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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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I think Journal Square proper (specifically to the north toward Newark Ave/India Square) is safe at night. People are walking at all times of day and night there, and the White Castle is always busy.

Situational awareness, yes, and be careful crossing the street; but there isn't the same homeless population as there was when the thread started and if they are around they're sleeping in front of a church, not bothering anyone.

Posted on: 2013/3/21 4:12
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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PS--I lived downtown in Hamilton Park for six years before moving to Pacific. There were a lot more options for eating and drinking downtown, but I am a five-minute drive now.

Posted on: 2013/3/20 17:40
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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I live on Pacific Ave at Communipaw and am single. I feel fine walking around at night. It is a very nice and friendly neighborhood with families and long-term people. I walk from the light rail at night and in the early morning. We have excellent neighbors.

Posted on: 2013/3/20 17:37
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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As a woman, I can tell you, we are on full alert 24 hours/7 days.

As far as Jersey City goes...I'm a "vanilla" in Hamilton Park, (as one guy posted), that has lived here for 15 years in the Heights, Downtown and Greenville. I apply the full alert rules regardless of the neighborhood I am in and pay special attention to womanly instinct, time of day and volume of people around.

However, as someone who was mugged many years ago, I've learned the bottom line is, it really doesn't matter what neighborhood you are in and at what time and with what amount of people around...if a person want to commit a crime, they will.

So, live your life with a healthy dose of caution but don't overreact and view anything outside of Downtown as unsafe. Be aware of your surroundings no matter where you are.

Posted on: 2013/3/20 2:00
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Is west of Jersey Ave safe? Aren't the projects there along Montgomery?

Posted on: 2013/3/19 21:40
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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I think most of JC is beautiful except Tonnelle Avenue, but not all of JC is safe. I have lived on Belmont and it was fine, and communipaw has come a long way since this thread started. Where I reside, would not have been an option in 2007 for me, but I have a few neighbors who moved where I am as soon as the lightrail came in 2001 the true pioneers. I think it depends on your comfort level.

I am more comfortable in a diverse setting, which is why I chose JC in the first place, but I have always lived in ethnic areas since I was a kid so I am use to it.. However, I would not live on Ocean or MLK but I don't mind walking down those streets in daylight.

I know allot of people on this board live in HP which I find too vanilla but if you feel good then why not? I liked the HP area when the hospital was still there, but now it has become something unrecognizable and the vibe is just off.


Posted on: 2013/3/19 20:35
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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I still think the general rule is east of 78, south of Hoboken, west of NY, north of the bay...aka downtown.

I can't believe people were running outside of that area in the boom years. Did they not realize the lack of 24-7 transportation would hurt value even if the crime was totally vanquished which is a pipe dream?

Journal Square will get there because it has PATH access. But I wouldn't live anywhere else in JC aside from downtown with the exception of Society Hill or Port Liberte because of the gate, and only once I had kids and wouldn't be stumbling back from the city at odd hours.

Posted on: 2013/3/19 20:10
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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So going on 6 years later, which areas do people still feel are sketchy and which areas would come off that list? Just opinions, please no "crime happens everywhere" posts, we all know that already.

Posted on: 2013/3/19 17:46
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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your story sounds so familar! my single, female roommate and i have lived in this exact area for about two years now. while i always try to rationalize if the less than ideal neighborhood is worth the good rent and the lovely brownstone apartment, i must admit that i have not yet had any real problems here, except for my car window being broken once. but i know friends paying double the rent in brooklyn heights and having this problem sometimes too. despite this, i would suggest having a car for sure here. i don't think this is the right place to live without a car. i hope you figure out what is best for you! any questions, let me know!

Posted on: 2007/7/25 3:40
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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If you are new to JC, then I recommend this fast and City approved training course to help you deal with your new environment. The woman in the clip was a prospective JC resident, but City Hall wouldn't let her move here because she failed her training program and lost! [img][/img]

Posted on: 2007/7/18 21:24
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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I would not go past pacific. I live one block closer to LSP light rail than pacific, and walking around this neighborhood (i am a relatively young, small woman) I find that going out past pacific (toward lafayette park) or south past communipaw begins to get dicey and far from public transportation.
I come home sometimes at 1am from the LSP light rail stop and walk the few blocks to my home. I have never had any problems, but I am aware and I carry pepper spray on my key chain and have it out and ready to go just in case.
You need to just be aware of your surroundings and try to come home together if you are going to be out late.
Most of the crime in this area is drug/gang related, as in any big city.
Also, with the foundry, the new condos going in on johnston, pine, and maple, the area is getting safer.
Summit is a lot farther out than that though.

