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Old 02-18-2011, 12:50 PM
 
Location: Weehawken, NJ
2,179 posts, read 6,697,717 times
Reputation: 1167

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Quote:
Originally Posted by MelissaHoneyBee View Post
And all these haters are people that simply could never afford to live there anyway.
That's rich.

You buy a place there and you have a sunk cost on your hands.

It's not hating, it's called being aware that this is da hood with no chance of turning around for many, many years.
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Old 02-18-2011, 12:53 PM
 
1,262 posts, read 1,293,262 times
Reputation: 2179
Default Define "strange"

Quote:
Originally Posted by mond View Post
we were there recently, and the hallways smelled strange --- one apt had a lingering smell of medicine --- i guess that stuff is very hard to get out of the walls???
The Beacon has a diverse population from Korea, Japan, West Africa, India, Pakistan, Ireland, England, Estonia, and France, just to name a few. With all that ethnic cooking going on, I'm sure the hallways will, on ocassion, smell "different" to someone who never eats ethinic food, or who has no friends that don't look like them.

If there was a medicine smell in a specific apartment it was related to the last tenant or owner of that apartment. None of the walls in any of the renovated buildings are original except for the marble walls on the first floor hallways and the walnut walls in the poker room and the library. Everthing else was completely gutted right down to the slab and outer walls.

Anyone who thinks they know the Beacon Complex because they were at the former hospital on the site at sometime in their lives is mistaken. You would not recognize the place in any way once you went inside the buildings.
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Old 03-31-2011, 10:14 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,674 times
Reputation: 10
ill never forget working at the beacon when i was a young teenager. i used to work with my dad over summers. we did the Temporary lighting for the construction. at the time the elevator shaft was open. The wire and plumbing was gotten from the building by homeless people i guess. The walls were falling apart. it was just awfull. the pool was the worse. i have to check it out some day
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Old 05-17-2011, 05:28 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,585 times
Reputation: 10
so i spent the past hour or so reading the replies and while I don't agree with all the reasons, I do agree wholeheartedly that Beacon is in a bad neighborhood and a bad investment, unless you plan on keeping your apartment for the next 30 years, and that's still hopeful... here are some of the reasons:

1. It will take a lot and a long term to turn the area around.

2. Even if Journal Square turns around, Beacon will NOT be next in line. There are buildings going up right by the parking lot of Journal Square and there's where people will go first. Then there's St.Johns, albeit older condos. Lets not forget Canco Lofts, also in a not so great area of Jersey City.

3. Its too far from the PATH. I'm not one who likes a long or complicated commute so the idea of waiting for a shuttle to take me to the PATH is too much, esp. after a long stressful day. But thats a personal opinion. Others aren't so bothered by it.

4. I was looking at condos in Journal Sq. cuz agents kept buzzing that its an investment gold mine, etc. A more detailed researched (I can't remember where I read it) but the summary of it is that Journal Sq. was supposed be the next great hub back in the days.. but it never happened and now it is what it is.
I was still interested in looking in that area until my new agent told me for what I want, I should look into downtown Jersey City. The upfront cost is a bit more but in the long run, when comparing taxes and maintenance fees and resell value, I don't save much.

5. They keep comparing the time it took to change downtown jersey city as reference to how Journal Sq. will change. NOT TRUE. Downtown was mostly empty
lands and lots. Journal Sq. will require a lot more work.

6. And the most important reasons: PRICE and LOCATION, which is probably why prices have drastically gone down. Its almost a chicken/egg scenario…is it because its in a crappy location that people don't want to shell out the $$ or is it because its so expensive that ppl want a better neighborhood? $1K for maintenance!?!? Absurd!

As for safety, and I really really hate to bring race/gender into this but I guess I have to.. posters who say its a great and safe.. what do you guys look like!? muscle builders!?!? I'm an Asian female and when I used to live in Journal Sq, I get scared walking from the PATH station to my apartment and my apartment was on Sips & Summit, so literally right across the street from the station. I can not tell you how many times I was followed, asked for $$ that I had to duck into the deli, where sometimes the deli worker will offer to walk me home. Well that was before the city past the new law that businesses must close by 11pm so if I'm in NYC, I make sure to get home before 11, instead of around 11:30. And if thats the "safe" area of Journal Sq. I can't imagine how it is by the Beacon.

