in the above posts....I agree that we definitely have to plan now...just look at how long it took to get THE Tunnel rolling, which won't be ready until around 2016 even though its been in the works for ten years already.

I think perhaps one of the most feasible solutions would be to have a new set of tracks running underground, parallel to the existing tracks on Columbus Drive (and entering the underground at the same point), but running direct to the area where the tracks become divided between exchange place/wtc and newport/hoboken/midtown manhattan, so that you have one set of tracks dedicated solely to a Newark/WTC line and a parallel set of tracks dedicated solely to a JSQ/Midtown line. This would nearly double capacity at the Grove and Newport stations with trains running much more frequently. Of course, you would need to eliminate direct service from Hoboken to Midtown to do this, but you could have Hoboken riders transfer at Newport for Midtown trains...:D

[JCMAN320]

Great ideas hopefully something will get done. I would love to see the 6th Street embankement turned into a park but look if you look at the map below, its the perfect spot for the lighrail to run and residents have been calling for a while now to have the lighrail extend up towards the Square and the Bergen Arches are perfect and they can build an elevator they did it at the 9th Congress St. station, it can be done again. The line would run from the large white line between the Newport and Harsiumus Cove stop west along 6th St. along the embankment turn Northwest throught the Bergen Arches parallel to NJ 139 and to Secaucus Junction. I would like a stop at Marin Blvd, Jersey Ave., and a large one to serve the courthouse area possibly at Baldwin Ave, then end it at SCJCT. It would also help to allevate some crowding on the PATH especially since PATH will be reaching critical mass within 10-20 years probably shorter. The line would be great!


The Heights area will be served by 2nd St. soon as well because the Cliffs buildings is also recreating the famed 100 steps that JC had leading from the Heights down to Hoboken so people will be able to walk down to that station from the Heights and it won't metal and windy like the one in Weehawken, it will be concrete and straight shot down to the station.

My opinion on what they should do with PATH is the following: build another station Downtown somewhere bwtn Brunswick and Jersey Ave. and I agree with Mayor Healy for having one at Westside Ave. in Marion right before it heads over the Hackensack River. The Harrison station will have to be expanded to accomdate new Harrison Metro Center and the new Red Bulls Park. Of course extend it to Newark Liberty Airport to give people a choice weather they want commuter rail or PATH and again it will ease up congestion on trains. Finally a study should be done to see if PATH can build a third tunnel under the Hudson River bwtn The Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan PATH line and put it throught to the east side of Manhattan then run it north to Grand Central like they has orginally planned the 33rd St. line to go. All this will take more than my life time to happen but it needs to happen because the litte subway that could is going to be the little subway that is bulging at its sides!

All of what I said and suggested can be interpeted throught this map http://www.njtransit.com/images/hblr_06.gif. People just look at that map and see how great transit network we have and that doesn't even begin to show all the bus routes and don't forget the taxis too.

From wikipedia.org:"Of all Jersey City commuters, 8.17&#37; walk to work, and 40.26% take public transit. This is the third highest percentage of public transit riders of any city with a population of 100,000+ in the United States, behind only New York City and Cambridge, Massachusetts and ahead of Washington, D.C."

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

Here below is another great idea the city has and is primarilly aimed at Greenville were most of these homes are located.

New ideas for eyesores
City moves to identify abandoned properties

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 01/28/2007

If an abandoned three-story apartment building has become an eyesore for all the neighbors, can the city do anything if it's privately owned?

Jersey City is looking to fix that problem with its recent establishment of an "abandoned property list" and an officer with the responsibility of identifying all abandoned properties.

The purpose of the list is to identify abandoned properties, then get control for rehabilitation and reuse if the owners aren't able to do so.

City Housing Code Enforcement Officer Ed Coleman was designated as the officer in charge of creating the list, which will include block and lot numbers, the street address, owner of property, and reason for designating property as abandoned.

Coleman reports directly to the director of Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce (HEDC), Barbara Netchert every six months about the status of the properties listed. Netchert in turn will report directly to Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

"This is a mechanism that cities can use to get these buildings back into contributing to their cities," said Netchert. "[The properties will be] back on the tax rolls, back as homes for people who need places to live, which improve their neighborhoods."

State law was signed

In January of 2004, Gov. James McGreevey signed into law the "Abandoned Properties Rehabilitation Act," helping municipalities to gain control of abandoned properties to get productive use of them.

The act sets down criteria on how municipalities should define abandoned properties.

The building must have been vacant for 6 months. It also must meet one other condition such as: The need for rehabilitation; possessing nuisance conditions; or having tax delinquency. It applies to both buildings and vacant lots.

It also calls for various means by which municipalities can take hold of abandoned buildings such as special tax sales, accelerated foreclosures, and the ability to petition the court for possession.

Owners get a chance first

But before a city or town can get control of an abandoned building, the court has to give the opportunity to the owner and any holders of tax liens on the property to demonstrate they will carry out renovation in a timely fashion.

If the owners aren't able to do the renovations, then the municipality can seek compensation from the owner and embark on renovations.

According to Netchert, the HEDC was hoping to get the list started late last year after the City Council approved the concept in November. But with the holiday season and other business, it was only this month that work began.

Netchert said getting this list done is a "priority" set down by Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

Netchert said that abandoned properties can be sold at auction to developers, but also to non-profit groups for possible affordable and low-income housing.

Healy offered comment by e-mail through his spokesperson, Maria Pignataro, stating the goal of rehabbing abandoned buildings is to "ameliorate the multiple negative effects that abandoned properties have on the areas surrounding them, and restore the properties to productive use."

Pignataro also said that research provided to the mayor's office done about a little over a year ago found that "at least 140 abandoned properties" exist in Jersey City.

She said the majority are located in an area bounded by Communipaw, McAdoo, Garfield, and Bergen avenues.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

[ianmac47]

Yes, I know JC has mostly city buses. But running north-south on JFK the jitneys must out number legitimate buses 5 to 1. There are also a large number that come through Grove Street. In either case, my whole point is that whether its a 55 passenger urban bus or 20 passenger jitney, both lack the capacity needed for a major city. Even articulated buses only carry 80 people or so, compared to the R142 cars the PATH will soon be running that have a capacity around 180.

As far as the Bergen Arches, yes, you would need an elevator. This would not be different than Congress / 9nth Street in Hoboken / The heights or deep subway stations. Installing rail tracks is a much better idea than a multi-lane highway that has been considered in the past for the arches. Its impractical for to be a natural park, since after all, its 85 feet down.

Further, while I know lots of people living around the embankment want to see that turned into a park, I doubt this is realistic. First of all, knocking down the embankment and building a ground level park is expensive. Leaving the embankment and putting an elevated park in doesn't address the fact that the embankment is a bad urban streetscape, and arguable, an eyesore. On the other hand, using it for light rail service would bring some badly needed transportation to the area-- in essence, sixth Street is the farthest area from PATH stations at Newport or Grove Street, roughly an equal distance either way.

[ManhattanKnight]

February 3, 2007

After Crash, Police Hiring in Jersey City Is Questioned

By JONATHAN MILLER

JERSEY CITY, Feb. 2 — Jersey City was in need of police officers in December 2005, and the news had filtered down to an officer in Middletown Township, N.J., who was looking for a fresh start.

The officer, Kevin Freibott, approached his chief in Middletown with a transfer form, a gesture that was met with little surprise. Officer Freibott was fired from the department there in 2001 after a car accident outside a bar and grill in Atlantic Highlands in which he was driving with an expired license. Although he was reinstated after petitioning the state, he received a six-month suspension.

“He took a big, whopping suspension,” said his former chief, Robert Oches. “I bet in his mind he felt his career dead-ended here.”

That was not the only blot on Officer Freibott’s record. In an interview this week, a former police chief in Jersey City said that investigators were aware of the spotty record of Officer Freibott — who now faces charges of aggravated manslaughter, assault by auto and drunken driving from a crash last month on the Pulaski Skyway — but saw no reason not to hire him. The city’s business administrator, who had the authority to block the hire, has since said that if he had known about the officer’s past, he might have raised questions about putting him on the force.

Officer Freibott’s history included seven accidents, six moving violations and three license suspensions, including a drunken-driving violation in 1988 and the revocation of his license for failure to comply with a drug and alcohol program.

But Jerramiah T. Healy, the mayor of Jersey City and a second cousin of Mr. Freibott’s, had just won a four-year term and was in the middle of an effort to put more officers on the streets of his rapidly gentrifying city.

In the past two years he has added 250 officers, bringing the force to more than 1,000.

Most of those officers have been new recruits, but officials say that since 2001, 12 officers, including Officer Freibott, have been hired through a process known in New Jersey as “intergovernmental transfers” — moves from one municipality to another.

“The staffing levels had reached historic lows,” said the former Jersey City chief, Robert A. Troy, who lives about a half-mile from Mr. Freibott in Middletown. “The situation was critical. Beyond critical.”

Mayor Healy said the city benefited from hiring officers who wanted to transfer. “You get an experienced police officer who’s gone through the training, who’s already ready to hit the streets running, and we don’t have to take the time, effort or money to send those officers through the academy,” he said.

So in December 2005, Officer Freibott was hired in spite of his spotty record. He was placed on the midnight shift in the North District.

Officer Freibott seemed to be doing fine until this year, on Jan. 23, when after an evening in New York and a stop in Jersey City, he pulled his Jeep Cherokee onto the Pulaski Skyway, the highway that connects Jersey City with Newark.

It was 11 p.m., and he was traveling about 70 miles per hour, about 25 m.p.h. over the speed limit, the authorities said. And, they said, his blood-alcohol level was at least three times the legal drinking limit. About 500 feet beyond the Broadway on-ramp, he rear-ended a Pontiac Grand Am carrying four people, crashing it into the median, where it flipped, killing a 2-year-old boy and critically injuring his mother. The boy, his mother and his father were visiting from Honduras, and a Jersey City man was driving the Grand Am. The two men in the car were not hurt.

Officer Freibott, 39, was charged with aggravated manslaughter, assault by automobile and driving while intoxicated. He could face a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted. For now he has been suspended without pay. He is also being investigated by his own department, since he was out on sick leave when the crash occurred.

Now questions are being asked about how an officer with such a spotty history could end up on the police force of the second-largest city in New Jersey.

On Friday, the family of the 2-year-old victim, José Carlos Zelaya, had legal papers served on officials here in the first step of a plan to sue the mayor, Jersey City and the police chief. The child’s mother, Ruth Zelaya, 37, remains in a coma at Jersey City Medical Center. In a news conference, the family’s lawyer, Samuel L. Davis, said Officer Freibott “should have never been allowed to be on the Jersey City Police Department.”

“They did not do certain tests that were required,” Mr. Davis said, adding that some Jersey City police officers whom he declined to identify said they had advised superiors not to hire Officer Freibott after seeing his file.

A spokesman for Jersey City said that the city should not be held responsible for the actions of an off-duty officer.

John A. Young Jr., the lawyer for Officer Freibott, said, “I’m not going even to begin to respond to another lawyer’s allegation regarding unnamed sources.”

Michael D. White, an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, and a former deputy sheriff, said: “Most police departments throughout the country are short-handed, and they’re in the process of having to actively recruit. If you have a thin applicant pool, and you have someone to fill, you might need to be a little more lenient than if you had a bigger applicant pool.”

But many officials in Jersey City insist that despite his record, Officer Freibott was right for the job. “Good hire? Yes,” said Mr. Troy, the former chief, who retired in July. “I think he was a good cop.”

He added that “there was no legal reason or moral reason not to allow Officer Freibott to serve in Jersey City,” and that the mayor had exerted no pressure to hire him.

Mayor Healy said he was unaware of the officer’s driving record and his dismissal from the Middletown force. “I really don’t see the officer often at all,” he said. “Maybe once a year at a wedding.”

But in the end, the business administrator in Jersey City, Brian O’Reilly, who is responsible for signing off on all municipal hires and who approved Officer Freibott’s application, said he never saw the officer’s record, even though he should have, nor was he aware of his relationship with the mayor.

“If those findings were attached — or his driving record or his revocation of driving record, or his revocation of employment — was attached,” Mr. O’Reilly said, “one question I would directly ask to the person who did the interview: ‘Is this a person we would want in our organization?’ ”

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

[cromdur]

The Bergen arches are accessible from Franco Field on 8th street. One just has to walk under the turnpike overpasses. An elevator leading down into the valley for a light rail stop conveniences mainly JSQ residents. Heights residents would have to cross route 139. My point about this is what is convenient for pedestrians. The embankments are currently being fought over. The person who owns them wants to demolish the structures and build a series of two family homes. A park on these structures would add a new dynamism to the Harsimus cove area. A light rail running on top would be more of an eyesore than the embankments themselves. A subway in JC would have to benefit the entire city in order to make it worth it. Spending billions of dollars and years of construction to accommodate downtown commuters and residents is irresponsible. Granted, something has to be done to provide a reliable transit system to JC residents. But no one here is taking into account the rest of JC and its need to be connected with the thriving commercial districts in the heights and downtown. Without taking these neighborhoods into account a discussion on a subway would be limited in scope and not worth the expense.

[ianmac47]

I never meant to suggest that Sixth Street Light rail would be on the embankment, but rather that the embankments be razed and the right of way be used for light rail. Additionally, light rail stops at Central or Palisades Ave would be accessible to Heights area residents on the southern end. Crossing the upper level of 139 is not that difficult. School children do it all the time. Further, since such a rail line would cross two congressional districts, there would be two congressional members fighting for federal money for construction.

Furthermore, a subway or light rail, or both, would not be funded by the city but rather by various transportation authorities-- NJTransit, Port Authority, ect, so there really is no reason for major projects to be beneficial to the "entire" city. The city would pay little if anything at all. The state or the transit agency would be contributing money with the addition of federal grants. And on top of that, better transportation would benefit the entire county, not just the city, even if residents in other parts of the city never even took advantage of the new rail lines. Both suggestions would lead to higher property values along the routes, meaning a greater portion of property tax revenue coming from those properties. That would benefit the whole county since the county also collects property taxes. It would also benefit the state by attracting higher income earners to the connected areas, thus the state would collect more in income taxes.

[JCMAN320]

Ianmac you must be really mistaken. From JSQ through the Heights and North Hudson it is mostly jitneys, but the 10 runs from JSQ along JFK down to Bayonne and the 99S runs along JFK and goes from Bayonne along to the Lincoln Tunnel. From JSQ south on JFK its all city buses on JFK. Westside Ave has city buses, Bergen Ave has city buses, Central Ave has city buses, etc.... Jitneys take care of the Heights bro. Please get the facts straight.

You make a great point about the lighrail line and as for crossing 129 the new renovation that is underway of it will add and ehance pedestrian corssing and Ian your right it's not that difficult at all.

I don't think the Sixth St. embankment is an eyesore at all. It was built at the turn of the 20th century by a great engineer called James J. Ferris (Ferris highschool is named after him). I mean to find someone to lay those stones now would be impossible and its solid and had 8 tracks running over it.

JC was always a railroad town at the railroads peak, the railroads owned 1/3 of the land in JC!!!

You need to know the history of this great city to fully appreciate it.

[ianmac47]

My calculation of Jitneys Vs NJTransit buses is merely anecdotal, not quantitative sampling. South of the Square you are probably right that there are more buses. But north of the square there certainly seems to be more jitneys.

As far as the embankment, its all a matter of aesthetic opinion. I don't much care for it. If I lived across the street from it, I don't think I'd care to stare at a stone wall. But I don't live across the street from it. I do walk by it frequently though, and as a pedestrian its very oppressive and I would even say threatening, at least at night. I think its highly unlikely also that all of the embankment will ever become a park. Most will probably become low rise housing, and some small pieces might eventually be turned into a park as a concession for building on the property.

I do understand that most of the downtown was at one time, essentially a giant rail yard. And today much of the city is still defined by its access to rails. And I do believe that there are many historic structures worth preserving and readapting. The powerhouse for instance. But I think the land beneath the embankment would serve a much better purpose not being a giant stone wall, particularly in the state that its in at present. To this end I think converting it into a functional mass transit alternative to an area that could benefit from more mass transit is a worthwhile goal. Making it an elevated park--no, I think thats an awful idea. Making it a street level park-- sure, that might be nice, but not very economically feasible, and perhaps not really necessary since Hamilton park is two blocks to the north. Housing is another alternative-- the demand is there, the population and the growth are coming, whether local neighborhood residents want it to come or not. Activists can fight the housing coming to the embankment, but they are probably the first to complain when their rents go up, when they can't afford real estate in the area anymore. That is happening in part because demand is greater than supply. A light rail line means more housing to the west of the downtown will have greater access to New York and the waterfront-- in essence, increasing housing supply to match demand. Flattening the embankment for a park just means a few people who own property around the embankment get a pretty green lawn to increase their property values and that everyone else who rents in the area gets hefty increases because instead of looking at a stone wall, they're looking at a park. And then on top of that, areas to the west still lack the convenient transportation that drives the real estate market downtown.

