New Jersey

The listing for the circa 1867 Thomas Watlington house in Ridgewood, New Jersey's Prospect Street Historic District calls it "unforgettable," and it's certainly not one you'd pass by without taking note. The six-bedroom Second Empire style home at 226 Prospect Street, on the market for $1.825 million, is filled with historic details. But the home's wide, gracious porches, grand port-cocheres, in-ground heated pool and 3-car garage make it especially well suited for enjoying everyday life.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

Newark mayor points to flaws in NYC program that pays homeless people to leave for cheaper cities

Photo via Wikimedia

February 7, 2019

Newark mayor points to flaws in NYC program that pays homeless people to leave for cheaper cities

In a statement this week, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka asked that New York City’s Special One-Time Assistance (SOTA) Program providing homeless shelter residents with free rent for a year if they are willing to leave NYC be re-evaluated due to "serious defects." A recent investigation by WNYC confirmed that some families ended up in "illegal and uninhabitable" apartments in Newark. As CBS New York reports, Baraka cited the fact that participants were coming to Newark under the program–which pays landlords a year's worth of rent upfront–and ending up in the aforementioned conditions, then being abandoned to become homeless again when the year was up.
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Pay tribute to your family’s heritage at Ellis Island’s American Immigrant Wall of Honor

Via Flickr

January 16, 2019

Pay tribute to your family’s heritage at Ellis Island’s American Immigrant Wall of Honor

There's a steel wall in the Hudson River that celebrates immigrants, the only place in the United States where heritage can be honored at a national monument. The American Immigrant Wall of Honor first opened on Ellis Island in 1990 to recognize the country's many immigrants and to raise money for the site's National Museum of Immigration and the Statue of Liberty. Currently, there are 770 panels engraved with the names of nearly 775,000 immigrants. But spots on the wall are filling up, as the New York Times reported on Wednesday. Just five panels remain empty, enough space for roughly 3,300 names.
No, not that wall

City Living

Statue of Liberty will stay open during government shutdown

Photo via NPS

December 24, 2018

Statue of Liberty will stay open during government shutdown

The third partial federal government shutdown of 2018 kicked off this weekend after Congress failed to pass an appropriations bill. As with the first two that occurred earlier this year, the government shutdown can affect New York City by temporarily closing its national parks and some of its federally-funded museums, leaving thousands of federal workers in the city without pay. But one major landmark will remain open throughout the duration of the shutdown. With help from the state, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island will stay open during the shutdown, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday.
More on the shutdown

Policy

Port Authority launches public poll to decide fate of awkward Holland Tunnel holiday decorations

Photo via Flickr cc

December 13, 2018

Port Authority launches public poll to decide fate of awkward Holland Tunnel holiday decorations

By Alexandra Alexa

Update 12/17/18: Following the public poll, the Port Authority says they will move the Christmas tree over the A and remove the wreath over the U in Tunnel. The Port Authority is asking commuters to weigh in on the great Holland Tunnel holiday decoration debacle that many are calling an "OCD nightmare." While the decorations have historically been placed to sit aligned symmetrically above the tunnel lanes, workers who were tasked with decking out the tolls created an eyesore by placing a triangular tree over the N in "Holland" and by putting a wreath over the U, turning the "Tunnel" into a "Tonnel." As the New York Post reported, Cory Windelspecht of Tribeca decided to start a Change.org petition to challenge the decor faux pas. “I look at it and it makes me itch. It gives me anxiety and anger," he fumed. "Why wouldn’t they just put [the tree] in front of the A?”
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Top 10 Rental Buildings in FiDi & This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): Renting Downtown: Top 10 Rental Buildings in Financial District + Battery Park City

December 8, 2018

Top 10 Rental Buildings in FiDi & This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Annie Doge

Renting Downtown: Top 10 Rental Buildings in Financial District + Battery Park City [LINK] Cobalt Lofts in Harrison Launches Luxury Rentals from $1,915/Month; 20 Minutes from NYC [LINK] Contemporary Rentals at Historic 71 Broadway: No-Fee Listings from $3,035/Month [LINK] Bed-Stuy Rentals Launch at 1247 Atlantic Avenue with 1 Month Free; Net Prices from $1,825/Month [LINK] […]

Real Estate Trends

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): Otto Greenpoint, Estuary, 181 Front Street, and Vernon Tower.

