2nd that, At night that place becomes light up with excitement! If only JC was like that

The morning PATH trains are not crowded because of a few dozen people in a Newark building. They are crowded because everyone who takes NJ Transit from the 'burbs to downtown or to the JC waterfront and has a Newark stop gets off there and takes PATH.

You contradict yourself when you both say that PATH is doing nothing and then mention what they are doing (also, Grove and Exchange Place platforms have been lengthened already). PATH ridership actually peaked in 2000 and the easy way out for them would have been to point to this or bs about 9/11 costs and not do the planning and capital expenditures that they are doing, to their credit.

Anywho, I don't understand paying $1,600++ to live in Newark but it's great that they are seeing some development.
Quote:

Many of the residents of 1180 Raymond Boulevard are city employees who joined the Booker administration. Because there is a residency requirement for working in Newark, this building has become the de facto "Newark address." The Ironbound is a completely different animal than living on Raymond Boulevard west of Penn Station. The Ironbound, or "Down Neck" as it was always called, is a real neighborhood, a community with a diverse population, lots of stores and restaurants and most importantly, lots of street life. I would live in the Ironbound in a heartbeat but would have to think very hard about living in 1180. It is pretty isolated even though it is downtown. At night there is nothing going on and I wouldn't want to walk to the Ironbound. I would definitely feel safer taking a cab.

if i didnt live here in JC, i would have most definitely moved to the ironbound section of newark. Very nice over there!

That's 300 units. And the fact that they are getting stories in the NY Times is an indication that most of them are probably empty and they are trying to lease them.

Really the crush of people comes from Harrison where there are commuter parking lots and they are also building more residences.

So thats why the morning rush hour PATH trains to NYC pull into the Grove Street Station already full beyond capacity.

Too bad PATH isn't doing anything about it. It just keeps getting worse and worse.

Their 'expansion plan' of longer cars (requiring longer station platforms) won't be completed for years.

If they ever start, that is .

Jersey City on the rise, great story on further revitalization in the outer areas.

Downtown Newark's rental market on the rise

BY JASON SHEFTELL
Daily News
June 19th 2008

For years real estate developers and government officials thought no one would want to live in downtown Newark. Developer Arthur Stern and his Cogswell Group just proved them wrong.

Recent rentals at Eleven80 (1180 Raymond Avenue), Cogswell's 317-unit 35-floor residential building, show 45 rentals in the past six weeks, putting the building at almost 85% rented in just over a year.

"People still don't understand how this revitalization occurred," says Stern, who credits a strong city government, the new Prudential Center Arena, and his company's persistent effort for the turnaround. "It was a six year odyssey of council meetings and presentations to banks to get people to understand that this building and downtown could work."

Drawing renters priced out of Hoboken, Jersey City, and Manhattan, Eleven80 has been transformed from a rotting downtown commercial building into the city's tallest residential structure. For 21 years, the former Helmsley-owned building lay abandoned. The nationally registered historic landmark is the first market-rate downtown residential building since 1961.

Sitting two blocks from the Prudential Center and at the southern edge of Military Park, Eleven80 is five to ten minute walk from Newark's Penn Station and a 15 minute Path Train ride to downtown Manhattan. Stern thinks location, the building's amenities, gracious apartment sizes and a changing perception of Newark are reasons for this building fast success.

"For years Newark was an easy target for people to poke fun of," he says. "The reality is there are good areas and bad areas. When someone gets killed in East New York, it doesn't scare a person in Chelsea. There are areas of Newark with no crime."

Municipal Council Member Carlos M. Gonzalez calls the downtown area in Newark one of the city's safest places.

"There is more of a police presence downtown than almost any other Newark neighborhood," says Gonzalez, the Newark North Ward resident who joined the city government two years ago when Cory Booker became mayor. "We're working now on bringing businesses and residents back to downtown and employing our citizens. Investment in downtown is increasing at a very fast pace."

Renters are 1180 Raymond feel the new downtown energy. This past week alone, Tom Petty, Alicia Keys, and a McDonalds-sponsored Gospel show packed the new Arena, amicably called "The Rock" by locals. New restaurants, the New Jersey Performance Arts Center, and symphony add to the list of things to do downtown.

"I decided to take a chance on Newark and all the things happening here," says Tracey Alexander, a board member of Newark's Habitat for Humanity who moved from the East Village in January. "It was the best move I ever made. Weekends are quiet but that's nice. The building has a sauna."

Built in the 1930s, the building also has concrete balconies built into its penthouses, a marble lobby, and gold gilded elevator doors. The modern update includes a four-lane bowling alley, an indoor half-court basketball hoop, and a lounge area nicer than any area club. Leather chairs, funky clocks, stainless steel lighting and a wood d?cor make the second-floor wireless lounge area a frequent amenity choice for residents.

There's a small supermarket and bank across the street from one of the building's two lobby entrances. Valet parking is also available for residents and guests. A media room has an X-Box and Playstation with a Nintendo Wii allegedly on the way.

"Our competition is Jersey City, Hoboken, Williamsburg, Long Island City and any other area trying to offer superior quality and more affordable rental units than Manhattan," says Stern. "In three days last week we had 11 sales. Eight of them came from people previously living in Manhattan."

Rentals in the $130 million project are being handled by The Marketing Directors, Inc. One-bedrooms rent for $1,695, two-bedrooms for $2,450. A similar apartment rents for $2,850 in Hoboken. Two penthouses with outdoor terraces with Prudential Center, Newark Airport and Manhattan skyline views are under renovation.

Last Friday, downtown Newark was beginning to bustle towards rush hour. Street corners and store fronts were crowded with people heading to public transportation for the ride home. A few families played on the grass in Military Park. The circular plaza of PSE&G's world headquarters saw one person enjoying the built-in modern waterfall.

"I saw an unbelievable transformation during the 14 months spent on the job," says William Gilbane III, Business Development Manager for the Gilbane Building Company, the construction company who built the Prudential Center Arena. "Newark grows more into a 24-hour thriving city each time a new development is announced and a new apartment is rented or sold."