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Re: Montgomery & Kennedy Blvd. - How safe is this area? What about shopping?
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Home away from home
 
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I live in Journal Square but as a runner I am constantly running to this area.
If it is late or dark I will not run past Montgomery since I do not feel safe. If it is light out I will run to Communipaw or run up one of the side streets to Lincoln Park. There are a lot of people just hanging around the streets at all times of day, even as early as 6 AM. Most people do not bother me but you can see the neighborhood change as you move away from Journal Square to Communipaw. I notice more loitering, more homeless, more garbage on the streets and the condition of the properties tends to decrease as well. This is all just my opinion. I also think that the properties on Kennedy closer to St Peters is nicer than the properties on Bergen. There also seems to be less people just hanging out on Kennedy. Things do get tricky when you are working within a budget but most every neighborhood has declined in value and you may be able to get a deal in a neighborhood you thought you could not previously afford. (Stinks for me since I bought 5 years ago and now I could have purchased a 3 BR with a balcony as opposed to a 1BR) Hope that helps.
Posted on: 2012/7/24 16:32
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Re: Montgomery & Kennedy Blvd. - How safe is this area? What about shopping?
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Home away from home
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You're moving from a relatively disconnected area (transportation wise) but safe area (the heights) to a relatively disconnected area that is also unsafe?
Quote: We're thinking of buying a property near Kennedy and Montgomery. Currently live in the lower part of the Heights so I certainly not interested in comparing the area to Downtown JC. I'm realistic and the Heights and Journal Sq /McGinley Sq area is what I can afford. Anyway, I've asked a couple of residents what they thought and they all say they like it, adding that St. Peter's keeps the area stable and the demolition of the Duncan St. Projects was a big help. Walked around quite a bit .. If you go a couple of blocks east or south, the blocks are mixed with beautiful private homes and larger apartment building with a lot of hanging out. Go further east and you have boarded up buildings (around Monticello). Go a bit further you have the Beacon. Even the Heights doesn't change that quickly so I can't get a real sense of the area and its future. Also, not much in terms of supermarkets (those that are there make the Heights' Shop & Stop look great). I don't drive so I rely on local merchants. Any feedback, including what you think the future holds for the area, is appreciated. The most biased people are the ones who live in the area. Do you trust a car salesman about the quality of the vehicle he is selling you? The people who live in the area profit from new homeowners buying in THEIR area in the form of increased property values. As far as development priority, Developers choose hoboken, newport, downtown, journal square, heights in much or less that order. Since most of hoboken is developed and newport will be developed in the next 5 yrs. Downtown will be developed in the next 6-8 years, journal square is after that and so on. If I wanted to buy cheap and get the most return on money, I would buy in journal square and get my moneys worth in 10 years. PATH access accelerates development tremendously. You can also rent out a place much easier in JSquare than in heights or mcginley square.
Posted on: 2012/7/24 14:44
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Re: Montgomery & Kennedy Blvd. - How safe is this area? What about shopping?
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Home away from home
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2004/12/14 21:47 Last Login : 2020/8/16 20:23 From not downtown
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I would say that overall the pro's outweigh the con's. One concern that has not been mentioned is traffic. Right at the intersection of Monty & Kennedy is a constant stream of traffic. I might be more concerned with that over other issues.
Other pro: close proximity to Lincoln Park. I am totally comfortable walking around this area. As previously noted, use common sense and you will probably will want to avoid certain blocks, but no reason to be particularly fearful. I should also mention the JCPD. They seem to be very active in this area (patroling, keeping the traffic/parking under control). And, having the firehouse at Bergen/Duncan also provides stability to the neighborhood. PM me if you want specifics. Also, note to marymills: thanks for the helpful comment [NOT!] -M
Posted on: 2012/7/24 14:30
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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields |
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Re: Montgomery & Kennedy Blvd. - How safe is this area? What about shopping?
