Live Large—And Green!—In Hoboken

In Hoboken you can live in a seventh-floor penthouse with a jacuzzi, have a panoramic view of the Manhattan and Jersey City skylines, but still be environmentally friendly.

The Garden Street Lofts, a 30-unit building at 1425 Garden Street, has been designated a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified Gold Building by the U.S. Green Building Council. The building is the first high-rise residential building in the state of New Jersey to be LEED certified. 

"This should be a boilerplate for all of us," said County Executive Thomas DeGise, who attended the certification Tuesday morning. "This is the type of development we most welcome here."

The real fun started when Larry Bijou, head of Bijou Properties, the developer of the building, took those attending the certification ceremony upstairs to show an apartment, the $2.3 million penthouse and the building's rooftop. 

"This is a nice place to come up, read a book and smoke a cigar," said DeGise, while looking over the impressive view from the roof. 

This development shows the drastic transformation Hoboken's uptown area has been through. 

County Freeholder Anthony Romano said he remembers what the area used to be like, when he was a kid growing up in Hoboken and the Garden Lofts building was a desiccated coconut factory. 

"The whole area has not just become beautiful, but also environmentally friendly," said Romano, who is also a captain in the Hoboken Police Department. Romano added that the new developments in the area also improve safety. 

"This was a poor area," Romano added. 

That's hard to imagine upon entering the 2,350 square foot two-story penthouse, which has a built in jacuzzi on its deck. 

DeGise said that these types of environmentally friendly developments create jobs and services in a responsible green way.  "This is the way to go," he said. 

Director of Community Development Brandy Forbes said the mayor wants to promote green buildings, just like this one. 

In total there are 70 LEED certified buildings in New Jersey and 600 registered buildings, said Florence Block, executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the Green Building Council. 

There are still eight apartments (including the penthouse) available, ranging in price between $999,000 and $2.3 million.