Newark: Real Estate, Development, News, & Politics [Archive] - Page 3

scrollhectic

August 20th, 2008, 05:17 PM

Newark Screens, once hailed as a savior in Central Ward, is losing money

Wednesday, August 20, 2008 BY KATIE WANG

Star-Ledger Staff

When Newark officials opened the doors to a six-screen cinema on Springfield Avenue in 1993, they touted it as the first family-oriented theater to operate in the city in 30 years.

Other signs of promise eventually followed in the form of a Home Depot store and an Applebee's restaurant.
http://ads.nj.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.ads/www.nj.com/xml/story/star_ledger/ne/nex/@StoryAd?x
But Newark Screens, which was supposed to be the springboard for redevelopment on Springfield Avenue, is struggling to stay afloat and could eventually close.

The city of Newark, which owns the 4-acre property that the cinema sits on, plans to issue a request for proposals this fall to redevelop that plot of land and adjacent properties, said Stefan Pryor, the deputy mayor of economic and housing development.

A new development could include a theater or it could eliminate the theater altogether, dealing a blow to the city's Central Ward.

"That's going to be detrimental," said Rashid Salaam, the owner of Nubian Flavor, a restaurant on Springfield Avenue near the theater. "That movie theater brings a lot more business than people think it does. It keeps a lot of children off the street. Every time I turn around, there are a lot of school buses at the theater."

Salaam, a regular patron of the theater, said the multiplex brought a lot of business his way. The theater shows first-run movies when they are released and is a popular destination for local residents.

In 2006, it recorded $864,564 in ticket sales and $621,095 in concession sales.

"I don't see why that movie theater isn't thriving," he said. "It is run professionally."

Pryor said some developers have already expressed an interest in keeping the building open as a theater. Other retail development is also in the works for Springfield Avenue. He said Mayor Cory Booker is exploring options to keep the theater open while the city reviews proposals from developers.

"Newark will have a movie theater," Pryor said. "Whether investors will decide to remake this particular site into an even greater movie complex or whether a new theater emerges in one of our key nodes of development."

The possible end of Newark Screens, however, would be considered a sad ending for a theater that was built with strong community backing. The idea for the theater originated in 1988, when residents asked whether it would be possible to build a theater in the Central Ward, near the epicenter of the 1967 riots that ravaged the Springfield Avenue corridor.

In 1990, a partnership between the city, private entities such as Prudential Insurance Co., the Amelior Foundation and Loews teamed up to raise $5 million to build the theater. They formed a nonprofit group called Urban Movie Corp. to operate the theater along with Loews. The theater opened three years later.

Since then, though, it has struggled physically and financially. The roof leaked, dropping water onto seats, which needed to be replaced. Other, larger theaters with plush stadium seating and other amenities began to crop up, offering stiff competition to the smaller theater.

Jermaine Johnson, the manager of the Applebee's restaurant across the street, said the theater needed to be spruced up. Johnson offers special ticket promotions with the theater.

"I would like them to bring it up to date," he said. "It's an ideal spot for a theater. There are so many people around here who are dying for someplace nice to go."

Pryor said the theater's location also may have hurt it. "The location is not perfect from a regional perspective," Pryor said. "Ideally the theater would be closer to highway entrances and exits."

Since its inception, the theater has operated with a deficit nearly every year, according to its tax returns. According to its 2006 returns, Community Movie Corp., a nonprofit group that now runs the theater, recorded a $259,660 deficit.

In 2005 it lost $503,108, and in 2004, tax returns show, it ran a $280,932 deficit.

"We are faced with competitive pressures from other movie theaters that have sprouted up," said Richard Miller, chairman of the board for Community Movie Corp. "We've lost some housing around us, but notwithstanding that, we still provide a very valuable service to the community, and we do it at a highly competitive price."

Asked if the theater could have done something differently to survive, Miller replied, "I don't know what else we could've done. We provided a competitive product."

The theater, he said, was built at a time when no one else wanted to come to Newark to build one.

"No one wanted to step up and do it on a for-profit basis," Miller said. "So Ray Chambers and other benefactors put together the funding to create a movie theater to provide an essential service."

scrollhectic

August 21st, 2008, 06:16 PM

Posted by Mark Di Ionno/The Star-Ledger (http://blog.nj.com/njv_mark_diionno/about.html) August 12, 2008 9:01PM

Denise Colon's "dollar and a dream" wasn't about spending good money for scratch-off dust or daily numbers that always seem to just miss.

Her dream was 10 years in the making, and her dollar was just a way to get her foot in the door. Her dream will only come true with hard, dirty work, the kind only dreamers take on.

Colon bought one of Newark's forgotten mansions last year for a buck.
The mansion, at 176 Clinton Ave., is 32 rooms of former Victorian grandeur done in by 50 years of gradual neglect. It is five stories and 32,225 square feet of both enormous potential and challenge.

Pieces of slate are missing from the gabled roof. Parts of the masonry exterior are chipping off. Bricks on the five towering chimneys need to be repointed, as do some of the large brownstone building blocks on the front porch and facade. Inside, plaster is off the lathe in many places, and pipes are exposed in walls and ceilings.

None of it bothers Colon. "This house is sound, man," she said. "The floors are all straight, and the stairs don't even creak. "See, I'm a hardworking girl who comes from a hardworking family. The Colemans of Jersey City. My parents owned a fish market. Then they bought a few others. They also had a TV store."

So now, this Coleman of Jersey City, a grandmother who owns a tax-preparation business and also works as a heavy-equipment operator, is about to renovate a mansion built on property once owned by the Frelinghuysens of Newark.

City records show the land was once owned by a Frederick Frelinghuysen, although it's not clear which. It may have been Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (1817-1885), the two-time U.S. senator and secretary of state under President Chester A. Arthur, or his son Frederick (1848-1924), who was president of Howard Savings, then Mutual Benefit.

Either way, the property was bought by German brewer Franz J. Kastner, who built a mansion worthy of his brewer neighbors, Christian Feigenspan and Gottfried Krueger, whose homes still exist on Martin Luther King Boulevard, formerly High Street. Kastner's home, near the corner of Clinton and MLK, was part of a Newark millionaire mile that stretched from Lincoln Park to well up High Street.

From the 1870s to the 1910s, Newark was a city of unimaginable private and public wealth. There were mansion districts at Military Park, Washington Park and Lincoln Park downtown, and Forest Hill on the outskirts. The great churches and temples were built in those years, as were City Hall and the Essex County Historic Courthouse, both considered Beaux Arts masterpieces. The Kastner mansion fit right in.

Then, as the city receded, the mansion receded with it. One of Kastner's sons took it over, then sold it to the National Casket Co. The company built a warehouse-like extension out back, and when the Elks took over, the extension was used as their meeting hall. As the Elks, too, receded, dilapidation set in. The mansion became a sad curiosity. Curiosity is what made Colon stop in about 10 years ago.

"My office was right up the street, and I would pass it and get these vibes," she said. "I love old buildings because of the vintage quality. So one day the door was open, and I went in."

Over the next decade, she talked to the remaining Elks numerous times about the future of the building. She was mostly interested in leasing a portion of it for her offices. But as the years went by, the building suffered, and the Elks decided to sell to Colon for a nominal fee, provided they could still use the place.

"Some wanted to sell and some didn't," she said. "Some of them are mad that they sold it to me, but part of the deal is when I fix it and make it safe, they can come back. I want them to come back."

Now comes the hard part. The actual fixing. Colon's first idea is to set up a nonprofit building trades program in the house, and she had Ed Chiles of the Hudson County Contractors Training Corp. touring the house the other day.

She also wants to eventually house a "a safe haven" for pregnant girls, with prenatal clinics and motherhood training, and bring in other community-help programs.

"There's plenty of room for everybody," she said. "I own this place but I'll never live in it. A place like this should do some good in the community."

