Jasper and Kheila Moore came this close to passing on a chance to be pioneers in Bayonne’s new and exciting residential development boom.
They were living in Jersey City and ready to move to a bigger place. They were about to sign and commit to a lease in a new apartment building in Jersey City when Kheila put on the brakes.
“We’d been married for seven years and living in Jersey City for 13 years,” Jasper relates, “but we needed more space and were looking for a two bedroom. We found a beautiful brand new building. We toured it and liked it,” and then…
“Kheila wanted to check out one more property,” Jasper says. “I asked her where it was, and when she said Bayonne, I said I don’t want to go to Bayonne; it’s too far away.”
Kheila is a Hoboken native, and Jasper grew up in Rahway. Kheila, who is an immigration officer with Homeland Security, commutes to New York City. Jasper, a creative director, owns his own company and commutes to Hackensack by car.
He agreed to check out the property, and the rest is history.
“We took a tour, and it was amazing,” Jasper says. “It was really crazy because the space was almost identical to the one in Jersey City: the layout, the color of the floor, the bathroom …”
But there was one defining feature.
“The rooftop deck had an unobstructed view of Staten Island, Newark, and New York City,” Jasper says. “The Jersey City place had a nice view but not like the one in Bayonne.”
Another big draw?
“The closets were bigger,” Jasper says. “There was an extra 200 feet of closet space.” The two apartments were also about the same price.
The Moores occupy a fifth-floor apartment in a seven-floor building. They have two bedrooms, two full baths, a washer/dryer, and kitchen/dining room/living room in an open layout. The kitchen has an island and a breakfast counter, and the bedrooms are at opposite ends of the unit.
“It has floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap all the way around the apartment,” Jasper says.
The building offers concierge services Monday through Saturday until 9 p.m.
As for that rooftop amenity? It has an indoor and outdoor lounge and a full gym.
But if you want to do your exercising outside, the building is right across the street from Bayonne County Park. The Moores don’t have a dog, but pets are allowed in the complex.
Park Bayonne is in the process of creating an outdoor courtyard with gardens.
If you’re wondering about transportation, the 45th Street light rail station is about a 15-minute walk. But the building also offers complimentary shuttle service to all the PATH stations in Jersey City and Hoboken, as well as to the mall on weekends. There’s also a bus stop in front of the building.
Jasper parks his car in the property’s two-level heated parking garage.
The Moores haven’t lived in Bayonne long enough to explore the city but are looking forward to getting to know their new hometown.
Meanwhile, Park Bayonne has everything a resident could want.
Says Jasper, “Once I get home, I don’t want to leave. I change clothes, go right up to the deck, where you can grill on the roof and sit in a sun chair.”—Kate Rounds