[tbal]

I decided to do something different for once by going over to downtown Manhattan to take some shots of how Jersey City looks from the other side of the river (sorry for the crappy quality in some of the photos - I need to get a better lense I guess)....

Here's a look at Harborside Plaza 5 with Columbus Tower I to the left and Trump rising to the right:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/4.jpg

Check out the impact Trump and Athena are having on the skyline (keep in mind that Trump Tower I is only at 2/5 of its final height in this photo):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/1-62.jpg

Athena Tower does a nice job of filling in a large gap that used to exist:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/3.jpg

My fingers are crossed for the construction of the Metropolitan - this tower will fill in the last large gap on the Jersey City waterfront (Athena Tower is on the far left and The Westin Jersey City Hotel is on the far right, rising behind Newport Office Center VII):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/6.jpg

A look at the ever-expanding Newport area, with the Shore Club North Tower rising in the far right side of the photo:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/2.jpg

And a final look at the overall rapidly growing skyline (minus Newport):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/5.jpg

[LincolnParkResident]

Probably the solution that would be most successful would be to replace the existing projects on Montgomery with high rise towers with retail bases, and rezone Mercer and Wayne Streets west of the turnpike for higher density.

This is suppose to be happening from the way the city is talking but waiting for phase 3, 4 or 5 and enough of the Beacon is done it sounds like as far as with the projects being redeveloped in some way and the builder is creating a mall or shopping center with land down in that area.

[LincolnParkResident]

Two years ago, Paulus Hook, Newport and Grove Street had big empty parking lots between them. There was no pedestrian friendly streetscape. In a year, Washington Commons, Athena, Columbus Plaza and Grove Pointe will connect those neighborhoods with actually people. Trump and 111 First will follow shortly afterward. So I think that is changing rapidly, and within the next five years the streetscapes will really come to life downtown.

One would hope, but if you have been long enough in downtown, the mentality unfortunately is not of ownership like most other places, even Hoboken has more of it than vast majority downtown Jersey City residents and in particular those who made the investment to buy, Manhattan is so close, they just go their and wonder why there isn't much to do here. And the bars and restaurants can't survive on random patrons, some of who will only visit when it is miserable outside and doing want to go to the city.

Just a note Grove Pointe isn't connecting or doing anything, the rest may help, who knows, depends on the mentality of those moving in.

[Ninjahedge]

The secret to regulares is to find the gap.

As much as people go to the city to party, sometimes people just want a place they can go to have dinner without having to get all dressed up and go out. I am not talking a dive or anything, but some place that they can be a regular at once a week to get their XXX or YYY.

Places like Pestos (I believe that is the name) would be a good example. Decent prices, homey feel, and located around the residential area.

As for clubs and the like, they will find it hard to compete with Hoboken and NYC.

So, comfy eateries, lunchtime stops and happy-hour bars are what will probably do the best there. I would imagine taking a good lok at what works in the Business district would be one step, and possibly what works in some of the medium sized burbs would be the other....


Just a thought.

[ianmac47]

Just a note Grove Pointe isn't connecting or doing anything, the rest may help, who knows, depends on the mentality of those moving in.

Grove Pointe is an improvement on Marin, its one piece of a larger puzzle. The low rise section of Columbus Plaza will also create a streetscape on Marin. If Morgan Point is ever built, that will be another piece. And when the Manochevitz factory is replaced with residential units, that will be the next piece. And then Harbor Lights. And then all of a sudden, the somewhat sketchy, a little bit run down area between Columbus Drive and Metro Plaza are an actual urban street, not just a road lined with empty lots and chain link fences. This will probably lead to more pedestrians on Marin. More pedestrians means retail level stores along Marin have more customers passing by. It means the parking lot at bay street becomes more valuable as a mixed-use building than it does as a parking lot with a chain link fence.

Yes, the aesthetics of Grove Pointe are awful, sort of college dormitory style, but a necessary pieces of the larger puzzle.

Further, Grove Pointe is also responsible for cleaning up the center Island between Grove and Columbus. The previous "park" was overrun with rats and pigeon feces. Literally, rats lived beneath the "benches," and would be there early in the morning and late in the evening. Its my understanding that Grove Pointe will be maintaining the park as well. I believe, though Im not certain, that there will eventually be a few tables and chairs similar to those at the park at Herald Square.

So yes, Grove Pointe is ugly, but when its finished, it will be a significant improvement in the urban fabric of the area.

[JCMAN320]

Also JC has alot of restaurant and bars Downtown but unlike Hoboken where they are on one strip, in Downtown JC they are on the corners of parks or off on a side street tucked away in a neighborhood. Grove St. is doing very well and as the improvements come to Newark Ave. they will fill up with lil bars and resaturants as well. There was an article posted on here in the Star-Ledge not that long ago that told of people living and JC and how they liked the laid back atmosphere of the neighborhood bar and restaurant and not the fast paced noiser one of Hoboken and NYC.

[JCMAN320]

From Ianmac on Newyorkssixth.com:

30 Unit Proposal for Newark Avenue

"Rumors circulating over on JCList suggest that the western end of Newark Avenue might finally be tickled with redevelopment. It seems a 5 story building with underground parking has been proposed for the sites at 292 - 294 Newark Avenue and 334 - 336 & 340 Third Street. Further, the property at 334 - 336 Third Street seems to have been recently sold: the $2.2 Million Listing is "no longer available." The description for that parcel of land includes "Approved Plan to build 12 residential and 2 commercial units... a total of 17,000 sf.""

[BrooklynRider]

The pics are great. JC is very exciting to watch. As the gaps get filled in, it really is turning into a city unto itself before our eyes. I'm waiting for Brooklyn to have any designs nearly as exciting. We're stuck with the stuff Gehry is excreting in Atlantic Yards.

[sfenn1117]

Jersey City is building a lot but the designs aren't anything special....only two buildings stand out, the Ellipse and Metropolitan, and those haven't started construction yet. Everything else is very generic.

[Ninjahedge]

Also JC has alot of restaurant and bars Downtown but unlike Hoboken where they are on one strip, in Downtown JC they are on the corners of parks or off on a side street tucked away in a neighborhood. Grove St. is doing very well and as the improvements come to Newark Ave. they will fill up with lil bars and resaturants as well. There was an article posted on here in the Star-Ledge not that long ago that told of people living and JC and how they liked the laid back atmosphere of the neighborhood bar and restaurant and not the fast paced noiser one of Hoboken and NYC.


JCM... I am talking more of a Montclair, Ridgewood kind of feel, with a buisness district unlike any other NJ town. A CLEAN Newark, you know?

Laid back is fine, but that kind of thing may not bring in all the people needed in order to get the desired end result.

The one feeling I get whenever I drive through BD central is an overwhelming feeling of sterility. Even in summer I rarely see anyone outside walking around unless they are trying to get to or from the mall over to the PATH station!

The storefronts along the way look like strings of TGIF's and bank chains and it just lacks any kind of depth. I know that it is much better than many of the places in NJ in regards to scope and size, but it still feels empty. The giant has been built, but where is its heart?

[JCMAN320]

Newark Ave is the key and filling in the gaps between the Waterfront and Historic Downtown is a key as well. In less than 5 years when all the pieces start to fall into place, watch our Downtown will get a heart. Grove St. already has it and once Newark Ave get it's transplant you'll see it improve greatly.

Also don't forget unlike those other small towns and Bayonne and Hoboken. Jersey City, just like Brooklyn, have more than one commercial district so it is not as polarized. Each neighborhood in JC has it's own business district making them like little cities and towns in Jersey City.

[ianmac47]

That in part probably comes from the fact that earlier on they were all their own little towns. I think though that Jersey City is big enough to maintain certain distinct neighborhoods. Grove Street is sort of becoming like Bleeker street was a few years back, I think its likely this will become the "heart" that you are talking of. Paulus hook sort of needs a stronger retail presence along Washington though.

One area that could get to be rather exciting is just north of 12th Street. There is potential there because other than the pocket of low income housing its essentially vacant land and warehouses. Originally the PAD was intended to be this artists haven, but it was in too close proximity to existing development and transportation-- it was inevitable that big developers were going to show up and build high rise towers and essentially destroy the "artists" that were supposed to living there. But the area north of 12th street has enough undesirable factors that I think there could be real potential for the artist style community the city wanted for the PAD. Its far from the PATH or the ferry or the light rail, it is noisy from all the traffic, there is no gourmet retail or services, and there are a number of warehouses. In essence, I think north of 12th is primed to become the final urban frontier, which is usually what brings artists in anyway.

One thing that I think is a little insulting though is that Newport lobbied to change Pavonia Ave to Town Square (just the section between Washington and the Towers of America). Town Square sounds like some cheap suburban mall, and there is really no good retail there either.

I think also Lefrak has recognized some of the deficiencies with the older sections of Newport in terms of the lack of retail. The retail area promised for the Aqua and the Shore club might actually change that area a bit too. We'll have to wait and see I guess.

[tbal]

One of the last remaining parking lots near the Grove PATH station is now under construction...

Construction Starts on 18-Unit Condo
By Eric Peterson (http://www.globest.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.author.contact.view?client_id=globest&story_id=152782&title=Construction%20Starts%20on%2018%2DUnit%20Con do&author=Eric%20Peterson&address=http%3A//www.globest.com/news/839%5F839/newjersey/152782%2D1.html&summary=JERSEY%20CITY%2DTreeTop%20and%20Fields%20D evelopment%20are%20teaming%20up%20to%20build%20the %20seven%2Dstory%20boutique%20residential%20buildi ng%20at%20154%2D158%20Steuben%20St.)


http://www.globest.com/newspics/nej_154_158steuben.jpg
154-158 Steuben St.


JERSEY CITY-Construction is just under way for 154-158 Steuben St., a new residential condo building here. The project is being done as a joint venture between TreeTop Development of New York City and the Hoboken-based Fields Development Group.

What its developers term a “boutique” condo building will add 18 one- and two-bedroom units to the market. Targeted buyers are single professionals and young couples, says Adam Mermelstein, a principal of TreeTop Development. Features will include on-site parking and a glass lobby. The developers say that preconstruction sales for the new building will start in April.

The Developers Group, based in Brooklyn, NY, has signed on as the exclusive sales and marketing agent for the building. The location is near the Grove Street PATH light rail station, which connects to Manhattan.

[Ninjahedge]

http://rubbertrouble.com/images/dyoc_trad_stamp.jpg

[TriHobo]

The vacancy rate quoted in the article does not account for all of those huge long-term leases that we read about in the past few months...in another article that I read a few weeks ago, it was stated that the vacancy rate accounting for the leases signed by Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch, and E*Trade (and a few smaller firms) toward the end of 2006 is closer to 10%, and also keep in mind that if we narrow the discussion to the cluster of office buildings in downtown Jersey City (the waterfront), the vacancy rate is probably below 10% (Journal Square has a very high vacancy rate at the moment).

Not to bring up an old(er) topic, but if you read the article it vacancy stats are about Class A office space in Jersey City. Nothing off the waterfront qualifies as Class A in Jersey City.

[nafco]

I was looking for a place by the path station at Journal Square when i saw this sign. the quality isnt great but theres a website for it too.

http://crowleydevelopmentgroup.com/page_crowley_content.html

click on projects, then jersey city.

It doesnt look too impressive, but it is beneficial development to the area either way

[JCMAN320]

I heard about the first one that was approved but not the second one yet. This is great this is between the Med Center and JSQ off of Summit Ave. This is great news!! JSQ and McGinley Square area will see a turn around!!

[ianmac47]

It is good news to see new investments being made up there, especially with age of a lot of that housing stock. I think it was probably inevitable though as the downtown filled up.


What do you think though, will Jersey City surpass Newark as Jersey's largest in the 2010 census?

[JCMAN320]

I think so I was actually thinking about this for the past week.

Let's look at a few things. Let's start with Newark,it's total area is 26sq miles, it's land area is 23sq miles. About 1/5 of Newark's land is uninhabitable being that is Newark Airport, Port Newark/Elizabeth, industrial areas wedged between U.S. 1&9 and the New Jersey Turnpike, and railyards and old industrial buildings in the Ironbound. All of that land was reclaimed starting in the 40's and just strictly for industrial. That is alot of Newark that has no residential area what so ever. Branch Brook Park takes a large part of the North Ward as well. Also Newark just saw it's first years without losing population since the 1940s within the last 3 years. They are not building alot of housing. They have replaced projects with housing but as far as larage scale residential project's, with exception of 1180 Raymond Blvd, Newark is staganant and can't compare to the residential explosion in Jersey City.

Jersey City now. JC is 21sq miles total area and 15sq miles of it is land. Our population has been increasing since the 1980s. Mos tof our land is capable of building housing on with the exception of Port Jersey Greeville Yards, and Liberty State Park. Our density is greater than Newark's and Jersey City never saw the mass exodus that Newark saw. Post WWII JC faird much better, not great but never got as bad as Newark, never came close. Our neighborhoods stayed strong. Also what JC has now is many many residential projects going on throughout the entire city. The PAD, Downtown, Lafayette, JSQ, Heights, and Westside are seeing much residential development. Just look at Liberty Harbor, when finished it will be essentially a brandnew Downtown nabe with 10,000 units and a projected 20,000 people just in one croner of Downtown alone. Couple that with the new homes being built, new condo apartments, the Beacon, Harwod Towers, residential projects Downtown and long established neighborhoods getting new housing stock.

To me it just seems a give in that we will pass Newark by in 2010 unless Newark undergoes a residential explosion in 3 years that JC has seen in the past 10.

[tbal]

That building near Journal Square looks incredible...what is the nearest intersection to the site?? have they started preliminary site work yet? It will be awesome to see that rise if and when it happens.

Thanks for the pic nafco!

[JCMAN320]

The nearest real busy intersection of Bergen and Academy St. at Bergen Square.

[JerzResident]

I think so I was actually thinking about this for the past week.





Of course you would think so, not trying to attack JC but only time will tell, IMO JC is absolutly NOT going to surpass Newark in population. JC is getting all the press which is actually a good thing, it will just make Newark's rise back to the top more the sweeter.

[JCMAN320]

How can you not even consider it. Look at all the residential building thats going on here. JC is on top the best city in the state. I said Liberty Habor will add 20,000 new residents and thats just a new neighborhood in Downtown not including all the highrise towers almost finished and soon to break ground and all the condos and new homes being built in every corner of the city. JC will surpass Newark in 2010.

[JCMAN320]

Affordable housing groups to get help in putting projects together

Wednesday, January 31, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

As part of an effort to beef up the capacity of local nonprofits to build affordable housing, the Jersey City City Council has awarded a $250,000 two-year contract to the Local Initiative Support Corp., a national organization that will consult with the local groups.

A major stumbling block to the development of more affordable housing in the city is not having enough organizations with the financial and management savvy to put the projects together, said Darice Toon, director of the Division of Community Development.

LISC will work with these groups to identify the areas they need help in - areas likely to include financing projects and management, Toon said.

Of the $250,000 LISC is being paid, $214,000 will be returned to the groups to spend on training, she said.

From 2002 to 2006, LISC held a $148,500 contract with the city, and during the life of that contract returned $126,000 in training grants to five groups that are developing 84 affordable housing units in the city, she said.

The effort is being undertaken to buttress an overall affordable housing plan the city is formulating, officials said.

The centerpiece of this plan is to push developers to include affordable housing in the projects they are building, officials said. This plan should be finalized "within the next couple of months," Housing Economic Development and Commerce Director Barbara Netchert said.

Currently, developers with tax abatements pay $1,500 into a city-run affordable housing trust fund for every market-rate unit they build, officials said.

Created in 2004, but put into effect in September 2005 when a spending plan was adopted, the fund has taken in $8.1 million and dispersed $2.5 million for seven projects creating 132 housing units for families earning 80 percent or less of the area's median income, Toon said.

"We have not received many other viable requests," Toon said. "Plus, when you have to pay a lot for land (in Jersey City) it makes it difficult to fund affordable housing."

[ianmac47]

Census data on Newark (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34/3451000.html) and Jersey City (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34/3436000.html)

Jersey City had a 5% increase from '90 to '00, Newark a .6% decline.

