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Re: The Beacon
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Newbie
 
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I'm in the process of moving to a few blocks away from the Beacon-husband and I bought a fixer upper and are in the midst of doing some work on it.
I've been the area several times now and it seems ok. However, I've been reading up on the crime message board here and it seems that there have been several homicides in the area. As I become more familiar with the neighborhood, I'm noticing more sketchy characters walking around and tons of trash everywhere. I've lived in much rougher neighborhoods, but for some reason I'm concerned about my recent purchase. Although there is nothing we can do now but hope for the best! I hope that the area improves over the next 2-3 years. Less trash, more small businesses; it'd be great if Mayor Fulop invested some more time & energy into areas other rather than focusing on his cash cow (downtown). Does anyone living here see some glimmers of change? thanks
Posted on: 2015/12/29 22:10
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
 
Joined:
2006/11/13 18:42 Last Login : 2022/2/28 7:31 From 280 Grove Street
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Has the
Posted on: 2015/12/10 22:37
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My humor is for the silent blue collar majority - If my posts offend, slander or you deem inappropriate and seek deletion, contact the webmaster for jurisdiction.
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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Probably not, the majority of Beacon owners are still under water or sold at a loss. There are still short sales and foreclosures going on there to this day.
Posted on: 2015/12/10 22:08
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Re: The Beacon
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Newbie
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I also lived at m650 Flats for 5 yrs...by far the worst place I have ever owned/lived and worst investment I have ever made. The place is a dump as a previous user said. Very shoddy construction and things were constantly breaking. Probably should have invested in The Beacon instead
Posted on: 2015/12/9 20:44
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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JSQ will boom before then, lots of Billyberg knockdown apt buildings going up.
Oh bring ye masses of clueless hipster scum to our fair city (away from downtown). Quote:
Posted on: 2015/10/3 15:37
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Re: The Beacon
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Not too shy to talk
Joined:
2014/11/11 18:05 Last Login : 2015/12/9 20:32 From Hoboken NJ
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Yes, that area is only going upwards from here: lots of development going on. My friend lives at M650 Flats and has been there for 5 years and loves it. I am very impressed every time I visit. Definitely not a dump from what she tells me and from what I see. Very surprised that someone would say that. The McGinley Square area will only get better and property valuations will only go higher.
Posted on: 2015/10/2 20:57
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Re: The Beacon
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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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Avoid the area at all costs. LMAO as a kid growing up n Brooklyn this was said about Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy, Jersey City, Hoboken, Harlem, and the Lower East Side.
Posted on: 2015/9/30 16:51
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Re: The Beacon
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Not too shy to talk
Joined:
2015/3/26 18:00 Last Login : 2018/12/2 20:56 From Jersey City. Bergen Hill
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Check out Carvao BBQ restaurant and bar near McKinley Square. Just opened. Area definitely needs work, but if your not getting into that area now, couple years from now will be too late.
Monticello ave, McKinley Sq., etc is crap right now, but there is already signs of new renovations of new businesses.
Posted on: 2015/9/30 16:44
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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CitiBike has a rack in front of the Bacon, now that's not chopped liver.
Posted on: 2015/9/30 12:38
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Re: The Beacon
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Newbie
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The area surrounding the beacon is not going to change for quite some time; the benefit for young professionals living in an urban area is public transportation and proximity to services/retail. McGinley Square provides neither, except if you're going to live off wonderbagels. The Beacon reminds me of the Green Zone in Iraq, people were whisked to and from in the shuttle but no one dared leave the compound.
I lived in m650 and the place is a dump; crumbling poor construction and a parking system that is always broken. Avoid the area at all costs.
Posted on: 2015/9/29 23:55
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Home away from home
Joined:
2007/8/1 19:34 Last Login : 2022/4/27 19:59 From journal square
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I agree that the Beacons neighboring lots will be transformed big time in the next decade and hopefully around JSQ/MS too, but as of right now, theres a serious dearth of amenities, meaning places to buy food, eat at good restaurants, good bars, etc in ALL of JSQ unless you like Indian food or Fast food. I think McGinley Square pub is the first decent bar in the whole area so hopefully they survive and thats a step in the right direction, but the area still has a long way to go. I had a hard time even finding a place around St Peters to get a regular sandwich over the weekend! Im hoping that changes with a flood of new development.
Posted on: 2015/9/29 13:31
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Not too shy to talk
Joined:
2014/11/11 18:05 Last Login : 2015/12/9 20:32 From Hoboken NJ
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All depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking in the Journal Square area and you are looking for that "wow" factor, but can't pay downtown prices, m650 Flats and Canco Lofts are your best bets for the price. They are both very beautiful buildings. A benefit about the m650 Flat building is that if you rent of buy, you get a parking space included with no additional fee tacked on. I am pretty sure (not 100 percent sure though) with Canco that you have to pay a monthly parking fee.
