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$1/2 million for a 1BR is a "decent price" in a neighborhood that is certainly up and coming but will be years before arrival? Plus it's more than a stroll to the Grove PATH and you'd have to rely on the light rail to get to Exchange - unless you use the Turnpike each day to commute, it's hardly as convenient as lower-priced options east.

My wife and I looked at LHN and it was impressive. I particularly loved the building facades and technology, but the two 1BRs we looked at (last Spring) were $505k and $510k. Too much, too far, and too many pushy salespeople and the on-site financier guy was greasier than a fried funnel cake fried in fried oil at Great Adventure on a hot day.

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Well I have no problem with real estate agents buying advertising on local community websites. In fact I personally would even encourage it. But spamming message boards and comments instead of paying for ad space is, as far as I am concerned, stealing.

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Spam is a pain, but, seriously, given the way the overall real estate market is, I can't really blame a developer for grasping at straws and doing any old crazy thing to bring in business.

I'm not sure how the Jersey City market is right now -- my impression is that it's really not all that terrible -- but I really hope the developers who've put up new buildings end up with good buyers and/or tenants and don't end up with a bunch of half-finished ghost town buildings.

I remember in the late 1990s, when parts of Paulus Hook looked as if they were sets for a war movie, and that was sad.

Of course, if that kind of market comes here, it will hit a bunch of jerks who have it coming, but I'm sure it also will hurt nice people, too.

Anyhow: I think that one issue is that prices are still out of whack. I think that, in the real world, with a 30-year fixed mortgage, the price that most middle-income people around here should be paying for a home is something like $200,000 to $300,000 (for, say, a 2-bedroom with a living room and closets), but it seems as if the actual price is more on the order of $400,000 to $600,000, or about twice as high as what people can really afford.

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Hmm, a post talking about how great the sales people are.

And a whole new thread talking about the great security.

And a link to the Liberty Harbor website.

Do you smell something? Because I think I smell a big steamy pile of shilling.

I'm actually making an appointment for Thursday to check out 2 bedrooms. Our lease runs out on 11/1, so we're hoping we can find something within our price range rather than renting any further.

I have one friend who lives there currently and she's extremely happy. She loves the amenities and her Viking stove .

I have looked at Liberty Harbor a few times and really fell in love with it. It does have tons of amenities and is very technologically advanced for a decent price. I am just waiting for my lease to be up to move in there! The sales people were quite friendly to me, but they are very busy! It is definitely worth it though. Anyone else live there now that has any more comments on these condos in Jersey City? Thanks!

Liberty Harbor

I'm looking at this property and always love feedback. Anyone purchase/living at Liberty North? Good, bad and the ugly? Also, anyone know what 2 bedrooms going for?

Thanks!

Is anyone else a frustrated condo owner of Sutton Towers? I purchased my condo on the second floor last September was promised a closing by the end of May and now they're saying I may be able to SEE it the second week of January. Anyone else having this problem?

I will be closing at the end of November (hopefully), my first encounter at the sales office was not bad. I did not have an appointment- but they told me I could wait about a 1/2 hour. I did and it was worth it.

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While its true construction sites are dangerous places that shouldn't have people wandering around aimlessly-- and completed buildings don't want complete strangers walking through their halls either-- real estate is still a service industry. But that aside, with the quantity of new developments and the slow down of the once frenzied buying pace, I don't think any sales office should be flippantly turning down interested parties.

We already live in LHN and have to say that the staff has been pretty good, especially the receptionists. LHN's policy - and that of other new developments in the area - is that if you don't have an appointment you can't just wander around. I know for a fact that Trump has the same policy. Sometimes if you go by on a slow day, there might be a salesperson available to meet with you, but that's rare on a weekend. And let's not complain about the receptionist, who is the lowest person on the totem pole - it's merely her job to enforce policies created by someone else.

Stani, this has nothing to do with temp employees. That is LHN's policy. No appointment, no dice. Six months ago we took our friends to the sales office, and we were all turned away. A few weeks later, Mr. jc_i and I went back (with an appt) and were completely turned off by the hard sell.


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It's good that you like it - i'll never know whether i will like it because they won't let us even look at the miniature scale model of the planned development... pretty lame if you ask me.

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Hmm. First time, one time poster. Interesting. I think Nins9 is confusing Jclist with Kannekt.

I bought there... I like it... I am moving in at the end of this month... everyone has been really great... for those of you who did not buy, but still feel the need to bash the place- go to another forum and pick on something that is relevant in your life.

