Avora Buyers Reap Benefit of Weehawken Tax Cut

NorthJersey.com, 5-Jan-18

Weehawken Township recently announced an historic reduction in its property taxes, lowering the rate from 2.23 percent to 1.49 percent — one of the lowest along the New Jersey Gold Coast.

Slated to take effect in 2018, the new rate is quickly reverberating throughout the region as buyers factor in the significant cost savings it will yield over the length of their home ownership.

At Avora, Weehawken’s signature new condominium building which features 184 waterfront residences, unobstructed views of midtown Manhattan and an impressive amenity offering, purchasers will enjoy up to $96,190 in savings over a ten-year period on a new two-bedroom residence priced at $1,225,620.

“Weehawken had already emerged as the destination of choice for condominium ownership based on its spectacular waterfront setting, access to Manhattan via the in-town Port Imperial Ferry Terminal, and considerable open and recreational space along the riverfront,” said Gabe Pasquale, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing for Landsea Homes, which is developing Avora. “The very attractive new tax rate enhances Weehawken’s desirability and further differentiates it from other options along the Gold Coast by creating significant and long-lasting financial savings. It’s already had an impact on buyers who were still exploring other possibilities but decided to move forward at Avora.”

With the first phase of homes already sold out at Avora and a number of residences in the second phase under contract and scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2018, taxes clearly aren’t the only determining factor in choosing its incomparable resort-like lifestyle.

Named “Community of the Year” by the New Jersey Builder’s Association, Avora was designed by world-renowned architects IBI Group to take full advantage of its waterfront location with a multi-tiered, stepped-back design that maximizes views of midtown Manhattan and the Hudson River.

Residents will have access to a full suite of lifestyle amenities, including a luxurious lobby with concierge, private screening theater, business center, elegant boardroom, a grand salon lounge with a bar and catering kitchen, on-site pet grooming, and a state-of-the-art strength and cardio fitness center. A third-floor landscaped outdoor plaza features a pool, spacious sun deck, lounges, grilling areas and a fire pit – all set against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline. A secure parking garage and bicycle and resident storage will also be available.

The iconic 11-story building features a collection of one-, two- and three-bedroom residences, as well as a limited offering of duplex Penthouses, currently priced from the $800,000s to more than $4 million. Dramatic finishes and appointments include nine-foot ceiling heights, chef’s kitchens with stainless-steel appliances, and designer spa bathrooms with porcelain countertops, European-imported stone finishes and limestone baths. Many residences offer balconies and terraces with panoramic New York City views.

Weehawken accepting early payments on 2018 property taxes

Weehawken accepting early payments on 2018 property taxes
Hudson Reporter, 28-Dec-17

Letter to Town Residents

In reaction to the recently-passed tax reform bill, which reduces deductions of property tax mortgage interest beginning in 2018, Weehawken is accepting pre-payment of 2018 property taxes this week.

The tax bill, which Trump signed into law last week, places a $10,000 deduction limit on property, state, and local income taxes starting next year. Previously, the limit was higher. Due to this change, taxpayers nationwide have inquired about paying their 2018 property taxes before the new year so they can deduct them on their tax returns due April 15, 2018.

On Dec. 27 and 28, the town's Tax Collector's Office will be open until 8 p.m. Residents can estimate their 2018 pre-payment tax based on their 2017 tax bill. If your 2018 tax bill changes due to tax rate changes or changes from the town's recent revaluation, you'll either have a credit or a balance to pay next year.

The township is not offering advice on whether property owners should pre-pay their taxes, how much to pre-pay, or possible tax impact. For more in-depth inquiries, officials recommend that property owners consult with their tax advisors and mortgage companies.

To ensure payments made by check are deposited by year's end, they must be received no later than the 28th.

Checks must include the property's block and lot number. They must also indicate that the payment is for 2018 in the note section to avoid a refund for tax over payment. In addition, all 2017 property taxes must be paid and up to date before the town can apply any 2018 pre-payment taxes. The office is also accepting in-person payments.

For more information, contact the office at (201) 319-6015. It is located within Weehawken Town Hall, located at 400 Park Ave.