So based on the 2000 census, (not the estimate in 2003, which have rarely been accurate), its basically 240,000 in JC to Newark's 273,000.

I think the key in the shift really is how quickly the new developments fill up, and how quickly the ones that haven't yet broken ground take to complete. I think its very possible that it will happen in 2010. Even if Newark turned around tomorrow and started getting huge investments, it would still take time to consolidate lots, draw up site plans, seek approvals, ect. Newark's biggest new development is 1180 Raymond, and potentially two other former Department Store turned Apartments on Broad Street. While certainly some of the smaller places are being renovated and people are moving into single and two family homes that ten years ago were abandoned, I find it hard to believe Newark is still growing a whole lot, especially when they were declining between 1990-2000.

In essence, will Jersey City gain 35,000 or so people in ten years (starting from 2000) ? I think its possible. The biggest population increases are obviously downtown. Most of the increase is also coming from large scale developments, like the towers in Newport, or the PAD, ect. While these sorts of people aren't really having a whole lot of children, I think alot of these people are beginning to live with someone, either a partner or a roommate. I think this is especially true as rents increase, and as the sale price increases on the condos.

I think it will be close, but I think at the end of the day, Jersey City will probably surpass Newark. by a few thousand.

[TimmyG]

According to the 2005 estimates, Jersey City had 239,614 people and Newark had 280,666. Jersey City might surpass Newark someday, but I don't think it will be by 2010. Maybe Jersey City will pass Newark before the 2020 census, but Newark could have its own turnaround by then. I do agree with JCMan that JC is much better than Newark.

[ianmac47]

Newark's population in 2000 was 273,546
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34/3451000.html

A 2003 estimate put it at 277,911. These estimates are notoriously inaccurate.

[Radiohead]

Here is an article that appeared in the Spring 1986 issue of St Peter's College's quarterly magazine regarding the future of the JC waterfront development. Interesting to compare that vision with what has taken place.


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/385656413_e8612cf74e_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/145/385656414_08122a408e_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/385656418_21dd2f2405_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/385656419_3c1f0763ee_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/139/385656420_98654715a6_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/385656422_f3450c9aa1_o.jpg

[steveikin]

Here is an article that appeared in the Spring 1986 issue of St Peter's College's quarterly magazine regarding the future of the JC waterfront development. Interesting to compare that vision with what has taken place.

Excellent blast-from-the-past stuff Radiohead. Good job.

[JCMAN320]

Yes radiohead great job yet again! That Central Park rendering must be the new park being built in the Northwest quandrant of Newport.

As for Alexander Hamilton and the 3 for mayors of NY that saw JC as a future great city, thank you for those foresights wherever you are. May have taken JC a while and it still isn't done yet, but it is certainly growing into a great city.

I love that quote even though it's not finished. He really said "One day a great city will rise on the west bank of the Hudson River, that city shall be called the City of Jersey." :)

[JCMAN320]

In the Region | New Jersey
High Altitude, Higher Price

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/02/11/realestate/11njzo.600.jpg
Metrovest
WEALTHY WELCOME The lobby of the Beacon, where a penthouse just sold for $2.3 million.

By ANTOINETTE MARTIN
Published: February 11, 2007

THERE is a wealth of high-end, high-rise condominium units coming on the market along the Jersey “Gold Coast” — and purchase prices are soaring to new heights.

Last week, a two-story penthouse at the Beacon, the former Jersey City Medical Center complex that is being converted to condominiums, set a record for a high-rise apartment in Jersey City when a purchase contract was signed for $2.3 million.

“This is indeed a leap,” said Jacqueline Urgo, executive vice president of the Marketing Directors, which is handling sales. She said that her agency had overseen sales at Liberty Terrace, the last high-rise to break price barriers in Jersey City, and that the highest purchase price there had been $1.45 million.

Most Liberty Terrace units were sold by September, though, said Ms. Urgo — and she sees the market for expensive condos with riverfront views as having picked up significantly since then.

At the 55-story Trump Plaza, now under construction in Jersey City, more than 200 contracts for condos have been signed since sales started in October. Asking prices for apartments there range from $400,000 to around $2.5 million for the penthouse, which has not yet been sold.

The Beacon, a $350 million conversion of eight Art Deco structures set on a hill in Jersey City’s downtown, has until now been marketed as a lower-cost alternative to waterfront high-rises. Studio units on low floors of the first two Beacon buildings, which are to open this spring, sold for $325,000.

A total of 265 units, out of 315 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom condos in the first two buildings, have sold, according to the developer, Metrovest Equities, based in Manhattan. Ultimately, Metrovest plans to create 1,200 condos and rental units at the Beacon complex.

The penthouse that sold is now taking shape on the 20th and 21st floors of the Beacon’s Capitol building. It will offer three bedrooms, three full and two half baths, a library, a den, a breakfast room and a private interior elevator, with a total of 3,195 square feet of interior space. In addition, the penthouse has three terraces covering 2,100 square feet, facing north, southeast and west, with views of the full Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

“This is some apartment,” said George Filopoulos, Metrovest’s president. “We’ve tried to take advantage of all the unique architectural features these buildings offer, and the quirks in this one make for a magnificent home.”

More than 100 different designs have been developed for units at the Capitol and the Rialto, the other Beacon building now under construction. The Rialto penthouse unit is being marketed, as are the two condos below the penthouse at the Capitol.

Just to the north, in Hoboken, where prices have generally tracked higher than in Jersey City, a record is certain to be set whenever contracts are signed for two penthouse condos atop the W Hotel, now being built beside the Hudson River.

The asking price for those units — which come with full W Hotel service — is $4.4 million, according to the developer, Michael Barry of the Hoboken-based Applied Development Company. He said that there had been a number of “serious lookers” and that he expected both to sell well before completion of the hotel building in the summer of 2008.

Prices for the W condos are roughly $1,000 per square foot — around $300 per square foot more than the typical new-construction high-rise unit gets in Hoboken — according to the Marketing Directors, which is handling W’s sales as well.

But, Ms. Urgo noted, the W will provide exceptional service and ambience for Hoboken, with a sleek design by the Manhattan architecture firm of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, as well as concierge service, a restaurant and shopping area, the W Bliss spa, an upstairs bar and a stunning lobby with a street-level bar.

There will be nine floors of condos with two, three or four bedrooms atop the hotel — a total of 38 units — with asking prices starting at $1.5 million. Mr. Barry said 32 were already under contract.

The four-bedroom penthouses each provide 4,250 square feet of space, with unobstructed wraparound views of New York City from their 25th floor perch. Each has floor-to-ceiling windows, a den and a fitness room, the developer said.

Three three-bedroom units on the floor below have been sold for $2.6 million, which may be a record for high-rise units in Hoboken, according to the Marketing Directors.

Another candidate to challenge Hoboken’s record might be Maxwell Place, where the first of two riverfront buildings recently opened to its first occupants, but where closing prices have not yet been reported. A second building is being marketed, although construction has not started. Several large two-bedroom units on upper floors of the second building have asking prices in the $2 million range.

The W and Maxwell Place have been attracting buyers from Manhattan and New Jersey in roughly equal numbers, according to Applied and the Pinnacle Companies, the builder of Maxwell Place.

Another huge development in Jersey City, the Liberty Harbor project, which covers 28 city blocks, will have 667 units coming on the market this year and next, with an eventual 7,000 to 10,000 units planned at a site adjacent to the Paulus Hook neighborhood. Right now, the project has some four- and five-bedroom town homes on the market, at prices of $1.5 million to $1.66 million.

At Port Liberte in Jersey City, several lavish town homes at the water’s edge are up for resale at prices in excess of $2 million, including one for $2.99 million. And in Hoboken, two grand three-story brownstones are listed at $2.75 million and $3 million.

“The high-rise market is different, though,” Mr. Filopoulos noted. “We’re really excited about setting a record with the Beacon that signifies a real change in the high-rise picture in Jersey City.”

As with the W, he said, the amenities are crucial to the value of the condos.

The Rialto and Capitol buildings are joined by a two-story lobby with a 24-hour doorman and concierge. Residents will also be provided valet parking, shuttle service to PATH trains and ferry stations, and access to a 25,000-square-foot “lifestyle and fitness” center with a full-time staff. Club Aqua, as the center is called, is to feature an indoor pool, gym, lounge with hot tubs, his and hers saunas and steam rooms, a “social sauna,” treatment rooms, a yoga studio, a juice bar, a screening room and a children’s playroom.

Beacon residents will also have access to a restored Art Deco theater that will be available for events, a catering kitchen and a rooftop sundeck for grilling, dining and lounging, Mr. Filopoulos said. “Additional spaces are being brought back to mint condition to be used as poker rooms, a reading gallery and a billiards hall,” he added.

A “town center” now under construction will have a rooftop bar-restaurant, shops, a market, a prekindergarten and day-care facility, a movie theater and an art gallery.

[tbal]

WOW! That lobby looks amazing!

Anyway, in case you've been wondering, it looks like work at 154-158 Steuben Street has been going on for at least a few weeks now (notice that Morgan Lighthouse is going to hug halfway around it):

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/Party1004.jpg


http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/Party1006.jpg


http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/Party1003.jpg

[LincolnParkResident]

Just last night talked to someone originally part of the development team of architects for the site, and the plan was for 20 years. Not 5 or 10 as they are saying now.

Peter Mocco, as I am sure most realize, he is using mainly non-union construction workers, and well he just let go 15 of them this week. The individual said there is practically no one who is do construction on the site now. And not a single unit there has closed yet. They were suppose to start closing in December 2006, and the person said, more realistic would be around May 2007 or after that with Peter Mocco and his changes, that is 6 months.....and but the builder got the law change from around 6 month to now 2 years. To get that done, with the continuous changes Peter Mocco likes to do, soon he will have to hire union labor. And one can just see when they come in, they will double or triple their normal pay rates to get even with him.

The individuals at the sales center were saying the electrical and plumbing was in, in October, but the person said none of it truely in until January 2007, for a limited amount of the units.

[LincolnParkResident]

http://www.hobokenx.com/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7471&forum=8

looking good they are selling their homes here....unlike some other developers it sounds.

[LincolnParkResident]

http://www.tollbrothers.com/homesearch/servlet/HomeSearch?app=IRshell&file=IR_20070208.html

http://www.tollbrothers.com/images/header_pressreleases2007.gif
Toll Brothers Press Release February 8, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Frederick N. Cooper
fcooper@tollbrothersinc.com (fcooper@tollbrothersinc.com)
(215) 938-8312
Joseph R. Sicree
jsicree@tollbrothersinc.com (jsicree@tollbrothersinc.com)
(215) 938-8045


TOLL BROTHERS REPORTS 1ST QTR 2007 PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR REVENUES, BACKLOG AND CONTRACTS


http://www.tollbrothers.com/images/spacer.gif
Horsham, PA, February 8, 2007 -- Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE:TOL) (www.tollbrothers.com (http://www.tollbrothers.com/)), the nation’s leading builder of luxury homes, today reported preliminary unaudited results for home building revenues, contracts and backlog for its first quarter ended January 31, 2007. The Company will announce final totals when it releases first-quarter earnings results on February 22, 2007.

FY 2007’s first-quarter home building revenues were approximately $1.09 billion, a decline of 19&#37; compared to the first-quarter record of $1.34 billion in FY 2006. FY 2007’s first-quarter-end backlog was approximately $4.15 billion, a decline of 30% compared to the first-quarter record of $5.95 billion in FY 2006.

FY 2007’s first-quarter net signed contracts were approximately $749 million, a decline of 34% compared to FY 2006’s first-quarter total of $1.14 billion. The Company signed 1,463 gross contracts (before cancellations) in FY 2007’s first quarter, a 14% decline from the 1,695 signed in FY 2006’s first quarter. Net of cancellations, first quarter contracts totaled 1,027 units, down 33% from 1,544 units in the first quarter of FY 2006.


Robert I. Toll, chairman and chief executive officer, stated: “It appears that the pace of cancellations is starting to abate. First quarter FY 2007 cancellations totaled 436 versus 585 in fourth quarter FY 2006 and this quarter’s cancellation rate of 29.8% was lower than the 36.9% cancellation rate last quarter. However, we are still well above the Company’s historical average of about 7%.

“We saw an uptick in demand in a number of markets in January and the first week in February compared to December, but, seasonally, this is supposed to happen; even so, this activity definitely feels encouraging.

“A few markets, such as Hoboken, Jersey City, Manhattan and Brooklyn, are quite strong. Some markets, such as Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, Reno, and parts of Florida, may not yet have stabilized. We continue to monitor these and other markets for potential write-downs. We expect that write-downs for our first quarter and full fiscal year will significantly exceed the estimates in the guidance we provided in December, 2006. We are currently in the initial stages of our review. As we have noted in prior quarters, estimates of write-downs are often inaccurate. However, based upon our preliminary evaluation of a number of communities, we believe first-quarter write-downs will be at least $60 million and could be as high as $160 million or more.

“We ended the quarter with 320 communities compared to 300 at FYE 2006 and 258 at first-quarter-end 2006. We have continued to purchase some sites that we believe are good buys even at today’s reduced home sale paces and prices. The parcels we are acquiring have recently received their entitlements after being under option and in our approval pipeline for several years."

“Because some deals don’t make sense under current market conditions, we have continued to trim our land position. We ended the quarter with approximately 70,000 lots under control compared to our peak of 91,200 at 2006’s second-quarter-end and 73,800 lots at FYE 2006."

“We continue to believe that buyer confidence is the key to a turnaround in the new home market. It appears that the media’s sentiment toward the housing market is becoming more balanced and their messages are making customers aware that, in the current climate of attractive interest rates, motivated sellers and a generally healthy economy, now is a good time to buy a home.”

Toll Brothers’ financial highlights for the first-quarter ended January 31, 2007 (preliminary and unaudited):

FY 2007’s first-quarter homebuilding revenues of approximately $1.09 billion decreased 19% from FY 2006’s first-quarter homebuilding revenues of $1.34 billion, the first-quarter record. Revenues from land sales totaled approximately $3.4 million for FY 2007’s first quarter, compared to $4.7 million in FY 2006’s first quarter.
In the Company’s fiscal 2007 first quarter, unconsolidated entities in which the Company had an interest had revenues of approximately $20.6 million compared to $52.1 million in the same period of FY 2006. The Company’s share of the profits from the delivery of these homes is included in ‘Equity Earnings in Unconsolidated Entities’ on the Company’s Income Statement.
The Company’s FY 2007 first-quarter net contracts of approximately $749.2 million declined by 34% over FY 2006’s first-quarter net contracts of $1.14 billion. In addition, in FY 2007’s first quarter, unconsolidated entities in which the Company had an interest signed contracts of approximately $29.2 million.

The Company signed 1,463 gross contracts in FY 2007’s first quarter, a 14% decline from the 1,695 signed in FY 2006’s first quarter. However, FY 2007’s first-quarter cancellation rate (cancellations divided by first-quarter gross contracts) was 29.8%, compared to a rate of 8.8% in FY 2006. Therefore, FY 2007’s first quarter net contracts, the total the Company typically reports, totaled 1,027 contracts, down 33% compared to 1,544 net contracts in FY 2006’s same period. FY 2007’s first-quarter-end communities totaled 320 versus 258 at first-quarter-end 2006.

FY 2007’s first-quarter-end backlog of approximately $4.15 billion declined 30% versus FY 2006’s first-quarter-end backlog of $5.95 billion. In addition, at January 31, 2007, unconsolidated entities in which the Company had an interest had a backlog of approximately $26.7 million.Toll Brothers will be broadcasting live via the Investor Relations section of its website, www.tollbrothers.com (http://www.tollbrothers.com/), a conference call hosted by chairman and chief executive officer Robert I. Toll at 2:00 p.m. (EST) today, February 8, 2007, to discuss these results. To access the call, enter the Toll Brothers website, then click on the Investor Relations page, and select “Conference Calls”. Participants are encouraged to log on at least fifteen minutes prior to the start of the presentation to register and download any necessary software. The call can be heard live with an on-line replay which will follow and continue through February 21, 2007.

Toll Brothers, Inc. is the nation's leading builder of luxury homes. The Company began business in 1967 and became a public company in 1986. Its common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "TOL". The Company serves move-up, empty-nester, active-adult and second-home home buyers and operates in 21 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

Toll Brothers builds luxury single-family detached and attached home communities, master planned luxury residential resort-style golf communities and urban low-, mid- and high-rise communities, principally on land it develops and improves. The Company operates its own architectural, engineering, mortgage, title, land development and land sale, golf course development and management, home security and landscape subsidiaries. The Company also operates its own lumber distribution, and house component assembly and manufacturing operations.
Toll Brothers, a FORTUNE 500 Company, is the only publicly traded national home building company to have won all three of the industry's highest honors: America's Best Builder from the National Association of Home Builders, the National Housing Quality Award, and Builder of the Year. Toll Brothers proudly supports the communities in which it builds; among other philanthropic pursuits, the Company sponsors the Toll Brothers - Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network, bringing opera to neighborhoods throughout the world. For more information, visit tollbrothers.com.