66nexus

August 23rd, 2008, 11:41 AM

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/nytlogo153x23.gif (http://www.nytimes.com/)

In the Region | New Jersey
Selling Cities Despite Bad Images

By ANTOINETTE MARTIN
Published: August 22, 2008

PLACES like Newark, Trenton and even parts of Jersey City still carry the weight of reputations that soured long ago and never really recovered. Through boom times and bust and housing market highs and lows, and even as developers began seeing potential in urban locales as commuter hubs, the rap on such cities as less-than-savory places to live defied erasure, like graffiti in a hard-to-reach spot.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/08/24/realestate/24njzo-190.jpg (http://javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/08/24/realestate/24njzo.1.ready.html', '24njzo_1_ready', 'width=720,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,r esizable=yes'))Nadav Neuhaus for The New York Times
PERSUASION Creators of Eleven80, a luxury rental in Newark, worked against the odds and softened Newark’s hard edges in getting 85 percent of the building’s units rented in a year.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/08/22/realestate/24njzo.1-190.jpg (http://javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/08/22/realestate/24njzo.2.ready.html', '24njzo_2_ready', 'width=403,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,r esizable=yes'))Nadav Neuhaus for The New York Times

“People get ingrained perceptions,” said Arthur Stern, whose Cogswell Realty Group created housing in Newark last year, overcoming fierce skepticism from many — including his project’s financiers. The result was the first upscale residential development to open downtown since the riots of 1968.
“We realized at the start” of developing the rental tower, Eleven80, at 1180 Raymond Boulevard, “that there was a large percentage of the population that wouldn’t consider Newark, no matter what,” he said. “The trick for us was to try to figure out how to get through that.”
They got through it by using every stigma-fading technique they could think of. One was to put cheery pro-Newark ads on thousands of coffee cup sleeves for commuters between the Pennsylvania Stations in Manhattan (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/?inline=nyt-geo) and Newark; another was to install $800,000 worth of safety-enhancing new lighting on the exterior of Eleven80, a converted Art Deco office structure.

The efforts seem to have paid off: 85 percent of the units, which rent for $1,650 to $3,895, were leased during the first year.
About 80 percent of the tenants work in Manhattan, Mr. Stern said. And 35 percent are single women — which the developer called a strong showing from “a group that might have been expected to be wary.” He quickly added that the battle against negative perceptions was continuing. Cogswell proposes to create 3,500 more apartments in Newark, starting with 300 more rentals and 300 condominiums in the Hahne Griffith building downtown, and he said his company would have to keep searching for new ways to “sell Newark, right along with our projects.”

In Trenton, Michael Goldstein of HHG Development Associates labors at the same two-pronged task, by means of his Hidden Trenton Web site. Mr. Goldstein established hiddentrenton.com (http://hiddentrenton.com/) in 2006, just as he and partners were proposing a renovation project in the Ferry District, one of the city’s more-or-less-defunct neighborhoods.
Writing virtually all the material himself, Mr. Goldstein, a former technology company executive, posts items about Trenton’s restaurants, recreation and ambience. (Representative headlines from the site include “Divine Guatemalan Dive” and “North Trenton Brewskis.”)
“I doubt that the Web site draws people to Trenton to look at our apartments,” Mr. Goldstein said, adding, “Typically the scenario goes like this: people are looking for a certain type of house — usually a loft — with a price point in mind, and they have discovered they can’t get it anywhere else. The Web site becomes very important when they are trying to decide, ‘Can I really live in Trenton?’ ”
The city has no Starbucks or strip malls, he added, and the bistros are few and far between.
“It’s a gritty, postindustrial area, not Park Slope,” he added. “But if people look on the Web site, they tend to understand, ‘If I look, there are amazing things, at amazingly cheap prices, here.’ ”
HHG is marketing 18 condos that it created out of a rehabilitated Victorian factory building, backed by a federal development subsidy, at prices ranging from $129,000 to $289,000 for spacious one- and two-bedroom units.
Lunch is nearly as much of a bargain, according to Hidden Trenton: $7.50, tops, for good Spanish, Indian or deli food.
“Because Trenton gets such a bad rap,” Mr. Goldstein said, “even 90 percent of the people living in Mercer County will drive to Princeton or New Brunswick for food they could find cheaper and better here.”

Union City, whose reputation is not as poor as those of some other older cities, is virgin territory for big developers enticed by its location. Last spring, brokers there introduced the Thread Building, billed as the city’s first “luxury” high-rise ever, at a party at the Park Avenue Bar and Grill. The idea was to reveal to those who might know nothing about Union City — except for an overall impression of its being poor and shabby — that there were “cool places to go, hang out, and shop,” said Kelly Marzullo, the lead broker for the Thread.
“You have to draw people in, get them to ‘taste the taste,’ you might say, so they can understand what Union City is,” she said. “People don’t know about the historic buildings here, the charming scale and interesting people, and the incredibly short commute into Manhattan.”

In Jersey City, whose waterfront area already has upscale housing, the push is on to do the same inland, and developers of the huge Canco Lofts project are trying to clean up their neighborhood’s image — literally. Canco is being created at the former American Can Company site, which long moldered, empty and abandoned, underneath the highway overpasses southeast of Journal Square.
“There’s a nice little blue-collar neighborhood already here,” said Marco Tartaglia, director of sales for Canco, “a great Indian restaurant, a fabulous bakery, and little convenience shops along the way to Journal Square and the PATH station — but the factory property was neglected, and there is still a lot of graffiti on the streets around it, and litter.”
The Canco developer, Coalco New York, has “deputized” employees as graffiti removers, Mr. Tartaglia said. “We also fixed up the beat-up basketball court on St. Paul’s Avenue,” he added. “These are things that matter to people when they come to a neighborhood and look it over. Whatever they’ve heard, or might remember about the area in its darker days, we want them to get a picture in their minds about its best side now.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/realestate/24njzo.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin taken from nytimes

kevin

August 28th, 2008, 05:37 PM

All you look at is the Waterfront. It is not taken over by New York, what the hell you think this is an occupation get real will ya. Jersey City hsa a lot of old timers and SOME established neighborhoods that never got as bad as the neighborhoods of Newark. Yes we owe alot of our success to our proximity to New York, but so what. If people are that ignorant and stupid to think that they are NY and not in JC, thats their problem. The fact of the matter is JC is doing well and Liberty State Park is ours and we are having the All Points West Festival there that will draw 50,000 over the course of the 3 days with major headlining bands and a lot of the visitors are staying in JC. Also new development is being built throughtout our city and the money is finally going out to other parts of the city. Newark is now where JC was 15 years ago. Don't hate the player hate the game!!

What established neighborhoods does JC have that you're referring to? I've got a friend who lives a few blocks from Journal Square. He told me about the homeless guy that lives in his car. He's never met him, but the smell he left on the driver's seat was plenty introduction.

I also enjoy the drive from Newark to Grove Street, down Communipaw. It's quite a lovely street. I love how all of the businesses on that street have the Banker's mentality - going so far as to install bulletproof glass.

If you're going to compare Newark to JC and tell us that Newark is 15 years behind JC, you're dreaming. Newark has its problems, sure, but right now we're comparing the financial/business district of Newark to the waterfront of JC. We should talk about the Ironbound - the wonderful restaurants (and how new ones are springing up in that area all the time). Or, we could discuss the latin section of Newark in Forest Hill. My wife and I, particularly, like this one Guatemalan restaurant.

I do lament the lack of Indian restaurants in Newark. I know JC has an Indian section near Journal Square, though I wonder how many non-Indian JC residents actually take advantage of it.

We can thump our chests and have peeing contests. Hey, Newark has a greater population and its own hockey team! We've got an airport and a major train station! Who honestly cares? I own a Hudson Deck, I enjoy eating at the restaurants in JC (though the fact that they charge the same for alcohol there as they do in Manhattan kind of defeats the purpose).

If you want to figure out why Newark is losing businesses, notice where the businesses are leaving. The bulk of them are leaving Cogswell owned properties. I've long speculated that there are two groups of Cogswell buildings - one section is the buildings across from Military Park, and the other are the established buildings near Market Street (744 Broad). Rumor has it that Cogswell is not leasing the empty buildings near Military Park because those buildings are slated to be demolished to make way for the new condo/apartments they plan to build.

The other argument is that the buildings that Cogswell has already established, namely 744, Cogswell has no interest in lowering the rent of the buildings. In fact, they're most likely maintaining rents at or above Newark's common rental rates.

I'm not 100% certain that this is the case, but I've a feeling that Cogswell is protecting its interests.