I ended up buying at Gulls Cove. The finishes are nice, amenities are ok, obviously not as amazing as Beacon but my HOA fee is much lower. More importantly, I don't look over my shoulders every 30 seconds when I walk home at night or during the summer. In 5 yrs when I sell, I'll have more luck getting buyers than those who bought at Beacon. What's the point of buying a nice apartment if you can't enjoy its surroundings and neighborhood?

Last edited by iheartjc; 05-17-2011 at 05:38 PM..
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Old 05-17-2011, 09:44 PM
 
Location: Jungle City aka Jersey City
303 posts, read 749,717 times
Reputation: 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by iheartjc View Post
so i spent the past hour or so reading the replies and while I don't agree with all the reasons, I do agree wholeheartedly that Beacon is in a bad neighborhood and a bad investment, unless you plan on keeping your apartment for the next 30 years, and that's still hopeful... here are some of the reasons:

1. It will take a lot and a long term to turn the area around.

2. Even if Journal Square turns around, Beacon will NOT be next in line. There are buildings going up right by the parking lot of Journal Square and there's where people will go first. Then there's St.Johns, albeit older condos. Lets not forget Canco Lofts, also in a not so great area of Jersey City.

3. Its too far from the PATH. I'm not one who likes a long or complicated commute so the idea of waiting for a shuttle to take me to the PATH is too much, esp. after a long stressful day. But thats a personal opinion. Others aren't so bothered by it.

4. I was looking at condos in Journal Sq. cuz agents kept buzzing that its an investment gold mine, etc. A more detailed researched (I can't remember where I read it) but the summary of it is that Journal Sq. was supposed be the next great hub back in the days.. but it never happened and now it is what it is.
I was still interested in looking in that area until my new agent told me for what I want, I should look into downtown Jersey City. The upfront cost is a bit more but in the long run, when comparing taxes and maintenance fees and resell value, I don't save much.

5. They keep comparing the time it took to change downtown jersey city as reference to how Journal Sq. will change. NOT TRUE. Downtown was mostly empty
lands and lots. Journal Sq. will require a lot more work.

6. And the most important reasons: PRICE and LOCATION, which is probably why prices have drastically gone down. Its almost a chicken/egg scenario…is it because its in a crappy location that people don't want to shell out the $$ or is it because its so expensive that ppl want a better neighborhood? $1K for maintenance!?!? Absurd!

As for safety, and I really really hate to bring race/gender into this but I guess I have to.. posters who say its a great and safe.. what do you guys look like!? muscle builders!?!? I'm an Asian female and when I used to live in Journal Sq, I get scared walking from the PATH station to my apartment and my apartment was on Sips & Summit, so literally right across the street from the station. I can not tell you how many times I was followed, asked for $$ that I had to duck into the deli, where sometimes the deli worker will offer to walk me home. Well that was before the city past the new law that businesses must close by 11pm so if I'm in NYC, I make sure to get home before 11, instead of around 11:30. And if thats the "safe" area of Journal Sq. I can't imagine how it is by the Beacon.

I ended up buying at Gulls Cove. The finishes are nice, amenities are ok, obviously not as amazing as Beacon but my HOA fee is much lower. More importantly, I don't look over my shoulders every 30 seconds when I walk home at night or during the summer. In 5 yrs when I sell, I'll have more luck getting buyers than those who bought at Beacon. What's the point of buying a nice apartment if you can't enjoy its surroundings and neighborhood?

True that it doesn't seem smart to move into an area that isn't fixed up yet, but i would hope they do. If nobody decides to move in a "bad" area then obviously it would never be fixed. St. Peters already has plans to build an arena or center right in the area of the Beacon. Plus Montgomery projects are already slated to be demolished to low-mid density buildings (though i disagree with having them low-density, should just be high rises).