[ianmac47]

Anyone notice that Google Maps has added building footprints to its maps? Its got to be linked to the out of date aerial photography because places like Trump and LHN are not included, but its still rather nifty just the same.

[kliq6]

The more residential condo being built in JC the better!!!!

[LincolnParkResident]

HIGHER ALTITUDE, HIGHER PRICE
By ANTOINETTE MARTIN

Published: February 11, 2007


THERE is a wealth of high-end, high-rise condominium units coming on the market along the Jersey “Gold Coast” — and purchase prices are soaring to new heights.


Last week, a two-story penthouse at the Beacon, the former Jersey City Medical Center complex that is being converted to condominiums, set a record for a high-rise apartment in Jersey City when a purchase contract was signed for $2.3 million.

“This is indeed a leap,” said Jackie Urgo, executive vice president of the Marketing, which is handling sales. She said that her agency had overseen sales at Liberty Terrace, the last high-rise to break price barriers in Jersey City, and that the highest purchase price there had been $1.45 million.

Most Liberty Terrace units were sold by September, though some are still available, said Mrs. Urgo — and she sees the market for expensive condos with riverfront views as having picked up significantly since then. (Last count was 10-20 which they can't get sold, and "there were price drops suggested on the last ones, until the buyers of the rest revolted and as many as 10-15 cancelled contracts, because of Mrs. Urgo's aggressive pricing" and thinking it is still Manhattan she was pricing in, it was stated to me by the manager of the sales office at the time now the manager at Liberty Harbor's Sales Office.)

At the 55-story Trump Plaza, now under construction in Jersey City, more than 200 contracts for condos have been signed since sales started in October. Asking prices for apartments there range from $400,000 to around $2.5 million for the penthouse, which has not yet been sold.

The Beacon, a $350 million conversion of eight Art Deco structures set on a hill in Jersey City’s downtown, has until now been marketed as a lower-cost alternative to waterfront high-rises. Studio units on low floors of the first two Beacon buildings, which are to open this spring, sold for $325,000. (Originally they stated January 2007)

A total of 265 units, out of 315 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom condos in the first two buildings, have sold, according to the developer, Metrovest Equities, based in Manhattan (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/?inline=nyt-geo). Ultimately, Metrovest plans to create 1,200 condos and rental units at the Beacon complex.

The penthouse that sold is now taking shape on the 20th and 21st floors of the Beacon’s Capitol building. It will offer three bedrooms, three full and two half baths, a library, a den, a breakfast room and a private interior elevator, with a total of 3,195 square feet of interior space. In addition, the penthouse has three terraces covering 2,100 square feet, facing north, southeast and west, with views of the full Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

“This is some apartment,” said George Filopoulos, Metrovest’s president. “We’ve tried to take advantage of all the unique architectural features these buildings offer, and the quirks in this one make for a magnificent home.”

More than 100 different designs have been developed for units at the Capitol and the Rialto, the other Beacon building now under construction. The Rialto penthouse unit is being marketed, as are the two condos below the penthouse at the Capitol.

Just to the north, in Hoboken, where prices have generally tracked higher than in Jersey City, a record is certain to be set whenever contracts are signed for two penthouse condos atop the W Hotel, now being built beside the Hudson River.

The asking price for those units — which come with full W Hotel service — is $4.4 million, according to the developer, Michael Barry of the Hoboken-based Applied Development Company. He said that there had been a number of “serious lookers” and that he expected both to sell well before completion of the hotel building in the summer of 2008.

Prices for the W condos are roughly $1,000 per square foot — around $300 per square foot more than the typical new-construction high-rise unit gets in Hoboken — according to the company, handling W’s sales.

But, Mrs. Urgo noted, the W will provide exceptional service and ambience for Hoboken, with a sleek design by the Manhattan architecture firm of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, as well as concierge service, a restaurant and shopping area, the W Bliss spa, an upstairs bar and a stunning lobby with a street-level bar.

There will be nine floors of condos with two, three or four bedrooms atop the hotel — a total of 38 units — with asking prices starting at $1.5 million. Mr. Barry said 32 were already under contract.

The four-bedroom penthouses each provide 4,250 square feet of space, with unobstructed wraparound views of New York City (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/?inline=nyt-geo) from their 25th floor perch. Each has floor-to-ceiling windows, a den and a fitness room, the developer said.

Three three-bedroom units on the floor below have been sold for $2.6 million, which may be a record for high-rise units in Hoboken, according to the Urgo's company.

Another candidate to challenge Hoboken’s record might be Maxwell Place, where the first of two riverfront buildings recently opened to its first occupants, but where closing prices have not yet been reported. A second building is being marketed, although construction has not started. Several large two-bedroom units on upper floors of the second building have asking prices in the $2 million range.

The W and Maxwell Place have been attracting buyers from Manhattan and New Jersey (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newjersey/?inline=nyt-geo) in roughly equal numbers, according to Applied and the Pinnacle Companies, the builder of Maxwell Place.

Another huge development in Jersey City, the Liberty Harbor project, which covers 28 city blocks, will have 667 units coming on the market this year and next, with an eventual 7,000 to 10,000 units planned at a site adjacent to the Paulus Hook neighborhood. Right now, the project has some four- and five-bedroom town homes on the market, at prices of $1.5 million to $1.66 million.(Formerly, a development under priced by the other developers until they complained and prices were raised. Originally prices were looked at for $600+/SF until the marketing company, brought for interviews to get the price down of the local resale market, "heard from one of the sales people on the site at LHN".)

At Port Liberte in Jersey City, several lavish town homes at the water’s edge are up for resale at prices in excess of $2 million, including one for $2.99 million. And in Hoboken, two grand three-story brownstones are listed at $2.75 million and $3 million. (Which they are now having problems selling, as the was a deed restriction on the property in order to build the tower they want to, "Which was on to a degree the PortLibertedirect.com website, and the agents at the Marketing Directors had no problem admitting, including the former Manager, who was there for years, as any resident who bought from the developer can tell one, and now she is the Manager at Trump Plaza".)

“The high-rise market is different, though,” Mr. Filopoulos noted. “We’re really excited about setting a record with the Beacon that signifies a real change in the high-rise picture in Jersey City.”

As with the W, he said, the amenities are crucial to the value of the condos.

The Rialto and Capitol buildings are joined by a two-story lobby with a 24-hour doorman and concierge. Residents will also be provided valet parking, shuttle service to PATH trains and ferry stations, and access to a 25,000-square-foot “lifestyle and fitness” center with a full-time staff. Club Aqua, as the center is called, is to feature an indoor pool, gym, lounge with hot tubs, his and hers saunas and steam rooms, a “social sauna,” treatment rooms, a yoga studio, a juice bar, a screening room and a children’s playroom.

Beacon residents will also have access to a restored Art Deco theater that will be available for events, a catering kitchen and a rooftop sundeck for grilling, dining and lounging, Mr. Filopoulos said. “Additional spaces are being brought back to mint condition to be used as poker rooms, a reading gallery and a billiards hall,” he added.

A “town center” now under construction will have a rooftop bar-restaurant, shops, a market, a prekindergarten and day-care facility, a movie theater and an art gallery.

[tbal]

Just thought I'd post this relatively new rendering of a building that was approved back in November (I think)...it will be located in the far southwest corner of Downtown, a few blocks off from Grand Street (should be a great addition to this area that is relatively "empty"). It will be the largest project completed by the thriving Mushroom Development which appears to be a competitor of Fields Living.

The website (www.mushroomdevelopment.com (http://www.mushroomdevelopment.com)) states that the company will break ground for this building in the coming Spring. :cool:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/BatesBuilding.jpg

[JCMAN320]

Very cool I like!

[macmini]

The Bates project looks really nice, tbal is this near LHN? The NYT article is great I still can't believe that they sold the penthouse. I though it wouldn't sell until the projects was gone. JCman do you know whats up with montgomery projects I heard some one say their are no plans to teardown the projects I hope thats not true.

[ianmac47]

There are lots of rumors on the projects and whether they are being torn down or not. I believe the recent NOT getting torn down rumor comes from some sort of five year plan that is filed with the federal housing authority that does not call for them to be replaced. However, I've also heard that as the Beacon progresses-- phase 3 or 4, they will be looking to get rid of them. Based on the age of those buildings, its probably time to replace them anyway. Most other projects of that vintage in New Jersey and around the country have been replaced. New Brunswick for instance knocked there's down in '01 I believe and replaced them with 'new urbanist' style project housing-- low rise, lower density, mixed use. Also, Newark is getting ready to rip down their high-rise projects. I think the real issue is that project housing of that vintage was of low quality and now they are getting older and really just need to be replaced. Anyway, the point is, at this point its all conjecture, but its likely they will be coming down in the next ten years.

[JoeSas]

Here is the link: http://www.steubenstreet.com/

Hopefully more info will be posted soon.

[JCMAN320]

I agree with Ian. My uncle is a contractor on the Beacon and from what heard that they plan on being torn down.

[ianmac47]

I think the mushroom development building too is going to start adding pressure to the west of the downtown to build. Once the land under the projects becomes valuable enough for a private developer to see an opportunity, I think they will want to do something-- I mean, the real test is, will the value of the land increase enough to remove the old housing, replace the low income units and still build something that can turn a profit?

Essentially in New Brunswick, the city knocked down the projects, rebuilt some of the units, and now are in the process of redeveloping the land underneath the projects.

[macmini]

North Jersey gains from tight N.Y. office market

Tuesday, February 13, 2007
By KEVIN G. DeMARRAIS -- The Record

As goes New York, so goes North Jersey's commercial real estate market.

And that's good news west of the Hudson River because demand for office space in Manhattan is exceeding the supply, and the overflow is ending up in Bergen and Hudson counties.

"I'm not saying that we won't perform well unless New York does, but our performance benefits when New York tightens," said Matt Dolly, director of research and marketing at GVA Williams New Jersey in Parsippany.

Thanks to a strong fourth quarter, after nine months of reduced activity, the outlook was positive for the office market heading into 2007, Dolly said. "It seems like some of the spillover from New York City is starting to happen."

That is expected to start showing up in rental rates, said William Hanson, president of NAI James E. Hanson in Hackensack.

"Leasing prices in North Jersey haven't changed dramatically," Hanson said. "But prices have been going up in New York only the last six months, and that should help the market over here. It's not a great market, but if you want office space, it's not a bad market."

The retail market is strong as well, said Andrew Merin, vice chairman of Cushman & Wakefield Inc.'s Metropolitan Area Capital Markets Group.

Retail properties are "among the most sought-after in the Garden State," Merin said. "Vacancies remain in the low single digits, and consumer spending has helped retailer performance."

Last year produced mixed results in the region.

In Bergen County, the commercial vacancy rate rose to 18.93 percent by the fourth quarter from 17.01 percent 12 months earlier, according to the GVA Williams market report.

Even so, the asking rent for Class A space -- the most modern, technologically advanced facilities -- also rose, to $25.60 per square foot from $24.57 in the fourth quarter of 2005.

The vacancy rate also climbed in Passaic County, to 23.14 percent from 20.25, but the average rental slipped to $21.21 from $21.76.

But those prices are bargains compared with rates in Manhattan, where prime space is going for more than $60 a foot in midtown and around $40 in lower Manhattan.

That's basically a matter of supply and demand, as well as pressure from Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs, industry insiders say.

"The market is being largely driven by investments," Hanson said. "It's still a good place to invest money."

REITs are buying "everything in sight," said Ron Bar-Nadav, associate director of Studley Inc. in Rochelle Park. "Hedge funds are pushing REITs to buy more. They're sitting on too much money, buying product for more than it would be worth."

They can do so knowing the tight market means they can charge premium rents.

Even without the REITS, "the New York commercial real estate market is very robust, and that is going to define our economy in 2007," said Gil Medina, executive managing director at Cushman & Wakefield's New Jersey office.

"The New Jersey economy is being influenced by two different forces, pushing in different directions," Medina said. "Job growth has not been very robust; in fact it's been pretty weak. So on one hand, the state economy has been sluggish."

What growth the state has had has been in such fields as leisure, hospitality, arts and entertainment, accommodations and food, health and education, he said. "That growth is not in areas that would populate commercial buildings," and that hurts the real estate market.

"On the other hand, the economy of New York City, operating under a whole different set of rules, has really been robust. Because northern New Jersey is so much integrated into the regional economy, impacted so much by New York City's economy, it, more than any other part of the state, is in the throes of these conflicting forces."

The first beneficiary is the New Jersey waterfront, especially Jersey City, which is often called the sixth borough of New York City, Dolly said. "It's just another stop of the PATH."

With Manhattan vacancy rates at their lowest in five years, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup led the movement across the river.

Of the six leases for more than 100,000 square feet signed in New Jersey in the fourth quarter of 2006, four were along the Hudson, including Citigroup's subleasing of 365,000 square feet at Newport Office Center in Jersey City.

In addition, Deutsche Bank decided to consolidate operations from locations throughout the metropolitan area, renewing for 90,000 square feet and expanding by another 191,920 square feet there, Cushman & Wakefield reported.

But there was also movement elsewhere in North Jersey, including Newark. Overall vacancy rates there have dropped below 11 percent, helped by the law firm Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione taking over 111,828 square feet previously occupied by the FBI.

Among other big transactions was Travelport -- formerly Cendant Travel Distribution Services -- moving within the Parsippany market by leasing 120,000 square feet at Morris Corporate Center III. And Passaic County got a boost when Hoffmann-La Roche expanded its presence in Clifton by leasing 72,838 square feet on Broad Street.

E-mail: demarrais@northjersey.com

[macmini]

Revaluation coming? Just to quiet cries of abatement holders?

Jersey Journal -- Jarrett Renshaw -- Feb 14

The city may soon be forced to do a dreaded property tax revaluation, or hopelessly watch as developers snub tax abatements, which have become a financial addiction for every mayor that's occupied City Hall in the past two decades.

City Hall sources tell me that a number of developers have threatened to repeal - or reject - tax abatements for their rental properties, arguing they would pay less under conventional taxes.

Officials at City Hall don't disagree.

In fact, they say the difference between their tax abatements - which require developers to shell out roughly 17 percent of rental income - and conventional taxes would be dramatic.

The developers could increase rents to cover the costs, but that means they also increase their contribution to the city and make the units harder to market, so don't expect that to happen.

City Hall depends so heavily on the PILOT payments that the administration will come up with a way to accommodate developers in order to keep the cash flowing, such as decreasing the payments or reducing the length of the tax abatements.

But it also might conduct a property tax revaluation in order to remove the developers' incentive to reject a tax abatement. The revaluations are dreaded by property owners because they fear that their taxes will skyrocket. For elected officials, the backlash from residents could make it akin to political suicide.

Currently, homes in Jersey City are assessed at roughly 28 percent of their true value.

That means a rental property worth $10 million would be assessed at just $2.8 million, resulting in the disparity between tax abatements and conventional taxes.

Recipients of tax abatements pay a fixed annual payment, which shields them from tax increases, such as the city's recent 18 percent hike.

That means, regardless of the outcome, the revaluation would not apply to those fortunate enough to receive tax abatements, exposing the rest of the city to possible tax hikes.

The city should be more concerned about accommodating the majority of the residents, not just a fraction of developers.

But don't get your hopes up.

[macmini]

Hudson Square/ Metropolitan

There are new renderings of the Hudson Square/ Metropolitan the third one is amazing. The website says it's the first tower of the Hudson Square (The Metropolitan) a residential and retail development. An a total of eight residential buildings are planned which surround a newly developed park. The park act as a "Town Square" of the project.

You can see the renderings @ http://www.arquitectonica.com (http://www.arquitectonica.com/)just go to projects then go to residential. Dose any one when The Metropolitan will break ground.

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/Metropolitan1.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/Metropolitan2.jpg

[nafco]

Thats awesome! Good Find. I really hope they get rid of all those box stores and that town square really brings a community feel to the neighborhood. Even if they integrate a box store on the ground level of a larger building, thats fine, as long as they remove the parking lots and make for a place where people can actually feel comfortable to walk and hang out.