Unfortunately, you encountered a typical temp employee. Getting good people to do these kinds of jobs is nearly impossible. They have virtually no relationship with the developer, no incentive to do a decent job. No, I'm not a real estate developer, but I've been to enough of these places and have seen the same situation over and over.

Me and my wife went to liberty harbor north this weekend and tried to take a look at pricing, availability, etc and were pretty much turned away because we didn't have an appointment. Looking into the room beyond the receptionist we saw a model of what LHN would look like in the future, we asked if we could take a look... NO - must have an appointment. Can someone talk to us now... NO - must have an appointment.

I guess units must be flying out the door b/c usually if you have people asking to see/potentially buy a unit, you don't turn them away. But what do i know about selling real estate...

It was a party to celebrate the opening of the model unit. It was for LHN owners only.

Does anybody know anything about the Liberty Harbor North Party last night? I was riding my bike and noticed taht there was a dj, dinner buffet, and cocktails in one of the new developed lots at LHN. Did not know if it was open to the public or not. Anybody go or know about it?

New hotel for Liberty Harbor North area approved
Planning Board gives nod to 300-room Hilton

Ricardo Kaulessar -- Hudson Reporter -- 08/24

DISCUSSING THE HOTEL ? They were part of the discussion on the approved Hilton hotel in the Liberty Harbor North Redevelopment Area in Jersey City at the Aug. 14 Planning Board meeting.

No, it's not Paris. But Hilton is coming to Jersey City. This will be the second Hilton-owned hotel in New Jersey's second largest city, with the Doubletree Hotel on Washington Boulevard already in existence.

At its Aug. 14 meeting, the Jersey City Planning Board approved the plan for a Hilton Hotel to be built in the Liberty Harbor North redevelopment area in downtown Jersey City.

The plan includes not only the 321,366 sq. ft hotel with 300 rooms but also 470 residential units, a parking lot with over 700 parking spaces, and a 3,680 sq. ft retail space.

The hotel will be developed and managed by the Warren, N.J.-based Tramz Hotels Group.

Tarrunumn Murad, CEO of Tramz Hotels, said after the application was approved that construction for the hotel would start sometime later this year.

Liberty Harbor North is a massive undertaking by former North Bergen Mayor and longtime developer Peter Mocco that has spanned over 20 years, 80 acres, about 10,000 residential units, five million square feet of retail and office space combined, and 27 new city blocks.

Walkway - not right away

But at the Aug. 14 meeting, representatives for the hotel developers discussed with the attorney for Mocco the responsibility of building a portion of waterfront walkway about 30 feet across from what would be the entrance to the hotel.

State law requires developers on the Hudson River to build a portion of a public waterfront walkway that will eventually run from Bayonne to the George Washington Bridge.

A representative for the hotel developers said they will do a temporary walkway as they wait for a Waterfront Development Permit from the state's Department of Environmental Protection before they embark on doing a permanent walkway. A waterfront permit allows development near coastal waters, which in this case is the area near the Liberty Harbor Marina.

Mocco's attorney, Jon Campbell, said that since development of the rest of the Liberty Harbor area will take years to complete, the hotel developers should build a permanent walkway for those people who will moving into the Liberty Harbor area.

The board also sought to find out if the developers will build a permanent walkway.

Commissioner Leon Yost asked, "How soon?"

Board Chairman Michael Ryan said one of the conditions of the developers receiving approval for the hotel is to build the walkway.

Details of the hotel

An architect for the hotel, Alan Trousdale, said it will be a "focal point of life downtown" which will include a four-star restaurant. He said there will also be retail along Marin Boulevard that will add to the life the hotel will bring.

Trousdale said it will be one of a few atrium hotels in the New York/New Jersey area.

An atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows usually at the entrance.

Also the hotel will have several ballrooms and conference rooms on the first three floors with the rest of the hotel having rooms.

There will also be two parts of the hotel, one part for guests and the other part for the residential units.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

Expect high energy costs to keep your place cool and warm - too much glass!
I'd hate to know how much people are paying to keep their rentals at Liberty Towers and the building just south of Essex St light-rail station climate controled ? - they have full height glazing (ceiling to floor) and the worst I've seen.

All these new buildings are just a vacumm of energy use and would have high running costs. These building are exposed to the elements and have incorporated very little in the way of being energy efficient - give me a brownstone row house any day - I just wished the 'trend' of using exterior wooden / aluminium window shutters would return to reduce cooling and heating costs.