Posted on: 2015/9/29 13:01
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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Cruz down Baldwin Ave heading towards JSQ a bit. There may be better deals in some of the old school pre wars along the route.
Posted on: 2015/9/28 0:08
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Not too shy to talk
Joined:
2014/11/11 18:05 Last Login : 2015/12/9 20:32 From Hoboken NJ
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As I have visited the neighborhood many times, I feel that the area is quite safe.
Posted on: 2015/9/27 23:52
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Not too shy to talk
Joined:
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Look into m650 Flats if you like that like that area of JC where The Beacon is. My friend lives at m650 and her condo is absolutely gorgeous.
Posted on: 2015/9/27 23:50
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Re: The Beacon
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Not too shy to talk
Joined:
2006/10/31 20:04 Last Login : 2015/9/9 20:58 From Jersey City
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You are wrong. When the Beacon Complex (it's 8 buildings on 14 acres) started renovations into condos, it was at the height of the housing bubble and they were selling very strongly. It's only when the bubble burst that the developer tried an auction - and anything else he could think of (lofts was one).
He ultimately lost the ability to complete the project but BLT (from Connecticut) stepped in. They have completed 5 additional buildings (all rentals, including one that is "pet free"). plus a multi level parking garage, after the original builder had completed two buildings, the Rialto and the Capital. All of BLT's buildings are rentals. The quality of the rental buildings is not as good as the first two, the Rialto and Capital, nor is the sound proofing. But they do look nice and have the usual granite and stainless appliances. Now that most of the construction is done (BLT is finishing the last one now) it is a much quieter place. I don't use the valet anymore. Too annoying waiting for your car and too expensive. I found a garage for rent 6 minutes walk away and $75 cheaper per month. The empty lot next to the Mary Hauge is going to be developed. All of the parking lots around the County building are going to be developed, including a multi level parking garage to handle the county parking needs. There is going to be a day care and a charter school built. The Montgomery Gardens site is going to consist of low rise mixed income housing and retail. Phase one of the Montgomery site was leveling 3 buildings and the rehab of the NE corner building as a senior housing building plus the addition of 1 and a half new streets thru the site. Phase two will include razing the last two buildings and putting the half street all the way thru the site. Metrovest has an option to build a grocery store there. The College is going to develop some of their parking lots into buildings to house students. There is also the possibility of a theater and entertainment complex in the area that is being pushed by the school because, as was mentioned, there is not very much retail or entertainment in the area, yet. In another 5 to 10 years you will not recognize the area around the Beacon. The only amenities currently not available are the two hot tubs and the Sun Deck. However, there is an alternative to the Sun Deck. The Park that was built on top of the parking garage has grills, and the view is even better than that from the Sun Deck. The renovation of the Art Deco elements in each of the buildings at the Beacon is really stunning. Lots of marble, granite, terrazzo floors, period lighting, rich colors and hand applied gold leaf. The freeze in the Billiard Room, depicting the history of medicine is priceless. The Art work behind the Lobby Desk in the Capital/Rialto entrance was $40,000 just by itself.
Posted on: 2015/9/9 20:41
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Not too shy to talk
Joined:
2006/10/31 20:04 Last Login : 2015/9/9 20:58 From Jersey City
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I have lived at the Beacon for 8 years. No issues. I've been asked for "spare change" 3 times in 8 years. I don't carry change. The area around the Beacon is safe enough for anyone with experience in living in a city.
By the way, no one at the Beacon walks to Grove Street. We have shuttle buses that leave every 15 min during rush "hour" and every 30 min. other times. It also goes to Exchange Place and on the weekends to the Mall.
Posted on: 2015/9/9 19:55
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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Just did some Prince of Pizza and thought about you. Holla @ Yo Boyz
Posted on: 2015/9/4 21:05
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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Perhaps you are a fast walker, or something. As per Google Maps, The Beacon is 25 minutes to the Grove Street station (walking) (link) and 16 minutes to Journal Square (again, walking directions) (link). So, I am not sure why you are all up in arms about something that is factually true. Can you walk it faster? Yes, of course, if you are fit and like to walk at a faster pace. Not everybody is you.
