HOW WE LIVE

By Tara Ryazansky Photos by Max Ryazansky

Skye Lofts South

Usually downsizing is, well, a step down, but when Barbara and Lee Vargas gave up their Bayonne home for a new apartment at Skye Lofts South last December, they considered it a step up.

The couple are lifelong residents of Bayonne who got together in high school. “We were homeowners here in Bayonne for 20 years,” Lee says. In that house they raised a daughter who is currently at Penn State and a son who now has a young son of his own. “Life has different phases and stages,” Lee says. “We just didn’t need a house anymore. We’re empty nesters. I remember this one time, while we were still at the house. Usually when you’re in a house full of people you have that background noise. Everybody was gone, and Barbara and I sat there, and it was like dead silence. It was weird.”

“I did not like that,” Barbara says.

40 • BLP ~ SPRING 2020 What she did like were the changes that she had been noticing in Bayonne. Barbara works for National Construction Rentals, where she facilitates rentals of the temporary fencing that secures construction sites, so when a new building goes up, she’s usually one of the fi rst to know. “Jimmy Davis is doing a wonderful job letting all of the development go on,” Barbara says. “It should have happened a long time ago.”

The couple are well aware that a lot of Bayonnites aren’t as thrilled as they are with the abundance of development.

“You’ll get some people who are longtime Bayonne residents who live in a box, who don’t tend to like change,” Lee says. “The problem is that if you don’t change with the times you get left behind. What’s happening here now should have happened 20 years ago when Hoboken was being developed. Bayonne’s the last community to start developing. People in Bayonne see what’s going on, and it’s hard for them to adjust because everything’s going up at one time.”

“You get people who are in a bubble, but then you get people like us who are like, ‘Keep going, keep going’,” Barbara says. “People who I speak with in Bayonne, when I mention where I live, the question that they have is, ‘Is it affordable?’ Yeah it is.”

The Joy of Renting

As former homeowners, they know that when taxes, maintenance, and repairs are factored in along with mortgage payments, they’re getting a steal now. They don’t have to shovel snow, fi x the water heater, or worry about home security. Their packages are safely locked away with the virtual doorman, and there’s a gym on site.

When the Vargases decided to move, they toured many of the new buildings in town. There were a few reasons that Skye Lofts South stood out. They thought that the spacious units were beautiful.

They were attracted to the fact that the building developer, Mitch Burakovsky, is local. “Mitch and his family know Bayonne,” Lee says. “He’s a fi xed person in the community. To me that says a lot.”

Plus, the location was ideal. “This building is almost dead smack in the middle of Bayonne,” Barbara says. It’s minutes from her job. It’s close to their favorite restaurants. It’s steps from the 22nd Street Light Rail station. “What I really love is we go to the city a lot, and I jump on the light rail. It’s just right there.”

The light rail station is perfectly positioned for people watching from their balconies. In the distance, the Freedom Tower is visible. The large glass doors leading out provide great light in the apartment along with the views. As the weather warms up, it could become a favorite feature of the space.

But for now, Lee, who is semi-retired, likes the kitchen most. “Lee loves to cook,” Barbara says. “He went to culinary school. We’re always entertaining.”

The open fl oor plan is perfect for parties and get-togethers. Lee isn’t hidden away while preparing the food. Instead, the neutral

grey kitchen with tons of storage and a gas range is the focal point of the home.

The couple has decorated the space with an eclectic style. Old, family heirlooms mix well with modern furnishings and art that they’ve collected during their travels. The colorful artwork over their couch is from New Orleans. Barbara, who plays the sax, was attracted to the jazzy pieces. Next to the couch is a cabinet with mother-of-pearl details that belonged to Lee’s grandmother. It once held her sheet music. Now it’s a place to hide odds and ends like takeout menus.

“Our thing is you have to support local business,” Lee says. “If you don’t, the town doesn’t move forward.” They’re happy to give their new neighbors recommendations, sending them to Boun Appetito for the best peach sangria in town or to Benanti’s for a great sandwich. Barbara and Lee have quickly fi t in amid their diverse fellow tenants. They’ve met young professionals and new families, but so far, they’re the only Bayonne lifers. “Most people in this building are new to Bayonne,” Lee says. “We’ve met a person from Denver, a person from London. Bayonne is a diverse city. That’s the way it’s always been.”

They see Skye Lofts as a diverse little community within the larger one.

“Lee’s like the mayor,” Barbara laughs.—BLP