Posted on: 2007/7/18 20:19
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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rule of thumb: If they don't run the meter and they accept more than one passenger, than you pay what you think is fair. I don't pay more than 6 bucks, tip included. If they argue, I just remind them that they didn't run the meter so it's your word against theirs. I have never had a problem so far....
And back on topic, it is hard to say what one considers safe when speaking of Jersey City or any city for that matter. To me, this area feels just as safe as downtown, but there are certain streets that I avoid at night. I can not say with certainty what the block is like around belmont and summit, I have walked by there a bunch of times, but not late at night. The OP's best option is to survey the area at night and see what kind of activity goes on.

Posted on: 2007/7/17 18:36
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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I took the cabs once since I moved in and I think the guy asked for 7 dollars. I noticed the driver didn't start the meter, and took a second passenger, but I thought it is like a local custom. In small towns in my home country, they did the same in order to charge me less, so I assumed I got a discount.
I was making like 6 dollars before taxes. I am better now.

Offtopic: is there any meaning to complain to the authorities about this kind of taxi service?

Posted on: 2007/7/17 17:20
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Quote:
worm wrote:
OMG, please tell me that you make more than 2.50/hr! The cab cost for where these girls are looking to live should be around 5-6 bucks.


Metered cab from JSQ to Bergen/Communipaw a couple weeks ago was about 6.50$ + tip. I doubt could possibly be more than $7 to the corner of Bemont and Summit.

Posted on: 2007/7/17 16:59
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Worm, you're funny, the cab trip would cost like two hours of work. No regular work finishes at midnight.

OMG, please tell me that you make more than 2.50/hr! The cab cost for where these girls are looking to live should be around 5-6 bucks.

Posted on: 2007/7/17 16:37
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Worm, you're funny, the cab trip would cost like two hours of work. No regular work finishes at midnight.
Alb, of course the homeless are peaceful, esp towards other people. It strikes me how they ask for money at 1 PM or later, when any sane person would not carry even a dime of cash in this town (except probably for Lefrak City).
I know J.Sq. ends before Montgomery, but this was also to answer the question that started the thread. You forgot to mention that RE ads say that Communipaw is "5 minutes from Journal Square", which is not.

Posted on: 2007/7/17 15:18
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Quote:

JSQ wrote:
Even on that one, by Montgomery, I was alone.
Journal Square proper is deserted at night, except for the homeless and the cabbies. The street lights could be better, the cops are nowhere to be seen...


I know that the real estate ads call "Montgomery" part of Journal Square, but, to me, that area is really McGinley Square, anyway.

Anyhow: in general, did it seem as if the homeless people were the "don't bug me and I won't bug you" types of homeless people, or the, Eddy Excuse Guy follow-you-and-creep-you-out kinds of homeless people?

If it's just some guys sleeping in boxes, well, I guess that's city life for you. If there are a bunch of guys following pedestrians around, then, of course, it would be hard to live around there without a car.

Posted on: 2007/7/17 15:12
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Journal Square proper is deserted at night, except for the homeless and the cabbies. The street lights could be better, the cops are nowhere to be seen...


And you think this only applies to Journal Square proper? Much of the residential parts of the city are pretty desolate at 1 or 2 in the morning, especially on a weeknight. Anyone with street smarts knows that walking alone in any part of the city that late at night can be a risk, regardless of the area. And there are cabbies waiting in front of journal square, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so there are options for you should you find yourself drunk or tired at 4 am.

Posted on: 2007/7/17 13:03
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Re Alb's question: I had a job which allowed me to return home at 1 or 2 in the morning. The PATH train was filled with people, you could not get a seat. But almost everybody was going north, to India sq. I was the only person on the street on JFK or West Side, so I would have to go on Bergen. Even on that one, by Montgomery, I was alone.
Journal Square proper is deserted at night, except for the homeless and the cabbies. The street lights could be better, the cops are nowhere to be seen...