JCMAN320

August 30th, 2008, 03:21 AM

Umm how about the Heights, Westside where I live not far from NJCU is an estbalished row house neighborhood that was built as starter homes after WWII, the area around Lincoln Park, etc... I mean don't excuse ignorance and use that as saying well I didn't know. Using your friend living in JSQ is a poor example. JSQ was hit hard but is coming back. The fact that you just you just focus on Communipaw Ave, which needs to be rezoned, but as an easy target. You fail to check out all the neighborhoods of JC, which many are great and have established middle and working class neighborhoods, you look to pick out the easy targets. You mention the restaurants opening up in the Ironbound and fail to check out the ones opening in the Heights, or Downtown. Actually Kevin about Little India, I lifeguard near there in condo apartments, and many non-Indians take use of them and rave about them. There also Coloumbian, Irish, Italian, Polish, Domenican, Puerto Rican, Thai, etc.. type of restuarants. I live here and born and raised here, I'm not some yuppy who fell off the PATH here or some hipster looking for the next cheap place or next hot spot, I know this city inside and out. I'll even leave you my number because I rather have a verbal debate then do it through here. PM me!

kevin

September 4th, 2008, 04:54 PM

The fact that you just you just focus on Communipaw Ave, which needs to be rezoned, but as an easy target. You fail to check out all the neighborhoods of JC, which many are great and have established middle and working class neighborhoods, you look to pick out the easy targets. You mention the restaurants opening up in the Ironbound and fail to check out the ones opening in the Heights, or Downtown. Actually Kevin about Little India, I lifeguard near there in condo apartments, and many non-Indians take use of them and rave about them. There also Coloumbian, Irish, Italian, Polish, Domenican, Puerto Rican, Thai, etc.. type of restuarants. I live here and born and raised here, I'm not some yuppy who fell off the PATH here or some hipster looking for the next cheap place or next hot spot, I know this city inside and out. I'll even leave you my number because I rather have a verbal debate then do it through here. PM me!

The irony of your response is that I was trying to point out why we shouldn't compare JC to Newark, because both have redeeming qualities. The message I was responding to only talked about Newark's negative aspects (we're losing a starbucks, etc.) and that JC was miles ahead of Newark. I was merely pointing out that JC does, in fact, have its share of bad neighborhoods, and that Newark does, in fact, have its share of good spots. I won't profess to know Newark inside out, I've only lived here 4 or 5 years. But I also don't think a debate is necessary. I'll be the first one to tell everyone how cosmopolitan JC is, how I wish Newark had neighborhoods like JC, or the variety of pubs, or the vibrant nightlife in our downtown. But when people on this board compare only Newark's negatives to JC's positives, those people simply perpetuate the stereotype that Newark is an unsafe place, a slum, a ghetto or whatever other impression your typical American has of my city, or rather, my home.

So when people take a look at Newark as a place to live, if they do their research, they'll search the web and see what's written here, and it might influence their decision whether to move here, or even just visit. What they see are people who appear to be experts talking about how Newark is getting worse, just another failed rebirth. What they don't see is that there are many underlying reasons as to why specific businesses are closing. Could it be that Cogswell is trying to clear out the buildings in preparation of demolition/renovation? Could it be that Starbucks, as a corporation, is losing money and one of the 600 stores they plan on closing just happens to be in Newark? Could it be that Old Navy simply did no planning when they opened a store far from mainstream customers? Could it be that Pay-Less Shoes doesn't see the need for three stores in three blocks?

So no, I don't want to debate JC's superiority to Newark, I don't want to discuss Communipaw's rezoning, or talk about how my wife and I passed over Dixon Mills to move into 1180. I just felt it was necessary to call people out on baseless assumptions.

scrollhectic

September 5th, 2008, 04:30 PM

The irony of your response is that I was trying to point out why we shouldn't compare JC to Newark, because both have redeeming qualities. The message I was responding to only talked about Newark's negative aspects (we're losing a starbucks, etc.) and that JC was miles ahead of Newark. I was merely pointing out that JC does, in fact, have its share of bad neighborhoods, and that Newark does, in fact, have its share of good spots. I won't profess to know Newark inside out, I've only lived here 4 or 5 years. But I also don't think a debate is necessary. I'll be the first one to tell everyone how cosmopolitan JC is, how I wish Newark had neighborhoods like JC, or the variety of pubs, or the vibrant nightlife in our downtown. But when people on this board compare only Newark's negatives to JC's positives, those people simply perpetuate the stereotype that Newark is an unsafe place, a slum, a ghetto or whatever other impression your typical American has of my city, or rather, my home.

So when people take a look at Newark as a place to live, if they do their research, they'll search the web and see what's written here, and it might influence their decision whether to move here, or even just visit. What they see are people who appear to be experts talking about how Newark is getting worse, just another failed rebirth. What they don't see is that there are many underlying reasons as to why specific businesses are closing. Could it be that Cogswell is trying to clear out the buildings in preparation of demolition/renovation? Could it be that Starbucks, as a corporation, is losing money and one of the 600 stores they plan on closing just happens to be in Newark? Could it be that Old Navy simply did no planning when they opened a store far from mainstream customers? Could it be that Pay-Less Shoes doesn't see the need for three stores in three blocks?

So no, I don't want to debate JC's superiority to Newark, I don't want to discuss Communipaw's rezoning, or talk about how my wife and I passed over Dixon Mills to move into 1180. I just felt it was necessary to call people out on baseless assumptions.

Bravo Kevin! Great rebuttal!

scrollhectic

September 11th, 2008, 11:28 AM

UPDATE Last updated: September 11, 2008 09:32am
By Eric Peterson (http://www.globest.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.author.contact.view?client_id=globest&story_id=173684&title=%24150M%20MXD%20Gets%20Final%20Design%20Roll %2DOut&author=Eric%20Peterson&address=http%3A//www.globest.com/news/1242%5F1242/newjersey/173684%2D1.html&summary=NEWARK%2DTucker%20Development%26%23146%3Bs %20Liberty%20Plaza%20will%20start%20off%20with%20a %2022%2Dstory%2C%20430%2C000%2Dsf%20tower%2C%20wit h%20more%20to%20come.)

http://www.globest.com/newspics/nej_libertyplaza.jpg
Liberty Plaza
NEWARK-Tucker Development Corp. has unveiled the final design plans, put together by RMJM Hillier, for the $150-million first phase of its mixed-use Liberty Plaza project in this city’s downtown. The Highland Park, IL-based Tucker had initially rolled out (http://www.globest.com/news/1129_1129/newjersey/169618-1.html) its plans in April.
Those initial plans have been tweaked a bit, with what was to have been a 28-story first phase tower now reduced to 22 floors. But its total space has been bumped up a bit, from the initial 400,000 sf to 430,000 sf. And a hotel that was to have been part of phase one has been removed from the picture, for now.

This first tower will largely be office space, although dining facilities, a rooftop garden, a fitness center, banking and retail space are all part of the mix. The complex will also have more than 750 on-site parking spaces.

Located at 422 Broad St., Liberty Plaza will rise on a redevelopment site of 3.5 acres adjacent to the NJ Transit Broad Street rail station. Long-term plans for the site call for a build-out of more than one million sf of mixed uses. The office availability is being shopped by Cushman & Wakefield, with asking rent listed as “negotiable.” Comparable class A space nearby generally commands asking prices in the $25 per sf range.

“We feel that this is a city that has yet to reach its full potential as an office destination,” says Richard Tucker, president and CEO of Tucker Development, whose firm recently opened a regional office here to oversee this and other Tucker projects. “We’re offering prospective tenants a great value proposition, with more access to modes of transportation than any other city in New Jersey.”

The site also comes with some financial incentives, including pre-approval for New Jersey’s Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit program, which draws from a pool of $100 million for 10 years for companies bringing in more than 250 employees to this and eight other transit-hub locations in New Jersey. The site is also within this city’s state-designated urban enterprise zone, which provides for a variety of economic incentives.

66nexus

September 16th, 2008, 07:36 PM

Newark breaks ground on new park

by Chanta L. Jackson (chanta_jackson@starledger.com)/The Star-Ledger Tuesday September 16, 2008, 8:46 AM

http://blog.nj.com/newark/2008/09/large_parka.jpg

Officials in the City of Newark broke ground Monday at Boys' Park as part of a $3.7 million rehabilitation of that facility and two other nearby parks in the Central Ward. The initiative is part of a continuing partnership with GreenSpaces to make Newark more "eco-friendly."

"Today is a manifestation of the spirit of the Central Ward community coming together! In the past, one of the first images people had when coming off of Route 280 was an eyesore but the people of this Central Ward neighborhood didn't give up, and today, thanks to this private public community partnership, we are coming together to move our city forward," Mayor Cory A. Booker said. "Newark is on the move and this is part of a bigger plan to refurbish 21 parks throughout the city to put Newark on the chart as one of the greenest cities in the country."

