When you think about “The One,” you think about the love of your life, your soul mate, a person that completes you and someone you can spend the rest of your life with. You don’t really think about an apartment building… or at least I didn’t at first. Until I stepped into “The One.” I got it.
A new luxury rental apartment building located in the Powerhouse District in Downtown Jersey City, “The One” has everything you could ask for. I was recently invited on a tour of the premises, which included a few model apartments as well as the BEST amenity center one could ask for… I am talking a Pool table, gaming room and even a golf simulator. Not to mention a roof top pool, gym, free yoga classes…. you name it, this building has it. The best part is the amazing views that you have access to from the “Sky Lounge” rooftop. Let’s just say I had a fantasy of selling our home and moving into this building just for the amenities alone. If you are looking for a nice rental apartment in downtown Jersey City with the BEST amenities, look no further. You definitely get what you pay for. Go for a tour, fall in love and find “The One.”
What are your names? I’m Kevin Tartaglione. I work for BLDG Management Co., Inc. We’re the developer and manager of The One as part of a joint-venture partnership with Ares Management, L.P. and Urban Development Partners.
I’m Alyssa Brennan, I am the Leasing Manager at The One and work for The Marketing Directors.
What should people expect when they first come into The One?
Kevin: This is a very high-end residential multi-family building with very high-end finishes and amenities. The intent was to attract the market of residents that wants to be in Jersey City but live in the type of luxurious building that’s typical of a New York City setting.
Very luxurious. And how long has it been open? Since June 15th.
So is this rental? All rental. We have 36 stories comprising 450 apartments, as well as a 343-car parking garage and about 16,000 square feet of retail space located around the base of the building. We also have several floors dedicated to our amenities.
Alyssa: This is the 9th floor – the first floor of amenities.
So what amenities do we have? Right in here is the children’s play area.
Oh my god! How cute!
Did you guys have to bring in a designer?
Kevin: We have an interior architect who designed the amenity spaces, as well as a designer for the apartments and a designer for the roof deck.
Alyssa: This is the media theatre room, where our residents can—
Ohh! Yes!
– watch TV, stream movies.
Kevin: We also have a selection of residents who want to use this room for video conferencing. The projector screen goes up and there’s a TV back there with a camera, so residents can actually have video conference meetings in here, if they’d like to.
Or a tired mom can come here and escape from the children. That’s true, too.
How do people reserve the room? We have a property management staff—we manage our own properties—that residents can reach out to by phone to reserve a room. They can also use our “Building Link” platform to reserve the room online.
Alyssa: So, the next amenity room is our XBox gaming room.
Whose idea was it to put an XBox gaming room?
Kevin: It was our firm’s choice to do it. You can bring your own games in here. The system also has internet access—perfect for Fantasy Sports drafts.
It’s like a man cave! It’s like a man cave, you got it. But it’s great for women and children too.
Alyssa: This room’s perfect for you, if you need to get your aggressions out.
Stop! No! Are you kidding me!
Kevin: So, this is our Golf Simulator room. We have several world-famous course options to choose from.
So you guys have a lot of activities-why? Because we think it attracts and accommodates residents who are seeking the live-work-play feel within a very high-end luxury community.
Alyssa: We like to think that all of the amenities that we offer are an extension of your home, so folks can come down—you can bring your laptop down here, you can also reserve it for a private party. And then upstairs we have a community kitchen and lounge area, which sits alongside our pool deck with barbecue grills.
Wow. This is great. I feel like I’m at a resort in Miami, this is amazing.
Kevin: We have our whirlpool, we have our pool and we have cabanas to complete the luxury feel.
What is this contraption for? That’s our ADA Compliant Pool Lift, so that those with handicaps can easily get in and out of the pool.
Alyssa: And then we’ve got a grass area. We have a yoga studio inside, but we’ve also been taking advantage of the warm weather by holding outdoor yoga classes here on the green.
I see you guys have a gym too?
Kevin: We do.
You even have yoga mats with your logo on it. That’s genius. Yup.
What about the Sky Lounge?
Alyssa: The Sky Lounge is our lounge and terrace on the rooftop. It’s for relaxing, for having private events – another key amenity space.
Can anybody go up to the sky lounge? Any of our residents and their friends can go up there.
Wow. This is amazing. Can we take a moment and appreciate these views?!
How many residents currently live here?
Kevin: We’re up to around 275.
And these are all people moving from somewhere to Jersey City?
Kevin: It’s a mix.
Alyssa: There are a fair number of people who are moving from elsewhere in Jersey City, but we also have a lot of people coming from Manhattan, Brooklyn and other locations.
Do you guys have a favorite Jersey City hangout spot?
Alyssa: Porta is one of my favorite hangout spots. Pizza, rooftop, good cocktails – how can you go wrong?
Well you have a rooftop here, just bring the pizza here. True, true.
Kevin: I like the White Horse Tavern.
Is the retail space rented yet?
Kevin: Some of it is, some of it isn’t. We already have a lease signed with a dry cleaner.
