hill valley circa 1955?

No, not exactly. But Marty McFly would definitely have something to be excited about. You are not looking at fresh farmland being turned over for next season's croppage. What you are actually looking at, is quite possibly the beginning of Mr. Hoda's long delayed / future parking garage / condo / retail / current eye sore in all its newly flattened glory. Join me as we take a step back, as we stumble past Dirty Danny Earth Mover. Looks like he's had a busy day:


Gone are the canisters, barrels, miscellaneous galvanized cages, soda cans, hub caps, 5 foot weeds and wild trees that have stagnated on this property for the last few years. Could we be witness to the rebirth of 800 Monroe? A little late in the game but definitely worth the wait?


FYI - the deal the developer has with the city, as part of the Monroe Center of the Arts redevelopment plan that was passed deems this plot of land to be built out first, before any other condo buildings can go up on plots to the south and behind the arts center. Future development calls for hundreds of condos and additional retail where the parking lot currently is. But enough about that. For right now, let's focus on the 800 Monroe block four story garage (which butts up against Fields Crossing) and the attached mixed use residential tower (along the south end of the parcel facing 8th Street). The top of the garage will be 'green space'. Open to the public 'green space'? Who knows.

Could this really be the start of something?

It is also worth noting that the burned out old Bronco is gone as well. While the auto sculpture garden was an interesting idea, something tells me a beat up Chevy with the windows blown out was most certainly frowned upon by the neighbors.


Time to rejoice? Hope so! Pretty soon our little bedroom community is going to wake the hell up and smell the coffee. Starbucks can't be that far behind (wink, nudge) !


Also I'd like to give a shout out to the flux capacitor. Happy Friday everyone!

northwest hoboken redevelopment all but ignored by our local media

Our most recent local paper has just debuted their 2007 year in review, out today, and has a section devoted to the continued redevelopment of our famous gold coast. The story, written by Michael D. Mullins, quickly points out that major projects continue to move ahead in our area despite the national real estate downturn. This is because of our proximity to Manhattan, which insulates us to a very large degree from the larger ups and downs of the market.

HH is very disappointed, however, with Mr. Mullins' coverage of the 'action' in Hoboken. Most of his story centers around Toll Brother's waterfront projects and the new W Hotel that is being built. While those are obviously important projects in our square mile, he only mentions two very small projects in the northwest area of Hoboken: the Emsee, which he unfortunately misspells and Ariel Square, both of which are very small scale developments when compared to other projects in our area. He also writes about Velocity, and how it has gone rental after failing to sell out after a disastrous 2 year construction delay which crippled the original projects momentum. I ask Mr. Mullins - these are the highlights you choose to mention?!

For some odd reason he completely ignores such major projects as Metrostop (the first ever 10 story luxury residential building in our neighborhood) and the most recent Upper Grand buildings (1000 Jefferson and 800 Madison) both of which will have added more than 400 rental units to our burgeoning neighborhood. Not to mention the Monroe Center and their plans for 5 new mixed use buildings, including a parking garage and spaces for 30 retail locations, and a 13 story mixed use building that is about to break ground at 900 Monroe. Why would he choose to ignore such major residential progress in a former industrial area that is arguably the largest residential evolution Hoboken has ever gone through, behind the waterfront transformation? We are completely shocked by his lack of coverage of our neighborhood.

There are not many opportunities to get noticed in the world of real estate, and we all know that media exposure is a crucial stepping stone in the sometimes difficult launch and slow pace of redevelopment. It's a shame we do not receive the exposure we deserve. There are many many people putting lots of time, effort, and money into making our neighborhood a viable place to live. It's a shame that a real estate reporter like Mr. Mullins, who enjoys a very large readership and who is very influential, failed to accurately report the progress of our great neighborhood.

HH can only hope that he his saving his secrets for a much larger story devoted solely to northwest Hoboken, come spring time. Here's to hopin':

Below is the excerpt on Hoboken. To read the entire piece, please click here.


**************************************

Redevelopment was the word in '07
By Michael D. Mullins

Along Hoboken's northern waterfront, Toll Brothers continues to dominate the area near the city's border with Weehawken.