Looking foward to that building and square

[nafco]

by the way, im sure this is old and obsolete now, but Ive never seen this addition to JSQ before. Wondering where it went?

http://www.hartzmountain.com/graphics/brochures/journalII.pdf

[JCMAN320]

That addition to JSQ has been on the board for a long time and I have no idea if it will happen. Also on the website check out the Ellipse. The have a rendering of what it will look like and it will be a welcomed additon to our skyline I just wish it was a tad bit taller.

The Metropolitan/Hudson Square rendeings look great and I'll I can say is WWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW. I can't wait for that to happen, it looks like it is going to create a whole new neighborhood in that area with the Power House Art District right next door and with this they can open up Avalon Cove and also extend 4th St throught to development right to the waterfront. Jersey City is coming along great, I LOVE JERSEY CITY!! :)

[tbal]

Absolutely amazing renderings! :)

I guess G&S is indeed going forward with the construction of JC's second 700+ ft tower this Spring/Summer...

I can't believe how many new developments are going to be under construction in the coming months....I can't wait! It's going to be so exciting to see that tower go up.

[JCMAN320]

HIRE THE LOCALS

Wednesday, February 14, 2007
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Healy: Tighten rules for builders

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy yesterday unveiled a new proposal aimed at including more residents in the city's booming construction market.

The proposal would require developers who receive tax abatements to use union labor for private projects over $15 million, and public projects over $5 million; and establish an apprentice program aimed at getting more Jersey City residents, particularly minorities, onto local work sites.

The proposal - which must get City Council approval - would require 20 percent of the work to be conducted by union apprentices, a program that teaches workers the techniques of the trade and is considered the first step into a well-paying union job.

"I think it only fitting that the bulk of the workforce in the building and construction field, that has been the source of our city's renaissance, be directed at Jersey City residents," Healy yesterday told a crowd of more than 200 union members of various trades at a news conference at City Hall.

The proposal is widely seen as an answer to critics of the city's tax abatement policy, which also has job creation as one of its goals but by most people's estimates has largely been unsuccessful.

The current tax abatement contracts include language that calls for developers to show their "best-faith efforts" at hiring local residents and minorities.

However, developers are only required to disclose to the city the race, sex and hometown of the workers on site, and doesn't include any penalties for not meeting the stated goals.

This new proposal includes a much stronger bridge between residents and development projects. But city officials admit that if developers show they have made the required attempts, they will not be held accountable for not meeting the 20 percent goal.

Some of the requirements included in the proposal are:

Developers and union officials meet with city officials 90 days prior to the start of construction in order to lay out how they plan to fulfill the requirements of the ordinance.

That the city notify the Jersey City Board of Education, the Jersey City Employment and Training Program and the Jersey City Housing Authority of the availability of apprenticeships prior to construction.

That the developer advertise the apprenticeship jobs in two local newspapers.

That the developer and the union hold at least two job fairs at a location to be provided by the city.

Union representatives' attendance yesterday was noteworthy since it was the unions that fought and defeated Jersey City's previous attempt at instituting a quota system.

[LincolnParkResident]

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy yesterday unveiled a new proposal aimed at including more residents in the city's booming construction market.

The proposal would require developers who receive tax abatements to use union labor for private projects over $15 million, and public projects over $5 million; and establish an apprentice program aimed at getting more Jersey City residents, particularly minorities, onto local work sites.

The proposal - which must get City Council approval - would require 20 percent of the work to be conducted by union apprentices, a program that teaches workers the techniques of the trade and is considered the first step into a well-paying union job.




Some of the requirements included in the proposal are:

Developers and union officials meet with city officials 90 days prior to the start of construction in order to lay out how they plan to fulfill the requirements of the ordinance.

That the city notify the Jersey City Board of Education, the Jersey City Employment and Training Program and the Jersey City Housing Authority of the availability of apprenticeships prior to construction.

That the developer advertise the apprenticeship jobs in two local newspapers.

That the developer and the union hold at least two job fairs at a location to be provided by the city.

Union representatives' attendance yesterday was noteworthy since it was the unions that fought and defeated Jersey City's previous attempt at instituting a quota system.


Peter Mocco and Liberty Harbor North are just going to be loving this, with all his non Union Labor he uses. According to an architect or assistant connected to the site he just let 15 people go and now it is a ghost town there which didn't sound like anything will open close to what the sales office is saying.

Not sure on how many other sites, are non-union as well, but sure after that stint of "Peter's" and the rest, finally they are going to reign in him, and the things he gets away with. He owns more than that piece of Land and the rentals at A-1, but as he is including to the "future residents" free local telephone services, since he owns the local telephone exchange or lines or something feeding into everyone's homes. Nothing like a monopoly which can politically control so much, and manipulate so much. And there are like 4 or 5 other things, which were not on the up and up put together.

[JCMAN320]

This will be a unique park the likes that no one has ever seen!!! Check it out!!!http://www.jcreservoir.org/

Reservoir No. 3 will be preserved as open space

Ending years of debate, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy declared today that Reservoir No.3 will be preserved for passive recreation.

"This thing has been debated for a long time, an issue that has endured through many administrations. But now the time is right to decide its future," said Healy.

The conceptual plan for the reservoir, on Summit Avenue in the Heights, includes a fishing pier, canoe dock and an elevated jogging path that hugs the inside of the massive stone walls that surround the site.

"This is a great day," said Steve Latham, president of the Jersey City Reservoir Preservation Alliance, a group that has fought for passive recreation at the site for years.

However, the news wasn't great for everybody.

Joseph Napolitano, executive director of the Babe Ruth League at Pershing Field, said he will wait and see if kids use the site before passing judgment.

"I don't know if kids will use it, but I will be watching," said Napolitano. "But what I do know is I turned down 500 kids last year for the league, and who knows where these kids went, maybe the streets."

Jarrett Renshaw

[ianmac47]

Is the reservoir grade level with a wall around it, or is the wall around the reservoir literally holding back the water?

[nafco]

very cool, i hope they supply fishing supplies and canoes for rent or better yet, just let people borrow like they do at Chelsea Piers in the summer

[Lafayette]

Does anyone know what is going on with Whitlock Mills (www.whitlockmills.com (http://www.whitlockmills.com)) ? I pass by their site frequently and it seems to be on a complete halt for months. I hope they finish this beautiful industrial restoration.

[MrWolf]

I just asked the same thing on JCList and someone replied they were told that an agreement would be signed in the next couple of days (I assume b/t the developer & builder). This person also pointed out they had been previously told the same thing, so caution was suggested.

I also recall a JJ article back in December which quoted the developer as saying that a target of end of first quarter 2007 for move-in had been set (after many delays). However, given the current status, I'm not sure they will be able to meet that timeline. I guess we'll see .....

[JCMAN320]

The reservoir is holding back the water inside is a massive lake and they have been allowing people to fish and hike. There are hug fish there and no one knows how they got there. Also the New York Kayaking club have also been doing kayaking for several years. The renovation is calling for one of the pump houses to be turned into a boat house. This is 13 acres of wetlands and lakes in the middle of Jersey City. This will be incredible.

[ianmac47]

I agree. It looks like it will be quite amazing, especially if they put in walkways and park accessories like benches.

[JCMAN320]

111 First St. owner gives money to Jersey City Museum

The owner of 111 First St., the longtime artists enclave that will be the site of a new luxury apartment complex, is delivering the first installment today of the $1 million it promised to promote the arts in Jersey City.

BLDG Management Co., Inc , the agent for New Gold Equities, was scheduled to present a $330,000 check to the Jersey City Museum this afternoon; the Loew's Jersey Theater will also be receiving money.

The contributions are part of a settlement in which the city and New Gold Equities dropped legal challenges against one another over the proposed redevelopment of 111 First St., which is in the Powerhouse Arts District.

“This generous gift helps ensure that Jersey City Museum continues its vital mission of bringing quality arts, culture and educational programming to all who live in and visit our wonderfully diverse city.” the museum's executive director, Marion Grzesiak, said in a written statement before the ceremony.

[LincolnParkResident]

Does anyone know what is going on with Whitlock Mills (www.whitlockmills.com) ? I pass by their site frequently and it seems to be on a complete halt for months. I hope they finish this beautiful industrial restoration.


Some one said it is to be the new "Dixon Mills". There is suppose to be a certain amount of Fair Market Housing, but also moderated and section 8 housing in it as well, and there is suppose to be senior housing there also.

[tbal]

It appears that part of the deal between Toll Bros and Fields Development calls for proposing a revised design for 126-142 Morgan Street ("The Hudson") for a 36-story building instead of a 17-story building (see bold text below)...I'd really like to know when this project will go before the planning board and when they plan on breaking ground...

Also note that the tallest of the three towers will be taller than original plans called for (43 stories instead of 40).

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

Kvetching about condos

Opposition mounts against high-rise residential project at Manischewitz factory

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer


SITE OF CONCERN – The Manischewitz plant, located on Bay Street in Downtown Jersey City will officially close its operations in April. Development company Toll Brothers has plans to build a high-rise luxury tower on the site. Residents say they want more information.
Is it possible to for residents to fight a nationally known developer in order to make a condo building smaller?

Residents of the Powerhouse Arts District (PAD) in Downtown Jersey City are attempting to do so.

They are trying to stop nationally known building company Toll Brothers from constructing a two-tower apartment complex on the site of the soon-to-be former Manischewitz plant on Bay Street. That factory is slated to close in April.

The proposed condo project is being built as a joint effort with Hoboken-based developer Fields Development.

Talk to us, Toll Brothers!

The residents claim that Toll Brothers has put too much pressure on city planners and other city officials to allow them to build higher than what is normally allowed in the PAD.

But first, residents want to know what exactly the developers have in mind.

"All we want is to be included in the conversation," said Richard Tomko, a PAD resident and president of the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association [PADNA].

The Powerhouse Arts District is a neighborhood that includes a historic former transit powerhouse that the city would like to see converted to a shopping area like the one at Baltimore's inner harbor. The Powerhouse Arts District redevelopment plan governs development projects in the area.

They want to know

The concerned residents say they are also worried that the Toll Brothers project, along with another developer's towers that are being planned for 110 and 111 First St., will ruin the character of the neighborhood.

Tomko, along with the 100-plus members of the PADNA, have been concerned based on what they have been able to find out from various city officials and other sources.

The project consists of the two towers to be built on the Manischewitz site and adjoining property. The project would also entail taking over Provost Street, a three-block marbled cobblestone road, to create a town square plaza since Toll Brothers also owns a parking lot where they plan to build another tower.

The towers and a proposed third, are supposed to be at heights, respectively, of 43, 38, and 36 stories.

The problem, said Tomko, is all residents' speculation, which could be clarified if they knew the developers' intentions.

Toll Brothers' response

A representative for the Philadelphia-based Toll Brothers said last week that they "don't comment on properties going through planning and zoning."

Jim Caufield and his brother Robert run Fields Development, a third-generation Hoboken development company that has several projects ongoing in the PAD.

When Caufield was interviewed in November, he said plans for that project could not be discussed by him.

"There have been at least two meetings scheduled with the developers but both were cancelled at the last minute," said Tomko.

Tomko does not blame Fields Construction, whom he said has been willing in the past to present their projects to PADNA.

"Every new project that came through [the PAD] has been presented before us," said Tomko. "Fields has come before us with a proposed project called 'the Hudson' to be built on the [nearby parking] lot."

Edelstein said Robert Caufield of Fields Development has reached out to PADNA and given the dimensions of the towers. But Tomko said PADNA has not been "given a formal presentation."

Edelstein also said the PADNA has a construction committee that includes her, Simon, and five other residents with backgrounds in architecture who understand how development works.

"We are not anti-development but we are about responsible development," said Edelstein.

Arts district is changing

In the PAD, warehouse buildings are morphing into residential housing and new stores are sprouting up. The area stretches east to west from Marin to Washington boulevards and from north to south from Second to Bay streets.

The taller buildings in the district may be a result of a legal settlement last year between the city and the private developer of 110 and 111 First St.

Last year, PADNA members came out against the settlement, which allowed the owners to build two towers on the properties that could reach higher than 40 and 60 stories.

The First Street buildings were once located in the PAD, but were then placed in a special "Powerhouse Arts Residence Zone" that allows for the larger building heights.

Last week Tomko said the 110 and 111 First St. settlement created a "domino effect," opening the door for other developers to consider doing projects that are less about preserving the existing historic warehouses and more about tearing down and creating anew.

PAD resident Marc Simon said he moved to the district because there is a community feeling. But he doesn't rule out moving away if he sees too many of these towers becoming a reality.

"It was difficult enough moving from Manhattan to Jersey City, but I don't want to live amongst all these tall buildings," said Simon.

City Councilman Steven Fulop, who represents the PAD, said he will continue to work with PADNA to help them with their development concerns. Fulop also had lashed out at the approval of the 110 and 111 First St. settlement and its possible domino effect.

Ricardo Kaulessar can also be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com (rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com)

[ianmac47]

Interesting. The Hudson Had broken ground a few months back-- they cleared the lot and pounded in 6 or so pilings. But then a few weeks back they stopped making any progress at all. I wonder if this means they are waiting to get approvals for something taller.

[macmini]

Co-developer talks about 'Trump Plaza: Jersey City,' and working with The Donald
Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer

http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1291/zwire/images/2007/02/full/02trump18b.jpg
WORKING WITH TRUMP ?
Local developer Dean Geibel spoke about
Trump Plaza: Jersey City last week
while potential buyers viewed models of the building.

As the afternoon sun was setting last week, real estate developer Dean Geibel looked out of the 13th floor of the Trump Plaza sales center office on Montgomery Street, near the Jersey City waterfront.

From the sales center, Geibel could see in the distance the actual Trump Plaza under construction.

"I meet people on the street, and I start going on and on about how much I enjoy doing this project," said Geibel, one of the developers of the project, and a partner in Hoboken-based Metro Homes.

So far, Geibel hasn't heard the phrase "You're fired!" from the most famous developer on the project, real estate mogul and TV personality Donald Trump.

But Geibel, who got Trump involved in the project after meeting him via a New Jersey golf course, enjoys working with The Donald.

"You never know what he what come up with next," Geibel said, referring to some of the project's more interesting luxury amenities.
What it is
The Trump name is certainly helping the project's recognition, and its sales have been brisk.

The $415 million two-tower project is currently under construction on Washington Boulevard. The first tower, which will have 55 stories and 445 residential units, is expected to be ready for occupancy in March, 2008.

"You can see the garage and retail to the right, which is seven stories, we're complete with that," said Geibel. "The tower is going up right now; we're up to the 25th floor. The good news is all the hard work is done, especially breaking ground and building from the ground up. We'll be at 55 stories before you know it."
What's in a name?

When completed, "Trump Plaza: Jersey City" will consist of two residential buildings, 55 and 50 stories, with a combined total of 862 condos.

There will also be seven-story base with a garage of 696 parking spaces and with 23,000 square feet of prime retail space.

The base will accommodate a business center, home theater screening room, a private 8,000 square foot fitness center, a rooftop plaza with an outdoor heated swimming pool, a private landscaped yard, a children's play area, and an enclosed basketball court.
Partnering with the 'Donald'

Geibel approached Trump in spring 2005 about becoming involved in the Jersey City project. They had already struck up a relationship when Geibel was golfing on Trump's golf course in Bedminster, N.J.

"Of course, the Trump name is the gold standard in luxury living, and it also adds value to the condos and velocity to the sales," said Geibel.

When asked if Trump is just a partner in name only, Geibel laughed.

"I get asked that question a lot, and people don't realize how much involvement he has in the project," said Geibel, who did not disclose how much money Trump has invested.

Geibel said the project was reshaped from the original conception. It was once known as Harborspire and was to be built by a partnership of Hoboken-based Applied Housing and Jersey City developer Joseph Panepinto, until they sold their rights to Metro Homes.

"I took a drive around Manhattan with [Trump's son] Donald Jr. to see all his various properties and to see what he expected his buildings to look like," said Geibel. "I had no problem dealing with him because he knows exactly what he wants, and he's not afraid to speak his mind."

Geibel when asked if Trump's involvement overshadowed Geibel's name as a local developer, he said he didn't see a problem taking a backseat to Trump.

Geibel, along with his partner Paul Fried are the founders of Metro Homes, which since 1993 had built a number of residences in Hudson County including currently Gull's Cove, a community of 431 condominium residences in Jersey City, and MetroStop, 113 condominium homes in Hoboken.

$2M penthouses sold

Geibel said he had been getting customers mostly from New Jersey and from as far away as Korea.

He said he has traveled to various parts of New Jersey to meet with future customers.

"A lot of people are excited about wanting to move here, and I am excited telling them about why they should move here," said Geibel.

