Safety in Estate Golden Rock

There are times that it is not safe to go into the water there due to sewage breaks. They will report it in the paper, but that could be a little late.
Just a tip, Baby Ruth's don't float. It seems that is where that if there is a problem it will be in that area.
There have been a rash of crime on the people in that area from time to time. Have you been there? It is very near low income housing. Some people on this board live there and seem to like it. I didn't like the atmosphere in the area. The condo units seem to be nice. I know that Colony Cove doesn't have security parking. But don't know if that is a problem.
There was a period a while back that people along the more isolated parts of that beach were being robbed. Don't know if that is still a problem, the Daily News hasn't mentioned it lately.

The Mill Harbor, Colony Cove, Sugar Beach strip there is very nice and enclosed..BUT across the street you have Harbor View, around the corner is LBJ, and up the road a bit is JFK Projects....I have no problems with those places but then again I grew up here...just be aware it won't be a cool place to go for a late night walk for most folks...but across the street on the strip is really a nice place...good restaurants too........Chris

Oh and up the street from LBJ Projects is WAPA.

We were in the condos in that area for two months. My husband and I really didn't like it. While we were there, there was a shooting at the Mill Harbor restaurant (Smuggler's) - self defense against a disgruntled dishwasher who was killed, a shooting at the Harbor View projects in which someone died, and Breezez, the restaurant by Sugar Beach, was robbed at gunpoint at 3 PM on a weekday. I'm sure there were other crimes as well, and I was very uncomfortable in the area.

I had been very insistent upon living at the beach, but I ended up never going swimming in the water. We met many people who did, and seemed none the worse for it, but others told us stories of getting rashes and sewage or WAPA contamination. The beaches are also covered in seaweed. I know that some of the condos are making a big effort at renovations and this might help significantly. But we were really glad to leave the area. It also seemed to be the worst place on the island for mosquitoes, but I could be exaggerating.

Good luck with your search. You might find a great deal on that condo strip, but absolutely do not buy it until you visit. I think if I had had a unit with a spectacular ocean/Buck Island view it might have made a difference, but who knows. Just my two cents.

There are so many other nice beaches on the islands why swim there..other than convenience, because you live there.I wouldn't.
But I agree with "newarrival" if you're renting cool..if you're buying check it out first because you may not like what's across the street and around the corner....oh and up the road.

We lived at Colony Cove for the first year we were here. It was great fun to visit with the snowbirds and also with the folks temporarily living at Hovensa. I swam in the pool every day and would sometimes go out into the ocean---and I survived just fine! The gardens were beautiful and the staff were great. We DID hear gun fire frequently at night from across the street, but we never had a break in nor did we feel unsafe where we were. We did not walk on the street at night as a habit, but the few times it was necessary, we had no trouble.
There has been a spate of crime in the area recently (see posts above) but most likely it will not be directed at you. Mill Harbor is now gated and Colony cove is thinking about it. I suspect the crime is due to a group of perhaps no more than 5 individuals involved in robberies. The shootings are what you would expect from tenement housing. (Lots of drugs and alcohol, close living, high tension)
All in All, our stay there was really fun and was a great base from which to explore the island

Great information friends, thanks. Does anyone know of any of the residents of these condos being accosted while at the units?

There has been 4 security incidents in the last year at Colony Cove;
2 car break ins
1 Domestic incident
victim of an assault at Smugglers Cove Restaurant sought refuge from attacker.

The complex has since been gated and has security from 6PM to 7 AM and the beach is patrol ed by a security guard and a dog. Several surveillance cameras are located through out the complex and the guards make regular rounds using a Detex system.

As a current resident in the aformentioned area (two years now) I have experienced no direct contact with any of the reported incidents. Once in a while I hear shots in the distance, once in a great while I hear some commotion, nothing that I've felt uncomfortable having my four year old living in. I regularly walk the property alone day and night (usually talking on the phone) and have had no cause for personal concern.

Jeff

Mill Harbor and Colony Cove both now have gated parking lots. The gates are left open at times, but there are also roving security guards. It is commonly reported by residents of condo row that they leased there because they wanted something with direct beach access and then found they didn't use the beach at the site and drove to a favorite beach instead. There are many happy residents at the complex and others don't find it to be a good fit. Each person's needs are different.

In addition to Condo Row, you might consider going a few miles further west to St. C's as it gives you more distance from the low income housing projects and the higher incidence of crimes that are reported there. This still puts you in a waterfront complex with great views and breeze, just without a beach right at the site. The rental rates are usually lower at St. C's than on condo row, too. It is a gated community.