I can't say for certain where the food is being made, but they are a venture backed company that has raised millions and are in cities around the country. I imagine at the very least they have a commercial kitchen as they are providing food all over the greater NYC area. Check out their website for more: https://munchery.com/about/us/

All I know is I have been very happy with the food so far.

You need to actually cook the Blue Apron meals. While they are very tasty recipes, I have found that it can take 45-60 minutes to actually prepare them.

TotalTheatreLab - What you are asking for sort of exists already. Check out Munchery.com - I started using them a few weeks ago and am blown away - the meals come refrigerated and you heat them up in the oven or microwave. They have a good mix of healthy options every day and the food has been delicious.

Use this code to get $10 off your first order - http://munchery.com/invite/99C6BXZ4 - (full disclosure, I get $10 too).

Schools, Police, firefighters?

Yvonne - You are flat wrong....most hotels do not offer free breakfast (some do, famously Holiday Inn Express is all about the free breakfast). Also, some AirBnB hosts do offer maid service (some include in the price, others offer it a la carte). No matter how you spin it, AirBnB is an alternative to hotels for most people booking them and the city charging a hotel tax (to the guests, not the resident / owner of the hotel) is absolutely something it should be doing.

In terms of zoning / use...that is a far more complicated issue, but individual buildings / HOA boards have the power to band short-term rentals such as AirBnB if they so choose.

This is only a tax on transient visitors that would be visiting the city (the same tax they would pay if they were staying at a "Real" hotel). This is a smart thing for the city to do and something cities around the country are in the process of (or already have) implemented. The tax is minimal and something that is not usually quoted in the pricing a guest sees when they book their room online. All the city is doing with this rule is closing a loophole that shouldn't exist in the first place (i.e. Airbnb.com selling the equivalent of hotel rooms and not charging hotel occupancy taxes)

Where can one find the user friendly budget online?

When I first moved to Jersey City I lived in 50 Columbus and was pretty happy there. Great central location for a JC newbie. I have since moved to Paulus Hook and there a number of large buildings there that weren't on my radar at all when I was first looking at Jersey City.

None of these are secrets, but the buildings seem nice and have central Heat / AC and good locations. Didnt see them mentioned elsewhere in the thread. Would definitely check them out:

http://www.windsoratlibertyhouse.com/ - Many units have balconies.
http://www.equityapartments.com/new-j ... son-point-apartments.aspx - Balconies that overlook the marina
http://www.equityapartments.com/new-j ... 70-greene-apartments.aspx - New building - high rise...
http://www.warrenatyork.com/jersey-ci ... t-york-by-windsor/photos/ - New building...I have friends that live here (moved from 50 Columbus) and see very happy.

Are they already open?

Are you sure? Is it just a sign or is it actully open as I walk down that stretch almost every day and haven't even seen a sign.

Hopefully this is true as I was just talking to my wife yesterday about how much we missed itand how the neighborhood could really use a candy / ice cream / dessert shop!

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That certainly is a lot of units coming online. The big question is what the developers of these buildings need to price units at in order to not become distressed. Given the current red hot market you cannot blame developers for trying to get top pricing. Everyone needs to keep in mind that the reason they start the sales so early as they will have a long time to try to get these high prices and can adjust their marketing strategy and pricing ahead of the project completion if need be. They aren't closing on units onto the buildings are completed.

As has been mentioned in this thread, the Gannon is priced quite above most other condo listings / sales (which all seem to have multiple offers and are sold within days of being listed). If all of these new condos are priced in a similar manner, they really will be targeting a different demographic than what makes up the majority of the current DTJC market. Perhaps this will be some of the folks moving into the higher priced new rentals.

From what I have read about 99 Hudson (which seems to make up more than half of the new units @ 760) will be on the high end of the market (similar to crystal point and 77 Hudson). I have read unsubstantiated rumors that many of the condos have already been pre-sold to Chinese investors - who knows if that is true, but I would certainly not rule it out.


No matter how you slice it, the DTJC market (both rental and condo) is about to go through a huge paradigm shift over the next 2-3 years. Will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

Here is some background on the issue for those that are uninformed. This is a no-brainer and something everyone in JC should be on board with. The only downside is that AirBNB prices for guests are now slightly higher (6%) and perhaps people will look to stay in other cities. That being said- prices are still well below NYC levels and I imagine that vast majority of people are staying here for the proximity to NYC.