At the town's formerly industrial northern end, a slew of large, boxy factories are slowly being converted to condominiums. They will soon join the already converted 525-unit "Tea Building" at 1500 Washington St., a former Lipton Tea factory. That waterfront property was converted approximately five years ago, and now is home to notables including Gov. Jon Corzine and Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Just west of the "Tea Building," the neighboring buildings are still being developed. Toll Brothers completed the first phase of its 10-story Harborside Lofts building at 1500 Garden St. this past November, with move-ins beginning this month. Of the 116 units completed to date, over 80 percent are already sold, according to Axiom Communications representative Jillian Marano.

Once complete, the condo complex will consist of 748 residential units as well as a 1,250-car garage.

Further down the waterfront, Toll Brothers' third major development is an upscale complex in place of the sprawling former Maxwell House coffee factory. Located in the area of 11th and Sinatra Drive, the first of "Maxwell Place's" four separate buildings was completed this past September, yielding 169 condos of which 97 percent are sold.

By 2010, all four Maxwell Place buildings are expected to be completed, adding a total of 832 units to Hoboken waterfront.

On the southern waterfront, the city's three-block South Waterfront Project has already replaced a former port area. The two piers are being used for park space, and the Applied Development Company is continuing construction on the much-anticipated W Hotel, to add to their already built condo complex and office building nearby.

The 25-story W Hotel will contain 225 rooms once complete, as well as an 11,000-square-foot ballroom. The hotel is expected to open in late 2008 and will be operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

There are also many developments inland and far west, even near the public housing projects.

A four-story, 21-unit condominium known as Ariel Square was completed this month at the corner of Fifth and Jackson streets. Only a few hundred feet away is a four and five story condominium known as the Emcee, which consists of 12 units and will be completed in March of 2008.

Both buildings were constructed by the New York City-based TreeTop Development. Adam Mermelstein, a principal of TreeTop, said in a press release that nearly 50 percent of the combined 33 units between both residencies had been sold as of this past week.

One block away on a much larger scale, locally-based Remi Companies has transformed what once was the city's towing yard into a 128-unit condominium called the Velocity. Located at Sixth and Jackson, the four-story residential complex was completed last June.

Remi CEO Eric A. Kaiser said the development initially began as condominiums, but since August of this year, it changed into a rental facility after observing that "sales were sliding." Most of the units rent for between $2,800 and $3,100.

The city also saw residents and politicians arguing over proposed parameters for several redevelopment zones in formerly industrial areas. After months of debating plans for the city's southernmost border, the City Council asked the Planning Board to incorporate new features of a revised "Southwest Redevelopment Plan." The City Council has not formerly adopted the new plan. After it does, the next step is to seek out developers who will conform to the guidelines.

The city also has other redevelopment regions in the works.

With development occurring in every corner, park activists made sure that the remaining undeveloped land should stay that way.

The Maxwell Place Waterfront Park, a 5-acre community amenity from Toll Brothers, opened this past November.

The city expects two other parks to be completed by the late spring of 2008, which are 1600 Park and 1500 Park, located near the Hoboken-Weehawken border and totaling an additional 4 acres of space.

800 monroe is blazin'

Drum roll please everyone.............800 Monroe, NW Hoboken's most fabulous plot of despair, is seeing some major activity this week! In addition to the freshly printed signs taped to the chain link fence with painter's tape (see pic above), there's been a crazy amount of bulldozing and moving of land. You can see all the carnage here:


What? You don't see what I'm talking about?? You've got to be kidding me! It's practically TEEMING with construction workers, contractors, land assessors, tax collectors, you name it. Let's take a closer look:


Ahhhhhhhhhh........there he is. Little Chevy Super Scooper. He is all mighty and powerful. He is a god among men. He is...........a Chevy Blazer:


.........with a plow attached to the front:


Interesting, I know. But please let's continue. Super Scooper has a whole cast of characters that have pitched in to help support him in his Herculean effort to build a 13 story high rise mixed use development all by himself. First we have.................Harold the Hyundai Hub Cap:


Harold is in charge of rusting and gathering still water for passing birds.