December 1, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Vernon Tower: Astoria waterfront rentals across from Socrates Sculpture Park from $2,300/month [LINK] Otto Greenpoint: Brooklyn rentals at 211 McGuinness Boulevard from $2,317/month [LINK] 181 Front Street: New rentals in DUMBO offer 1 month free on 13-month lease [LINK] Estuary Weehawken: Luxury waterfront rentals with skyline views from $2,363/month [LINK] 111 Murray Street: Michael Cohen’s […]

Real Estate Trends

5 of the best suburbs outside of New York City

Photo of Beacon, NY via Wikimedia Commons

November 26, 2018

5 of the best suburbs outside of New York City

By Cait Etherington

There was a time when New Yorkers, even those with the means to live in some of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods, willingly packed up their homes and fled to the suburbs. While it may be difficult to imagine now, at different points in history, moving to the suburbs has been considered desirable and even a sign of one’s upward mobility. After all, why cram into a walkup with your family of six when you could spread out in a rambling suburban bungalow with a two-car garage? Today, many aging members of Gen-X and their younger millennial counterparts—who often came of age in the suburbs—are stubbornly toughing it out in the small urban apartments for the entire life cycle, but this doesn’t mean that the suburbs don’t have a lot to offer.
READ MORE

Real Estate Trends

November 26, 2018

300-year-old New Jersey home that once hosted George Washington asks $795K

This circa 1731 home located 10 minutes from downtown Princeton, New Jersey, in Rocky Hill's Historic District, was once a 100-acre working farm. JerseyDigs tells us the home, known as the Murphy Voorhees House in honor of its previous owner, Abraham O. Voorhees, is recognized as a local and national treasure. The property’s biggest claim to fame, however, is that it hosted George Washington in 1783 while he waited to hear news about the Treaty of Paris. In addition to having a place in history, the four-bedroom home has received a thorough renovation with an eye to both restoration and modernization.
Tour the home and grounds

Rental Offers: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): The Max, Quinn, and 2222 Jackson Avenue

November 10, 2018

Rental Offers: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Annie Doge

Images (L to R): The Max, Quinn, and 2222 Jackson Avenue Hello Albemarle in Flatbush: Loft-inspired rentals with direct elevator access from $2,475/month [LINK] 2222 Jackson Avenue in LIC: Stylish rentals with balconies from $2,262/month [LINK] Quinn at Paulus Hook in Jersey City: Grand layouts and big city views from $2,750/month [LINK] The Max at […]

Real Estate Trends

November 6, 2018

New performing arts center announced for $400M Jersey City university project

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop just announced the newest phase of development on New Jersey City University's University Place project, Jersey Digs reports. The University and Strategic Development Group will break ground in early 2019 on University PAC, a state-of-the-art performing arts complex. University PAC, a 500-seat theater, and the Center for Music, Dance and Theater, a cutting-edge academic complex for the performing arts will serve as the centerpiece of University Place, serving both the university and the larger community.
Find out more

New Developments

Images (L to R): Summit, House No. 94, EVGB and 7W21

November 3, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Annie Doge

Images (L to R): Summit, House No. 94, EVGB and 7W21 Williamsburg’s, ‘House No. 94’ is 75% Leased and Renting with 1 Month Free [link] Live at The Mill in Ridgewood, New Rental Homes with Amenities from $1,895/Month [link] Summit at 222 E. 44th Street Launches Leasing: Striking 43-Story Tower with Luxury Rentals in Midtown […]

Real Estate Trends

October 24, 2018

For less than $600K, you can own this Gilded Age NJ mansion with NYC skyline views

Here in NYC, if you want skyline views, you're going to have to cough up some serious dough. But just 45 minutes away, in South Orange, New Jersey, you can get that, plus an entire historic mansion sitting on more than two acres, for less than $600,000 (h/t CIRCA). That is if the bidding doesn't get too out of control. This 11,000-square-foot Georgian-style home is headed to auction on November 18th and the minimum bid is set at $575,000. The winner will be living in Gilded Age glamour, as the 1924 home retains five ornate fireplaces, coffered ceilings, marble Corinthian columns, and an entire ballroom.
See inside