Weehawken Property Reevaluation Complete

Weehawken Property Reevaluation Complete

Hudson Reporter, 10-Dec-17

By Al Sullivan

Weehawken has concluded its first revaluation of property in more than 30 years, in response to an order from the Tax Court of New Jersey. 

Each town in the state must re-assess its properties every few years so that land owners are paying property taxes in line with market values. However, the move is politically unpopular, as some owners of older properties will see their taxes rise along with their home’s value. At the same time, other people may see their taxes go down if the real estate market has slowed.

“The re-evaluation is done, and notifications will go out today,” said Mayor Richard Turner on Thursday, Dec. 7.

While a revaluation theoretically would increase the potential tax on older homes, the impact might not be as drastic as people expect. That’s because the overall value of the township’s property tax base rises, so the burden is spread out across many more properties, including new development. So that could lessen the impact on individuals.

Although some of properties -- in particular multi-family units -- still need to be configured, the numbers for individual property owners in Weehawken show that 74 percent will see either a tax reduction or their payments will remain about the same, said Turner.

Another 4 percent of property owners will face a 1 to 2 percent increase. About 19 percent of property owners will see an annual tax increase of $500 or more.

Turner said homeowners can go to the reevaluation company website for a calculation of their projected taxes for the upcoming year. 

“Don’t use the current rate and apply it to the new evaluation,” he said. “That would be wrong.”

Where to get information

Because Weehawken operates on a fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) and not a calendar year, the new valuations will go into effect starting July 1, 2018. Turner said property owners will pay the old rate for the first two quarters of calendar year 2018. 

Turner said the township has sent out two letters to property owners explaining what their options are and when the changes will take place.

The township will help people calculate their taxes, although the reevaluation company has a website where property owners can do it themselves: www.asinj.com. On the lower left of the page you click on a link on “Current Reevaluations,” then on the link for Weehawken.

You can also call the company Appraisals Systems Inc. at (201) 493-8530.

Turner said the website process can be a little intimidating, and encouraged residents to call Town Hall or the town’s financial office for assistance.

The impact of the reevaluation will also be minimized by the fact that five or six new large development projects are opening up in the next year, which will give residents even more tax relief, Turner said.

“Nearly 80 percent of the homeowners will see reduced tax, no increase or a minimal increase as result of this reevaluation,” Turner said. “Of the 19 percent that will see an increase, it is based on location of home with or without a view of Manhattan. Every one of these is unique.”

Township property owners will get a notification. Those who want to question the value can set up an appointment with the reevaluation company to discuss it. Those who still are not satisfied can file a tax appeal.

“It usually takes about two years to work through the process,” Turner said, noting that over the last four years, the township has kept taxes stable. But with the new large development projects, he predicts an additional reduction from dividend on the waterfront.

“People asked when we would feel the impact of development on the waterfront, this is it,” Turner said.

More than 85 percent of property owners cooperated with the reevaluation inspectors.

“For those who did not let them in their homes, the inspectors assessed them at a higher value,” he said. “We warned people. We had meetings on this, gone through process, explained all, and how it was not wise to not let the inspectors in.”

But even those people can have an opportunity to have inspectors return, he said.

Weehawken Township voters asked to support a $16M School Bond

Weehawken Township voters asked to support a $16M School Bond

Weehawken Reporter, 22-Jan-17

Weehawken will hold a special election on Jan 24 asking voters to support a $16M bond that will upgrade the schools heating and cooling systems as well as provide for increased security mandated by the state.

Board President Richard Barsa said the district will take advantage of a state 38.9% pay back program that will reduce the total cost to the district by about $6.5M.

This will result in about a $40-$45 increase annually on home assessed at $200,000, said Mayor Richard Turner.

But Barsa and Turner said some of this would be offset by savings as a result of improvement made to the three school buildings involved.

The district is required by the state to bring up security standards for Roosevelt School, Webster School and Weehawken High School. This will include new camera systems, new safety doors and such.

The work on the schools will do away with a current steam heating system that requires each school to heat the whole school when even one room such as the gym is in use and establish a zoned climate control system that could heat rooms individually. The utility saving as well as the estimated $70,000 in annual repairs to the stream heating could reduce the total tax impact, Barsa said.