Then we have Tina Traffic Cone. She talks VERY loud and everyone rolls there eyes when she goes on an on about on-site safety procedures. She's sort of a know it all:


Next up is Michael Mystery Container. We're not quite sure what Michael does. Is he hydraulic fluid? Oil? Waste Water? Pirates Booty? :

And lastly there's the man in charge of keeping up the team's energy. No knick name necessary. It's Captain Hawaiian Punch. Full sugar edition:


Also it should be noted, all kidding aside, that someone has trimmed the weeds, trees, flowers, and wild shrubbery that has lined the perimeter fence. You can see their hard work here:


And here:


Must be quite an industrial strength weed wacker to get through all that litter. Picking the hottest week of the year to start the yard work - is that the smartest decision??

800 monroe: one giant scratching post

I recently checked out the area of land sandwiched in between the Monroe Center and Fields Crossing to see if there has been any progress. Supposedly, there is a new mixed use development going up on this land called 800 Monroe. It will have a parking structure, 13 story luxury high rise, and retail space. Here's a screen grab of the high rise portion, taken from the 800 Monroe website, which you can visit by clicking here:


And here's a rendering of the larger portion of the neighborhood, showing how it will be transformed:


Now stopping for a hot minute to realize what exactly the progress has been, I must say it's somewhat discouraging. It seems as though a small forest of trees has emerged, due to inactivity, and the only foot traffic this development site has been enjoying is from one of our four legged friends, Sandy Soft Paws, who roams the barren wasteland in search of good times, and possibly a little kitty on kitty action. Let's have a closer look:



Now I know Sandy Soft Paws is having an awesome time getting tan, relaxing in the sunshine, being fed by friendly humans, and doing her normal self grooming rituals, but does anyone have any info as to when this project is going to get off the ground? If so please let me know. Between you and me, I'd rather get some new neighbors. Sandy's not so great at the art of conversation.

Click here to fill me in on the details.

monroe center for the arts

Monroe Center for the Arts, located on Monroe Street between 7th and 8th Streets, is at quickly becoming the epicenter of northwest Hoboken. The building used to be the home for the Levelor Blinds factory, but for over 15 years now it has been the homebase for our creative community.

The multiple building complex houses painters, photographers, performing artists, fashion and jewelry designers, among others. These artists offer workshops and classes to introduce both young and old to the arts. The complex also houses various businesses, such as printers, floral designers, architects, puppet makers, interior designers, music and dance instructors, pilates studios and fitness clubs.

There is also a major renovation and expansion plan in place to create over 30 new retail shops and gallery space, dedicated to rotating art exhibitions throughout the year. Plans include additional mixed use buildings creating new condos, and additional retail space. The plans are very ambitious, and we are very excited about this cultural developement.

Click here for more information: www.monroecenter.com

Throughout the year, look for monthly open studio tours, gallery exhibits, film screenings, art and movement classes, educational workshops, live music, lectures, shopping and dining.



Current construction work, pictured along Monroe Street in the two pictures above, is moving along. Currently the sidewalks are being redone, and all of the windows in the northern building are being replaced. You can see from the pic below what the new windows will look like (the botton window):


The southern building, which also houses the new Shades of Hoboken restaurant, is made from concrete and steel. There is a section in between the two buildings that was just torn down and removed, but I'm not quite sure what exactly is planned for this part of the complex. The first floor will be entirely retail, which is a very exciting developement for our area. Business that have already signed leases and are building out their store fronts include a gourmet cheese shop, a day spa, and a few clothing boutiques. Once things are a little more established, I'll explore each business and report back.





Shades of Hoboken is the premiere restaurant in our area. The chef's name is Larry Kemmet, and he's a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Shades is classic American fare, from seafood to steaks, pasta, and everything in between. They serve brunch, feature live music on certain days, and has easy parking for those who would like to come here from farther away.

I had planned on reviewing Shades a few weeks ago when my partner and I stopped in on a rainy Wednesday evening, but because of a freak fire alarm mishap, and the subsequent flashing red lights of our uniformed fire and police (not to mentioned more than a few items 'unavailable' from the menu, I've decided to postpone my review until we have a less ear-splitting dining experience sometime this spring.

