Bayonne

[JCMAN320]

Condo sparks parking concerns

Thursday, January 22, 2009
By RONALD LEIR
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A long-vacant uptown Bayonne parcel could become the site for a six-story, 40-unit condominium apartment building.

But not everyone is happy about the plans of Bayonne Kennedy Holdings, LLC, and its principal Dan Johnson to develop the old Stabile gas station site at Kennedy Boulevard and West 44th Street.

"They're (Bayonne Kennedy Holdings are) proposing 35 two-bedroom apartments and five one-bedrooms and their experts said that's potentially 75 people, maybe with 75 cars or more," said Savio Figaro, an attorney retained by residents of Park Towers, a neighboring 50-unit apartment building, at last Tuesday's planning board meeting.

Residents on the block already have a tough time finding spots when they come home from work at night and a project of this size could make things worse, he said.

"But we're saying that all they have to do to solve the problem is to create another level of (garage) parking," Figaro said.

The builder plans to install a two-level parking garage to accommodate 51 cars, which would be sufficient to meet the city's zoning requirements, City Planner John Fussa said.

Fussa added that the project is expected to generate $400,000 in annual real estate taxes.

Another neighbor, Vincent Presepe, asked about drainage and flood control measures being taken by the developer.

The developer's attorney William Feinberg said two weeks ago that "150 tons" of polluted soil have been excavated from the site and several underground fuel tanks were removed.

"Everything has been cleaned up except for a monitoring well that will be retained," he said.

The board will continue the hearing at 6 p.m. on Feb. 3 in the Dorothy E. Harrington City Council Chambers at City Hall, 630 Avenue C.

[JCMAN320]

Bayonne nursing home OK'd

Saturday, January 24, 2009
By RONALD LEIR
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Bayonne is getting its first nursing home.

Bayonne/Omni Development, LLC, won unanimous approval Thursday night from the city Zoning Board of Adjustment to demolish the old Bell Telephone building at 29th Street and Broadway and put up a 10-story, 120-bed skilled-care facility - directly across from Bayonne Medical Center.

The estimated $20 million project, which had an endorsement from Mayor Mark Smith, will generate more than $400,000 a year in real estate taxes and close to 300 permanent jobs, predicted Avery Eisen reich, chief executive of Omni Health Systems of New Jersey, the developer's parent company.

Aside from BMC's concern about environmental issues related to the demolition phase of the project, Omni's plans drew no objections from neighbors - a far cry from the howls of protest that killed another developer's effort eight years ago to build an assisted-living facility in the city's downtown area. Back then residents griped that the proposed five-story, 126-bed building was too big for the neighborhood.

Omni acquired the project site from BMC two years ago.

Because "length of stay is a big concern for hospitals in Hudson County" when applying for insurance reimbursement, Eisenreich said the new Bayonne facility should lead BMC to "quicker discharge" of patients needing short-term or long-term care, since they can be referred to Omni.

Eisenreich said that his Bayonne facility is designed for 20 private rooms and 50 double-occupancy rooms spread over three floors. Another floor is targeted for aquatic therapy. There will also be space for physical and speech therapy, a gym, lounges, dining areas, and even a movie theater. An outpatient dialysis center will be on another floor.

And there will be four levels of indoor garage parking to accommodate 103 cars, with drivers entering from 30th Street and exiting via 29th Street.

Omni attorney Tom O'Connor said the new building should take 18 to 20 months to complete.

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JCMAN Note of The Day:
Downtown Bayonne also known as Bergen Point is very low rise with small boutiques and old Victorian cottage homes that were part of what made Bayonne a resort town during the turn of the 20th century. So it doesn't surprise me that they didn't want a nursing home in their little quaint community.

[JCMAN320]

Bayonne ferry is gearing up

Thursday, January 29, 2009
By RONALD LEIR
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The on-again, off-again Bayonne ferry service to Downtown Manhattan is on again - this time set for an April 1 launch.

Statue Cruises plans to start up its long-awaited "demonstration" service between the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor and Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan. Only one trip out and one trip back, each coinciding with rush hour, is planned through the end of May.

After this pilot period, the operator will most likely continue the service with more trips scheduled, Statue Cruises spokeswoman Tegan Firth said.