October 8, 2018

Asbury Ocean Club wants to bring Manhattan luxury to the Jersey Shore

In just 70 minutes, you can drive from Manhattan to Asbury Park, New Jersey, and escape to one of the state's most up-and-coming areas (think Williamsburg meets Bruce Springsteen-land meets Venice Beach). And if you want to do this pretty regularly, the town's mega-developer, iStar, thinks it has found the perfect balance of urban luxury and beachfront living at their new condo/hotel the Asbury Ocean Club. Ranging from $900,000 one-bedrooms to two $6 million penthouses, the pricing is certainly more NYC, but on a recent visit, it was clear that the artsy vibe, live music scene, and booming foodie culture is uniquely Jersey Shore.
Learn all about this new development

Images (L to R): 525W52, Forty Gold, Riverbank and 505W37

October 6, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): 525W52, Forty Gold, Riverbank and 505W37 525 West 52nd Street Offers Leases with 3 Months Free; New Affordable Housing Lotto Launches [READ MORE] Downtown Two-Bedroom Rentals at Forty Gold Listed with 2 Months Free on 20-Month Lease [READ MORE] Special Offers at Midtown West’s Riverbank: Rentals from $3,860/Month + New Amenities […]

Real Estate Trends

Images (L to R): Hunters Landing, 33 Bond Street, One Sixty Madison and RiverHouse11

September 29, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): Hunters Landing, 33 Bond Street, One Sixty Madison and RiverHouse11 Long Island City’s Hunters Landing Launches Leasing: No Fee Rentals from $2,211/Month [READ MORE] Newly Launched 33 Bond Street in Downtown Brooklyn Offers Rentals with Up to 2 Months Free [READ MORE] NoMad’s One Sixty Madison Offering One Month Free on […]

Real Estate Trends

NYC chefs bring giant food hall to Eero Saarinen’s Bell Labs building in suburban NJ

Photo: Lapeg Photo

September 26, 2018

NYC chefs bring giant food hall to Eero Saarinen’s Bell Labs building in suburban NJ

Symbolic of the future-happy post-war era, Bell Labs, the research and development center for telecom giant AT&T, was one of Finnish architect and industrial designer Eero Saarinen’s architectural masterpieces, though his iconic TWA Flight Center may be better known. The two-million-square-foot modernist cube, built in 1962–the architect passed away in 1961 before it was completed—made a statement in the quiet suburban scenery. Within, scientists made famous discoveries and won Nobel Prizes. As the centuries changed, 2007 saw the end of era when Bell Labs shuttered. After American ambitions shifted from science to snacking, a seasoned culinary squad was tapped by RBC Hospitality Group, Eater reports, to bring the winning formula of sushi, pizza, sandwiches, pastries and grain bowls to the historic building in the 'burbs.
So, what's on the menu?

Images (L to R): 325 Lafayette Avenue, Alvista Towers, 88 Leonard Street and 180 Riverside Boulevard

September 22, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): 325 Lafayette Avenue, Alvista Towers, 88 Leonard Street and 180 Riverside Boulevard Newly Built 325 Lafayette Avenue in Clinton Hill Offers 2 Months Free: Net Effective Prices from $2,375/Month [link] Live at Alvista Towers from $1,729/Month; Get 1 Month Free on Leases Signed by Nov. 1st [link] Tribeca Rental Specials at […]

Real Estate Trends

NJ Transit offers discounted fares as it cancels some service to and from Penn Station

Via Wikimedia

September 20, 2018

NJ Transit offers discounted fares as it cancels some service to and from Penn Station

New Jersey Transit announced Thursday it will offer discount fares for three months as it reduces train service to and from New York Penn Station. In addition to its already diminished service, the agency plans to cancel 18 daily trains on five lines and suspend all train service on a short rail segment in Princeton. There will also be no weekend service on the Gladstone Branch of the Morris & Essex line. All fares will be cut by 10 percent from November through January, Bloomberg reported.
Get the details

Transit

Newark complex designed as Amazon HQ2 bid would include the city’s tallest towers

HQ2 concept rendering by Heller Manus Architects via Jersey Digs

September 4, 2018

Newark complex designed as Amazon HQ2 bid would include the city’s tallest towers