The project calls for renovating Boys' Park, First Street Park and Thomas Silk Park. There will adult exercise areas, basketball and multipurpose play areas, play-in water fountains, dawn-to-dusk lighting, grass, trees, flowers, and decorative iron fences.
Cost for the project are being split between the city and GreenSpaces -- Newark will pay $2.2 million of the construction costs and GreenSpaces $1.5 million.

Boys' Park, at Sussex Avenue and Duryea Street, is 1.291 acres; First Street Park, at First and Third Streets, is 1.880 acres, and Thomas Silk Park, at First and Fourth Streets, is 1.558 acres. The designer of the three parks is Neglia Engineering of Lyndhurst. The construction manager is Mast Construction while Zenith Construction Services will serve as the contractor.

"We are very pleased to announce the improvements of these three parks today, which are part of our city-wide parks rehabilitation plan. Boys Park will have a multi-purpose field, basketball court, bocce ball courts, a track field and new playground equipment. We are working hard to complete our goal of rehabilitating 11 parks by the end of the year," said Acting Engineering Director Mehdi Mohammadish.

Since Thomas Silk and First Street parks are adjacent, City Architect Robert Dooley said First Street Park will more closely resemble the features at Boys' Park while Thomas Silk will include decorative fencing, walking paths and a community garden.

"First Street will be for active recreation, while Thomas Silk will be for more passive activities," he said.
The projects are expected to be completed by year's end.

taken from nj.com

http://www.nj.com/newark/index.ssf/2008/09/newark_breaks_ground_on_new_pa.html

scrollhectic

September 17th, 2008, 12:16 PM

http://ny.therealdeal.com/images/ny/logo_small.jpg (http://ny.therealdeal.com/front)
Updated On 09/17/08 at 11:02AM

Wall Street's trouble could affect Atlantic Yards

http://s3.amazonaws.com/trd_three/images/50003/atlantic_yards_plan_articlebox.jpg (http://ny.therealdeal.com/assets/50003)
Atlantic Yards

Trouble on Wall Street could affect Forest City Ratner's Atlantic Yards project (http://ny.therealdeal.com/articles/atlantic-yards-breaking-ground-in-december). One of the project's financers, and the namesake of the Nets arena, Barclays Bank, is surviving the financial crisis, but financing is not slated to be set until November. Building One in the project also still needs an anchor tenant, which is a hard sell in the current economic climate. The federal Treasury Department, busy with government buyouts and bailouts, is also still debating whether Ratner can use PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) to pay off bonds

ASchwarz

September 17th, 2008, 03:00 PM

Scroll, there is nothing in your post that indicates anything negative for Atlantic Yards.

All that paragraph says is that it's a bad time to get financing, which is true whether something is being built in Brooklyn, NJ or wherever.

JCexpert558

September 17th, 2008, 04:21 PM

I really think that ratners progect should come to Newark. That would be very cool.:D

NYatKNIGHT

September 17th, 2008, 04:37 PM

The whole project, or just the Nets?

KenNYC

September 17th, 2008, 08:57 PM

Don't think a single week has gone by without our University sending out an email notice about a student getting mugged on the way to or from the train station in Newark, and this isn't even late at night. The place is a dump. There is not enough lipstick in the world for this pig.

stache

September 17th, 2008, 09:24 PM

It's not a good idea to be in Newark after dark.

JCexpert558

September 17th, 2008, 11:01 PM

The whole project, or just the Nets?

The whole project

KenNYC

September 17th, 2008, 11:22 PM

As I said though stache, we're not really talking about at night. One of the incidencts was at 3PM the other one at 6:30PM... And this is just a matter of a few blocks from a university campus to a train station... Ohwell! Glad I decided to live on Manhattan :)

Marv95

September 18th, 2008, 09:40 AM

Glad I decided to live on Manhattan

Yep, nothing like Ivy League students getting robbed and mugged in what's supposed to be a "safe" area. Don't act your place is perfect because it ain't.
http://http://outside.in/New_York_NY/tags/mugging

And what station was it? Penn Station, Broad Street station or one on the light rail? See what I mean?

kevin

September 18th, 2008, 01:22 PM

Yep, nothing like Ivy League students getting robbed and mugged in what's supposed to be a "safe" area. Don't act your place is perfect because it ain't.
http://http://outside.in/New_York_NY/tags/mugging

And what station was it? Penn Station, Broad Street station or one on the light rail? See what I mean?

No, it's true. I get mugged every day. I'm getting mugged right now as I type this. Newark is just that dangerous. Especially at night. Especially during the day. I was walking my dog the other day and I got mugged. Then, while the guy was mugging me, another guy came over and mugged my mugger. I didn't know whether to be surprised or jealous. After all, the second mugger chose to mug someone else.

Seriously guys, really? with the baiting and everything? Is this a forum to discuss the local metro area, or to put down Newark? I expect it from some, but a moderator?

GordonGecko

September 18th, 2008, 01:34 PM

Newark, sorry to say, is that bad.

Marv95

September 18th, 2008, 01:54 PM

Seriously guys, really? with the baiting and everything? Is this a forum to discuss the local metro area, or to put down Newark? I expect it from some, but a moderator?

Don't bother. You are dealing with a)contingent from NYC who puts down NJ EVERY chance they get(esp. Newark), since it's NYC and they can do NO wrong;
b)Bergenites(enuf said);
c)Heard things about it due to the media and are afraid to show up due to a racial bias(after all, you of all people Kevin know there's still a lack of yuppies downtown and Ferry St., and more and more yuppies and less "local folk" equals "safety", ie Newport, Upper West Side, all 15 blocks of Hoboken(not including the projects near the light rail).

You want bad? Go to Detroit, Philly, Orlando(DisneyWorld is located in the 14th dangerous city in America)DC, Memphis, and everyone's favorite Camden.

GordonGecko

September 18th, 2008, 01:57 PM

Marv95

September 18th, 2008, 02:23 PM

^^This is exactly what I mean. Have you been there recently? Safe from what? If it's such a bad place to be outside(at night) they wouldn't have drawn over a million people to the Rock in its first year. Not even close. Or the success of the NJPAC, Bears Stadium(outdoors). Yep, the entire 25 square miles of the place is bad, every block needs to be condemmed, including Forest Hill, Ironbound, and let's add Port Newark in there too.:rolleyes:

Where are you from?

The South Ward, and places like the West Side though, sometimes I feel those parts need to be condemmed lol.

GordonGecko

September 18th, 2008, 03:04 PM

...If it's such a bad place to be outside(at night) they wouldn't have drawn over a million people to the Rock in its first year.

Why's that? Most people drive in then drive out, and they know there's a ton of police at Devil games

NYatKNIGHT

September 18th, 2008, 05:23 PM

It's not as bad as you make it out to be, it all depends where you are. People come from all over to eat dinner in the Ironbound (night time), as they should, because it's great food in a good neighborhood. The corporate area is absolutely fine. I worked downtown on and off for five years and never had a problem day or night. What are you basing your opinion on?

66nexus

September 18th, 2008, 06:03 PM

^ Newark is much worse than Philly, it's worse than DC (can you imagine) and probably as bad as Camden and Detroit. There is no conspiracy for NYers to bash Newark, if NYC were as bad as in the 80ies we'd be saying the same thing about Manhattan.

Newark is not a safe place to be outside (or inside in some neighborhoods).

'Newark is much worse than Philly' based on what? Because Center city is nice?

Philly's advantage over Newark is its sheer size.

'..as bad as Camden.' If you say so

66nexus

September 18th, 2008, 06:10 PM

^^
The South Ward, and places like the West Side though, sometimes I feel those parts need to be condemmed lol.

See...but if they would just say that instead of equating the Gateway office 'neighborhood' with sections of avon ave. then it would make more sense b/c at least they wouldn't sound like unaware suburbanites.

'...oh don't go to Newark...the streets are made of lava...10 out of every 10 residents are killers.../shivers/

stache

September 18th, 2008, 06:39 PM

kevin, I am in Newark once or twice a week. Just because I Moderate on this forum dosen't mean I'm not allowed to have opinions about things/issues.

newarkdevil1

September 19th, 2008, 03:48 PM

I’m sorry, since when do Moderators go out there and place such blanket statements as' "it’s not safe to be in Newark after dark."

And you base this on your abundant knowledge of the city in your two or three times a week visits?