Sales on condos in the first tower have reached 215 since they were put on the market in September, according to Geibel and Trump Plaza spokesperson George Cahn.

Trump Plaza's studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom condominiums range from 750 to 2,050 square feet and are currently priced from $445,000 to more than $2 million before completion. Geibel said two of the penthouse apartments in the first tower, each fetching about $2 million, had been sold recently.

Geibel said the sales "threshold" has not been reached in terms of dictating the construction of the companion 50-story tower.

But Geibel said the $1.6 million tax abatement payment for the second tower has already paid in anticipation of building the next tower.

Unusual amenities

Geibel said selling points are the aqua grottos or group showers, where fully dressed individuals can enjoy watery relaxation. And then there are the BMW Zipcars.

Zipcar is the world's largest car sharing service and currently operate in London, England and 13 states.

Geibel said Trump clued him in on this idea.

"You never know what he what come up with next," said Geibel. "Until Donald told me about this, I had no idea what was a Zipcar."

Trump Plaza is expected to have three Zipcars, according to Geibel.

While Geibel was giving his interview, some potential buyers were in the sales office touring the replica kitchen and bedroom space of a future condo.

Couple notices the name

A Cliffside Park couple, Hannah Kim and Tae Min, were taken with wanting to settle in Trump Plaza for different reasons.

"For me, it's the name that got my attention," said Kim.

"I work on Wall Street and I can take the train over to work in no time," said Min.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

&#169;The Hudson Reporter 2007

[MrWolf]

Does anyone know what is going on with Whitlock Mills (www.whitlockmills.com) ? I pass by their site frequently and it seems to be on a complete halt for months. I hope they finish this beautiful industrial restoration.


Some one said it is to be the new "Dixon Mills". There is suppose to be a certain amount of Fair Market Housing, but also moderated and section 8 housing in it as well, and there is suppose to be senior housing there also.

A few newspaper articles on the matter has 40&#37; of the housing priced at market rate and the other 60% at moderate income (residents need to earn at least 50%-60% of the JC median income). Heard no news concerning any of the housing being Section 8.

[JCMAN320]

I would like to the PAD redevelopment plan enforced instead of these developers cominh in and dictating. The Hudson was waiting for more approval from the DEP last I heard.

People this is nothing new. While Jersey City and Brooklyn's development efforts continue to parallel one another, BK residents are fighting the same type of development that JC is fighting in the PAD, in DUMBO. Check it out:http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/763

[ianmac47]

Yeah I agree that it the idea of the PAD would have been nice to see fully executed, but I don't think the city benefited from having 111 First vacant for 18 months while they fought legal battles over it. Also, isn't the western side of Manochevitz outside of the PAD, technically?

[JCMAN320]

Yes Ian the parking lot side near the entrance is outside technally speaking. Also here is some more news coming out of Jersey City that has to do with preservation:

Washington Committee honors George at Apple Tree House

Tuesday, February 20, 2007
By ALI WINSTON
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

On a sunny, yet bitingly cold afternoon, members of the George Washington Commemorative Committee held their 23rd annual wreath-laying at the historic Apple Tree House on Academy Street yesterday to honor the country's first president.

"This ceremony is a patriotic observance in honor of President Washington," said Ed Meehan, the event organizer. Meehan said the idea for the wreath-laying stemmed from a celebration of President Abraham Lincoln's birthday, and Presidents Day seemed an appropriate occasion.

The Apple Tree House is well-suited for such an event. Also known as the Van Wagenen House, the structure dates back to 1740, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Local legend has it that then-General Washington met with the Marquis de Lafayette at the house. Washington was known to have reconnoitered the area for military operations, and may have held meetings with local revolutionaries in nearby orchards owned by the Van Wagenens. However, Meehan said the area was a Loyalist stronghold and such a high-profile meeting was dubious.

Registered as a city, state, and national landmark, the Apple Tree House was acquired by the city in 1999 after falling into disrepair. It is currently undergoing extensive repairs, which are expected to be finished by this spring. Once the interior is renovated, the building will open as a "period house" that will reflect Jersey City's colonial past.

The restoration of one of Jersey City's oldest buildings is eagerly anticipated by many Journal Square residents.

"I look at this house every day from my office," said Ahmed Shedeed, the president of the Islamic Center of Jersey City, whose office is directly opposite the Apple Tree House. "It'll be beautiful once repairs are finished."

[ianmac47]

For those of you who on occasion pop in to newyorkssixth, you may have realized Ive been compiling images of all the buildings in the downtown of Jersey City. Anyway, I created a master list of the downtown buildings-- the system I had for navigating the directory was just clearly not working. Anyway, check out the master list (and if im missing anything downtown or made any mistakes, please let me know, im not infalliable)

http://jerseycity.newyorkssixth.com/jcliving/artarchitecture.html

Also, each building links to photos and data.

[TimmyG]

That's an impressive list. Where do you draw the lines between highrise and midrise and midrise and lowrise?

[ianmac47]

It was very subjective I suppose, but generally I considered low-rise to be less than 5 stories, midrise to be 6 to 15, high rise greater than 15. Or maybe it was 17. One or two buildings may have slipped in the wrong category.

[nafco]

impressive list ianmac. dont forget there are a couple monuments by the journal square area too

[tpamps]

You could add 140 as well as 150 Bay Street, in the PAD.

Quite impressive though.

[macmini]

IT'S TIME TO MIX IN SOME IPODS and skinny jeans with those long-faced I-bankers on the morning PATH train to Jersey City.

New York Observer -- Feb 19

In a move that represents entertainment’s first step toward the Jersey waterfront, the record company EMI has a lease out in Jersey City, a source confirmed. The lease will be between 30,000 and 50,000 square feet, he said.

To EMI, the move means much-needed cheaper rents. To New York City, this means there’s another scary smell coming from Jersey.

For years, there’s been a nagging worry among New York’s real-estate gatekeepers that rich tenants would flee Manhattan in favor of Jersey City’s shinier buildings and cheaper rents.

But no major industries have made large moves to Jersey, other than finance (and even then, big business has been shelving back offices there, not top executives).

EMI, though, is about to ante up.

Consider the Jersey discount: The average office rent on the New Jersey waterfront is $30 per square foot, according to CB Richard Ellis. Rents in midtown south, where EMI has offices at both 150 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron district and at 304 Park Avenue South, are at $52 per square foot, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

Could this be the start of a media exodus from Manhattan?

“I don’t think anybody sees Jersey as a threat to the city’s media industry,” said Kathy Wylde, the head of Partnership for New York City. “Brooklyn competes harder..”

Companies like EMI might need to consider it, though. Despite a No. 1 record from Norah Jones this week, the company’s sales numbers are sagging.

The source with knowledge of the deal didn’t confirm which of its addresses EMI give up in Manhattan, but the record company’s 50,000-square-foot lease at 304 Park Avenue South expires this year.

EMI has been reshuffling space lately. One of its subdivisions, EMI Music Publishing, is moving into a 65,000-square-foot space in Chelsea, away from two offices in midtown.

A group led by Mitch Konsker at Cushman & Wakefield represents EMI. He declined to comment
================================================== ==

EMI Taking 35,000 Jersey City Feet

New York Observer -- Feb 21

More news on that Jersey EMI lease. It looks like EMI will be taking the entire 15th floor, for 35,000 square feet, at Plaza 10 in Jersey City, a source said. The Observer reported the news first last week.

Poor EMI. The company is buckling so much that Warner Music wants to chat about a takeover again.

And now EMI is the first big name in entertainment to buckle and fall to the Jersey waterfront.

- John Koblin

[JCMAN320]

Brooklyn competes harder? Ya okay say anything you want to make NY'ers sleep better at night you go right ahead. Brooklyn can't fill the buildings they have. Brooklyn is just going to become a highrise residential community. This move is great and hopefully it will be around the Powerhouse Art District.

Jersey City just ****in rocks. Also people more lights have come on in Newport Tower 7 and GS Tower so get ready for more office buildings.

Remember when no one thought that the offices would succeed here; that worked, then people were like okay but no one will move to JC, then that happened, and now no one thinks we can take media; watch it will happen.
Hoboken is getting new offices for a prominent record company now Jersey City. Watch out first financial, then residential, now media, then the world!!!!!!!

Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!

[JCMAN320]

The Development of Jersey City: An Interview with James H. Hughes, Ph. D, Dean of Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
By Justin Woods

February 12, 2007

(Woods) Considering the history of Jersey City development, overall what are the major trends and or changes it has seen in recent years?

(Hughes) "Going back 100 years ago Jersey City was known for manufacturing, rail yards, and it's distribution centers."

"During the 50's and 60's they disappeared."

Jersey City has gone through a post economy in the past 25 years

- very high paying jobs
- there is more office space in Jersey City then there is in downtown Pittsburgh Penn.

{ Basic trend for J.C}
New office buildings
Will continue residential developments
The planning of residential developments will continue

Note: Jersey City has an overbuilt office market

(Woods) Historically why did New York City grow but Jersey City did not?

(Hughes) - It grew in different ways, it's an accident in history.
- The Dutch settled in Manhattan.
- During the earlier settlement, Manhattan was just easier to get to when traveling by water.

(Woods) Is the development in Jersey City speeding up? Do you think it's going too fast?

(Hughes) "Office development is slowing by itself, I don't think any of it's going too fast."

- new high rise
- new sites
- seeing in field development, vacant lots
- not only the waterfront

(Woods) Can Jersey City ever be the next New York? And why?

(Hughes) "Nothing can compare to New York."
- New York has so much wealth,
- Large office space

Jersey City is always going to dwarfed by New York City."

(Woods) What do you think attracts developers like Donald Trump to Jersey City?

(Hughes) "Housing prices have gotten so high in New York City."

The things that attract developers....

- Are the lower cost
- Jersey City has great views of Manhattan

"Jersey City has geography going for it."

[ianmac47]

Brooklyn competes harder? Ya okay say anything you want to make NY'ers sleep better at night you go right ahead. Brooklyn can't fill the buildings they have. Brooklyn is just going to become a highrise residential community. This move is great and hopefully it will be around the Powerhouse Art District.


While there are some obvious similarities to Brooklyn and Jersey City, they are quite different, least of which being Brooklyn's ten fold difference in population.

For one thing, Jersey City is still being built as a discounted alternative to Manhattan. Jersey City is offering more space, parking and amenities for the same price in Manhattan. Meanwhile Brooklyn is not being marketed as an discounted Manhattan alternative, but instead as a cool hip city all on its own. Many of the new developments in Brooklyn are being built with the same Manhattan-esque attitude: "it doesn't matter what the building looks like or what comes with it, location will sell the thing anyway." I'm not saying construction quality is better in Jersey City, only that the amenities are getting included where as that is not the case in Brooklyn. Just like a builder knows that he can build a 400 studio and sell it for half a million in Manhattan, developers are making the same assumptions in brooklyn. They are building smaller, less luxurious buildings and still getting the same price. Jersey City, at least for now, is not drawing people based on name alone, and so developers are including things to entice people.

Brooklyn is also riding the wave of "cool" that many of its hipster nabes generated a few years ago. The burg, DUMBO, ect. Jersey City sort of lacks that cachet because simply its in New Jersey. I don't think the PAD would have changed this much. While there might have been artists and galleries and "cool" things to do, it was probably not going to attract the same sort of attention that Brooklynites garnered. In DUMBO in particular, there was a whole lot of people converting industrial buildings into illegal apartments, then artists moved into them because it was cheap, and so on. Anyway, all that created controversy. And then they changed zoning, which created more controversy. And then they started building towers, and that created controversy. Anyway, the point is the legend of DUMBO was built on the fact that all these artists were fighting the good fight. In essence, the PAD became this legendary, cool, hip thing, only after the city decided to ignore its own ordinances. Had there been no controversy with the PAD, there would nothing to rally behind, nothing to fight for, nothing to make it cool. I think in large part what makes Brooklyn so much "fun" for a lot of people is the chance to be an activist. The PAD only allowed for that sort of activism upon its political death.

Anyway, the lore of Brooklyn is much greater than a few blocks of an artist's village. Brooklyn has begun attracting celebrity residents, even A-Listers in the Slope, something Jersey City is lacking. Get a big name celebrity to buy into The Beacon or Liberty Harbor and that's when Jersey City will begin to have the same name recognition as parts of Brooklyn.

Then of course there are the subways. Now certainly I believe the PATH is faster from JC to Manhattan than than the F or the L is from Brooklyn to Manhattan. And anywhere downtown JC is faster getting to Manhattan than anywhere in Brooklyn with the exception of maybe Brooklyn Heights. But the PATH is limited to where you end up in Manhattan, and its limited to where it goes in Jersey City. Brooklyn is huge, but has subways everywhere. Jersey City only has subways downtown and in JSQ. So at the end of the day, if more subway lines are not drilled throughout the city, Jersey City's growth is going to strictly limited-- which is going to further push demand in the downtown and areas with PATH access. This is where Brooklyn is really different. brooklyn has been large enough that the Hipster set just packed up and moved to a different neighborhood the moment the gentrification showed up (which of course is ironic, since they are the gentrification). Which is why all these other neighborhoods in Brooklyn are beginning to gentrify-- The Burg and Dumbo are soooo over. You can't really do that in Jersey City, with exception of moving from downtown to JSQ. Basically what I'm saying is, its very easy for Brooklynites to shift population away from high rise communities because its so large and has such an extensive subway network. Jersey City though, is really limited in that there are only 4 subway stops to live near if you want PATH access, which the young and the hip want. Prices around those areas will continue to rise simply because no other neighborhoods are connected to the subway system.

Finally, I think Jersey city has had a real short term advantage along the waterfront. In essence, the only thing that had been getting in the way of development was brownfields and old industry. In Brooklyn, there were huge areas that are getting gentrified-- but gentrifying old neighborhoods is much harder than building from scratch. Pollution, while expensive to remove and remediate the land, doesn't protest new buildings. Jersey city is starting to feel those pressures now as the new development moves west. This will slow redevelopment as developers will have to appease activists or lobby local government to turn a blind eye. Like for instance in the PAD. had the city approved the the developers plan for 111 First street, the building would be nearly finished by now, instead of just the demo phase. The site sat vacant for almost two years while the legal fight went on. Anyway, the point is Brooklyn had a lot less empty industrial land that they could just clean and build towers like along the waterfront in JC. The first phase of redeveloping jersey City took 20 years, essentially, from the time newport was started until now. The next 20 years, growth is going to slow simply because it will take longer to redevelop older neighborhoods. For instance there has been a lot of talk of removing the projects on montgomery st. But the trouble is you can't just flatten the projects. you also have to provide new projects, preferably more integrated into the community, but the point is that there needs to be a plan to do that, and money for new construction. Its not like a brownfield where you cart away the contaminated soil and dump it in Ohio.

[OmegaNYC]

At the end of the day, Brooklyn is still NYC. So it isn't really a loose-loose situation for the city of New York. I'm sure the mayor would rather has some big time business move to Brooklyn than JC.

[kliq6]

If brooklyn would market itself as a Discount of Manhattan, there would be no JC. But thats NY fault!

[ianmac47]

At the end of the day, Brooklyn is still NYC. So it isn't really a loose-loose situation for the city of New York. I'm sure the mayor would rather has some big time business move to Brooklyn than JC.

Its true. Its also true that many businesses have used Jersey City to leverage New York into giving them a better deal. And NYC also wants businesses to look at Long Island City rather than JC. But I think overall what is happening is that in suburban NJ, many of the suburban office park developments that raped urban centers over the last forty years is finally slowing. New Jersey is going to be "built out" in a few decades. Already most of the prime suburban office space is built on-- Paramus for instance is really at capacity. Woodbridge, Edison, Parsippany, all running out of room, and politically losing support for massive suburban office parks. So I think in terms of business there is going to become more pressure to build office space in urban centers. This might be in places like Newark or New Brunswick or Morristown, cheaper alternatives, but it also means Jersey City as well as more pressure in Manhattan and the outer boroughs.

[MrWolf]

The JC lovefest continues ....

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02222007/realestate/jersey_pearl_realestate_adam_bonislawski.htm?page= 0

JERSEY PEARL

MINUTES FROM MANHATTAN, EMERGING JERSEY CITY IS ON THE RIGHT PATH


By ADAM BONISLAWSK

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02222007/photos/re048a.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:SLIDES.hotlink())
JUMP IN: The Beacon will have perks like an indoor pool.

http://www.nypost.com/img/newsart/article_storybottom.gif


February 22, 2007 -- THERE'S a certain type of New Yorker who'd never move to New Jersey no matter what. Some people are scared of spiders - these folks are afraid of crossing the Hudson River. That's just how they are.
These people can be forgiven for having never heard of the Jersey City building boom. For the rest of us, though, the rise of the city across the way should by now be a familiar story.

