One Hudson Park:
Feng Shui-Correct Development

From: Multi Housing News, October 2004

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Edgewater, NJ. A residential builder is applying the art of placement to the art of selling. New-York-based Tarragon Corp. brought in Alex Stark, a feng shui expert, to help lay out and design a 168-condominium project it is building in Edgewater, N.J., in an attempt to appeal to the area's growing Asian population.

"With the population Tarragon is trying to court, using feng shui is an advantage," says Mr. Stark. "It's like throwing in an extra half bathroom."

In addition to creating an environment that would promote good health and prosperity for its residents, Mr. Stark says he also had "to make sure that Tarragon makes a profit" and that "the town itself would have a nice experience with the development."

For instance, Mr. Stark designed a pond that is visible from the development's front door because a view of water from the entrance of a building enhances prosperity, promotes health and good luck. But the pond also serves as a place to dump rainwater, "which is a requirement of the city," he says.

On the inside of the building, to foster good health, bathrooms and bedrooms had to be situated to ensure that the head of a bed will not rest against the wall shared with a bathroom's plumbing. Mr. Stark also made sure that each of the rooms in each of the units had walls at right angles. "People who live in non-rectangular spaces face unfortunate events," he says. The cost of "squaring" the rooms was $250.000, he estimates, since the building has a trapezoidal shape.