I went to look at a condo at LHN - my salesman answered all my questions and knew his stuff. He followed up with a polite, well written e-mail. No hard sell. The place is overflowing with bells and whistles - apparently while sitting in a tent in Kenya, I could raise or lower the blinds in my LHN bedroom. My problem was that the spaces were tiny and the taxes (abated!) were almost 1 1/2 times what I am paying for my rowhouse. The place will be a construction site for years and everyone is mum on what will occupy the retail space. I am very curious who is buying here and the other upscale projects going up - my prediction 10 years ago was that downtown JC would be a haven for empty nesters and retirees looking for a place closer to NYC - am I right? Or, are the purchasers welloff first time buyers , or a combination of all sorts whose commmon denominator is a lot to spend on housing. Anyone know? A friend suggested that JC buyers don't care about RE taxes - it's just a tax deduction for them not a quarterly amount they have trouble coming up with.

BTW, I think LHN will become an architectural tourist attraction. Duany's work has a cult following. Given JC's propensity to flood perhaps the project should be called Rising Water (or let's leave that to the pundits).

If you're a condo owner in LHN, take as many photos of the view outside your window looking towards the Marina, LSP and the Statue of Liberty - its all going to be lost once they start building south of the light rail.

Beware the Mocco factor !!!

Peter Mocco, the developer, has been known to cut many corners on his properties. The posts about sleazy salesmen doesn't surprise me.

Some Harbor ill will, others see green

Saturday, July 28, 2007
By LYSA CHEN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Some neighbors of Liberty Harbor say they worry the project will benefit only businesses and attract the wealthy while excluding Jersey City's working-class residents.

Half of the first phase's 700 housing units are rentals that will range from $1,500 to $3,000 per month, said Jeffery Zak, the developer and project manager. The other half are condos ranging from $275,000 to $600,000, he said.

"It's only geared toward people who can afford it, those coming in from Manhattan, not for Jersey City people," said Anna Christodoulakis, who lives nearby.

Liberty Harbor tenants and condo owners are expected to begin moving in by the end of the summer.

Christodoulakis lived across the street from the current construction site before the city asked her to move five years ago to make way for another redevelopment project, she said.

"The city is building too much," she said.

Ramona Chapman, who also lives near Liberty Harbor, said the developers are unconcerned with working-class families and only want to "play the property ladder."

"They're moving all of us old-timers out," Chapman said. "All the new projects are for the rich. There's no more housing for low-income families."

Peter Mocco, developer of the project, said such reactions are "nonsensical."

"It boggles my mind," he said. "If you ask me 'Does Liberty Harbor help the poorest of the poor in Jersey City?' The answer is yes."

Mocco said Liberty Harbor is developing previously vacant land and creating thousands of jobs, in addition to contributing "enormous sums" to the treasury of Jersey City. Many of the people who have bought or rented at Liberty Harbor are from Jersey City, he added.

"Because it's a non-union labor project, we can sell units at prices much lower than other waterfront projects," he said. "We're passing on savings to the homeowners."

Bobby Bournias, owner of Brownstone Diner and Pancake Factory on Jersey Avenue and Grand Street, said the project will be "fantastic for the neighborhood."

His diner, across the street from the first buildings going up, will benefit from the increase in population, he said.

"It's been a void for quite some time," Bournias said. "The project will bring in new people and businesses. The way they've mapped out the project, it will blend well with the rest of the Downtown area."

I believe only a few lots on the site were actual brownfields. It was probably capped with clean soil. Im sure the NJ DEP had to sign off before construction could begin.

Liberty Harbor North is certainly coming along. But isn't that area a brownfield site? Does anyone know what has been done or not done to deal with that issue?

I can only guess that the area is cleaned up and all the correct precautions are taken with new pipes for water etc.

Then again, go down there and get some soil samples from any dirt mound and get it checked out!

Also can anyone tell me if they have installed the 'midget' sized toilet bowls in these apartments / condo's to save a buck? It seems to be a trend to install those small-ass toilet bowls these days.

Is there anything BIG or TALL being built south of the Light-Rail that might block the views to LSP, the boat marina or Lady Liberty in the future?
Those views from LHN must have a $ value, that could be lost in the future if so, should it be a selling point and will you be reimbursed if you lose that view?

I also bought in LHN recently and I am looking forward to the completion date. New construction always has a big ? for a closing date. Anybody have any new info on when they might have this done?