Alyssa: We also have cold storage on our first floor, so if folks get deliveries that need to be refrigerated – such as say, Fresh Direct or Amazon – and the timing doesn’t work or they’re not home, the delivery can actually be held at the front desk.
What about parking?
Kevin: We have a garage that holds up to 343 cars.
Is that included in the rent or is that extra? There’s an extra fee for our garage parking, because not all of our residents need parking – some don’t have a car and some choose street parking.
Alyssa: And it’s all indoors and covered. Let’s catch this elevator….
Hi! do you live here? I do!
How do you like living here? I love living here.
Why? The building staff is so amazing. I love my apartment and the beautiful facilities – the swimming pool, the gym — it’s all perfect and the location is ideal.
Where are you moving from? Harlem.
How do you like Jersey City? I love Jersey City. The downtown neighborhood here is great.
Do you have a favorite hangout spot? Pint.
Nice meeting you!! Thanks!
Alyssa: The One offers residents the high-end quality and services often found in the Manhattan luxury market. The reason that we have so many people moving here from Manhattan, in my opinion, is that if someone is choosing to move out of Manhattan, this is the type of building they want to be in.
The eleventh floor is where the leasing office is and some of our model homes. All of our homes have the same finishes, but there are different floor plans, different exposures and different layouts.
Now this is an apartment, this is no joke.
Quartz countertops, stainless steel GE appliances. Our stoves have a five-burner gas range, even with a middle burner, so you can make your pancakes and get the kids fed.
Oh! Washer and dryer too huh? Yup, every home has a washer and dryer.
So how much is a two bedroom? A two bedroom could range anywhere from about $3500 to $4800.
Is there an amenity fee? $600 per year, per home, but right now we’re actually waiving the fee for the first year. We do have a number of Grand Opening incentives.
And all of our two-bedrooms have two bathrooms.
This is great, great views. This is awesome.
This is a Studio-Suite with a junior bedroom—it’s got pocket doors, so it’s a “studio-plus.”
So it’s like a one bedroom though no?
Kevin: It’s kind of like a one bedroom because you can close off the doors to the bedroom.
How much is a studio usually? These start at $2550. On the higher floors, you have a view of the Statue of Liberty because you’re on the South side.
What other buildings does this developer own in Jersey City? This is it.
Alyssa: Mostly Manhattan buildings.
Manhattan examples?
Kevin: BLDG is a very large owner of real estate. We’re building another project on 44th street; it’s another 400-unit building and it’s 40 stories in Midtown, 44th between 2nd and 3rd (Avenues).
Alyssa: This is a one-bedroom apartment. This particular home is on the corner, so you pick up extra windows with extra views. Most of our one bedroom’s have some sort of walk-in closet in the bedroom. All of our homes come with solar shades and there are USB plugs in the kitchen and outlets in the closet.
Kevin: So, this one comes with a view of the Empire State Building.
Oh! I want to hang out! Drink some wine.
Kevin: We put these USB outlets here – very technology-friendly – if you have anything to plug in.
Can you buy it with the furniture?
Kevin: No, but we’re currently designing two staged models where you’ll be able to order the furniture and décor used, if you would like to.
Alyssa: The furniture company is actually designing them, so that way if you say, “I want it just like this,” you can actually buy all of the furniture.
Might as well. It’s like alright, I’m just going to move in…
What can you say about Jersey City and it being the new great place to live?
Kevin: Obviously, Jersey City offers unparalleled access to New York City. I think it’s really the accessibility and, now, the fact that there are buildings that give residents the live, work and play environment that they’re seeking. Additionally, Jersey City itself has opened up a huge opportunity for employment.
Now do you still find it’s cheaper to live here than Brooklyn or Manhattan? Yes.
If you compare your prices from this building to the other buildings you guys own, how does that compare? At a perspective, it’s significantly less, but you get the same luxury quality of living.
Alyssa: You might be able to get something in Manhattan or Brooklyn at a relatively comparable price point, but not at this level of quality – perhaps a five-story walk up, with around 300 square feet of space – definitely not with these amenities, not with a doorman, not with a washer and dryer.
Kevin: Luxury buildings in Manhattan are double the price on a monthly basis.
Alyssa: And also, there are so many restaurants and stores in the downtown Jersey City area. People used to come to Jersey City simply because it’s less expensive than New York City, but now it’s its own dynamic cultural hub.
There’s a doorman 24/7?
Kevin: Yup.
He has a very nice outfit too. Yup.
As we mentioned, we have a large walk-in refrigerator in the back, where residents can store their deliveries if needed.
Alyssa: Our front desk can also sign for packages or handle dry cleaning drop-off and pick-up – it really is full service.
Kevin: We have a mailroom, where you can pull your apartment up on the screen – the system is called Building Link – and you can see if you have a package at the front desk or if you have mail. So if you come in at night, you can look up at the Building Link screen and say, “Okay, I have a package at the front desk,” and the doorman will hand it to you.
All the finer details are important. Exactly. And our elevators come down to the garage – all the elevators come through a secure point – and then you ride right up to your home.
Why is it called The One?
Kevin: It’s “The One” you want to live in. The building is also located at 110 First Street.
You must be logged in to post a comment.