School Superintendent Dr. Robert R. Zywicki said climate control for summer would allow the district to keep special education students in district and possibly become a host for out of town special students, reducing the $500,000 tuition tab the district currently pays to send students to schools in Bergen County.

The bond would also pay for upgrading the school district’s science labs, allowing it to continue and advance its STEM programs

Turner believes that the savings will be able to reduce the overall tax impact more than is projected. “We tend to be conservative in estimating savings,” Barsa said. Polls open at 2pm and close at 8pm.

Weehawken ordered to complete new tax map by July 2016 in reval case

Weehawken ordered to complete new tax map by July 2016 in reval case

NJ.com, 10-Dec-15

By Steve Strunsky

A state judge has ordered Weehawken to complete a new tax map by July 2016, a necessary step in what would be the township's first revaluation in 23 years, the mayor and plaintiffs in a lawsuit confirmed.

The tax map deadline order is the latest update in a suit filed last year charging that Weehawken's failure to conduct a revaluation updating assessments on older properties while assessing new ones at market value has created an unfair tax burden on waterfront property owners.

While revaluations do often tilt local tax burdens toward owners of older properties, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner has warned that values have risen so fast along the waterfront that even owners there could be in for an unwelcome surprise under a reval. 

The four named plaintiffs, who include retired New York Giants great Amani Toomer, are among 175 members of the Concerned Citizens of Weehawken, a group made up of property owners at the Bronwstones at Port Imperial, Henley on Hudson, Riva Point and Avenues waterfront developments.

RELATED: Are property taxes in Weehawken unfair? Residents in Weehawkern are fighting for a reval

"Our expert and lawyer were able to successfully challenge the arguments for not completing the revaluation," the citizens group said in a statement. "Our lawyer was able to identify to the judge that there is essentially one person working on the revaluation project and the correct resources have not been allocated to getting it completed."

"The judge informed all parties that she would be signing an order that the tax maps must be completed by July 2016," the statement added. "As part of the same order, it dictates that the appraisal company must also be hired by June 2016 such that the revaluation can be completed effective for calendar year 2017."

The judge is Mary Siobhan Brennan of New Jersey Tax Court, who had already ruled that the revaluation itself must be completed by 2017. The Tax Court administrator in Trenton, Mary Ryan, declined to comment.

Turner confirmed that Brennan imposed the tax map deadline on Tuesday.

Brennan's order followed an unusual proceeding in the case that morning, when the township sponsored a bus tour of Weehawken's residential neighborhoods and commercial districts, hoping to demonstrate the complexity of drafting a new tax map and conducting a revaluation, and the impracticality of the judge's deadlines.

For example, Turner said many condominium buildings in Weehawken are now plotted as a single property on tax maps, either because they were industrial space or apartment complexes, but they would now have to be broken down and mapped as individual properties under current state rules.

"It's very complicated," said Turner. "You have to list each condo, not just the building."

In addition, Turner said about a third of Weehawken's total area, mainly along the waterfront, had been newly developed into townhouses or condominiums where there was once vacant land.

A spokesman for the citizen's group said the township had invited the judge to take the bus tour, but she declined.

Turner, who would not say whether Brennan took the tour, said the township would do its best to comply with the deadlines. 

Weehawken's 12 Highest Assessed Properties

Weehawken's 12 Highest Assessed Properties

NJ.com, 11-Mar-15

By Kathryn Brenzel

Over the past year, Weehawken's waterfront has grown--and so has its average property tax bill. 

The average bill was $12,250 in 2014, a nearly $2,000 increase from the previous year and the highest in the county, according to data released by the state Department of Community Affairs.

Mayor Richard Turner told The Jersey Journal that the average is "skewed" by the waterfront. "If you get rid of the waterfront, we wouldn't be highest," he said.

Over the past year, a number of new large-scale projects have joined the township's waterfront--such as The Estuary--meaning that there are more, higher- assessed properties to spike the average, Turner told NJ Advance Media.  

"The average tax bill is meaningless to the average homeowner," he said. "We have a booming waterfront, so it skews all the numbers."

A majority of the highest assessed properties are located along the Hudson River, according to the township tax assessor's office. The top two assessed properties are 1000 and 1200 Harbor Boulevard, massive 10-story office buildings at Lincoln Harbor.

