Street Scapes: The Heart of it All

By Cynthia Delonas
Special to The Star Ledger

Jersey City, NJ, November 2007 - The invigorating and enriching environment that urban living affords residents also provides them with advantage not found in rural or suburban areas. Convenience is one of those advantages. From social centers to high-tech comfort and security, accessibility to just about every essential of modern living can be either a quick stroll or push of a button away.

Centreplace at Edison is all about convenience. The new community of townhomes and garden homes offers quick access to routes 1 and 27, as well as the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, and NJ Transit service.

"Initially, when we were looking for a place to locate a new community, we wanted to make sure it was accessible to major roads, train stations and all mass transit," said Bill Smith, director of sales and marketing for Lennar, the community's builder. "It's directly adjacent to the county college. So that's phenomenal for adults. They can literally walk to their classes from where they live."

Centreplace also includes a clubhouse where residents can take a dip in the heated outdoor pool, play basketball on the court and use the equipment for workouts in the state-of-the-art fitness center. A tot lot also is available.

"A lot of urban professionals take good care of themselves," Smith said. They work out in the morning, go home, take a shower, then they zip off to the city and do their thing. The clubhouse gives them a sense of community. It gives residents one more reason to fall in love with their community."

Gateway at Carteret, and Federal Hill, in Perth Amboy, are two communities being developed by Kaplan Cos. Each offers luxury and convenience in brownstone townhomes, condos, and apartments.

"Gateway at Carteret has 42,000 square feet of retail space under the apartments," said Ken Birch, director of marketing for Kaplan. "The community will represent a total replacement of lower Roosevelt Avenue. From there, you can take a bus, walk a bit farther down and shop or walk to your favorite store."

"Federal Hill is being built in an existing urban area," Birch said. "It's a great place to live. It backs up to the bay, and accessibility means you can walk from any residence to the train- which is a couple of blocks away- bus stop or shops along Smith Street. There are famous restaurants, a boat that goes out on the ocean for dining and dancing under the stars, there's a promenade and a beautiful park. It's quite an interesting part of town."

Birch also said Federal Hill residents also will have access to a recently built community center that includes an aquatic center, day-care center and new civic center, which is nearing completion.

In Jersey City, Liberty Harbor is a new community that will feature over 10,000 homes and 250,000 square feet of retail space on a 28-block site bounded by Grand Street, Luis Marin Boulevard, Jersey Avenue and the Tidewater Basin, adjacent to the Van Voorst and Paulus Hook historic districts.

"What we've done at Liberty Harbor is harnessed the power of the Internet… into every single unit- whether it's a condo, studio, penthouse or five-bedroom townhouse- and everything in the unit has been given an IP address: the entry door, the burglar alarm, lighting system, thermostat, shades that go up and down," said developer Peter Mocco.

"If someone rings your front doorbell, the bell will ring to all your phones in your house, your cell phone, and also on your computer at the office, or if you're on vacation. You can be in China. Your doorbell rings, the camera will be taking a picture. Your cell phone will ring. You can say 'Charlie, I don't feel well today, why don't you come back next week?' You can literally run everything in your home from Alaska or from your apartment, or from your computer at the office."

All homes and public areas at Liberty Harbor feature wireless capabilities, allowing residents to access the Internet in the parks, entertaining areas or any of the retail locations. All public areas also have closed-circuit cameras to provide residents with video access to the outside of their home, office or PDA.

In Livingston, a new community, developed by Roseland Properties, has brought a town center that "defines accessibility and convenience," said Dave Schoner, vice president of Coldwell Banker New Homes and Condominiums, which is marketing Livingston Town Center. The community is a mix of townhomes, single-level condos and single-family homes with four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and a two-car garage. Every luxury condo home has two parking spaces in an attached, secured garage.

"There are about 40 shops and restaurants," Schoner said, "From casual dining, indoor and outdoors, to upscale shoe stores, a Wachovia Bank, Coldstone Creamery, Sur La Table, and more. It's really a great location, right in the middle of Livingston, at the interchange of North Livingston and East Mount Pleasant avenues, a mile south of Route 280 and minutes away from The Mall at Short Hills."

Residents at Livingston Town Center can enjoy the RoofGarden Club, which features a glass-enclosed conservatory pool, fitness center, spa, business center, billiard room and bar. Buildings offer concierge service and 24-hour security. "It's a way to live, work and play in the same place," Schoner said.

At Port Imperial- a two-mile, 200-acre master planned development along the Hudson waterfront- Roseland Property Co. and Lennar Urban have joined to develop Harley on the Hudson, in Weehawken. The development features 78 duplex condominiums, 16 penthouses and 64 four-level townhomes.

Port Imperial will feature open space for active and passive recreation, including tree-lined walking and jogging paths; pocket parks; tennis, softball, soccer and football fields; and a waterfront walkway. The Shops at Riverwalk offers boutique shops, restaurants and services. And residents can enjoy the convenience of the nearby Port Imperial Ferry Terminal and adjacent light rail station.