Shades of Hoboken
720 Monroe Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030
201-795-4541
Shades of Hoboken Official Website




The place does have major potential, and I commend the creators for their beautiful sense of decor inside. The bar is chic, the tables are clean and comfortable, and featured local artists work on the interior walls is a wonderful touch. But I do have one major gripe. For a restaurant calling upon the history of the Leveler Blinds Company, you'd think they'd ensure that their window treatments were perfect in every way possible, since they are a difinitive focal point of the restaurant. Unfortunately, every time I walk by, the wood blinds are crooked, off center, pushed to one side, and generally not laying correctly.

It's the small things in life that make the biggest impression. And this just drives me absolutely bonkers. The good news is, the smallest thngs in life are the easiest to fix. Shades, if you are reading, PLEASE FIX YOUR BLINDS!!



The staff is friendly as can be, and the martinis absolutely perfect. I'm sure soon enought we will fall head over heels in love with Shades of Hoboken, and will eventually be filled with visions of heart shaped wreaths, and healthy servings of Kobe beef. In the meantime, here's a recent review that was posted on May 2nd. Bon Appetite!


To wrap things up, here's how the final complex will look like. It's sure to completely transform our neighborhood. Ahhhh, the promise of a better tomorrow!

everyone, meet hooper and happy honker

Across the street from Metrostop, and just south of Fields Crossing, two new membrs of our community have settled in. It was a long trip down from the country better known as the homeland of Pamela Anderson (floaties), Alanis Morissette (yodeler), Nelly Furtado (maneater), and Keanu Reeves (whoa). Our new neighbors seemed to have moved in for the long hall. And apparently they are trust fund babes because they never leave during the day (or at night for that matter). What a life!

Interestingly, when learning more about Canadian Geese, I've discovered that there is a new type of geese that are non-migratory, and settle in permanently in densley populated areas such as golf courses, parking lots, and urban parks. They adapted to these new conditions and are more frequently becoming known as 'pests'. Well, other than the fact that they spend all their time honking and waddling around, they don't seem to bother anyone.

Click here for the Wikipedia entry on Canadian Geese. Knowledge is power, my friends.

Hooper enjoys long walks around the the construction site of 800 Monroe, and Happy just tends to chill in the pond, relaxing in the sunshine. If you walk by, you'll definitely hear their singing skills, honking for everyone to hear.



I heard they paid too much for their condo, but you know what they say about Canadian Geese- they have terrible negotiating skills.

northwest hoboken now waterfront property!

What a pleasant surprise this morning when I awoke- property values in the neighborhood have apparently skyrocketed overnight with the newly formed great lakes of northwest Hoboken! Here are a few more pics of Upper Grand Lake. It's super luxurious and totally open to the public for a limited time. Membership includes the use of the regulation size lap pool for those of you who are training for the upcoming Float or Drown on Your Way Home From Work Competition. The gun goes off at 5pm sharp!




No one mentioned to me that I should have brought my row boat with me when I moved out of the city a few months ago. So that storm was really something, huh?

Here's a fab picture of the newly formed Lake of Performing Arts, which is located just north of the Monroe Center of the Arts. Free water ballet classes are scheduled each morning between 8am and 10am, and morning lattes are complimentary to those who show up in bikinis and/or sexy yoga gear:


Here a few pics of Monroe Street, looking north behind the Shoprite, and also of 9th Street, looking east towards Washington Street:






Monroe Street may have been flooded, but Jackson Street, behind Fields Crossing, was bone dry. Looks as though those Metrostop greenies will never have to worry about falling prey to massive flooding. Also happy to report there were no kiddie pools near either of the light rail entrances.

I think Robert D. McFadden described the storm perfectly in today's New York Times:

"The day was, in a way, like great theater: the drama of the approaching storm, the searching wind at the panes and rain dancing on the pavement, the smudged sky, the iron-gray day like a movie in black and white. The overcast was solid, great plates of corrugated iron fused from horizon to horizon, and the streets glistened in the rain: a metallic futureworld."

And lastly, here are a few shots from last night. They are moody, cold, and slightly cranky, just like me: