New Brunswick rental construction boom

[Jonny S]

A very good thing, especially since NB doesn't have factories to convert for the most part like Hudson County and NYC do. This needs to accelerate significantly. Then you have a viable base for a grocery store, and all sorts of interesting commercial businesses will spring up to handle all that additional capital walking around. Then you can seriously talk about interesting retail, a bookstore, a movie theater, etc... If this was a few years ago I may not have moved to another one of the cities mentioned in the article.

One point mentioned is that Matrix is apparently working on a luxury rental, as opposed to office space. Or are those separate projects? Very curious to see what the rent is in in the new Aspire building too, and what's that mysterious New Street project? The Continental, which I thought was deader than dead? Oh, it's this apparently.
This post was edited on 1/28 10:20 PM by Jonny S

http://newbrunswicktoday.com/article/new-brunswick-ranks-third-nj-new-housing-units-permitted

 

[Jonny S]

Hmmm... I was looking up The Aspire, and I found this interview which says Albany Plaza is expanding with a third tower. Is that the Ferren site?

http://www.njbiz.com/article/20141230/NJBIZ01/141239989/The-Visionary:-Omar-Boraie-has-seen-the-potential-of-New-Brunswick-for-four-decades

 

[Jonny S]

Answering my question. Apparently Aspire is going to be REALLY expensive. I defended giving them Sandy funds, because it does make a lot more sense to build in New Brunswick than Sayreville for instance, but not for an ultra luxury building. Good piece otherwise. The end implies that Albany Tower Three is different than the Ferren project.

This post was edited on 1/28 10:15 PM by Jonny S

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/15/01/13/explainer-how-downtown-new-brunswick-is-emerging-from-its-decades-long-doldrums/

 

[RUSK97]

Glad to see all this, but with the Aspire, I feel as though it's putting the carriage in front of the horse. NB is still a town where you take three steps forward and two steps back. Loss of the Fresh Grocer and key restaurants are major setbacks. Yes, there are a dozen-and-a-half burger joints that have popped up to replace the dozen-and-a-half frozen yogurt places that mushroomed and have since impersonated the dodo; but they don't bring the cultural value that a place like Makeda's brought. Living in an urban core has its disadvantages too. If you don't offer much more than what you can get in the burbs, it's not a draw. For me, the current big draws are: proximity to mass transit if you work in NYC or northeast. Proximity to the theaters. Proximity to Rutgers sporting and cultural events. Proximity to a great comedy club. Proximity to some key high-end restaurants. Proximity to J&J HQ and two hospitals if you work there. These are all great, but there needs to be more...

 

[lawmatt78]

Originally posted by RUSK97:

Glad to see all this, but with the Aspire, I feel as though it's putting the carriage in front of the horse. NB is still a town where you take three steps forward and two steps back. Loss of the Fresh Grocer and key restaurants are major setbacks. Yes, there are a dozen-and-a-half burger joints that have popped up to replace the dozen-and-a-half frozen yogurt places that mushroomed and have since impersonated the dodo; but they don't bring the cultural value that a place like Makeda's brought. Living in an urban core has its disadvantages too. If you don't offer much more than what you can get in the burbs, it's not a draw. For me, the current big draws are: proximity to mass transit if you work in NYC or northeast. Proximity to the theaters. Proximity to Rutgers sporting and cultural events. Proximity to a great comedy club. Proximity to some key high-end restaurants. Proximity to J&J HQ and two hospitals if you work there. These are all great, but there needs to be more...

I agree with this. I used to live in NB, and I had pretty much the same view.

Luxury apartments are great if they are a successful means to an end: a more interesting city due to more density and options for dining, entertainment, etc.

At street level, things could definitely be more compelling.

When I lived in NB, I felt a bit like I lived in what was primarily a business district that also catered to students. It didn't feel "neighborhoody" enough, for lack of a better word. Maybe that changes as more people continue to move in; I don't know.

 

[NotInRHouse]

Neighborhood comes second. Look at Newport in JC...then the area west of that went from ghetto to hip in a matter of years. Brooklyn Heights spawned the same thing. People always say how sterile Newport is, and most of those people live in places like Van Vorst that 15-20 years ago were overrun with gangs and still would be if Newport didn't show people Jersey City could be a destination.

The thing is that NB isn't in demand enough yet where people are pushing into older housing stock and willing to live outside the big complexes yet.

 

[ruhudsonfan]

Van Vorst was "overrun with gangs" 15 years ago?

 

[NotInRHouse]

Closer to 20. When I moved here, I was told that night at HP and Van Vorst was basically a drug exchange. Obviously not that way anymore. There are still some blocks down there that have a reputation, especially closer to school and Pathmark. How that Pathmark has not been demolished, I don't know.

 

[bob-loblaw]

Desirable housing stock doesn't exist in NB. There's very few desirable homes in NB. and the bulk of them are far down Livingston, negating urban walk ability.

 

[RUSK97]

Originally posted by bob-loblaw:
Desirable housing stock doesn't exist in NB. There's very few desirable homes in NB. and the bulk of them are far down Livingston, negating urban walk ability.

Bob-loblaw - what about the 6th ward (I think) adjacent to St. Peter's and across from Buccleuch? I've always thought that to be a pretty nice housing area with well-kept, if compact homes from the 1950s.

 

[bob-loblaw]

Beautiful. We looked at a home there. Unfort., you're too far out , and you negate the walk ability desire to live in NB

 

[Jonny S]

This is why DEVCO wants to get students out of the Easton corridor, if there's anywhere you can put families in theory it'd be there.

 

[RUSK97]

Originally posted by bob-loblaw:
Beautiful. We looked at a home there. Unfort., you're too far out , and you negate the walk ability desire to live in NB

Well...yeah, I guess I can't argue with you there. It's not too far to walk, but just not quite close enough.

 

[NotInRHouse]

Originally posted by Jonny S:
This is why DEVCO wants to get students out of the Easton corridor, if there's anywhere you can put families in theory it'd be there.

Is this speculation? Where would students go? In my mind, the area south and west of the station is more walkable, without a giant hill, and a student population that would be difficult to move from places like University Center or frat row a block off.

 

[derleider]

Originally posted by NotInRHouse:

Originally posted by Jonny S:
This is why DEVCO wants to get students out of the Easton corridor, if there's anywhere you can put families in theory it'd be there.

Is this speculation? Where would students go? In my mind, the area south and west of the station is more walkable, without a giant hill, and a student population that would be difficult to move from places like University Center or frat row a block off.

One place would be the new apartments and dorms they are building.

 

[NotInRHouse]

Inevitably, people will still want the freedom of being off campus. And I'm not sure how many students those will hold.

 

[derleider]

Originally posted by NotInRHouse:
Inevitably, people will still want the freedom of being off campus. And I'm not sure how many students those will hold.

Obviously. Presumably if there is a Devco plan to clear the Easton corridor of students then having more kids on campus is part of it.

 

[Jonny S]

I think it's been mentioned here.