A good 30 percent cheaper than most of Manhattan and just minutes away on the PATH from either Midtown or Wall Street, the city began its turnaround in the mid-1980s, as residential and office buildings started popping up along its waterfront. Today, high-rises line the river and the streets are busy with young professionals.

Twenty years ago, it took a certain daring to head over the Hudson. It was the sort of move that might have drawn gasps at cocktail parties. These days, though, there's nothing shocking about Jersey City. And it's no longer just about the waterfront.

In fact, buyers willing to look a little further inland will find some of Jersey City's biggest bargains in new developments like Metrovest Equities' The Beacon. Comprising 10 condo buildings on the former site of the Jersey City Medical Center, The Beacon is one of the first large luxury developments to go up in the heart of the city in years.

Sitting atop the Palisades Ridge, the project offers dramatic views of the waterfront and Manhattan beyond, and with perks like a 25,000-square-foot health club and a restored Art Deco movie theater, the development has managed to sell more than 85 percent of the 315 units that have hit the market so far.

One drawback to the development? The five-minute shuttle ride to the PATH train. But with apartments going for less than $500 a square foot, the development isn't just inexpensive by Manhattan standards - it's also a bargain compared to the $800 per square foot you'll pay along the Jersey City waterfront.

"We wanted to offer units where a one-bedroom in our complex would cost about what a studio would in other Jersey City condos," says George Filopoulos, the principal of Metrovest.

That's the advantage, of course, of striking out for less-developed territory - the chance to snag a deal. Josh Levitt recently pulled the trigger on a one-bedroom unit in the new Grove Pointe development (with 67 condos and 458 rental units) by the Grove Street PATH station. With prices running $650 to $700 per square foot, and other buildings like the Costas Kondylis-designed rental tower 50 Columbus coming nearby, he's hoping he can ride what he sees as the neighborhood's upward trajectory.

"When you buy something as an investment, you want to get it at a little bit of a discount," says Levitt, who's been renting in Hoboken. "You're looking for potential. You don't want to go to a place that's already 100 percent arrived.
"These areas aren't perfect yet. You still have the 99-cent store around the corner, you still have the tattoo parlor. But when you see the amount of investment going on here, the value and opportunity is there."

Other projects - like Exeter Properties' condo conversion of Hamilton Park's Civil War-era St. Francis Hospital complex and Harwood Properties' plans to build more than 1,000 high-rise residential units in long moribund Journal Square - similarly speak to the fact that inland Jersey City is viable.

Of course, there's still plenty happening down by the river. Among the largest new projects is Peter Mocco's Liberty Harbor. Designed in an open New Urbanist style, the development calls for 10,000 homes to be built over the next 10 years on a plot of waterfront just south of downtown. With prices ranging from about $300,000 (for a 650-square-foot one-bedroom) to upwards of $1.6 million, the first phase has a mix of 667 townhouse, brownstone and condo units, as well as 250 rentals.

Donna McIntosh, who, with her husband, Timothy, recently purchased a brownstone in the development, sees it as a lower-key alternative to the Newport apartment she lived in after first making the move from Manhattan to Jersey City nine years ago. (The Newport area, which is still expanding, already includes nine high-rise rental developments, one 443-unit condo building, a 1.2 million-square-foot shopping mall, parking for 14,000 vehicles and eight office buildings.)

"What I like is that [Liberty Harbor] doesn't have the pretentious feel of a big condo," she says. "It's very Brooklyn."

"It's a more human scale, a human feel, as opposed to being isolated in some space station - a tower that's 40 stories in the air," Mocco says, comparing his development to the high-rises that have characterized growth in downtown Jersey City for the past two decades.

Fans of the space-station aesthetic shouldn't fret, though; there's no shortage of more vertically inclined developments. Perhaps most dramatically, Metro Homes and The Trump Organization are still at work on Trump Plaza Jersey City's two towers. And at 77 Hudson St., sales will open this summer for K. Hovnanian's new 420-unit high-rise. Apartments in the building - studios to three-bedrooms - will start around $400,000 and go up to more than $2 million.

New waterfront properties are also rising in the city's Newport section, where the Lefrak Organization plans to add some 9,000 new residences over the next 10 to 15 years.

Primarily a developer of rental buildings, Lefrak recently created the Shore Condominium. Consisting of two towers offering 217 and 221 one-, two- and three-bedroom units, the project's first building sold out in four months. The second building had, at last count, eight units left. Given sales figures like this, fears of a Jersey City slowdown - which Filopoulos says were very real this past summer - have largely dissipated.

"We all have to be concerned that eventually there's going to be too much product," he says. "It just doesn't look like, with what's happening economically and locally, we're at that point yet."

So expect more potential buyers hopping on the PATH to take a look. "Manhattan has gotten out of control," says Daryl Ng, who recently bought into the Shore Condominium. "People can't afford it anymore, so they move over here. With the views and the price, it's hard to find anything comparable."

[JCMAN320]

I don't get like why people hate on Jersey I'll never understand but anyway. I'm tired of hearing were not coll enough and I mean this status bullshit is the most childish thing I have ever heard of. The PAD will still have gallereis and night life no doubt but there will be some towers in the mix of the warehouses same in DUMBO.

This whole thing if NYC got it's act together there would be no JC. Jersey City is the 8th oldest city in the county guys wake up and was settled same time as Manhattan. JC has always been here. Also stop with the if we did this and if we did that you guys would have nothing. Did NYC do anything...no. Wisha, shoulda, coulda, woulda, NYC didn't take advantage of BK or LIC. Too little too late. Stop harping on that!!! Jersey City has a bright future and will continue to suprise people. Also the anti-Jersey stigma will disapate as The Hudson County communitied continue to improve and JC will lead that charge.

Another thing why does every ****in place have to be gentrified and yupppified. What is it latte drinkin and whole food shoppin white people are afraid of brown skinned people grow up. Many sections of JC are still very middle class with great diversity. Only few areas in JC are truly "ghetto" as some people would define it.

[cromdur]

JCMan320, I understand some of your anger. I grew up on West Side and went to H.S. one block from Hamilton Park. As a kid in Jersey City public schools I made friends from all over JC. My pride in JC comes from knowing the entire city and its neighborhoods, not from brand new high rises in Newport. Downtowners like to scoff at Greenville or the heights as being crime infested and dangerous. Let me tell you, there is plenty of crime in downtown and plenty of drugs. In fact, a lot of the yuppies and artists are the ones who keep the downtown dealers in business. JC is small, only 15 square miles. Despite this we have shopping centers in every part of the city. A walk down Bergen avenue from McGinley square to communipaw could open the eyes of a lot of yuppies. They'd encounter poverty, crime, but also beautiful brownstones, large victorian homes, ethnic restaurants, racial diversity, and all that within only 6 or 7 blocks. This is the JC I know and love. I like downtown and all of its neighborhoods. I have great memories from H.S. and from the friends I've made within that community. But there is a lot more to JC and it should be noted and appreciated.

[TimmyG]

BYE, BYE BIRDIE?
Sale could mean end for landmark Flamingo

Thursday, February 22, 2007 By JARRETT RENSHAW

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
After nearly 40 years in operation, the Flamingo Diner may soon sell its last order of bacon and eggs if a pending multi-million-dollar deal for the cozy neighborhood landmark goes through.
The four-story building at 31 Montgomery St. that houses the diner was listed in a real estate advertisement on a popular Internet message board, Jersey City List (www.JCList.com) (http://www.JCList.com%29). The asking price was $4 million, and sources familiar with the deal said it is currently "under contract."
The building's owner, Andreas Diakos, would only say "no story" yesterday when asked about the sale of the 155-year-old building that houses his diner.
Diakos opened the 24-hour diner roughly 40 years ago, long before the surrounding neighborhood was penned the "Gold Coast." He then bought the entire building roughly 20 years ago, according to published reports.
Liberty Realty, which is handling the sale, did not return phone calls seeking comment.
City officials said the $4 million price tag suggests that the Flamingo's days are numbered, saying any new owner would have trouble recouping the sale price without substantial renovations or possibly tearing down the entire building.
"It would be sad," said Luba Suchowacki, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood for four decades. "It's convenient and affordable, and it's the only diner in the neighborhood."
One new Downtown resident said the economics of the real estate market make the sale inevitable.
"It was eventually going to happen. What are you going to do?" said Bill Corcoran, who moved to Jersey City from New Orleans more than a year ago.

[ianmac47]

I don't get like why people hate on Jersey I'll never understand but anyway. I'm tired of hearing were not coll enough and I mean this status bullshit is the most childish thing I have ever heard of.



I hope you don't think I was dissing on Jersey. I was merely talking about perceptions. There are a lot of people who don't consider New Jersey "cool" enough a place to live. Real estate markets have a lot to do with perception. Bubbles are caused because people have the perception that their values will go up even if they buy at inflated prices, just as people under the perception that their property will lose money cause markets to crash. In a similar fashion, the perception that New Jersey is not quite as good as New York has never helped. The same is true of businesses; there is prestige in having a New York Address, even if the entire back end of a business is located in New Jersey. Or Kentucky. Jersey City is just not quite at the same level in terms of marketing itself. New Jersey's best claims to fame so to speak are Frank Sinatra and The Sopranos. Famous authors and actors and rockstars don't (yet) get up on television and talk about their great brownstone in Jersey City and what a great mythological scene it is. Now obviously Manhattan has a great deal of legend and mythology behind it, in part thanks to cultural phenomenon like Saturday Night Live (its not live from Los Angelos or Live from Boston or Live from Jersey City, its Live from New York). Or Woody Allen's long standing love affair with the city. Or Sex and the City-- Carrie Bradshaw never went to Jersey City, though she did on occasion happen to end up in Brooklyn. Where was John Lennon shot -- New York, of course. So yes, Manhattan is pretty well solidified in popular culture and modern mythology. Brooklyn to some extent has ridden the success of New York as a brand, since at the end of the day, Brooklyn addresses end in New York. But beyond that, many more famous people and celebrities have taken up residences in Brooklyn as of late. "Great" new bands are popping out of Brooklyn, the young, up and coming literary greats are coming out of Brooklyn, and they're all building on the "lore of Brooklyn." A-list celebrities today are frequently in Brooklyn, though ten years ago never would have made an appearence. My point is not that there is anything fundamentally wrong with Jersey City, or fundamentally more exciting about Brooklyn, only that the image is more widely recognized and better known and more assimilated into popular culture. In part this is because Brooklyn has 2.4 million people living in it, while Jersey City only 235,000. But its the same thing as what grunge rock did for Seattle, at least in terms of image. Jersey City will no doubt in the coming years be at the forefront of urban culture. Efforts like the PAD, and further expansion of the gentrification, and media stories about Jersey City being "Hip, Cool" (New York Mag's article) or a Pearl on the PATH, will certainly help the image. Again, I'm not trying to denigrate Jersey City. I am simply pointing out that for a vast majority of New Yorkers, and future New Yorkers-- people moving to the region from outside of the tri-state, perceive that a New York address is fundamentally better.

Also, as far as gentrification, its generally good for everyone. Gentrification brings the demand for unskilled labor. It brings diversity in housing stock as new buildings go up. It increases economic activity as a whole. And while local prices might increase, low end hourly wages will also increase to reflect demand-- the fewer unskilled workers who can afford to live in a gentrified neighborhood, the tighter the demand for finding unskilled workers, so wages go up to offset the increase in prices.

More about gentrification helping everyone below:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-04-19-gentrification_x.htm

[kliq6]

Sinatra isnt from JC, he is from Hoboken, LOL.

Anyway as far as corp HQ address, having the HQ in Manhattan is nice but if a firm has more jobs in Jersey then NY ( Merrill Lynch), then in the end you loose out as more tax base is there. JC has done wonders in becoming a good business address and as of this moment more wall street trades are processed on that side of the river!

[JCMAN320]

Ianmac no I don't thi nk you were dissin I just have such a passion and love for Jersey City that sometimes I get a bit overzealous. Also klig time to for me to enlighten my NY friends across the river.

Sinata was born in Hoboken and raised, but got inspired to start a musical carrer by watchin Bing Crosby perform at the Loew's Jersey Theatre on JSQ. Also he married a JC girl and lived with her in JC on Audubon Ave for over a decade, 6 blocks from where I live, and got married in Jersey City and had his daughter Nancy Sinatra at the old JC Medical Center, now the Beacon.

Sinatra has deep roots in Hoboken as well as Jersey City!!

That was JCMan's neat o' JC stat of the day. :)

[JCMAN320]

SUITE DEAL: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Hudson hotels luring NYC visitors with better prices, view

Thursday, February 22, 2007
By DORINE BETHEA
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Whether it's for business or pleasure, travelers to New York City have discovered Hudson County.

The choice of hotels in Hudson County ranges from luxury hotels overlooking the Hudson River - such as the Hyatt Regency Jersey City and the Sheraton Suites in Weehawken - to the convenience and affordability of the many hotels in the Meadowlands.

"It's all about location, accessibility and the fact that prices in New York City are very, very high," said Debra Wanko, director of sales and sales manager for Courtyard by Marriott on Washington Boulevard in Jersey City. "It's all about the demand from New York."

Visitors can save as much as $200 a night by staying in Hudson County instead of Manhattan, according to online price comparisons.

"There are things that go on in the city that filter people this way. Instead of staying in the city they will come here," Wanko said.

For example, the Courtyard typically draws a large number of guests for the New York City Marathon.

The hotel industry's growth also means new retail, hospitatlity and other service jobs, said Ron Simoncini, a spokesman for Hartz Mountain Industries, which owns the Sheraton Suites in Weehawken and the Doubletree Club Suites in Downtown Jersey City.

"For every hotel room you create, you create a half job or more. That's a lot of jobs," he said. "On some level everybody benefits when a new dollar comes to the region."

The new money is evident in the billions of tourism dollars the state receives. Of $32 billion spent on travel and tourism last year, Simoncini - who is also a spokesman for the Meadowlands Liberty Convention and Visitors Bureau - said, more than $8 billion was generated in the Secaucus Meadowlands area.

"We have more office space and more hotel rooms than all but a dozen or so cities," he said, noting that seven hotels call Secaucus home on Hartz property.

Simoncini said industry leaders reported about $100 million in new investments were made in Hudson's hotel business between 2005 and 2006.

The Doubletree, which Hartz Mountain built in 1996, was the first new hotel that opened in Jersey City in 40 years; then came the Courtyard by Marriott, Candlewood Business Suite and the Hyatt Regency at Harborside. In fact, at least five new luxury hotels have been built in Jersey City over the past seven years.

A Hampton Inn and Suites opened in Harrison in 2004, heralding that town's redevelopment boom.

Work is under way on a Westin Hotel in Downtown Jersey City and the W Hotel Hoboken.

For Hartz Mountain, investing in hotels in Weehawken and Jersey City was a smart move, Simoncini said.

"These are places Hartz Mountain thought would be vibrant destinations and they were right," Simoncini said. "As time goes on these destinations will support more and more hotel rooms."

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

Just as a side note New Jersey is in the top 10 for the most visited states in the nation by tourists.

[kliq6]

Ianmac no I don't thi nk you were dissin I just have such a passion and love for Jersey City that sometimes I get a bit overzealous. Also klig time to for me to enlighten my NY friends across the river.

Sinata was born in Hoboken and raised, but got inspired to start a musical carrer by watchin Bing Crosby perform at the Loew's Jersey Theatre on JSQ. Also he married a JC girl and lived with her in JC on Audubon Ave for over a decade, 6 blocks from where I live, and got married in Jersey City and had his daughter Nancy Sinatra at the old JC Medical Center, now the Beacon.

Sinatra has deep roots in Hoboken as well as Jersey City!!

That was JCMan's neat o' JC stat of the day. :)

Thanks for that but if youask most people, and with my work i travel often, they think Frank is from NYC!

Best part about staying in a JC hotel, Bet views of Manhattan money can buy

[ianmac47]

I also didn't mean to imply that sinatra was from JC, only that he was from Jersey / Hudson county / the gold coast. Too bad Edison never saw his vision for a New Jersey Hollywood come to life; if the studios were all in Bayonne rather than L.A., JC would have all the celebs :)

[JerzResident]

I also didn't mean to imply that sinatra was from JC, only that he was from Jersey / Hudson county / the gold coast. Too bad Edison never saw his vision for a New Jersey Hollywood come to life; if the studios were all in Bayonne rather than L.A., JC would have all the celebs :)

Too bad Bayonne wants nothing to do with the movie studio they have now.:(

[TimmyG]

Can someone recommend a good fish market in JC or nearby?

