Newark Ave. on agenda,
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
but walkway out of plan
The paseo appears to be passé - or perhaps, kaput.
Jersey City City Council members indicated Monday they are prepared to introduce a redevelopment plan for the eastern end of Newark Avenue at tonight's council meeting - minus a proposed walkway, or paseo as city planners called it, between Christopher Columbus Drive and Newark Avenue.
The cost and headache of seizing the burned-out lot at 141 Newark Ave. to put in the amenity just wasn't worth it, council members said.
Besides, the owners - Larry Perlaki and Paul Del Forno - told council members Monday they are prepared to build a six-story building, with 10 residential units and a bar and restaurant on the ground floor.
The owners first raised a ruckus about plans to take their land at a council meeting two weeks ago. Several City Council members said it was the first time they became aware the redevelopment plan included taking someone's property through eminent domain. An old three-story building on the property burned to the ground last October.
The overall plan takes in two square blocks along Newark and Christopher Columbus Drive between Grove Street and Jersey Avenue. The goal is to spark retail and commercial development in the area. The paseo would have cut through the block between Grove and Barrow streets.
Tonight's meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., at Middle School 4, 107 Bright St.
KEN THORBOURNE
Personally, Im glad they nixed the paseo which wouldve been pointless. as for the one way traffic, I think it actually would be a good idea, if only for a few blocks, like heading west from grove up until maybe jersey ave or so. With one way traffic, there would be enough room to widen the sidewalks (which are pretty narrow in comparison to every other retail strip Ive ever been on). this would allow more trees and area to have tables and chairs outside of restaurants.
The argument about car traffic is a meaningless one because even if people do drive south down newark, they have no where to park on that side of the street anyways. at least if the street was one way, people could park on both sides of the street which would allow even more drivers to pass by and stop in front of a store.
In the end, I dont mind if only a few blocks at a time get the treatment they need, as long as the improvements do eventually spread down the entire street. Newark is the ONLY continuous retail strip in the entire city close to public transit (which is why Central Ave in the Heights doesnt apply). It has potential to be a great place, such as the 4 blocks of Grove Street that cap off the Eastern part of Newark Ave.
2 comments:
Just found your blog online -- do you know what the deal is with tearing up the streets last night from midnight until about four in the morning? I can't believe that's legal, but the jackhammering bastards just went at it like there was no tomorrow. It was in the Grove Street/Grand Street area.
I actually like the Paseo concept, but not in its current form. It should be twice as wide and should be part of a large scale redevelopment of the south side of Newark Ave.
Most of the current businesses are not really viable, and probably won't survive more than another few years. The opportunity is there for a developer to assemble 4 or 5 adjacent properties east of the vacant lot, buy out the leases of the 4 remaining businesses (the Thai Restaurant, the Pharmacy, the Nail Salon and the Mexican take out place), demolish the mostly 1 story taxpayers and build an 8-10 story building set back at the 5 floor to maintain a nice low rise scale, and have ground floor retail that is a mix of useful goods and services and some restaurants. The new building could have a couple of restaurants facing the Paseo with outdoor cafes to activate that pedestrian street, and to activate Columbus Ave. as well with retail entrances on that street. It will probably be difficult for a developer to acquire all 5 properties, but it really is in the best interest of Newark Ave. for that to happen. The street needs more residential density to make the ground floor businesses more viable. I hope City Planners are thinking along those lines. If not, they are totally incompetent. The same should happen west of the "Paseo", assemble 5 or 6 buildings, buy out the leases of the commercial tenants, tear down the ugly buildings that have no distinctive archetectural features, and build a similar sized building, ideally widening the paseo and adding more restaurants with outdoor cafes facing onto it. Newark Ave. has real potential as a destination street, but it is being squandered on marginal stores that underutilize the existing zoning. Thankfully, the people who are proposing to build the 10 unit building on the vacant lot will never be able to get financing, and their bogus scheme will not happen. Tear down and build new on the south size of Newark Ave.... make Newark Ave. a destination!!!
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