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Newbie
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I'm close to there (a little further north.) Moved here about a year ago. I like the area, I don't think it's unsafe and I love to proximity to the PATH. There seem to be quite a few property renovations going on, at least on my block, so make of that what you will. As far as shopping is concerned, C-Town is pretty good, but we use Fresh Direct for most things.
Posted on: 2012/7/24 14:14
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Re: Montgomery & Kennedy Blvd. - How safe is this area? What about shopping?
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Newbie
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Stay in the heights.
Posted on: 2012/7/23 3:23
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Re: Montgomery & Kennedy Blvd. - How safe is this area? What about shopping?
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Home away from home
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Thanks for the feedback. You are both stating my concerns. Not sure if the pros (e.g. St Peter's; the homeowners making a positive impact; possible future development) outweigh the cons (lot of questionable characters that may stay around for a long time).
Posted on: 2012/7/23 2:02
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Re: Montgomery & Kennedy Blvd. - How safe is this area? What about shopping?
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Home away from home
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2012/1/11 18:21 Last Login : 2019/12/26 15:30 From GV Bayside Park
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Quote:
The biggest problem in the area are the mid-rise apartment buildings along Bergen Ave. A lot of them are Section 8. Your drug dealing, shootings, and general crappy behavior originates from those buildings. It has distressed more than one tenant in my Belmont Ave property, which is 1/2 block away from the land of Mordor. agreed.
Posted on: 2012/7/22 23:45
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Re: Montgomery & Kennedy Blvd. - How safe is this area? What about shopping?
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Home away from home
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Lived on Fairmount Ave for 5 years (btw West Side Ave and JFK).
St. Peters college has been buying up a lot of the debilitated buildings and expanding their campus. Though this is rather bad news for the tax base, it has improved the area. Most of the stores are along West Side Ave. The area has the essentials (laundry, Chinese food, pizza, hardware store) but the place is seedy. Though it did get a bit of a facelift via the Urban Enterprise Zone funds. The biggest problem in the area are the mid-rise apartment buildings along Bergen Ave. A lot of them are Section 8. Your drug dealing, shootings, and general crappy behavior originates from those buildings. It has distressed more than one tenant in my Belmont Ave property, which is 1/2 block away from the land of Mordor. The counter force of Mordor is that there are so many nice buildings in the area. These buildings have been bought up by some very dedicated home owners and renovated. Plus, these people tend to be fairly active in trying to improve the area.
Posted on: 2012/7/22 23:00
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Re: Montgomery & Kennedy Blvd. - How safe is this area? What about shopping?
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Home away from home
Joined:
2012/1/11 18:21 Last Login : 2019/12/26 15:30 From GV Bayside Park
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On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the safest I rate this area a 6.5. It is most safe during the day at night you have to careful, but I would give this same advice to you about any part of JC at night always watch your back.
As far as shopping when I did live in this area, I would use Fresh Direct or The local C-Town on Bergen Ave. Which is 10 x better than the one that was downtown on Jersey Ave. Good Luck!
Posted on: 2012/7/22 20:20
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Montgomery & Kennedy Blvd. - How safe is this area? What about shopping?
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Home away from home
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We're thinking of buying a property near Kennedy and Montgomery. Currently live in the lower part of the Heights so I certainly not interested in comparing the area to Downtown JC. I'm realistic and the Heights and Journal Sq /McGinley Sq area is what I can afford. Anyway, I've asked a couple of residents what they thought and they all say they like it, adding that St. Peter's keeps the area stable and the demolition of the Duncan St. Projects was a big help. Walked around quite a bit .. If you go a couple of blocks east or south, the blocks are mixed with beautiful private homes and larger apartment building with a lot of hanging out. Go further east and you have boarded up buildings (around Monticello). Go a bit further you have the Beacon. Even the Heights doesn't change that quickly so I can't get a real sense of the area and its future. Also, not much in terms of supermarkets (those that are there make the Heights' Shop & Stop look great). I don't drive so I rely on local merchants.
Any feedback, including what you think the future holds for the area, is appreciated.
Posted on: 2012/7/22 19:07
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