Newark like all cities has many faces. As a Bergen county suburbanite who has lived here for the past 4 years I can tell you this city both flowers and warts. I feel most people fail to appreciate this because they are too fixated on the 800 lb gorilla across the river. Newark is not NYC, their sheer population difference is enormous (3 mil in Manhattan vs. only 380k in Newark, btw.. NWK, JC and Hoboken combined are not even a third of the population of Manhattan). If you wish to judge Newark, use real comparisons not unrealistic expectations of a city ten times Newark’s size.

Newark's beauties are very rarely expounded upon, but I would hold up our neighborhoods to any in the suburbs of Manhattan. I challenge anyone that claims to have the right to criticism to first visit the Ironbound, Forest Hills, Branch Brook Park, Weaquehanics West Side or the numerous other areas before passing judgment.

stache, your statement wreaks of bias, let real residents bring you around after dark before judging our neighborhoods
.

OmegaNYC

September 19th, 2008, 05:24 PM

Actually, Newark has a population of around 280,000 and Manhattan around 1.6 million, but that's neither here nor there, :cool: Though, Newark like most cities has it rough parts and nice parts, it is just that Newark has more crime and poverty than most cities it's size

Marv95

September 19th, 2008, 05:53 PM

it is just that Newark has more crime and poverty than most cities it's size

Birmingham, Orlando, the 2 Richmonds, Buffalo, Cincinatti and Kansas City are around the same size yet all of them either have around the same or higher crime/poverty rates.

Whatever. This is just a retarded argument and it's pointless to continue. Here's an article about Wall Street firms trying to be "lured" in:

Newark touts lower costs to lure Wall Street firms
by The Star-Ledger Business Desk Friday September 19, 2008, 7:29 AM
The crisis on Wall Street could have a silver lining for Newark.

Mayor Cory Booker is touting the lower cost of doing business in New Jersey's largest city as a lure to draw financial firms -- and jobs -- here, according to Bloomberg News.

Amanda Brown/The Star-Ledger
Mayor Cory Booker is touting Newark's lower costs as a way to lure Wall Street firms.``We're definitely looking to steal thunder anywhere we can,'' Booker told the wire service.

Newark's economic development agency is targeting real estate brokers, site selection consultants and executives at New York companies that have recently installed different leadership as a way to get back-office and distribution centers to move across the Hudson, Bloomberg said. One recent success: British bank Standard Chartered's decision to shift 300 jobs to Newark from Manhattan.

KenNYC

September 19th, 2008, 10:01 PM

Yep, nothing like Ivy League students getting robbed and mugged in what's supposed to be a "safe" area. Don't act your place is perfect because it ain't.
http://http://outside.in/New_York_NY/tags/mugging

And what station was it? Penn Station, Broad Street station or one on the light rail? See what I mean?

Broad Street station, why?

I might be missing some implicit meaning here, I'm new to both America and the New York area, there's no history or cultural programming that makes me say Newark is a dump, it's simply what I experience from having gone there daily for about a month.

I'm sure there are worse cities, I've never been to Detroit, DC or most other places you mention. I've spent very little time in US of A at all, my experiences are mainly from around Europe and Asia, and I guess crime in general is sky high compared to what I'm used to, but for what it's worth, Newark is a very different world from where I live in New York, I can assure you.

OmegaNYC

September 19th, 2008, 10:07 PM

^^^ Marv, the only city on your list that is sort of compariable to the size of Newark is Buffalo.

Kansas City and Cincinatti are larger than Newark.

Orlando and Birmingham are more closer to Jersey City in population.

The "two Richmonds" is not even close to Newark in size. ( even though there are a bunch of them in the US). Richmond, Va is around 200,000 the other Richmond ( I guess California?) is only 100,000 people.

If you look at city-data.com's profiles for these cities they will give you the FBI's crime stats.
The US average is 321
Newark is at 525
Kansas City is at 789
Cincinatti is at 691
Birmingam has a whopper 939 crime index stat.
Orlando is at 960!

So, you may be thinking to yourself, if these cities are more dangerous than Newark, why does this city still get such bad press? Simple: Image. Newark will probably never shake off the image is a blighted hell hole that is filled with drug dealers, murderers, and muggers living in a urban wasteland.

DonJ81

September 19th, 2008, 11:31 PM

OmegaNYC

September 20th, 2008, 01:08 AM

^^^ Suburbanites doesn't care if Newark is "chopping" away it's image. The fact of the matter that Newark had over 100 murders last year, or 3 college students were gunned down in cold blood, or that Newark was once the car theft capitol of the world, is what most people look at. As long as Newark has that stigma of being a city in which you will get robbed for being on the worng steet at the right time, is all they will care about. Hell, even former ESPN NHL analysis called the area around the Rock "horrible". Newark ( how ever just it may be) will all most always be associated with blight and crime.

Oh by the way, I don't even live in Paterson anymore, but the city is going through a major transfermation.

DonJ81

September 20th, 2008, 12:33 PM

66nexus

September 20th, 2008, 01:41 PM

^^^ Marv, the only city on your list that is sort of compariable to the size of Newark is Buffalo.

Kansas City and Cincinatti are larger than Newark.

Orlando and Birmingham are more closer to Jersey City in population.

The "two Richmonds" is not even close to Newark in size. ( even though there are a bunch of them in the US). Richmond, Va is around 200,000 the other Richmond ( I guess California?) is only 100,000 people.

If you look at city-data.com's profiles for these cities they will give you the FBI's crime stats.
The US average is 321
Newark is at 525
Kansas City is at 789
Cincinatti is at 691
Birmingam has a whopper 939 crime index stat.
Orlando is at 960!

Jersey City and Newark are of comparable size (and many other cities on that list), you don't cut city population numbers down to exacts.

Every city on that list is considered a 'midsized' city. A city doesn't have to be exactly 280,000 to be compared to Newark.

OmegaNYC

September 20th, 2008, 05:24 PM

OmegaNYC

September 20th, 2008, 05:25 PM

Certain parts of Paterson are seeing a transformation, just like Newark, but crime is increasing in the Paterson neighborhoods.

What neighborhoods? Please tell me. Up untill last month, I lived there most of my life. Besides, this thread is about Newark, not Paterson.

66nexus

September 20th, 2008, 07:54 PM

Cincinatti has a population of over 320,000.

Kansas City, MO; has a population of over 440,000.

The rest has a population of about 220,000-240,000. That is more compariable to JC than Newark ( around 280,000). You're talking about Newark being more populated by around 40-60,000 people. That is a small city right there.

You're playing with numbers and its throwing off the point.

Do you know what a midsize city is? An extreme comparison would be Newark to New York or Dallas.

This list is safest/dangerous. If you look at the bottom it states that it's for cities with 75,000 up population. So, in essence, you can compare any city.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0921299.html

scrollhectic

September 22nd, 2008, 01:21 AM

Law Enforcement | Newark

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/09/21/nyregion/new-jersey/21policenj.span.jpg Timothy Ivy for The New York Times

TACTICIAN Garry F. McCarthy, Newark’s police director, in a meeting with his chiefs. He says, “We put a better system in place.”

By PAUL VON ZIELBAUER (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/z/paul_von_zielbauer/index.html?inline=nyt-per)
Published: September 19, 2008

NEWARK (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/national/usstatesterritoriesandpossessions/newjersey/newark/index.html?inline=nyt-geo)
In the Region

WHEN Garry F. McCarthy was picked to lead the Newark Police Department two years ago, he found himself talking and thinking more about what was going wrong, in the department and the city, than about what was going right.

The number of murders was soaring in 2006, on its way to 104, the highest total in more than a decade, according to the Newark Police Department. Drugs were sold openly in some neighborhoods and shootings were commonplace. Police emergency response times were often recorded
in hours instead of minutes, Mr. McCarthy said.

Among the police, morale was low and management was, by almost any standard, weak. The Police Department had no drug task force. Precinct commanders had little authority within the neighborhoods they knew best. When Mr. McCarthy began as the police director in September 2006, about two-thirds of all officers worked Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. — precisely when most violent crimes were not happening.

“I came into what I believe was a dysfunctional system,” Mr. McCarthy, a Bronx-born former deputy chief in the New York City Police Department (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/new_york_city_police_department/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier), said in a recent interview in his office at police headquarters here. “We put a better system in place.”