Posted on: 2007/7/17 2:41
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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The girl who started this thread is probably like WTF?
These people are crazy!

Posted on: 2007/7/17 2:05
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Quote:

Justiceiro wrote:

How sad for you. When you are tired of Grove Street, you are tired of life, my friend.

Regardless, all sane people know that Grove street, particularly the corner of Montgomery and Grove, is the center of human civilization and all its benefits. All culture, all art, and all wealth in Jersey City spring from it, like a mystical fountain. This shining jewel of a neighborhood is often hated by Those Who Squat in Outer Darkness (by which I mean, as always, Hamilton Park), but even their feeble, venomous jealousy cannot mar the nobility, strength, and discrete bourgeois charm of my barrio.


Sing it, neighbor! WOO HOO!

Posted on: 2007/7/17 0:14
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Yes, I was laughing, probably a majority of the board readers either never knew or forgot what is a meter. For everybody's information, an athletic competition venue has a 400 meters circumference.

Posted on: 2007/7/16 16:44
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Justiceiro wrote:

However, the storefronts are being cleaned up. It's close to the light rail (like 300 meters).


300 Meters? What the hell is that? This is America, we measure distances in football fields!

Posted on: 2007/7/16 14:16
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Quote:

Justiceiro wrote:

Regardless, all sane people know that Grove street, particularly the corner of Montgomery and Grove, is the center of human civilization and all its benefits. All culture, all art, and all wealth in Jersey City spring from it, like a mystical fountain.




The weird thing about the Grove Street versus Journal Square comparison is that, as far as I can tell (not having spent all that much time around Journal Square at night), even though Grove Street is more gentrified, it actually seems to have more and more aggressive panhandlers than Journal Square.

Of course, there have been several muggings around Van Vorst Park lately. I can remember seeing some reports about recent muggings around Lincoln Park, Greenville and maybe Bergen Lafayette, but it seems as if the reports from the Heights have died down a bit, and I don't remember if I've ever actually seen any reports at all of any muggings taking place right around the Journal Square PATH station or the heart of the square.

Are there any people here who pass through Journal Square proper at night? If so, do you ever actually have problems there? Would you feel any differently about living right on the square or, say, one or two blocks off it than you do about living a few blocks farther away?

Posted on: 2007/7/16 14:12

Edited by alb on 2007/7/16 14:46:30
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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DanL wrote:
what exactly is meant by "pop"?

is there an attraction? bars? restaurants? galleries?, boutiques? a unique character? walkable streets? good commute to NYC (anytown on midtown direct is better)?


A big attraction is that you can actually buy a house, not just a shoebox, for less than the price of a kidney on the black market. Sorry to say, but these prices of $1 million for buildings in HP and VVP are just outrageous, not to mention fiscally impossible. At the moment there are no MArco and Pepe type attractions, but if a clientele moves to the area, they will follow. That's what I mean by "pop."

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I do not find Grove Street cool


How sad for you. When you are tired of Grove Street, you are tired of life, my friend.

Regardless, all sane people know that Grove street, particularly the corner of Montgomery and Grove, is the center of human civilization and all its benefits. All culture, all art, and all wealth in Jersey City spring from it, like a mystical fountain. This shining jewel of a neighborhood is often hated by Those Who Squat in Outer Darkness (by which I mean, as always, Hamilton Park), but even their feeble, venomous jealousy cannot mar the nobility, strength, and discrete bourgeois charm of my barrio.

Posted on: 2007/7/16 14:02
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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No.


+1.

Posted on: 2007/7/15 16:11
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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All you need to do is master some of those 'real crime' video games wear a mouth and groin guard and you'll be fine.

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Posted on: 2007/7/15 12:50
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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what exactly is meant by "pop"?

I see houslng development, but what will make this area a good place to live?

is there an attraction? bars? restaurants? galleries?, boutiques? a unique character? walkable streets? good commute to NYC (anytown on midtown direct is better)?

we have friends that live there (by choice), but they do complain about the problems, they like being close to LSP, but they end up driving everywhere.

pop?

