As Manhattan continues to push outward, any area that has an easy commute into the city is fast becoming developed. With less than a 40-minute door-to-door commute into the Financial District, Bergen-Lafayette is primed for a real estate boom.

One of the reasons for this is the housing stock here is gorgeous! Beautiful brownstones abound and some can be had for under $300K. For instance, 56 Park Street is currently listed for $249,000. Sure it needs some work, but it?s a bargain compared to Brooklyn.

Appreciate the Appreciation: Bergen-Lafayette Home Prices Trend Ever Higher

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That article shows everything that is wrong with old timers that make it their mission in life to block progress and evolution.

The "local activist" made it his mission to round up a bunch of local yahoos to oppose two short buildings (6 and 4 stories, for a total of 58 units) because they would "stretch the infrastructure to a possible breaking point". The argument that the buildings would be incongruent with what is there now is also silly, as the whole point to cities is that 1) they are constantly evolving, 2) building in the vicinity of mass transit (these are slated to be built immediately next to the light rail station) is the most efficient way to incorporate new residents into a city, and 3) news flash... the housing stock in that area is downright atrocious and everyone would benefit from the influx of new construction and residents that together can help spur additional building and opening of new businesses.

BTW, I don't know of anyone that refers to the area around JFK Blvd as being part of Bergen Lafayette. As far as I am concerned, and for as long as I lived in the area, everyone thinks of Bergen Avenue as the western edge of the BeLa neighborhood. Also, interesting that the author(s) tried to slip in there a potential new name for the neighborhood in the form of a parenthetical reference to an old name (Sherwood) applied to the area. I am pretty sure that real estate types trying to get the neighborhood renamed would really irk longtime residents.

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This has been discussed ad nauseam before... for developers, securing financing for a rental building is much easier than for a condo building. Developers want to build and realize their profits as quickly as possible, and so renters are easy to find and the monthly payments provide a good source of continuous revenue. Condos can take a while to sell, particularly because lenders have strict guidelines for condo purchases that require that all fees be added and considered as part of the monthly cost responsibility. When renting out to the public, all that needs to happen is for the developer/management to determine the paying ability of the interested party, which is easier than finding qualified buyers.

I'm just wondering why all these places are going rental and not condo ? Could it be those crazy fast and furious abatements ? More resident home owners would be nice.

great news that development and hopefully property values in bela are rising!

Developer, Community Come Together for Project Near Berry Lane Park

By Hunt Ethridge




A lot is happening in Bergen-Lafayette these days. Once considered a ?no go? space for buyers, BeLa is rapidly changing and is attracting sharp-eyed investors and owners.

No one needs to tell you anymore that Jersey City is going through a resurgence. We?ve seen what downtown has become and along the waterfront, there are apartments on par or even more expensive that ones in Manhattan. But there are still areas in JC that aren?t yet built up and you can still find a great deal. One of those areas is Bergen-Lafayette. BeLa is an area in Jersey City that stretches from Montgomery Street in the north to Bayview Avenue in the south. It abuts Liberty State park on the east and up to JFK Blvd on the west side.

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Yeah, that map is definitely not correct. It leaves out a few blocks to the east that are OBVIOUSLY part of the neighborhood.

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I'm not sure what the northern boundary is, but Communipaw is certainly well within the the neighborhood. Lafayette Park is north of Communipaw and the pool is north of the park. If Montgomery is the northern border then the Beacon would be at the northern border.

Is that map for Bergen-Lafayette correct? I think most people today would not consider the Beacon to be in Bergen-Lafayette. I thought the border was Communipaw.

Interesting bit of JC History even though the source disturbs some people. I thought the 1960 section about the BE downturn needed some editing... " Then the neighborhood was hit hard by veterans returning home from Vietnam with heroine addictions that were easy to pacify with a simple trip into Manhattan. ?Jackson Avenue was already in trouble because a lot of the merchants had closed their stores, but when heroine moved in it was over,? said Mr. Morgan. Curious why they didn't identify her?