Firth said passengers will be charged $10 for a one-way trip, but Bayonne residents will get 10 percent off, both for single and monthly tickets.

New York Waterway, which runs ferries from Port Imperial in Weehawken to the World Financial District in Manhattan, charges $11.25 one-way.

The Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority, which contracted with Statue Cruises for the service last year, had hoped to set sail in November 2008. But the operator couldn't start until the BLRA secured an amended permit to allow for a larger floating dock along the Peninsula's southern shoreline.

BLRA Executive Director Joseph Nichols said last week that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finally issued the permit to accommodate the ferry, which will have room for up to 600 passengers and be equipped with a snack bar and restrooms.

This development clears the way for Statue Cruises to bring in a barge to serve as a floating dock and, eventually, call in the U.S. Coast Guard for a security inspection of the dock, Firth said.

Passengers will be able to buy tickets either at a counter to be set up near the BLRA office or aboard the boat, Firth said.

[JCMAN320]

^^^CLARIFICATION

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Thursday's story about upcoming ferry service between Bayonne and Lower Manhattan at $10 per trip should have said that New York Waterway operates ferry service between Port Liberte in Jersey City to Pier 11 at the foot of Wall Street for $8.50 per trip or $289 per month, which works out to $6.90 per trip.

[JCMAN320]

Former dump now a destination

Wednesday, February 04, 2009
By RONALD LEIR
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

What was once an ugly, overgrown dumping ground is now a spruced-up waterfront park.

Although the IMTT-Bayonne Fifth Street Walkway and Overlook stretches only 150 feet along the Kill Van Kull, it provides visitors with a vista to scan boats bobbing at the nearby Atlas Yacht Club and several historic wrecks partially submerged near the old Port Johnson coal yards off East Fifth Street.

"At low tide, you can see the whole thing - the four sunken boats - sitting on a mud flat," said Richard Fisette, a manager with International-Matex Tank Terminal of Bayonne, which spent $400,000 to build the park.

By spring, IMTT plans to install a historic marker listing the names of the ships and other pertinent information. Paintings of the wrecks, by artist John A. Noble, are on view at the Noble Maritime Collection in neighboring Staten Island.

And a quarter-mile asphalt path to the water - whose only prior purpose was to allow city workers access to a city storm water pipe and maintenance shed - now offers visitors a peaceful place of repose.

Ten newly planted maple and walnut trees acquired by IMTT and planted by Let It Grow, a North Jersey nursery, and clusters of newly restored birch trees line that path, illuminated at night by 26 solar panel pole lights.

There are also a series of recycled plastic benches, anchored to the ground, allowing visitors to rest and enjoy the view.

There are seven parking spaces in a small lot, including one reserved for disabled drivers.

A formal park dedication is expected this spring, said IMTT Chairman James J. Coleman.

[JCMAN320]

OK 40 apartments for Boulevard

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Only one more hurdle remains before a developer can start construction of a 40-unit, six-story apartment building in uptown Bayonne.

The Bayonne Planning Board unanimously approved plans by Bayonne Kennedy Holdings, LLC, and its principal, Dan Johnson, to build at 1040-1046 Kennedy Blvd. at West 44th Street.

William Feinberg, the builder's attorney, said that his client now must go before the Hudson County Planning Board - at a date to be scheduled - because the project borders on Kennedy Boulevard, a county road.

"We have to give them a lot of technical information, like the number of two-bedroom (apartments) per acre - that kind of thing," he said.

Asked how soon construction might start, Feinberg said: "My client is anxious to get the shovel in the ground." Once the project starts, Feinberg said, "it should take the better part of a year" to complete.

Savio Figaro, an attorney for the adjacent Park Towers multifamily apartment building, arranged for an engineer to question the developer's experts on issues such as lighting, parking and traffic that would impact neighbors.

The developer plans to install a two-level parking garage for 51 vehicles to accommodate the building's occupants - enough to satisfy the city zoning code - but Figaro shared his clients' concerns about possible spillover of additional cars onto West 44th Street and other blocks in the area.

There will be 35 two-bedroom apartments and five single-bedroom units, plans show.

Initial plans call for condominium apartments, but Feinberg said that, ultimately, the developer "will be guided by the economy" as to whether to offer for-sale or rental living units. The Hoboken firm of Minervini Vandermark is the architect.