I do not find Grove Street cool, but you can live there without a car, get to Wall St in 15min door to door when lucky, walk easily to the Hudson River and LSP, still have some inexpensive good restuarants ....

maybe Grove St. will pop.


Quote:

Justiceiro wrote:
Pacific and Lafayette actually ain't that bad of a bet. There will, of course, be claims that I am insane, but I watch the neighborhood closely. My first job back in '98 I had Columbia paint Lab as a customer, and the place was crazy scary- a lot of lifers here seem to have that image locked in their minds, and it's an out of the way place, so folks don't often go down there.

However, the storefronts are being cleaned up. It's close to the light rail (like 300 meters), it has a nice totally refurbished park (lafayette park) with super expensive condos fronting it, in the old mill, and some REALLY underpriced brickstones and townhouses directly on the park. the only thing that holds me back is the fact that I live in the coolest of all neighborhoods, 3 blocks from the Grove st. Path.

If I were you, I would buy in a place like this- its cheaper than renting in hamilton park, and its about to pop, so you could not only have a sweet pad, but a nice moneymaker as well.

Summit Ave is sketcherific.

Posted on: 2007/7/15 2:32
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
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Library Hall Lofts is on the corner of guess which streets? That's right boys and girls, Summit Ave and Grand Street. Or, 0.2 miles (3 blocks) from the property the original poster asked about.

Google Map

Quote:

MrWolf wrote:
Quote:

Justiceiro wrote:

If I were you, I would buy in a place like this- its cheaper than renting in hamilton park, and its about to pop, so you could not only have a sweet pad, but a nice moneymaker as well.



+1

Those who invest in this neighborhood should do well in the coming years, as the the area has caught the attention of the investment community. You can bet the city will push hard to facilitate further development in this area and bolster their tax base. See recent NY deal mag article below:


http://www.therealdeal.net/issues/JUNE_2007/1180555691.php

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

June 2007

In Bergen-Lafayette, a canal runs through it
Jersey City neighborhood sees developer interest

By John Celock

A 14-unit mixed-use project called Library Hall Lofts will have residences replacing old bookshelves. Some New Jersey developers are banking on a downtrodden neighborhood next to Liberty State Park to become the latest hot spot in booming Jersey City.

Gentrification of the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood, an enclave just west of the park and south of the Morris Canal, known for its concentration of 19th century residential and industrial architecture, is picking up speed. A number of new projects as well as conversions of old factories and warehouses are under way.

The streets of Bergen-Lafayette lack the polish and flash of nearby Paulus Hook or Hamilton Park, other waterfront Jersey City quarters that are growing at a furious pace. Indeed, many of Bergen-Lafayette's frame homes still have bars on the windows and front porches.

But seven projects containing more than 1,000 units are under construction or almost ready to start amid the area's many blocks of elegant old brownstone townhouses.

The scale of new projects is slowly beginning to alter the look and demographics of this once blue-collar and slightly run-down area. This redevelopment may quicken as industrial areas around the Morris Canal get rezoned. It's a dramatic U-turn for a neighborhood that lost much of its vitality when nearby rail yards closed in the 1960s.

Landmark Developers is among the neighborhood's biggest builders. It has three projects under way: 180 loft condos in a six-story conversion at 125 Monitor Street, 245 units at 101 Monitor Street, and 265 units at 100 Monitor Street. Affordable housing will account for 57 units.

"I feel there is a natural course of development and felt this neighborhood is the next wave," said Frank Cretella, founder and managing partner of Landmark Developers. "I am vested in this area. I own the restaurant in Liberty State Park."

To draw customers who otherwise might be inclined to buy property elsewhere in Jersey City, Cretella is including swimming pools, weight rooms, meeting rooms, wireless Internet access and even a climbing wall. He cites some of the neighborhood's features -- the park, its light rail station, the nearby Liberty Science Center -- as other strong selling points.

"We are playing to that active person," Cretella said.

On the western edge of the neighborhood, a 14-unit mixed-use project called Library Hall Lofts will have residences replacing old bookshelves. Larry Brush, the project's managing director, said the project will be completed by the fall, and that he has four contracts out on the condos already.