In 2007, after years of increases, Newark’s homicides fell to 99, a 5 percent drop from the previous year. But this year’s comparatively low murder rate has been, according to many residents here, nothing short of remarkable: As of Sept. 15, the department has recorded 44 killings, putting it on track to compete for the modern era’s record low, established in 1997, when 58 people were killed in Newark, a city of about 280,000.

This year, the department has recorded 172 shootings through Aug. 24, compared with 212 that occurred during the same period last year.
Other crimes, including burglary and rape, have increased this year compared with 2007. Mr. McCarthy, 47, called those figures “false positives” — the result of more accurate statistical analysis, not an actual increase in those crimes.

To be sure, Newark can still be a dangerous city in some neighborhoods that are most prone to violent crime, much of it brought by gangs involved in drug trafficking, the police said. Last year, for instance, Mr. McCarthy’s first full year leading the Police Department, three college students were lined up against a schoolyard wall and shot in the back of the head by a group of suspected gang members. They died, and a fourth student, shot in the face and left for dead, was gravely injured.

On Tuesday, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced the indictments of six suspects in those slayings, all suspected members of the MS-13 street gang.

But some city residents say that after years of living with nearly intolerable violence, during which some neighborhoods became gang-dominated killing grounds, Newark has become safer and more livable.

“Without a doubt we would have to credit the strategic, scientific and measurable approach they have taken,” said M. William Howard Jr., pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Newark and an influential voice among Newark’s black residents.

“The stats, in terms of crime reduction, are real,” Mr. Howard said. “People who have families and children going to school they see this, and believe me, they appreciate it.”

Mr. McCarthy said those improvements are largely based on programs and techniques he learned in New York City, where he spent seven years as a deputy chief, and replicated in Newark, where he, his wife and two daughters now live.

No single police innovation in Newark is associated with Mr. McCarthy more than his implementation of New York City’s Compstat system, a method of crime analysis created by William J. Bratton (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/william_j_bratton/index.html?inline=nyt-per), a former New York City police commissioner, that used computer-generated statistics to understand and react to trends as they occurred in the city’s neighborhoods.

“The Compstat experience has let him begin shaping the Newark Police Department so that police tactics fit the problems,” said George Kelling, a professor of criminal justice at Rutgers University (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/r/rutgers_the_state_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org) who meets regularly with Mr. McCarthy.

Mr. McCarthy has also created a department that uses what he called “business management strategies” to address crime more thoughtfully and, in some cases, more surgically.

For instance, instead of jailing everyone involved in so-called quality-of-life violations, like carrying open liquor containers or being too noisy, the Newark police now issue tickets, saving hundreds of hours of time arresting people with clean records who they say are unlikely to commit serious crimes.

“Now we’re not catching the dolphin with the tuna,” Mr. McCarthy said.
Also, most officers now work nights and weekends, when most serious crimes occur.

Mr. McCarthy has decentralized decision making and expanded the department’s use of cameras in higher crime areas.
The 109 police cameras now connected to Police Department video terminals allow a handful of officers to keep their eyes on dozens of street corners, around the clock.

Allowing his four precinct commanders the power to deploy officers as they see fit has let them invest more fully in the department’s overall mission, said Wayne Fisher, a former Newark detective who is the director of the Police Institute, which operates within the Rutgers-Newark School of Criminal Justice.

“This, citywide, has been a positive change in the Police Department,” Mr. Fisher said in an interview. “You can’t hold people accountable for results over which they have no control.”

Mr. McCarthy was a controversial choice for the top police job in Newark because he was an outsider. He is paid $170,000 a year, and he said his strategies have also led, since 2007, to a 12 percent reduction in citizen complaints against police officers and roughly a 30 percent drop in police sick time, which he uses as a rough gauge to morale within the force.
Mr. McCarthy’s management has caused an enduring friction with some of the 1,300 uniformed members of the Police Department.

In March, he suspended the police chief, Anthony Campos, for reversing without authorization a personnel decision. The internecine dispute forced Mayor Cory A. Booker (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/cory_booker/index.html?inline=nyt-per), a powerful defender of Mr. McCarthy, to address the issue of turbulence in the department’s ranks publicly.

Two months earlier, the Newark Superior Officers Association — a union of Newark sergeants, captains and chiefs — filed a lawsuit against the city, challenging Mr. McCarthy’s authority to make personnel and operational decisions. In court filings, the association argued that those powers belonged to Chief Campos, the highest ranking uniformed member of the force.

John J. Chrystal III, the president of the association, declined to comment on Mr. McCarthy or his service as police director, saying the union and the city were close to reaching an out-of-court settlement of the lawsuit.

Derrick Hatcher, president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Newark, which represents patrol officers, said Mr. McCarthy has been responsive to his members. “He’s been fair in a lot of the general issues, such as providing us with equipment,” Mr. Hatcher said.

block944

September 23rd, 2008, 08:42 PM

Safety Alert

On Monday, September 15, 2008, at about 7:40 P.M., a student was walking to his parked vehicle in the area of Sussex Avenue and Hoyt Street, where he was approached by two unknown black males, who brandished a handgun and demanded the student’s property. The suspects were described as 5’11 in height, 130 lbs., with short black hair, one was dressed in all black, wearing a NY Yankee hat, and the other suspect was wearing a baggy white t-shirt and blue jeans. The suspects fled the area, and the student was not injured in the incident.
The Department of Public Safety and the Newark Police Department are continuing the investigation of the incident. Additionally, Rutgers University, Essex County College, and University of Medicine and Dentistry have been notified.
NJIT community members are encouraged to immediately report any criminal or suspicious incidents to the Department of Public Safety at 973-596-3111.
Safety Tips
1. Enroll in the Campus Wide Notification System (CWNS) via: http://www.njit.edu/campusnotifications
2. Use the department of public safety’s security escort service.
3. Avoid carrying wallets and valuables in the open.
4. Avoid carrying large sums of money.
5. Use the ATM machine on campus instead of machines located off campus.
6. Use the shuttle bus services available on campus.
7. Park vehicles in NJIT parking lots instead of off campus city streets.
Additional safety information can be obtained at the Department of Public Safety located in the parking facility.
Peter Wyer, Assistant Director of Public Safety & Deputy Chief of Police

block944

September 23rd, 2008, 08:49 PM

A NJIT student living off campus at 7 Sussex Avenue, Newark, reported
that an intruder entered the student's apartment between 5:30 and 6:00. The suspect is described as a black male,
5'10", thin build, in his thirties, and may have been armed with a
knife. The suspect took the victim's cell phone and fled upon being
confronted by the apartment's occupants. There was a lengthy delay in
the reporting of this incident to the Department of Public Safety.
In what may be a related incident, another apartment at 7 Sussex
Avenue was broken into between 8:45 am and 4:20 pm on

with the occupant reporting that some personal effects were stolen.
There is no description of a suspect in this second incident. Newark
Police Department has been made aware of the incidents and is
investigating. The Department of Public Safety has increased patrols
in the area.
Please remain alert and immediately notify the Department of Public
Safety if you notice any suspicious persons or activity.

block944

September 23rd, 2008, 08:49 PM

At about 10:00 PM on Monday, March 31, 3008, a student was robbed at knife point by two male suspects at 156 Central Avenue, which is near the intersection of Central Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard. The student was not injured. One suspect was wearing blue jeans, dark blue hooded jacket with a head rag, 17-21 years of age, 160 lbs, 5’, 7” in height. The second male was wearing a camouflage hooded jacket with solid tan below the neck line, 17-21 years of age, 160 lbs, 5’, 7” in height. The matter is being investigated by the Newark Police Department and the NJIT Department of Public Safety.

block944

September 23rd, 2008, 08:50 PM

At about 5:00PM on Friday, February 1, 2008, a NJIT student was robbed at gunpoint on the stairway entering the Lock Street subway station. The suspect armed with a handgun is described as a Hispanic male, 5'6" - 5'7", thin build, wearing a black leather jacket, grey hoodie, black baseball cap, and jeans. There were four other black males with the suspect. The Department of Public safety, Newark Police Department and New Jersey Transit Police Department are participating in the follow-up investigation. Additionally, the Department of Public safety is in the process of developing plans with the New Jersey Transit Police department to obtain a live feed from the security cameras posted in the station. Updates will be provided if further information is obtained.