Airbnb is about to start collecting hotel taxes in more major cities, including Washington -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/w ... ies-including-washington/

Yvonne - You aren't grasping the hotel tax concept here. It is not a tax on the homeowner, but a tax the guest pays to the city. Almost every major city around the world charges hotel taxes that show up on your bill. This is why when you book a room for somewhere for $100 a night you end up paying something like $125 per night (the final rate depends on the tax rate where you are staying)

As you can imagine, most local constituents like the idea of passing the tax off to visitors / non-residents. As the hotel tax already exists, this is truly just the closing of a loophole. Cities around the world are enacting legislation to have AirBNB and similar services charge and collect taxes.

I believe the enforcement happens on the AirBNB side of the transaction as they are required to cooperate with all local rules / regulations. They simply add the tax to all Jersey City bookings and send it to the city.


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I work in hotel development and something does not add with the deal.

Unlike the Hyatt House development near exchange place, which is being done by an established hotel development company (concord - http://www.concordhotels.com/), both Tramz and SLHN seem to be a one-man shop with zero track record or hotel construction experience. The only employee of Tramz appears to be Tarranumn Murad (https://www.linkedin.com/pub/tarrunumn-murad/a/407/745).

There is very little information out there on Tarranumn Murad considering they are developing a major hotel project. All I can find is an article about a small hotel they defaulted on: http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2013/ ... l-is-set-to-be-auctioned/ It would appear that they owned / operated a few other, small hotels in tertiary markets over, the years, but that is a far cry from building a full service Marriott.

Believe me, successfully overseeing the construction of a large hotel such as this is very difficult and requires a strong team and sufficient experience.

Unless I am missing something (which is possible given the very limited amount of information out there on Tramz), I don't see this ending well.

Unlike taxis, it is not customary or expected to tip private car services (although I am sure a tip would be appreciated for exceptional service).

This concept applies to Uber and is made clear on their website:

Uber is not a transportation provider. No need to tip. Flat rates apply to direct trips between specified locations. Additional stops may result in a higher fare. Applicable tolls and surcharges may be added to your fare. At times of intense demand, our rates change over time to keep vehicles available. $20 surcharge on all trips between NYC and New Jersey. All trips beginning in NYC are limited to four hours. Fare includes 8.875% New York sales tax.

Underground parking is far more expensive to build than above ground decks. It is doable in Manhattan because of how much more valuable parking is and because every square foot of building space is worth something to the developer.

In Jersey City, the parking is not worth nearly as much (as has been discussed in numerous threads, most of these new decks are not close to full). Also, the city seems to be much more lenient with FAR and building heights / limits so the Developers are sacrificing monetizable above ground space by building above ground parking.

In NYC / Brooklyn, the city has very strict FAR guidelines and every square foot of above ground space used for parking means less square footage to use for more valuable retail/office/residential space. This does not appear to be the case in Jersey City where developers are required to build a certain amount of parking and the city does not deduct the parking square footage from the buildable area in most cases.

That being said, it does seem in some of the historic areas that developers are forced to cap the height of their buildings and make some hard choices in terms of how they structure their parking.



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I liked their juice, but it never made sense to me why they didnt have smoothies or fresh juice options available. They only sold pre-bottled stuff. Somehing akin to Liquidteria in NYC would make a lot more sense - http://liquiteria.com/ - They have pre-bottled stuff but also make awesome smoothies and any juice combination you want fresh, to order.

Rent must have been too expensive for what was essentially a juice vending machine.

I did. They are the absolute worst. I knew going in that they had a bad reputation and returned the apartment in pristine condition. I also documented the apartment very thoroughly upon taking possession.

They ended up charging me $600 for the most ridiculous things (to the point where I didn't have any pictures of the items from when I moved in).

-$200 for a tiny, tiny chip on one of the kitchen tiles.
-$200 for a tiny chip on the bath tub enamal
-$200 for a tiny scratch on the washing machine.

I am fairly certain all of the items they charged me for were present when I moved in, but I did not note the items on my move-in inspection (as I likely didn't notice them) and didn't take any pictures of the tiny chips / scratches as I didn't think twice about them. They were all comically small. They also tried to charge me for not having the carpet cleaned before moving out. I knew this was something they focused on and was luckily able to show them the receipt from the carpet cleaning person I hired and they reversed the charges. The worst part is I am pretty certain they didn't end up fixing any of the items they charged me for and will likely ding the next person for them.

I don't like calling people out, but property manager Erin is not a nice person and does not treat her tenants fairly. She has a bad reputation among most people I know that live there (as well as some of the employees if you ask them).

I would say that unless they are trying to get more than $800 out of you, its likely easier to just give in to them and get the rest of your deposit back. You can try to take them to small claims court and will likely win if you have a case, but its just not worth the time, money and risk that you will lose and have to pay them even more.

