A Jersey City neighborhood looks to better times, and Brooklynites notice

[beachmaster]

I heard it at one of the City Council Journal Square redevelopment meetings. In the plans, there was no Little India...I'm 90% sure, but I could have been nodding off waiting for that handsome Emilio De Lia to speak...

[fasteddie]

They don't need no stinkin eminent domain, just a bulldozer.
http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre54j3qw-us-india-slumdog-dwelling/

[jcpeace]

tear down a multi block area that functions as an important cultural and economic hub?
healy is stupid, but not that stupid.

not to mention, that would be a hard area to declare "blighted" for eminent domain.....

[bdlaw]

As I understand the Mayor's plan for JSQ also includes tearing down Little India. Does someone know whether this is fact or fiction?

That would require a massive use of eminent domain.  I doubt he has the political clout to pull it off.

Seconded.  That's a mighty big space.  Where'd you hear this, beachmaster?

[Woodsy]

As I understand the Mayor's plan for JSQ also includes tearing down Little India. Does someone know whether this is fact or fiction?

That would require a massive use of eminent domain.  I doubt he has the political clout to pull it off.

Seriously, he couldn't even tear down the Golden Cicada.

[shahaggy]

As I understand the Mayor's plan for JSQ also includes tearing down Little India. Does someone know whether this is fact or fiction?

bah, they'll never get rid of the smell of curry over there 

[beachmaster]

As I understand the Mayor's plan for JSQ also includes tearing down Little India. Does someone know whether this is fact or fiction?

[Isilme]

The result is a hodgepodge of downscale franchises, bodegas and, as Mayor Jerramiah Healy puts it, a housing stock of "ugly old eyesores." Most residents live in single- or multifamily houses, brownstones and prewar apartment buildings.]

I am sure our Mayor's comment gladdens the hearts of those who live in those "ugly" single, multifamily, brownstones and prewar buildings.   Why wasn't he replaced with a more upscale, eye pleasing model?

[MCA™]

The Daily News real estate section looks at Journal Square:


A Jersey City neighborhood looks to better times, and Brooklynites notice
BY KAREN ANGEL
Friday, June 12th 2009, 4:00 AM

From the 1920s through the 1960s, Journal Square was Jersey City's crown jewel, a glowing commercial, entertainment and transportation hub. But the arrival of local malls and the Port Authority bus terminal's move to inside the PATH station in the 1960s decreased foot traffic and increased the area's deterioration.

The result is a hodgepodge of downscale franchises, bodegas and, as Mayor Jerramiah Healy puts it, a housing stock of "ugly old eyesores." Most residents live in single- or multifamily houses, brownstones and prewar apartment buildings.

More recently, though, the word "potential" comes up when people speak of Journal Square. Looking to continue a decade of city growth by pushing west, Healy has made it his mission to restore Journal Square to its original glory.

Last fall, he unveiled his vision for the district: up to 15,000 new units of housing, millions of square feet of retail and commercial space, a revamped PATH station and 9 acres of parkland. Completely realizing this plan could take "10, 20, 30 years," Healy admits.

But the plan's keystone - two residential towers of 61 and 43 stories, with 70,000 square feet of retail space - is underway. Demolition of the three buildings on the site has been completed, and construction is expected to begin on 1 Journal Square, the project's working name, by the end of the year, with occupancy set for 2013.

The privately financed, $400 million project, adjacent to the PATH station, is considered the test case for Journal Square investment: Depending on how much demand there is for its 1,615 units and how well its retailers do, other developers and businesses will either follow suit or stay away.

"I always wanted to see something happen," says Jersey City native Lowell Harwood, 79, the developer. "In 40 years, no one had built an apartment building here."

His experience five years ago redeveloping the State Theater, a 130-unit rental building across the street from the towers' site, convinced him there was a strong market in Journal Square.

"It filled up within 30 days," Harwood says. "Being from Jersey City and seeing how fast we rented the State Theater, I thought it was important to bring something even better to Jersey City."

Other projects have sprung up since, though none bigger than the planned towers. The Beacon in neighboring McGinley Square - close enough to Journal Square that residents use the PATH station there - stays true to its name. The 1,200-unit, $350 million hospital conversion by Metrovest has drawn people interested in high-end housing for a fraction of the price they would pay across the river. The development's 315-unit first phase already is 80% occupied. Its success has fueled other developments in the heart of the city.

Before The Beacon, "there hadn't been a project in Jersey City with that full-scale amenity package," says Desi Daniels, a sales associate with Weichert Realtors. "It's resort living in the city."

The 10-building development, to be completed by 2014, boasts 40,000 square feet of amenities and 80,000 square feet of retail space. A one-bedroom apartment can be had for as little as $225,000, Daniels says. On June 27, the remaining Beacon units will be auctioned off at prices starting at $150,000. (Go to http://www.thebeaconjc.com)

Several other conversion projects have followed. Set on 3-1/2 acres on Journal Square's western edge, Canco Lofts used to be the American Can Co. factory. It now consists of 202 lofts, with 112 more on the way. Modern floor-to-ceiling windows have been combined with original details like the façade's sawtooth design, enormous concrete mushroom columns and 14-foot ceilings with gashes from conveyer-belt machinery.

Amenities include half a basketball court, a 300-square-foot fitness center, a dog park and a movie theater. Prices range from $300,000 for a 750-square-foot one-bedroom to $675,000 for a 1,260-square-foot penthouse with 27-foot ceilings and a Manhattan view.

"We're incredibly busy," says Jodi Stasse, Canco's director of marketing and sales. "We do eight to 10 sales a month in a market like this. That's amazing!"

In response to critics who say Canco is too far from the Journal Square PATH station, managment has arranged a free shuttle to take residents back and forth.

Diagonally across the street from The Beacon is M650 Flats, formerly the Calco Chemical Co. factory. Despite having entered the market last November, M650 has found buyers for nine of its 22 luxury lofts, which range from $375,000 to $705,000.

Each has an individual design and elements from the original structure, like bluestone mantels and recycled brick - "character," as new buyer Eric Margelefsky, 27, puts it. These homes also have Bosch appliances, iPod docks and heated bathroom floors and towel racks.

Most units have a terrace, and there's a common roof deck where the developers throw parties for buyers, apartment hunters, friends and locals. Among the many green features are bamboo floors and energy-saving tankless hot-water heaters. M650 also contains New Jersey's first robotic garage, which parks cars itself.

"In the McGinley Square-Journal Square area, there are a lot of brick buildings that go back 100-plus years, and a lot of developers choose to knock down these gems of architecture," says M650 developer Alfonso Carrino, who put his money where his mouth is and lives in the building. "We wanted to conserve the story of Jersey City and add some uniqueness to the building."

Popular among Egyptian and south Asian immigrants from India, Journal Square has an international flavor - but also a downscale feel. The hope is that new, upscale retailers will arrive with the new wave residents demanding more services and local entertainment.

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