Since the announcement that Amazon would be choosing the city that would host its second headquarters by the end of the year, competition between contenders has been heating up. 6sqft reported last month that Newark, still in the running along with Los Angeles, Denver, Miami, New York, Boston, three sections of the Washington, D.C., region and Toronto, approved a shiny new incentive in the form of ordinances offering nearly $1 billion in payroll tax exemptions to companies that create at least 30,000 jobs and invest $3 billion in the city over 20 years. Now, Jersey Digs reports that a group consisting of local residents and a California-based architecture firm have come up with a snazzy proposal for Amazon's HQ2 that includes a location and designs for a futuristic complex that would include Newark's tallest towers.
Find out more

Uncategorized

Images (L to R): Atelier Apartments, The Drake, 223 Fourth Avenue and 125 Borinquen Place

September 1, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): Atelier Apartments, The Drake, 223 Fourth Avenue and 125 Borinquen Place Live at Atelier Apartments in Williamsburg: No Fee Rentals from $2,485/Month with $1,000 Deposits [link] Leasing Launches at No. 223; Park Slope’s Newest Rentals Start at $2,521/Month [link] Live in Rego Park at The Drake’s Spacious No Fee Renovated Rentals […]

Real Estate Trends

Lottery launches for affordable apartments in Jersey City, from $1,014/month

Rendering via Genesis Companies

August 23, 2018

Lottery launches for affordable apartments in Jersey City, from $1,014/month

Providing Jersey City residents some rental relief as the market continues to grow, a new housing building opened this week and launched a lottery for 100 percent affordable units. Located at 455 Ocean Avenue in the Greensville section of Jersey City, the five-story building includes 64 apartments, with five of the units set aside for homeless veterans and seven reserved for those earning at or below 30 percent of the area median income. Dubbed the Dr. Lena Frances Edwards Apartments, the rental's remaining units reserved for those earning 60 percent of the AMI ($66,500/year for a family of four) include $1,014/month one-bedrooms, $1,217/month two-bedrooms and $1,407/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

August 23, 2018

See the 800-foot indoor ski slope, water park, and observation wheel coming to North Jersey

Earlier this week, we got a sneak peek at the massive food hall coming to the American Dream mega-mall next to Met Life Stadium. The $3 billion, 4.5 million-square-foot shopping mall, which has been 16 years in the making, will also boast the largest indoor ski slope in the western hemisphere, an NHL-sized ice rink, a 4-D movie theater, a LEGOLAND, an eight-acre Nickelodeon water park and theme park, and an Observation Wheel with 26 climate-controlled gondolas overlooking the NYC skyline from a height "nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty." And we've now got a first look at what these other over-the-top amusements will look like.
All the details and renderings

New Developments

Huge American Dream mall near MetLife stadium will put NYC’s food halls to shame

Rendering via Vice/Munchies

August 20, 2018

Huge American Dream mall near MetLife stadium will put NYC’s food halls to shame

Is NYC's biggest food hall coming to New Jersey?! According to Eater, that may be the case. They report that the long-stalled (16 years, to be exact) American Dream mall planned for the site next to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford will have 50 grab-and-go options, 20 full-service restaurants, a Vice-branded food hall, and the world's first Kosher food hall. This is in addition to the $3 billion, 4.5 million-square-foot shopping mall's insane amenities like the largest indoor ski slope in the western hemisphere, an NHL-sized ice rink, a 4-D movie theater, a LEGOLAND, and an eight-acre Nickelodeon water park and theme park.
All the details this way

Food & Dining

Developer’s pitch would turn Liberty State Park into a Formula One racetrack

Image courtesy of Shinya Suzuki via Flickr.

August 16, 2018

Developer’s pitch would turn Liberty State Park into a Formula One racetrack

Five million people a year visit New Jersey's 1,212 acre Liberty State Park on the west shore of New York Harbor for views of Lady Liberty and the the New York City skyline and a visit to its historic rail terminal. But even as the public land is enjoyed by the public for which it is set aside, private interests see the taxpayer-owned waterfront parkland as a jackpot waiting to happen in the form of luxury resort concepts like a golf course and, the most recent pitch, a Formula One racetrack with a 100,000-seat grandstand and fields for international cricket matches, Bloomberg reports. Though they would be on mostly private land, the developer wants 20 acres of the park in order to offer rich revelers its breathtaking views in return for cleaning up 200 contaminated, fenced-off park acres.
Find out more

Policy

Newark woos Amazon by adding $1B in tax breaks to HQ2 pitch

Image: Axel Drainville via Flickr.

August 9, 2018

Newark woos Amazon by adding $1B in tax breaks to HQ2 pitch