As you can see from their online reviews, they clearly don't care about having this reputation. I heard from someone I know still living there that they are asking for current residents to put up more money in the security deposit upon renewing leases. They are the worst!

I enjoyed living there, but would seriously think twice about recommending the building after how they handled my move out and security deposit.

Highly recommend checking out Dogvacay.com - it is a service that allows you to connect directly with folks who are willing to board your dog in the area (they usually have dogs themselves so know how to deal with other peoples dogs). You can read reviews and see prices of your options and the service provides emergency services / insurance. Think of it like Airbnb except for dog sitting instead of home rental.

I have used Ryan Z several times to watch my dog and couldn't be happier.

Does anyone have a handyman / service that can help with a microwave repair.

I tried some searches online, but most of the appliance repair people in the area don't seem to fix microwaves (I am told it is usually cheaper to just replace them). I am pretty sure I just have a problem with the door switch / light and just need someone that knows how to fix these things to take a look and hopefully repair it.

I am really impressed with the new Krispy. I have ordered delivery and pick up a number of times and think its some of the better NY style pizza I have ever had. Both their specialty (the Vodka pie is awesome) and traditional pies are awesome.

Anyone of a recommendation for a good local option where I can get fully prepared (or heat and serve) Thanksgiving meal.

Thanks!

Adam

In case peeps don't read this website (which follows real estate development news in the New York City Metro Area, see the below interview with Fulup.

http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/10/inter ... y-citys-steven-fulop.html

Interview with the Mayor: Jersey City?s Steven Fulop
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON OCTOBER 31ST 2014 AT 3:30 PM

What do you think of the Port Authority?s capital plans and is the PATH extension to Newark Liberty International Airport worthwhile in light of crowding on the existing line?

I think the Port Authority runs a sh*tty service, and generally speaking, it?s a dysfunctional entity. The single-seat ride connecting Jersey City to Newark Liberty is important, and it will make Jersey City one of the few cities in this country with a single-seat ride, and that would be money well-spent. It?s in the capital plan right now, I don?t think it?s funded yet, but it?s important that it does get funded, and it?s important that we expand the number of cars in each train as well.

On that note, what about the aborted effort to link the 6 train to the PATH under the World Trade Center ? was that a missed opportunity for Jersey City?

If the Port Authority was proactive at all, they would be thinking about linking the PATH with the ferry service, light rail, and New York City?s subway system; linkage with the New York subway system is the key component.

So how do we do that?

Well, how do you effect change? We need change of leadership at the Port Authority, number one. We need change in governance practices at the state assembly, and they are going through those right now. I think we need a culture shift ? we have a culture of entitlement. And some of the rules for a supposedly bipartisan agency work in theory, but they do not work in practice.

Do you think there?s a bigger push for change on the Jersey side?

Yes. I think there?s a bigger push in Jersey because of the current state of politics, and awareness surrounding the dysfunction of the Port Authority. I think it?s not on New York?s radar screen ? and that?s not right or wrong, but they don?t have the same sense of urgency that New Jersey does.

What would be a bigger priority ? extending the 7 train to Secaucus, or integrating the existing PATH system with the NYC subway?

I think we are going to need to establish new capabilities; linking them is an easy thing, but we need to invest dollars into new infrastructure. The ARC tunnel was important, but Christie killed that.
Jersey City builds four housing units per 1,000 residents each year, while NYC only builds 2.5.

How can NYC emulate Jersey City?s success when it comes to new construction?

We?ve been very proactive in attracting investment. Jersey City has an incentive program that makes sense, and it shifts investment towards the inner parts of the city. The price-point that we?re at relative to Manhattan ? there are obstacles there relative to livability, and I think the structure is very difficult. We?ve tried our best to make the building department friendly, not just personally friendly, but from the standpoint of timeliness and efficiency. I think zoning flexibility ? and the ability to adapt ? are hugely important. Jersey City has shown that there is room for growth, and flexibility is key.

How many units are under construction in Jersey City right now?

Six thousand are under construction, and we have 12,000 coming in the next two years.

I know there was discussion regarding a new casino project; it?s going to be 100 stories tall?

Ninety-five. We need a legislative change next year for gaming in northern New Jersey, but we?re already building 70-story towers, so getting to 95 floors is not a big deal.

Would you like to push Jersey City?s skyline above Manhattan?s one day?

I don?t think that we?re even in that conversation yet. New York City?s skyline is the best in the world, and I think that we have an impressive skyline by comparable city sizes ? we just happen to be next to the best in the world. It?s tough to compete.

Well it?s a collective skyline ? it doesn?t end on one side of the harbor.

When you come into the turnpike, New York City and the Jersey City skylines merge together ? you can?t tell the difference. And on the harbor, seeing substantial development on all sides ? it?s a good thing.