Though not everyone would agree by buying there, if they got the money go ahead. It won't happen over time but it will happen. Downtown is an example not in term of how fast it changed but how crime went down,

If you hadn't already known, downtown was a high crime area. I know because i use to have to head downtown to my parents job as a kid in the 90s. Crime was everywhere, and bums and crack heads were around like it was nothing, we even had our car stolen in the span of an hour. But because more people moved into downtown crime overtime dropped, and now downtown is the safest part of JC. It didn't happen over night but it did happen, it took years but now look at downtown. I don't think size or how heavily occupied the area is has anything to do with it.

I hate to bring up ny, but look at ny. ny was a ridiculously high crime but was able to change because more and more people decided to more there. After that the city started to change and has become what it is now. I've been inside the Beacon and it sure is a beautiful and great building but the only reason i wouldn't mover there is because it was an old hospital. Imagine walking outside your door and seeing the little girl from the Omen down the hallway
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Old 05-18-2011, 09:47 AM
 
Location: Ridgewood NJ
592 posts, read 2,182,153 times
Reputation: 316
It's all about the money, the ONLY reason downtown thrived and became a success was because wall street moved their entire back/middle office to downtown jc from nyc after 9/11 almost over night. With that influx came the middle class residents/office workers, then shops, and new highrise condos, which attracted more people etc..got the snowball rolling. Look in the past pre 2001, port liberte, clarmont cove etc..all tried to gentrify the area on their own and failed miserably. Having a few developer come in and try to build a bunch luxury highrise in the ghettos will not work, you need the fundamental driver to be in place - the reason that forces the first wave of people to the area.

In beacon's case, the only positive is the proximity to downtown jc. It really depends on your situation and the price, in some cases that alone is enough - basically you zap in and out in your car or the shuttle bus. Just like if you lived in port liberte, society hills etc.. It's a different lifestyle. For the folks who are used to taking a stroll after dinner, or walk around the neighborhood, it's definitely not the right fit.
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Old 05-18-2011, 09:54 AM
 
Location: Ridgewood NJ
592 posts, read 2,182,153 times
Reputation: 316
Quote:
Originally Posted by JC1990 View Post
the only reason i wouldn't mover there is because it was an old hospital. Imagine walking outside your door and seeing the little girl from the Omen down the hallway
lol many condos are from old hospitals and factories, it's just this is the most famous hospital so more people are aware. I personally rather be in a hospital converted condo than one converted from a factory (which are all over the place), who knows what kind of chemicals and toxic crap are there behind the shiny coat of paint or under your floor, and most of those substances have a very long shelf life. For example that pencile factory that was converted to condo, you must be batsht crazy to move in there.

If i have to pick, I choose omen girl over chemical poisoning.
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Old 05-18-2011, 10:56 AM
 
Location: Jungle City aka Jersey City
303 posts, read 749,717 times
Reputation: 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by gagaliya View Post
lol many condos are from old hospitals and factories, it's just this is the most famous hospital so more people are aware. I personally rather be in a hospital converted condo than one converted from a factory (which are all over the place), who knows what kind of chemicals and toxic crap are there behind the shiny coat of paint or under your floor, and most of those substances have a very long shelf life. For example that pencile factory that was converted to condo, you must be batsht crazy to move in there.

If i have to pick, I choose omen girl over chemical poisoning.

picking omen girl??? sounds like you know how to party
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Old 02-07-2014, 06:48 PM
 
5 posts, read 9,646 times
Reputation: 10
Having lived many years in JC, as well as other cities and now in a Houston suburb - well, everyplace is dirty. Houston is drowning in homeless folks and tears down its historic buildings to replace them with new crappy structures that will not last more than 20 years. Mold a worry? Live in an old building where the wet plaster walls have not been replaced with sheetrock. People with money who restore New Orleans homes hire craftsmen to do wet plaster walls since sheetrock is totally mold-prone, but used because it is cheap. All of you who post wanting to live in something new are what is wrong with this world. The Beacon sounds wonderful. As far as disease left from decades ago, you better avoid new hospitals where unskilled laborers, hired by contractors whose goal is to build cheaply and fast, defecate and urinate in corners, then put up sheet rock to cover their crapping.
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