block944

September 23rd, 2008, 08:51 PM

During the course of the past year, three incidents occurred in and around the campus subway station. The fact that no one was injured in these incidents and several suspects have been arrested is "good news." However, the Department of Public Safety and NJ Transit Police continue to maintain increased patrols at and around the station. Also, from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM, a Public Safety Officer is stationed on Lock Street, very near the surface entrance to the subway station. We are in discussions with New Jersey Transit Police Department to improve video surveillance cameras in the subway and further enhance security at the station.
As a reminder, you can help keep yourself safe by not displaying ear buds, jewelry or other conspicuous valuables as you walk about the area. Also, it is always safer to walk with another person than it is to walk alone. Finally, you are encouraged to immediately report any suspicious persons or incidents to the Department of Public Safety by calling 973-596-3111

block944

September 23rd, 2008, 08:52 PM

At about 10:00 PM on Tuesday, May 27, 2008, while in front of 350 Martin Luther King Blvd., a Rutgers student and two other people were approached by suspects in a newer model red Nissan Maxima. One of the passengers exited the vehicle, displayed a silver handgun and demanded the victims’ pocketbooks. Rutgers University Police Department does not have any description of the suspects. We will remain in contact with the Rutgers University Police Department and Newark Police Department who are investigating the matter and provide updates if further information is obtained.

block944

September 23rd, 2008, 08:52 PM

NJIT Public Safety received information from the University Center security personnel, (a private apartment complex) located at 250 Central Avenue, of two separate incidents occurring in the general vicinity of the NJIT Campus where women were approached by a group of unknown males asking for directions. In both cases, after stopping the women, the group engaged in harassing behavior. According to the University Center security personnel no one was injured during these incidents. Although Public Safety responded to the University Center to interview the victims, they could not be located. While we cannot substantiate these reports, it is imperative that the university community report to NJIT Public Safety any information concerning these types of incidents or any suspicious activity.

block944

September 23rd, 2008, 08:54 PM

I can keep going on... yay great you live in 1180 and can walk your dog with out getting mugged in Newark.. so can I, try living in University Heights or other parts of Newark. Having been in Hoboken and Manhattan... Newark is nowhere near those areas. Even the business areas of Newark don't come close to exchange place.

ASchwarz

September 24th, 2008, 12:03 AM

Why are you spamming, Block?

We know you hate Newark, and are trying to trash the town by dragging out year-old public safety notices.

Newsflash: this happens at every college campus, whether in a big city, the leafy suburbs or rural college towns.

We had the exact same stuff in Ann Arbor, MI.

66nexus

September 24th, 2008, 03:41 AM

Kinda with ASc on this...

It seems that block is 'venting' I suppose. Unclear on the comparison to Hoboken and Manhattan:confused: and especially with Exchange Place.

Hoboken and Exchange place both benefit directly with their immediate cross-Hudson proximity to Manhattan. (I remember when the only exchanging at Exchange place were train switchups)

ps. Harlem? others parts of JC off the waterfront? What are we comparing?

block944

September 24th, 2008, 09:04 AM

NYatKNIGHT

September 24th, 2008, 05:55 PM

Oh really? There's crime in Newark? Thanks for telling us, I never would have thought so. It has such a sterling reputation....

What I have found interesting about this thread is that it goes beyond the stereotype; posts about what's changing and what challenges remain.

We all know there is crime in Newark, and yes, it may not be disappearing as fast as expected. Conversely, without this thread, a lot of people may not have known otherwise that Newark actually does have some decent housing, some nice neighborhoods, a growing corporate downtown area, etc...you know, that it has SOME assets.

You made your point, which is pretty pointless. If you want to discuss the crime that's one thing. If you want to post the police blotter then find somewhere else to do it.

block944

September 24th, 2008, 07:25 PM

Hamilton

September 24th, 2008, 09:56 PM

^^^Big deal. I went to Columbia, a university with a huge public safety budget, in one of the safest precincts in the entire city. We'd get alerts like that all the time.

The fact is, murder is down 40% this year in Newark (I'm compiling the statistics just for my own curiosity). That's significant, and a small miracle.

Newark is getting better, and as has been pointed out, is doing a lot better than most mid-sized Rust Belt cities.

KenNYC

September 24th, 2008, 10:40 PM

Its certainly going down yes, still, the area in general feel likes a dump to me. That's not just about crime, actually it isn't even primarily about crime, more the poverty that so many people live in. I find it slightly surprising that the general population can see people living like this and not feel embarrassed. It's not like we don't have poverty in Europe, but seriously... And anyone that refuses to see the connection between poverty and crime are voluntarily blind.

The fact that so many Americans in general seems to have a "big deal" attitude to crime scares me a bit though. Not really wanting to be critical, I do like it a lot here, but fact is that crime and in particular murders and firearms-related crimes are on a ridiculous level, there isn't another civilized country anywhere near this level... That actually is a big deal.

block944

September 26th, 2008, 12:36 AM

66nexus

September 26th, 2008, 12:40 AM

Rite Aid?/Pharmacy on Market is closing
Star Bucks is leaving
FedEx is Gone
IDT is leasing space (new sign)
New York and Co is leaving soon
Old Navy is gone
Horizon Blue Cross has left 33 Washington St and is looking to leave Newark (after going public)
Whats left?
Only decent living area is University Heights surrounded by the hood and ghetto and Renaissance Towers which was once a factory

Newark == we tried but oops oh well!

-Old Navy is closing stores across the nation,
-Newark still has a successful Starbucks in Gateway a mere two blocks east (and one in the airport.)
-Newark Penn is getting an Au Bon Pan,
-you completely disregarded the Ironbound.
-you are informed of the current economic crisis in the country? no?

block944

September 26th, 2008, 11:53 AM

-Old Navy is closing stores across the nation,
-Newark still has a successful Starbucks in Gateway a mere two blocks east (and one in the airport.)
-Newark Penn is getting an Au Bon Pan,
-you completely disregarded the Ironbound.
-you are informed of the current economic crisis in the country? no?

Yeah Starbucks in gateway is so successfuly its open after 6pm and on weekends. LOL
Wow an au bon pan!
Ironbound was built for the portugese families.. any other nationality and you will be an outsider and robbed.
The economic crisis just started... newark has been in "renaissance" mode since 2000... any maybe long before that.

http://media.www.rutgersobserver.com/media/storage/paper822/news/2008/09/16/News/Campus.Crime-3439587.shtml

Three witnesses observed a male smashing the window of an automobile on 249 University Avenue on and quickly called the authorities. The suspect, Juan C. Vega, was subsequently arrested on the charge of criminal mischief. (Arrest by Sgt. Safko)

On Sept. 3, a woman was walking towards Broad Street station when she was suddenly approached by two males, who demanded both her cell phone and purse. The robbery is still under investigation. (Report taken by Police Officer Feuerstein)

An unnamed male returned to his vehicle, parked on 73 Warren Street to find that his passenger side window had been smashed. As he inspected the damage, it became apparent that some items were missing, valued at approximately $150.

Whee!

Fail.

block944

September 26th, 2008, 12:05 PM

BROAD DAYLIGHT BREAK-IN

Whip whacked under cameras watchful eye

JESUS RON,EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: News (http://www.rutgersobserver.com/news/2008/04/08/News/)

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Page 1 of 1

Shattered glass covered Bleecker St. and glinted sharply as the bright rays of the afternoon sun beamed over the sidewalk.

On Thursday, April, 3, 2008 a car belonging to a first year law student had its window smashed in broad day light, and within close proximity to signs warning of cameras installed throughout the premises.

Matt DiMaggio, the cars owner, ran out of his Talbott dorm room to check out the damage. He quickly assessed that despite having a radar system and some CD's inside his car nothing was taken.

"I don't get it," said DiMaggio, "They broke it for no reason, nothing was missing; it was just a random attack."

DiMaggio said he believed no one at Rutgers could have been responsible for the break-ins, since he had no enemies. He later added that his insurance would not be able to cover the cost of the window since it did not meet his deductable.

"I have to pay 160 bucks to fix this, and as a student I'm pressed for change," said DiMaggio.

What made the incident particularly perturbing to DiMaggio was the fact that cameras were installed in the area and signs were everywhere warning of their presence.

"I thought that these cameras for safety signs would deter crime, but this happened in the middle of the afternoon," explained DiMaggio, "all the break-ins seem to happen at one particular time and on one particular street; they should have more patrols or something."

DiMaggio added that there may have been some benefit to having the cameras on site, "I'm hoping they may have caught the crime on camera."