An area called the Morris Canal Redevelopment Area has several new residential projects. The area takes its name from the adjacent Morris Canal, a 40-foot-wide, 107-mile-long waterway built in 1832 to connect New York's harbor with the coal fields of Pennsylvania. Traffic on the canal stopped in the 1920s.

Whitlock Mills is a two-building development near the canal. It combines a small new apartment building and the loft conversion of a three-story historic industrial building. The 330-unit rental project includes 198 affordable and 132 market-rate units. The development will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units to families making between 35 and 40 percent of the area's median income, which is $30,306 a year. By comparison, a waterfront resident's median income is $74,016, with the median income for the entire city being $41,639.

A third building in the area will grow out of the rehabilitation of another historic structure at 170 Lafayette Street. That four-story building, to be called Fresh Pond, will provide housing and work space for 45 artists.

More rezoning is planned for the industrial areas bordering the Morris Canal. The reclassification is expected to be completed within the next four months, and current property owners will be designated as the redevelopers of their sites. The rezoning is aimed at creating a community feel with more mixed-use residential developments. Robert Cotter, Jersey City's planning director, said the area may be granted historic designation as well, which already exists for Paulus Hook and other waterfront neighborhoods.

"We want to be inclusive and have real neighborhoods," Cotter said.

Crime remains a worry for prospective buyers. The steel-barred facades of some houses look menacing. One of the last residential projects the neighborhood gained was a row of federally subsidized Section 8 townhomes. Agents say until recently, married couples shied away from the area and that young single men, mostly first-time homebuyers, represented a large segment of potential buyers.

Others say the area's reputation for crime is overblown. New lights and playgrounds were recently put into Liberty State Park. But a 2005 report by the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation notes that perceptions about crime pose a problem for future residential development in the area. Landmark Developers is including space for a police station in a new building.

Cotter notes that the area is perceived as high in crime, but that Jersey City has a low crime rate for an urban area.

"There is a perception about criminal activity and the bottom line is that Jersey City's crime rate is low," he said. "We are the second-largest city in the state, but our crime level is the 17th [highest]."

The first residential project to come to the neighborhood was the Foundry, a three-story warehouse-to-condo conversion across the street from a light rail station. Developed by David Silverstein, the Foundry's first phase was completed in 2005.

Sales have been slow. Staff said it could take 18 months to sell the remaining units, which are a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments. Prices run about $400 per square foot. Similar apartments in downtown Jersey City are between $450 and $750 per square foot.

"Buildings like the Foundry and other new developments in Bergen-Lafayette compare favorably with new developments in downtown Jersey City," said Christoph Schluender, the Foundry's sales director.

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

Copyright ? 2003-2005 The Real Deal

Posted on: 2007/7/13 21:35
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Re: Is it safe for two single women to live in this neighborhood? Please help!
#45
Just can't stay away
Just can't stay away


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Quote:

Justiceiro wrote:

If I were you, I would buy in a place like this- its cheaper than renting in hamilton park, and its about to pop, so you could not only have a sweet pad, but a nice moneymaker as well.



+1

Those who invest in this neighborhood should do well in the coming years, as the the area has caught the attention of the investment community. You can bet the city will push hard to facilitate further development in this area and bolster their tax base. See recent NY deal mag article below:


http://www.therealdeal.net/issues/JUNE_2007/1180555691.php

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

June 2007

In Bergen-Lafayette, a canal runs through it
Jersey City neighborhood sees developer interest

By John Celock

A 14-unit mixed-use project called Library Hall Lofts will have residences replacing old bookshelves. Some New Jersey developers are banking on a downtrodden neighborhood next to Liberty State Park to become the latest hot spot in booming Jersey City.

Gentrification of the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood, an enclave just west of the park and south of the Morris Canal, known for its concentration of 19th century residential and industrial architecture, is picking up speed. A number of new projects as well as conversions of old factories and warehouses are under way.

The streets of Bergen-Lafayette lack the polish and flash of nearby Paulus Hook or Hamilton Park, other waterfront Jersey City quarters that are growing at a furious pace. Indeed, many of Bergen-Lafayette's frame homes still have bars on the windows and front porches.