Posted on: 2015/9/4 20:05
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
Joined:
2013/3/29 21:43 Last Login : 2023/9/5 18:27 From Bergen Hill
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1980
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They'd be valid if they weren't so full of the typical hyperbolic crap. Let's see, I count out the exact number and, in typical JCList fashion, someone that knows fuck all about the area doubles the total in an attempt to make a point. Even you seem to think it's 15-20 minutes to walk. Seriously?! Are you walking with crutches? I live a half mile further and it takes me 15 minutes to walk there. The only time I hit the 20 minute mark is if I'm walking with a limp due to injury. Considering that the houses surrounding the Beacon are going for half-million with work needed tells you the type of area it is (I don't feel like posting the links a second time to disprove the same people.) I feel sorry that there are people on here that see a few brown people and suddenly run in fear. The area isn't perfect, but it isn't dangerous. I've walked it at all hours, to and from JSQ. I won't talk about the quality of the Beacon development since I've not been inside, but someone else that lived there and left seems to have enjoyed it. It's cool and all for those here to really be vested in their downtown properties, but commenting on other areas with fictional information is dishonest. Fact is, the Beacon is up the road and not far from downtown. My downtown friends visit up here and I visit down there. If you really have friends that wouldn't take a $5 Uber to visit you then are they really your friends...?
Posted on: 2015/9/4 18:49
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Dos A Cero
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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I wouldn't have been as "in your face" as you in saying it, but you are definitely correct in most of your points. Unfortunately, the Beacon is located in a rather odd location: not quite downtown, not quite JSQ, so getting to either is a LONG walk. Yes, I get that many people are willing to walk 15 - 20 minutes to get to the PATH, but that is not a pleasant walk during the really hot and humid Summer months, or the freezing cold Winter months. If you could pick up the Beacon and drop it anywhere closer to the JSQ or Grove stations, it would have done much better. The projects next door really affected sales, and the lack of nearby amenities negates the benefits of living in a city.
Posted on: 2015/9/4 14:55
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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But you can walk 10 blocks thru the hood for a Wonder Bagel - that ain't chopped liver.
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Posted on: 2015/9/4 11:12
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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Top 5 reasons why you should NOT buy a home at the Beacon
1) The area is not and for the foreseeable future, never will be gentrified. I'm not talking about soho gentrified - I am just talking about safe with decent restaurants and a decent grocer. Obvious it is not gentrified now but why not in the future? STill patches of land in dtjc (PAD for example) that are more appealing (Even if there are incentives for developers to build outside of dtjc, they are not stupid) and jsq (With the coming of the 3 towers) will now also attract businesses much better than that area around the beacon. 2) No one will ever visit you. Hell, you might not even want to go home yourself. Why? In addition to point #1, to get there via mass transportation, you have to wait for a specific bus to take you from grove to the beacon. The bus is tiny and in the winter or even summer, no one wants to wait in the cold or in the blistering heat - not even you. 3) You can do better for the money. Okay, you can't afford the sugar house but have you looked elsewhere in dtjc? Maybe dixon mills? It's not a great building compared to the other dtjc buildings but at least it's still in dtjc and walkable from the path. 4) You will be the first to lose money if the market goes down - even worse than in DTJC. Just google how during the last crash, no one was buying in the beacon. The developers almost declared bankrupty, or did - I forget. But just google it. They couldn't give those homes away for 50% off... 5) There is always a reason why things are cheaper. There is no free lunch my friend. The beacon is substantially cheaper than other buildings and there is a reason and this case, many reasons.
Posted on: 2015/9/4 4:42
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Oh no, I wish, but much less than a 50% loss. Thankfully my wife and I have worked hard and done OK for ourselves. We were lucky to be financially able. Still invested in the hood, down the street in JSQ now.
Posted on: 2015/9/4 4:42
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Home away from home
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made out ok? guess it depends on the timing, i know quite a few that bought during the height of the bubble all took close to a 50% haircut to get rid of the unit.
Posted on: 2015/9/3 17:11
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Home away from home
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They were fine. When I used to work in Jersey City they ran often at rush hour, that was a couple years ago however. I switched jobs a few years ago and drive now, my wife always drove. If I was out very late @ bars I would walk from JSQ (it's not far and flat) or take a ~$7 taxi from grove or JSQ.
Posted on: 2015/9/2 23:00
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Just can't stay away
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how did the shuttles work? i'm guessing they run on a schedule during rush hour. what about late nights or off-peak hours?
Posted on: 2015/9/2 21:18
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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We just moved out of the Beacon after many years there (trying a house in JSQ now). Before the Beacon we lived in Paulus Hook and then Grove St area. Out of all these we enjoyed the Beacon the most, met lots of great friends there, less people with chips on shoulder vs DT, NO noise (condo bldgs, not rental), amenities, community, etc, etc. Only thing we hated was valet parking. To each his own....
Oh and we sold out unit at the Beacon so I am saying this with no personal skin in game.
Posted on: 2015/9/2 20:05
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Home away from home
Joined:
2013/3/29 21:43 Last Login : 2023/9/5 18:27 From Bergen Hill
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Oddly, I'm curious what you are basing the scoring on? Guy claims he went to school with the original owner's son. Thus he's an expert on the area as it is at present?
Posted on: 2015/9/2 15:58
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Dos A Cero
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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iGreg 1
Pebble 0 please continue...
Posted on: 2015/9/2 15:46
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