A gas station once stood on the long-vacant project site and Feinberg said that the land has been cleaned of subsurface contaminants. A single monitoring well that checks groundwater conditions will remain along the Kennedy Boulevard curb, he said. Testing shows the amount of underground pollutants has been "decreasing steadily," he said.

RON LEIR

[meesalikeu]

a bayonne photo thread i did -- it was over mlk weekend this past january:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/inde...c,18266.0.html

[JCMAN320]

Bayonne to host new off-track wagering site


Photo courtesy of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
An artist's rendering of the new off-track betting facility planned in Bayonne.

by Ted Sherman/The Star-Ledger
Tuesday July 07, 2009, 5:04 PM

BAYONNE -- The state's sports authority, betting on the success of off-track wagering, announced agreements today to open its second OTW facility -- this one in Bayonne.

The new site, which will include a restaurant and private party rooms, will be built on a vacant tract along Route 440. It follows on the success of a similar off-track wagering complex and restaurant in Woodbridge.

The New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, which is losing millions from its racetrack operations, is hoping to recoup some of those losses with both off-track and internet wagering.

"We're moving aggressively," said Dennis Robinson, the authority's president and chief executive officer. "Woodbridge has been a huge success."

The authority this year was projecting the Woodbridge operation, called Favorites, would contribute $5.6 million in additional income to the bottom line. Robinson said actual numbers are trending 10 percent over that.

He called Bayonne an ideal location.

"Racing fans are responding extremely positively to our OTW and 4NJBets (internet account wagering) platforms," Robinson said.

In a statement, Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith said the new outlet will provide jobs and much needed revenue to the Hudson County city.

"Many Bayonne residents enjoy a night at the track and this exciting new facility, with its state-of-the-art simulcast capabilities, will bring the 'Sport of Kings' right here to us in Bayonne," he said. The facility is expected to open in late 2010.

The sports authority has approval from the state for as many as nine off-track wagering sites, but has been treading cautiously. Proposals for a similar OTW venue were turned down in Green Brook over strong community opposition.

Robinson said discussions are under way for a third site, but he would not disclose the location, adding the talks were still in the early stages.

"You can't go rushing into these developments," he said. "They all impact on live racing and we have to be strategic."

The move into off-track wagering comes as the Sports Authority continues to struggle over its track losses. Projections show the Meadowlands racetrack will likely lose nearly $10 million this year, while Monmouth Park racetrack is expected to loses at least $10.8 million.

[kritiosboy]

Anybody know how well the 22nd St. condos are selling?

http://22streetcondos.com/

I haven't seen the inside of the building but the exterior looks very good. The location is somewhat decent (right across from the HBLR), but these prices seem way too high. The range from the website is $289k- $414 and I'd bet that after the abatement is over, the taxes on these units will be over $7k.

[JCMAN320]

Wal-mart coming to Bayonne?

by Bayonne Now
Wednesday September 16, 2009, 4:14 PM

Is Wal-mart coming to Bayonne?

According to a news release from the state Urban Enterprise Authority board, Wal-mart is among the businesses that have either executed leases or signed letters of intent with the Bayonne Crossing mall proposed for Route 440.

Other businesses they cite are: Lowe's Home Improvement; Longhorn Steakhouse; New York Sport's Club, and TGI Friday's.

The board has approved a $2.5 million loan to the planned mall.

"Bayonne Crossing will convert a blighted site into a retail area that will encourage Bayonne residents to stay in the city to shop and dine," Caren S. Franzini, UEZ Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, said in the release. "The project will also bring more people into the City to both shop at the new retail center, as well as purchase goods at Bayonne's other commercial establishments."

It is anticipated the loan, which is for seven years at an annual interest rate of 2 percent, will be used for infrastructure and/or land acquisition. Work onsite is expected to start in the next few weeks and conclude in late autumn 2010 when all buildings are scheduled to be completed, operational and open for business.

Aside from the UEZ, Bayonne Crossing has also received a $2 million loan from the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority, which is a DCA affiliate; a $2 million loan from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority; and PILOT bonds from the City of Bayonne's Local Redevelopment Authority. Key Bank has committed up to $26 million in construction loan financing, including land acquisition for the $80-million project, the UEZ Authority said.