Journal Square and Urban Ready Living are the two largest projects underway now, correct? Are there any similar developments in the pipeline?

The Trump building is going to be a similar size; Goldman Sachs came in regarding a new tower next to their existing building on the waterfront, and we?re just starting to talk about that.

Is it going to be office?

It?s unclear, but they?ve shown an interest. Behind that building is a lot owned by China Construction, and that could be a building of a comparable size, we?re talking 50 stories. So yes, there?s a lot in the pipeline.

Journal Square is also emerging as another neighborhood where we?re seeing a lot of construction. I think people have been hesitant to build in Journal Square because they don?t see the potential, but the infrastructure is clearly there.

So what do you see happening there over the next decade?

Steel is coming out of the ground for the first Journal Squared tower. In ten years it will be the heart of the city again.

Even compared to downtown Jersey City?

Yes. Because you have the Loew?s Theatre ? it?s a 3,000 seat theater ? and there are 12 other projects in the pipeline. You have transportation access, a bus terminal, and eventually Journal Square will once again become the heart of the city.

How do you get people to build in Journal Square, because right now it seems like developers are reluctant to push forward?

The abatement program is skewed towards Journal Square, actually, and that?s an incentive program of tax abatements; as you move farther away from the waterfront, developers receive larger incentives to build.

Are you happy with the current pace of new construction?

It?s tremendous, we just need to make sure we match what?s coming down the pipeline in terms of infrastructure. Schools, sewers, transportation.

But in terms of transit, you?re taking advantage of existing infrastructure, yes?

Yes, but the more we market the city and the more we grow, the more transit we will need. We?re trying to find dollars from the private sector to create additional light rail stops. I think relative to historic opportunities, we?re doing a great job.

All I know is that it looks to me like all of the balconies are several years (or less) away from becoming extremely unsafe. I am not an structural engineer and could definitely be misreading the situation, but I lived across the street at 50 columbus and when you look at the balconies dead on, they look like they are hanging by a thread (some more than others).

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Your comment is meaningless without context. What is the total salary of a typical officer (in terms of, pension, benefits and base pay) over the expected employment period in the new structure and the older structure? Who cares what an officer is making 10 years into their job. I care about what they will cost the city over their entire career, including pension.

Is this information available anywhere?

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Are you implying I work in the administration? If yes then you're funny.

If Peter_Fushion's proposal was submitted as part of the city's logo contest, then he gave the city carte blanche to use the logo without any royalties. (http://www.jerseycitynj.gov/uploadedF ... %20Contest%20Complete.pdf)

If his proposal was not part of the logo contest, then the logo contest submission that used the phrase "Make It Yours" is proof that someone else also had that same idea and submitted it to the city under a very clear set of guidelines giving the city the right to use the phrase. Perhaps Peter_Fushion independently came up with the same idea, but this does not seem like a situation where the city is improperly using someone else's idea. They had the right to use the phrase as it was part of someone else's submission.

If the facts were different, I would take Perter_Fushion's side here, but that doesnt seem to be the case.

I think we should all withhold judgement on the campaign itself until we see it in its entirety. If you look at the link GrovePath posted above, the series seems to feature The Heights and Mana Contemporary in addition to DTJC. I know some feel that all of the city should be featured equally, but remember the purpose of the campaign is to encourage people to move to JC and business to relocate to JC. Now is not the proper time to be advertising to people in NYC / Brooklyn / Bergen County about BL, GV, or Journal Square...those campaigns can come down the road as our city continues to establish itself.

I am very familiar with hotel performance in the NYC area. An 152 Residence Inn should be able to generate a profit of well over $1 million (likely $2 million plus) within the first 2 full years of operation. The city should engage a third party to review the developer's projections as $1 million of profit in year six is extremely conservative.

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Care to expand on that thought? Curious as to what happened now...

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I walk my dog daily throughout Paulus Hook (often on the stretch of Van Vorst you refer to) and rarely see dog poop left on the sidewalk. On rare occasions I will find some, but when you consider how many dogs are in the area you realize that the vast majority of people clean up after their dogs. I can't speak for the rest of DTJC, but I feel like Paulus Hook has a fairly responsible group of dog owners. I know others will disagree, particularly when it comes to the Canal, but that is for another thread.

I do like the poop dna database idea as a way to hopefully get that rare poop sighting down to zero.

As I was walking home today, I started thinking why people are looking at the 15 stories for this project any differently from the 15+ story buildings on Greene St, which also bound Morris and Sussex streets. These buildings also are directly adjacent to "historic 3/4 story brownstones and wood frame buildings" and dwarf these structures.