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Originally Posted by drumz0rz
I see a few things that hold Jersey City back though.
First, is commercial development. Everything that's going up is residential. While there are a number of commercial towers dotting the waterfront, I think Jersey City really needs to up it's game and lure more business across the river. I know of a few companies with offices in JC that are considering moving back to NY.
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Commercial development will follow residential development as companies want to be located in areas accessible by employees and customers. The more residential development we see now, the more office space we will see created in Jersey City. There may be a lag time of 10 or 20 years, but it will occur if the economy remains stable.
The PATH has a great reverse commute as throngs of Brooklynites have taken jobs in Exchange Place, Newport and Newark. JC pulls from the same talent pool of NY. Trains are almost as packed as the ones heading into Manhattan. I can see large companies moving their back office operations to areas near Manhattan, like Jersey City, while maintaining their public profile in the city. Class office space in the city is very expensive. Jersey City is much more affordable alternative.
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Second is retail. Washington Boulevard is surrounded by slender towers with bunker parking garages around their base. Retail along the waterfront is sparse. The Newport Center mall isn't enough to anchor the area. Without many shops, restaurants, cafes, etc., there is no feeling of community or culture. It's just a stark grid of towers and nothing else. While I acknowledge it'll never be like say Hoboken, it would be really nice to see development in this regard.
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Agreed. Although I think Newport is a lost cause. Best we can hope for is redevelopment of the mall.
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Finally, and most importantly, transportation. Being right next to the Holland tunnel and I-78 is great. The light rail is also very useful to get around. My big beef is with the Port Authority and the PATH system. The PATH is the single most convenient and frustrating way to get across the river. When it runs, you can be whisked to Manhattan in minutes. Newport and Exchange Place provide quick and easy access to NY making it an attractive place for city workers to live. However the PATH doesn't always run. It seems like every day there are 'switch problems' or other 'service disruptions'. They even talked about suspending late night service all together. I think Jersey City's single biggest Achilles heal is the PATH. Until the PA can pull their heads out of each other's asses it's going to be hard to convince people that Jersey City is really worth their long-term investment.
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The more people who use the PATH, the louder voice PATH riders will have with the politicians. The PA was very quick in retracting its proposal to eliminate late night service, thanks to all the wealthy folks in Hoboken and JC raising hell. With the luxury rental boom in Jersey City, PATH service will be forced to improve. It's just too powerful of a voting block to ignore and the need gets more pressing with each tower going up.
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