[cromdur]

There is a good fish market on the corner of Duncan and Bergen Avenue. There is one on West Side avenue near the intersection with Duncan ave. My father likes going to one one Kennedy at the border of Bayonne. It's near a family dollar and other stores.

[TimmyG]

Thanks cromdur. I will try to check them out.

[tbal]

Three smaller-scale projects around Journal Square -

This one at 165 Academy Street was posted by somebody a few weeks ago...It will be 9 stories and have 33 units as well as a 34-car parking garage. Seems that they plan to break ground in the Spring. The billboard on the right was put up within the last month or so:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/2-1.jpg

Less than a block away, a 20-unit building (I'm guessing 5-6 stories) broke ground within the past few weeks at 197 Academy Street:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/2-5.jpg

A larger site that is supposed to be home to a 12-story building at 32 Oakland Ave. with 150 units and a 162-car garage - they just finished doing soil remediation this past week (site prep work)....perhaps they are getting ready to break ground:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/2-6.jpg

The area around this 12-story building is supposed to see massive redevelopment, with a 23-story building going in where those 2 low-rise buildings are (right) as well as the large parking lot surrounding them, and another midrise building of 11 stories is supposed to be built in place of the empty, grass-filled lot to the left of the red brick building in the center of the photo:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/2-2.jpg

And finally, here are a few shots of the new Home Depot going up by the Holland Tunnel entrance:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/2-3.jpg

Entrance to the parking deck:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/2-4.jpg

A few massive poured concrete walls have been constructed:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g245/jcwalkingman/2-7.jpg

[nafco]

Wheres the location of that big lot by JSQ? IS that close to the 9 story building on Academy or is it closer to the Beacon?

[macmini]

Wheres the location of that big lot by JSQ? IS that close to the 9 story building on Academy or is it closer to the Beacon?


32 Oakland Ave is between Newark ave & Hoboken ave it's closer to Academy then the Beacon.

Mayor speaks of new PATH stops, cutting taxes, in first govt. address

New transit stops in Newport, Marion

Healy said in his address he has had meetings with Port Authority officials about a new PATH station in the Marion section of the city west of Journal Square, and with representatives from the New Jersey Department of Transportation and NJ Transit about the light rail connecting the Newport area of the city with Secaucus.

"Our quality of life will truly be improved if we rely less on cars and improve our mass transportation," Healy said.

The tracks for the Newport-Secaucus connection would run across the Sixth Street Embankment through the Bergen Arches and end at the Secaucus transfer train station near Exit 15X of the New Jersey Turnpike - an idea Healy has been pursuing for about two years.

However, the city still has contend with the fact the rail Embankment is owned by local property owner Steve Hyman, who wants to build two-family homes there. There was controversy over the embankment for a number of years because activists wanted it to be part of a park. The city is going through legal channels contesting Hyman's ownership rights.

The PATH station in the Marion section would accommodate new residents who will move into that area in future years, as the result of condo projects such as the American Can Company site on Dey Street within close proximity to the proposed station.

New revenue to lower a tax increase


Jersey City property owners were hit with an 18 percent increase on their tax bill in the 2005-2006 fiscal year. Their wrath is something Healy wants to avoid.

"My administration has also searched for new ways to help create savings and generate revenues that will not increase the burden on property taxpayers," Healy said.

Healy said he is working with state legislators to pass legislation to bring about two future city taxes: a realty transfer fee and a billboard tax.

The realty transfer fee imposed would be 50 cents per $500 of sales when property within the city is transferred from buyer to seller. Healy and other city officials estimate the fee would bring in $1 million annually into the city's coffers.

Healy mentioned a billboard tax would be placed on billboards across the city. Healy offered no further details on the billboard tax in his address.


Affordable housing


Healy announced he is going to put together a committee of city officials, developers and affordable housing advocates to determine how they want to go forward with their affordable housing policy.

The city had suffered setbacks in that area because a state Appellate Court ruling in January struck down the state's affordable housing requirements for cities, meaning a new plan will have to be put into place within six months.

Also, the city was stymied in its attempt to increase the $1,500 fee per unit of luxury housing built that developers pay into the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund.


How to run a city


The theme of the address, the first by a Jersey City mayor since 2003, was "Our city is strong."

To make the city stronger, Healy said, "We plan on applying the principles of CompStat to all city departments as Baltimore has done with CitiStat to bring greater accountability to city government."

CitiStat is a computerized accountability program created in Baltimore based on the ComStat crime-fighting system pioneered in the New York City Police Department by Jack Maple in the 1990s. Like CompStat, CitiStat utilizes computer pin-mapping and weekly accountability sessions for every city agency, helping a mayor run his or her own city.

Jersey City has been contemplating the implementation of CitiStat since late mayor Glenn Cunningham was in office.

But the Healy administration has given strong consideration to CitiStat, with Mayor Healy and other city officials making trips to Baltimore in the past two years to see how CitiStat works.

When asked after the address if CitiStat will be in place before his term ends in 2009, Healy expressed uncertainty.


On crime


Healy reiterated that he would like to hire more police officers, and repeated some of his past accomplishments including putting more police on the street, the lower crime statistics over the past year, and implementing CompStat.


Business-friendly


Much of the speech was Healy's review of his accomplishments in office up until last week including: hiring more police officers, filling potholes, encouraging more development through the granting of tax abatements, getting companies to clean up property polluted with chromium, and reappointing the city's Ethics Board.

One of the larger issues he addressed was making Jersey City more "business-friendly" by continuing their tax abatement policy and doing "more to market Jersey City" such as holding forums for commercial real estate brokers.

"As always, when faced with tough decisions, we will not consider what the most politically expedient course of action is, but will look at one criterion: what is best for our City?" said Healy.

[gentrify]

hey everyone
I am working on a page dedicated to Jersey City on my new site www.gentrify.us (http://www.gentrify.us). Page and site are already up, but everything is still under construction. Any feedback is welcome!
This thread has furnished me with a lot of information about Jersey City.
I'm looking to find out where the 'frontier' of gentrification lies. I know that it is constantly changing, moving west, so I want to keep track of this move and update constantly in order to give people enough information to ride on or ahead of the gentrification wave, finding cheap property in the now-or next cool neighborhood.
Any input is appreciated!

[JCMAN320]

Famed architect unveils design for 111 First St.

http://www.nj.com/cgi-bin/prxy/photogalleries/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/njo/images/8238/002.jpg

One of the world's leading architects laid out his ambitious designs for the controversial 111 First St. site, prompting officials to label the proposal a turning point in the city's transformation into a internationally recognizable metropolis.

"The time has come to do a building that is less typical," said famed architect Rem Koolhaas, whose award-winning portfolio includes the Seattle Public Library, the Prada stores in New York and Los Angeles and the China Central Television Headquarters in Beijing.

Koolhaas unveiled the design this morning at the Jersey City Museum.

The radical design calls for three blocks stacked on top of each other, with each block rotating 90 degrees to give the building what one official described as a "Rubik's Cube" look.

"This is the most cutting edge piece of architecture I have seen in my career," said Bob Cotter, the city's planning czar.

In a number of ways, the unusual design can be viewed as a visual indictment of the "cookie-cutter" high-rises that are dominating the city's skyline these days, according to some city officials at the press conference.

http://www.nj.com/cgi-bin/prxy/photogalleries/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/njo/images/8238/001.jpg
http://www.nj.com/cgi-bin/prxy/photogalleries/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/njo/images/8238/003.jpg http://www.nj.com/cgi-bin/prxy/photogalleries/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/njo/images/8238/005.jpg http://www.nj.com/cgi-bin/prxy/photogalleries/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/njo/images/8238/004.jpg

Photos courtesy of NJ.com and the Star Ledger

[TimmyG]

Wow, that is very impressive. I hope this gets built. JC needs something like this to stand out from the normal cookie-cutter apartment buildings.

[STT757]

and with representatives from the New Jersey Department of Transportation and NJ Transit about the light rail connecting the Newport area of the city with Secaucus

Connecting the Jersey City Waterfront with Secaucus transfer would improve the lives of many commuters, as well as encourage more busineses to locate to the waterfront.

[TonyO]

Very nice design. I never thought I would be jealous of a JC tower.

[Lafayette]

WOW!!!!that bulding is just incredible...GO JC!

[Dynamicdezzy]

Ehhh...It's "Alright." (Yeah, I'm hatin' lol)

[tbal]

I think it looks pretty cool except the top section is too bright in the night-time rendering. If it were to get built, it would definitely be a stand-out structure because it looks so radical.

However, as an engineer I can tell you that that top section will not overhang so far out on each side in the real thing (so the design will need to be modified significantly before it gets built). In the end, it will not really have the "I" shape to it as it is not economically feasible structural-engineering-wise (this current design calls for a lot of money to be spent on a significant non-functional structural portion of the building, and of course, the developer cannot really "sell" non-functional space).

[JCMAN320]

111 FIRST: 1 OF-A-KIND IDEA

Tuesday, February 27, 2007
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITE
R
One of the world's leading architects laid out his radical design for the controversial 111 First St. site, proposing a "vertical city" and ushering in a new phase of Jersey City's emergence as an international player in the world of business and style.

"The time has come to do a building that is less than typical," said architect Rem Koolhaas, whose prestigious portfolio includes the Seattle Public Library, Prada in New York and Los Angeles and the China Central Television Headquarters in Beijing.

The ambitious design calls for a 52-story tower consisting of three blocks stacked perpendicularly to one another, projecting what one official described as a "Rubik's Cube" look.

The three blocks would sit on top of a longer slab that would serve as a structural base and would accommodate parking, artist galleries and retail space.

The proposed $400 million mixed-use building would feature 1.2 million square feet of space, spread out among loft style-units, artist live and work space, typical condos, retail space and a world-class hotel.

The exposed roofs on the individual blocks present a number of unique, open-air spaces in the building, Koolhaas said yesterday as he showed renderings of people relaxing in open-air caf&#233;s and gazing at reflection pools.

In a number of ways, the unusual design is a visual attack on the "cookie-cutter" high-rises that are dominating the city's skyline these days.

"This is the most cutting-edge piece of architecture I have seen in my career," said Bob Cotter, the city's planning czar. "I would hope this type of project would lead other developers to come into the city with unique plans."

Koolhaas showed off the design yesterday morning at the Jersey City Museum, which was packed with city officials, media and members of the development community. It's the architect's first large-scale residential development in the United States.

"This is another step in the ongoing transformation and revitalization of Jersey City," said Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. "It's time New Jersey, New York and the world sees Jersey City as an international metropolis."

The site at 111 First St. was the center of a long legal battle between the building's owner, Lloyd Goldman, of BLDG Management Co., and scores of artists who had been using the building as work/live studio space. Goldman, citing structural concerns and financial issues, wanted to demolish the old tobacco building and redevelop the site. Goldman eventually won a compromise with the city and the artists.

The deal was widely viewed as a blow to the Powerhouse Arts District, which was initially envisioned as a low-density arts center in the mold of New York City's Soho neighborhood.

[sfenn1117]

There's no way those Jenga blocks will be built as is. It is just a ridiculous design, and the cost of building that tower will be far greater than the returns for the developer.

Why couldn't Koolhas design something more conservative, to actually have a chance of being built. Look at the Metropolitan, spectacular design, yet probably not much more expensive than a cookie cutter building.

[TimmyG]

It does have some chance of being built if the overhangs are made much smaller. And even if the plan totally falls through, something will be built on the site.

[JCMAN320]

This will most def get built I feel. JC skyscrapers are getting better with time. With 111 First, the Metropolitan, and the Ellipse these will set the standard for new buildings since these 3 and JC's skyline will be one of the most visually stunning in the country in a decade. JC is coming up big baby!!!!!

[sfenn1117]

Something inevitably will be built on the site of course. I guarantee it won't be what we see right now. Perhaps, as you say, if the overhangs are made less dramatic. That would drop costs drastically....it's probably not even close to being economically feasible right now.

And even though I think the tower is ridiculous, it is very different, and it's on a terrible site. The developer should have opted for a waterfront site for an iconic building like this. It is just going to be obscured by Trump's towers, essentially the same size. The shape will be indistinguishable from many angles when viewed from Manhattan.

The Metropolitan is set to start this summer, correct? What is the status on the Ellipse?

[JCMAN320]

The Metropolitan will start this summer. The Ellipse sometime maybe in the fall from reports I heard.

[ianmac47]

it looks like they have been moving dirt around on the site of the Ellipse; maybe this is just part of Aqua construction, but it appears as if they are prepping the site already too; maybe its just cheaper to clear it away while they wrap up on shore club and start pile driving aqua, but I think the ellipse is coming sooner than the fall.

[TimmyG]

Waiting on Embankment ruling
Wednesday, February 28, 2007 By COTTON DELO
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The fate of Downtown Jersey City's Sixth Street Embankment continues to hang in the balance, pending a decision by the federal Surface Transportation Board that had been expected by the end of last year.
Long coveted by local activists for open space, the half-mile-long elevated stone structure and former rail freightway was sold by Conrail to developer Steve Hyman - who reportedly wants to raze it to build two-family houses - for $3 million in 2005.
The STB will rule on whether the property was "legally abandoned" prior to the sale, and if not, the title would revert to Conrail, and Jersey City would get another crack at purchasing it.
In an earlier step in the city's protracted legal battle to acquire the Embankment, state Superior Court Judge Maurice Gallipoli essentially upheld the sale while ruling with the developer in a case brought against him by the city in July.
The STB decision would take precedence, however.
According to Jennifer Meyer, president of the Embankment Preservation Coalition - the group that petitioned the STB in February 2006, along with the national Rails-to-Trails conservancy and Assemblyman Lou Manzo - a decision had been expected in late 2006.
She expects the city to try to acquire the property through eminent domain if the decision goes against it.
"We feel the city should be able to buy it whether the STB rules favorably or unfavorably," explained Meyer, who said her group's priority is to have the city acquire the site as quickly as possible.
The coalition has conducted extensive fundraising of monies earmarked for open space, she said.
But there's another potential use for the landmarked historic site.
Mayor Jerramiah Healy laid out his vision for a new Light Rail spur connecting Secaucus Junction and Newport via the Bergen Arches and the Sixth Street Embankment in his State of the City address last week.
The Light Rail spur is conceived as a complement to the creation of open space at the site, according to Jersey City Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis.
"In my view, such a plan would be the winner for everyone because you'd have park space plus the addition of mass transit that would take away the reliance on cars in the region," he said.
In the event of an undesirable ruling by the STB, the mayor and the City Council would need to evaluate whether to pursue eminent domain, Matsikoudis said. Another recourse would be an appeal to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
COTTON DELO can be reached at cdelo@jjournal.com

[nafco]

I hope they dont build the family homes. That would be a terrible compromise to a site that deperately needs park space, or at least a transit system. And the market has enough planned housing on the way anyways

[JCMAN320]

The city will win this fight. They are trying to look at ways to where they can have lightrail service and park space up there. That emabankment held 5 freight tracks at one point so it can certainly hold two light rail tracks and a park in my best observation.

[JCMAN320]

Calling for figures on cop garage

Wednesday, February 28, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Could this deal get any sweeter?

In Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano's opinion, absolutely yes.

Jersey City has struck a deal to lease, for $1 a year, 12,260 square feet of space at the Beacon for the Police Department's Motorcycle Squad. The Beacon is the swanky condo complex rising at the old Jersey City Medical Center.

The Beacon's owner - Manhattan-based Metrovest Equities - is even throwing in $1 million worth of renovations at no cost to the city.

But there are some caveats. According to the lease agreement, which will go before the City Council tonight, the city would have to pay its own utility bills. Not a problem, Sottolano says.

What he doesn't like is the fact that the city would have to pay 4.5 percent of the building's real estate taxes - the percent representing the amount of space the city occupies in the building.

"This would be an additional operating cost," Sottolano said yesterday. "It was never brought to the fore in any previous discussion. I'm not happy with it.

"Plus, I don't know how much that amount is going to cost," Sottolano added.

Raymond Reddington, the city attorney who reviewed the lease, characterized the provisions as "typical," adding the council had the option to pull the lease from tonight's agenda or authorize its renegotiation.

Eugene Paolino, the attorney representing Metrovest, agreed to give the council some estimate of how much 4.5 percent of the yearly taxes could amount to.

The Beacon project has received several 30-year tax abatements with allowances to pay the city significantly less than the normal 16 percent of gross annual revenues.

"Certainly no one wants this to be a problem," Paolino added.