The buildings--whose central tenant is banking giant UBS --are owned by Hartz Mountain Group, which started buying up property along the waterfront in 1985, said Allen Magrini, senior vice president of land use and development at Hartz. He said the waterfront has dramatically changed in the last 25 years, transforming from a train terminal to a destination that is accessible by ferry, light rail, bus and car. He said Hartz's two office buildings are largely responsible for the change.  

"They were the anchors. They allowed us to bring a lot of the infrastructure that wasn't there," he said. "Those buildings were really the catalysts."

NJ Advance Media obtained a list of the highest assessed properties in Weehawken through an Open Public Records request to the township tax assessor's office. Here are the top 12, rounded to the nearest decimal:  

1. 1000 Harbor Boulevard:$80.5 million1000 and 1200 Harbor Boulevard are two 10-story office buildings in Lincoln Harbor. These blue glass buildings, owned by Hartz Mountain Group, are home to several different restaurants and businesses, including UBS.  

2. 1200 Harbor Boulevard: $53.8 million 

3. 300 Boulevard East: $49.3 millionThe office building overlooks the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, and has multiple tenants. The building functions as a data center and telecommunication facility.

4. RiversEdge, 1500 Avenue: $35.6 million This 236-unit luxury apartment building opened in 2009. It is one of several of Mack-Cali Roseland's projects at Port Imperial. The developer just opened another building nearby, RiverParc. 

5.The Estuary, 1600 Harbor Boulevard B: $27 millionDevelopers Roseland and Hartz Mountain opened the first of its three buildings in April 2014. Building B was the second phase of the luxury apartment complex. 

6. 1919 Park Avenue: $23.9 millionThis office building is located next to 300 Boulevard East, and is home to a number of businesses, including CenturyLink. 

7. Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel, 500 Harbor Boulevard: $22.4 millionThe Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel is located along the waterfront, just steps from the ferry and a light rail station.    

8. The Estuary, 1600 Harbor Boulevard building A: $22.3 million

9. The Estuary, 1600 Harbor Boulevard building C: $21.9 million

10. The Avenue Collection, 700 Avenue at Port Imperial: $18.1 millionThis is the future sight of the third building to be constructed as part of the waterfront condominium community, The Avenue Collection. In July 2014, developer Lennar opened the first of its planned five buildings at Port Imperial. Condos in the seven-story, 74-unit condominium building, 1000 Avenue, range from $1.1 million to $3.9 million, according to the community's website. The second building, 1200 Avenue, is already under construction. 

11. 1500 Harbor Boulevard: $11.8 millionLocated at Lincoln Harbor marina, the office building is home to the Lincoln Harbor Yacht Club. 

12. Tower Plaza, 4100-4106 Park Avenue: $8 millionThis shopping center lies in the shadow of the iconic water tower and includes a Pathmark, an A&P, a Supercuts and several other businesses.

Weehawken has highest property taxes in Hudson County

Weehawken has highest property taxes in Hudson County

The Jersey Journal, 6-Feb-15

By Terrence T. McDonald

Weehawken homeowners had the highest property taxes in Hudson County last year, according to figures released this week by the state.

The average 2014 tax bill in Weehawken was $12,250. That's $2,064 higher than the next highest, in Harrison, and $5,542 higher than the lowest bill, in West New York. Weehawken's average bill shot up $1,673 from 2013.

The figures were released by the state Department of Community Affairs. Statewide, the highest average property taxes last year were in Camden County's Tavistock, at $25,346, followed by Millburn, in Essex County, at $21,607.

Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said the city's tony waterfront inflates the average tax bill. "It's skewed," Turner told The Jersey Journal. "If you get rid of the waterfront, we wouldn't be highest."

He added: "There are a lot of things you like to be first in. This isn't one of them."

After Weehawken and Harrison, the highest tax bills in Hudson County were in Kearny ($9,524), Bayonne ($9,394) and Guttenberg ($8,894).

Hoboken had the highest average residential property value by far, at $522,107. The next highest on the list is Weehawken ($261,074), Guttenberg ($251,245) and Secaucus ($169,814).

East Newark is bottom on that list, at $76,457, while Jersey City, which has the county's highest population, was next to last, at $91,459. Jersey City hasn't had a citywide revaluation since 1988.