[Marv95]

^^Be happy for Bayonne. Newark would do anything for a K-Mart let alone a Wal-Mart.

[JCMAN320]

^^Thats the problem Newark has 30,000 residents more than Jersey City, but Jersey City has twice the amount of taxable land.

Generating plant builders seek Bayonne abatement

Friday, October 09, 2009
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER


Journal File Photo
The site of the proposed gas-powered energy station in Bayonne.

An energy group planning to build a gas-fueled power station in Bayonne to service the needs of some 500,000 ConEd customers in New York is seeking 30-year tax abatement for the project.

The Hess Corporation and its partners plan to open the 512-megawatt power station in late 2011 on a waterfront property at 401 New Hook Road, in the Constable Hook Redevelopment area.

Joseph P. Baumann, an attorney for the Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authority, told council members at a meeting Wednesday that the long-term tax break is needed to make the $400 million Bayonne Energy Center a viable proposition.

"But for the tax abatements, they (Baumann and his partners) would not go along with the project because of the inordinate construction cost of the project," Baumann said.

The partners in the project are the Hess Corporation, Pure Energy Resources (PER), and ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC.

City officials said they plan to introduce the abatement at the council's meeting on Wednesday.

Under the terms of the abatement, the power station would initially generate $1.3 million payments in lieu of taxes for the city each year, adding up to a total of $44 million over the 30-year life of the abatement.

If the energy center were to pay conventional taxes, the city would collect only $27 million over the 30-year span since conventional taxes are shared with the county and local public schools, Baumann said.

Under the agreement, the energy center would continue to pay land taxes and the abatements would only apply to the power station itself.

In addition to the PILOT payments, the Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authority expects to collect $1 million a year from the power station for providing water to the facility, said BMUA Director Stephen Gallo.

A project labor agreement attached to the abatement is expected to generate 300 union construction jobs and 10 permanent jobs at the plant.

When operational, the power station would feed electricity to a substation in the Gowanus waterfront in south Brooklyn via a cable under New York Harbor. Next week's meeting is at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 630 Avenue C.

[JCMAN320]

Power station OK one step closer

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Plans to build a 512-megawatt gas-fueled power station at the Constable Hook Redevelopment area's waterfront of the Bayonne Peninsula are poised to clear some bureaucratic hurdles this week.

The Planning Board is meeting 6 p.m. at the Bayonne Municipal Building today to formally recommend that the City Council adopts the redevelopment plan necessary to build the power station at 401 Hook Road.

The City Council approved a 10,800-square-foot "site plan" for the power station in April, but the "redevelopment plan" is necessary to designate the power station an appropriate use of the industrial waterfront property, officials said.

The City Council is scheduled to introduce an ordinance to adopt the plan at its 7 p.m. meeting tomorrow and will also introduce an ordinance for a 30-year tax abatement for the $400 million power station.

The public will have a chance to comment at the City Council's Nov. 10 meeting.

CHARLES HACK

http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/bayo...400.xml&coll=3

[JCMAN320]

Power line to N.Y. gets OK there

By Sarah Rahman/The Jersey Journal
November 14, 2009, 1:00PM


Jersey Journal file photo
The land along the back of Hook Road in Bayonne will be the site of a $400 million 10,800-square-foot power generating plant.

The New York portion of a power line under the Hudson River for a planned power plant in Bayonne was approved by New York regulators on Thursday, according to a Reuters report.

The line is to help improve reliability of New York City's power grid and will produce enough power for up to 500,000 homes in the city.

The $400 million plan entails a 345-kilovolt power line connecting a new 512-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in Bayonne with Consolidated Edison Inc.'s existing Gowanus substation in Brooklyn.

Once approved, it will be developed by Pure Energy Resources LLC of Massachusetts, according to the Bayonne Energy Center Web site.

The project is a partnership between Hess Corp. and an affiliate of ArcLight Capital Partners LLC, an electricity-focused investment firm.

[66nexus]

Don't know where JC has twice the taxable land as Newark comes from but...

in any event, is this power grid at all tied to Bayonne or is it strictly for NYC?

I wonder if they have any room on Stat Isl or is it just too far?