But seven projects containing more than 1,000 units are under construction or almost ready to start amid the area's many blocks of elegant old brownstone townhouses.

The scale of new projects is slowly beginning to alter the look and demographics of this once blue-collar and slightly run-down area. This redevelopment may quicken as industrial areas around the Morris Canal get rezoned. It's a dramatic U-turn for a neighborhood that lost much of its vitality when nearby rail yards closed in the 1960s.

Landmark Developers is among the neighborhood's biggest builders. It has three projects under way: 180 loft condos in a six-story conversion at 125 Monitor Street, 245 units at 101 Monitor Street, and 265 units at 100 Monitor Street. Affordable housing will account for 57 units.

"I feel there is a natural course of development and felt this neighborhood is the next wave," said Frank Cretella, founder and managing partner of Landmark Developers. "I am vested in this area. I own the restaurant in Liberty State Park."

To draw customers who otherwise might be inclined to buy property elsewhere in Jersey City, Cretella is including swimming pools, weight rooms, meeting rooms, wireless Internet access and even a climbing wall. He cites some of the neighborhood's features -- the park, its light rail station, the nearby Liberty Science Center -- as other strong selling points.

"We are playing to that active person," Cretella said.

On the western edge of the neighborhood, a 14-unit mixed-use project called Library Hall Lofts will have residences replacing old bookshelves. Larry Brush, the project's managing director, said the project will be completed by the fall, and that he has four contracts out on the condos already.

An area called the Morris Canal Redevelopment Area has several new residential projects. The area takes its name from the adjacent Morris Canal, a 40-foot-wide, 107-mile-long waterway built in 1832 to connect New York's harbor with the coal fields of Pennsylvania. Traffic on the canal stopped in the 1920s.

Whitlock Mills is a two-building development near the canal. It combines a small new apartment building and the loft conversion of a three-story historic industrial building. The 330-unit rental project includes 198 affordable and 132 market-rate units. The development will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units to families making between 35 and 40 percent of the area's median income, which is $30,306 a year. By comparison, a waterfront resident's median income is $74,016, with the median income for the entire city being $41,639.

A third building in the area will grow out of the rehabilitation of another historic structure at 170 Lafayette Street. That four-story building, to be called Fresh Pond, will provide housing and work space for 45 artists.

More rezoning is planned for the industrial areas bordering the Morris Canal. The reclassification is expected to be completed within the next four months, and current property owners will be designated as the redevelopers of their sites. The rezoning is aimed at creating a community feel with more mixed-use residential developments. Robert Cotter, Jersey City's planning director, said the area may be granted historic designation as well, which already exists for Paulus Hook and other waterfront neighborhoods.

"We want to be inclusive and have real neighborhoods," Cotter said.

Crime remains a worry for prospective buyers. The steel-barred facades of some houses look menacing. One of the last residential projects the neighborhood gained was a row of federally subsidized Section 8 townhomes. Agents say until recently, married couples shied away from the area and that young single men, mostly first-time homebuyers, represented a large segment of potential buyers.

Others say the area's reputation for crime is overblown. New lights and playgrounds were recently put into Liberty State Park. But a 2005 report by the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation notes that perceptions about crime pose a problem for future residential development in the area. Landmark Developers is including space for a police station in a new building.

Cotter notes that the area is perceived as high in crime, but that Jersey City has a low crime rate for an urban area.

"There is a perception about criminal activity and the bottom line is that Jersey City's crime rate is low," he said. "We are the second-largest city in the state, but our crime level is the 17th [highest]."

The first residential project to come to the neighborhood was the Foundry, a three-story warehouse-to-condo conversion across the street from a light rail station. Developed by David Silverstein, the Foundry's first phase was completed in 2005.

Sales have been slow. Staff said it could take 18 months to sell the remaining units, which are a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments. Prices run about $400 per square foot. Similar apartments in downtown Jersey City are between $450 and $750 per square foot.

"Buildings like the Foundry and other new developments in Bergen-Lafayette compare favorably with new developments in downtown Jersey City," said Christoph Schluender, the Foundry's sales director.

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

Copyright ? 2003-2005 The Real Deal

Posted on: 2007/7/13 21:28
 Top 




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