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HIGH-RISE HOMES<br />
GOLD STANDARD<br />
BOOMING ON<br />
GOLD COAST<br />
Five-Star Amenities Are De Rigueur<br />
In Luxury Condos and Apartments<br />
WRITTEN BY IAN SPELLING<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY SETH LITROFF, SPECIAL PROPERTIES RES<br />
AND CAHN COMMUNICATIONS<br />
Who wouldn’t want<br />
to live in a five-star<br />
hotel and enjoy all<br />
the great amenities<br />
that suggests?<br />
Well, you can,<br />
and people are…<br />
without the hotel<br />
part of the equation. In fact, they’re<br />
calling it “home.” It’s happening<br />
all over, but especially along the<br />
Hudson River waterfront from<br />
Fort Lee to Jersey City, as brandnew,<br />
luxury high-rise rental and<br />
condominium buildings deliver that<br />
five-star experience.<br />
We’re talking state-of-the-art,<br />
often-architecturally striking<br />
structures created as self-contained<br />
communities. We’re talking gyms,<br />
games rooms, two-lane indoor<br />
bowling alleys, barbecue pits, dog<br />
walk paths and outdoor movie<br />
screenings. We’re talking 24-hour<br />
concierge service, as well as quick<br />
commutes – via bus, PATH train,<br />
ferries and/or light rail — to New<br />
York City, neighboring Gold Coast<br />
towns, and social/retail/commercial<br />
centers, including Jersey City and<br />
Hoboken. And let’s not forget the<br />
incredible views of Manhattan.<br />
“I’ve been in the business for 18 years, and I’ve<br />
never seen anything quite like this,” says Juan<br />
Rivera, who serves as regional vice president<br />
Hudson County and manager,<br />
Hoboken Office, for Special<br />
Properties Real Estate Services. “I<br />
think it’s the consumers demanding<br />
more. That’s what I’m seeing. Rent<br />
prices are going up, condo prices<br />
are going up, HOA fees are going<br />
up, so the consumer is saying, ‘If<br />
I’m going to pay this kind of money,<br />
I want a return on it. It’s got to be<br />
worth my while.’ Developers have<br />
realized that, and they’re offering<br />
it, which creates competition in that<br />
space. They’re all trying to outpace<br />
each other, and that benefits the<br />
consumer.”<br />
Francesco Mazzaferro, leader<br />
of the Special Properties Real<br />
Estate Services-affiliated Team<br />
Francesco, cited another unique,<br />
tempting amenity. “Everybody loves<br />
the home delivery services, like<br />
Fresh Direct,” Mazzaferro notes.<br />
“A big feature that alot of the new<br />
buildings have is a massive walk-in<br />
refrigerator. When those deliveries<br />
arrive, the building’s concierge can<br />
keep them there for the residents.<br />
That’s something new and different,<br />
and it’s a pretty impressive<br />
amenity.”<br />
And then there are the surroundings. Often,<br />
these self-contained communities are situated<br />
in beautiful areas along the waterfront. “So,<br />
you have your building, with all of its amenities<br />
Juan Rivera, regional vice<br />
president (left, top), and<br />
Francesco Mazzaferro,<br />
leader of Team Francesco,<br />
represent Special<br />
Properties on New<br />
Jersey’s booming Gold<br />
Coast where luxury high<br />
rises and condominium<br />
communities have<br />
developed the Hudson<br />
River waterfront.<br />
30<br />
WWW.SPECIALPROPERTIESRES.COM
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