Lt. Bradley Morgan of the Rutgers University Police Department stated that details of the case cannot be disclosed because it is still under investigation; he offered some explanations as to why the crime may have occurred during the afternoon.

"It's a very unusual occurrence, but some criminals are a bit more brazen then others," explained Morgan, and added that it might be possible that the person did not see the signs for the cameras as they had just been put up recently.

Morgan also explained that the cameras cover large areas of the street and are placed mainly as a deterrent.

"We use them for crime prevention, they help us reconstruct events that happen such as accidents and civil disturbancesâ€¦plus they also give students faculty and staff the sense that there is something out there to help prevent crimes," said Morgan.

Morgan explained that while the cameras are sometimes viewed in real-time they are not continually monitored. "They're more reactive than proactive," explained Morgan.

Statistics of car break-ins throughout campus or specifically on Bleecker St. over the last year were not available at the time of this report, but the Observer has filed a request to obtain those figures.

OmegaNYC

September 26th, 2008, 12:56 PM

^^^ Block, why are you bringing up news clips that are nearly half-a-year old? This thread is about talking about Newark's revival and recent deveolpments, not to bash the city and talk about a few students getting mugged.

66nexus

September 26th, 2008, 01:40 PM

Yeah Starbucks in gateway is so successfuly its open after 6pm and on weekends. LOL
Wow an au bon pan!
Ironbound was built for the portugese families.. any other nationality and you will be an outsider and robbed.
The economic crisis just started... newark has been in "renaissance" mode since 2000... any maybe long before that.

Well I've collected a few things based on observation of your responses.

"Ironbound was built for portuguese families...any other nationality and you will be an outsider and robbed."

I've heard that kind of response before. It's a poster's effort to display expertise on matters he/she really does not know much about.

It's why you post so many reports, I suppose you believe that if you post so many of them then the sheer number will 'overwhelm'. However, your efforts only amount to what would be a rant...or a vent for bad past Newark experience?

You are perhaps a college grad, recent or otherwise, and you dormed in Newark for awhile. It was completely outside of your world and you couldn't handle it, which wouldn't be your fault (and you wouldn't be the first). However, posting so many reports will not change folks' minds:

The people who hate Newark for whatever reason most likely do not require new reasons to hate the city. The supporters (in whatever format you choose label them) will not have 'their eyes opened'. You will change nothing

block944

September 26th, 2008, 09:08 PM

Well I've collected a few things based on observation of your responses.

"Ironbound was built for portuguese families...any other nationality and you will be an outsider and robbed."

I've heard that kind of response before. It's a poster's effort to display expertise on matters he/she really does not know much about.

It's why you post so many reports, I suppose you believe that if you post so many of them then the sheer number will 'overwhelm'. However, your efforts only amount to what would be a rant...or a vent for bad past Newark experience?

You are perhaps a college grad, recent or otherwise, and you dormed in Newark for awhile. It was completely outside of your world and you couldn't handle it, which wouldn't be your fault (and you wouldn't be the first). However, posting so many reports will not change folks' minds:

The people who hate Newark for whatever reason most likely do not require new reasons to hate the city. The supporters (in whatever format you choose label them) will not have 'their eyes opened'. You will change nothing

Cory booker is that you? Anyway...

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/man_shot_to_death_in_newark.html

A man was shot to death as he drove on a Newark street this afternoon, police said.
The victim, whom police did not immediately identify, was shot several times while driving on Bragraw Avenue near Leslie Street in the city's South Ward just after 4 p.m.. He was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Several potential suspects were seen firing into the car before fleeing the scene in a gray sedan, police said.

while we are at it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tZc8oH--o

z22

September 26th, 2008, 09:56 PM

Block, I don't know how you can relate Newark to that clip. I see... You hate Obama. And you hate black people in Newark. You are totally stupid!!! Get out of this forum, please.

block944

September 26th, 2008, 10:29 PM

Block, I don't know how you can relate Newark to that clip. I see... You hate Obama. And you hate black people in Newark. You are totally stupid!!! Get out of this forum, please.

Hate black people? Thats pretty racist, go back to kentucky thanks!

stache

September 27th, 2008, 01:10 AM

Stop bickering.

JCexpert558

September 27th, 2008, 04:35 PM

Now if we can get back on topic What new projects are going to be planned for Newark?

66nexus

September 27th, 2008, 06:21 PM

Now if we can get back on topic What new projects are going to be planned for Newark?

Most notable (IMO):

Shaq's residential tower
Liberty Plaza
Lincoln park condominiums

Marv95

September 27th, 2008, 09:18 PM

Most notable (IMO):

Shaq's residential tower
Liberty Plaza
Lincoln park condominiums
Don't for get One Center Street, the Market Rate housing/retail at NJPAC.

And JCExpert, you say you wanted the Atlantic Yards project to come Brick City(downtown right?), but where would you put it? You can't put it near Penn Sation(no room), Broad Street Station is already about to be covered with Liberty Plaza and hopefully Westinghouse, and if Cogswell would get their heads out of their rectums Broad St. between Washington Park and Raymond Blvd would also be covered. The only place I could think of is the Riverfront, near Penn Station--since this project has to be next to quality mass transit like this one in Brooklyn--but isn't the space narrow, esp. with the office buildings in the way?

JCexpert558

September 27th, 2008, 10:18 PM

Newark can aquire Irvington and make it over there.

66nexus

September 27th, 2008, 10:22 PM

Don't for get One Center Street, the Market Rate housing/retail at NJPAC.

And JCExpert, you say you wanted the Atlantic Yards project to come Brick City(downtown right?), but where would you put it? You can't put it near Penn Sation(no room), Broad Street Station is already about to be covered with Liberty Plaza and hopefully Westinghouse, and if Cogswell would get their heads out of their rectums Broad St. between Washington Park and Raymond Blvd would also be covered. The only place I could think of is the Riverfront, near Penn Station--since this project has to be next to quality mass transit like this one in Brooklyn--but isn't the space narrow, esp. with the office buildings in the way?

They could put AY in Newark, just not nearly on the same scale and some lots would have to be acquired. Likely? No. Possible? Sure.

JCexpert558

September 27th, 2008, 10:35 PM

Over on Market Street where all those low end stores would be a good place, and they could add a big Mall;)

NYatKNIGHT

September 29th, 2008, 12:59 PM

block944, as I told you this is not a forum to list every crime that happens in Newark. Post one more and it will be your last.

block944

October 1st, 2008, 02:36 PM

block944, as I told you this is not a forum to list every crime that happens in Newark. Post one more and it will be your last.

Oh please, you want me to continue with the ignorant laugh fest you guys have of the city turning around? I work at prudential and do my graduate studies at NJIT. None of us at prudential go south of the building.. ever. People that for some reason don't have a job are waiting to either harass or start problems with us.. when its lunch time we cross the street at subway or head to the gateway center. 1180 is a small corner stone of newark that is in a bubble from the rest of the city to live there and think the city is rebounding is a dream. Even here at NJIT most students are commuters because we know better than to stay on campus after dark. And for your so called renaissance of Newark, Metro sneakers on broad and Payless are CLOSED. To make room for more garbage dollar stores. Ferry street is great as its in the shadow of Horizon BCBSNJ but venture a block off anywhere and graffiti and shady characters are waiting for some idiot to walk by and rob.

Gone are:
FedEx
Payless
Metro Sneakers
Old Navy
StarBucks--soon
NewYork and Co--soon

With 3-4 other vacant cogswell buildings are the same business area.

Renaissance towers the prices are falling as nobody wants to buy there anymore: http://www.realtor.com/search/searchresults.aspx?zp=07102&typ=2 those same places sold for 250/260 a year ago. Nowhere else in north jersey has the prices fallen that dramatically. The one for 185 was for sale at 215 a year ago and still nobody wants it. All newark can do is pump money into "beautifing" the streets which is pointless because the same trashy people are still there and us business people won't dare risks our neck to mingle in unless we are in a group of 3 or more.

scrollhectic

October 1st, 2008, 03:08 PM

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/10/01/business/smallbusiness/01newark.span.jpg Michael Nagle for The New York Times
NOT JUST FOR FANS Renovations are complete in some rooms of the Arena Bar and Lounge, and more are planned.

By DAVE CALDWELL (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/dave_caldwell/index.html?inline=nyt-per)
Published: September 30, 2008
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/10/01/business/smallbusiness/01newark2.190.jpg (http://javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/10/01/business/smallbusiness/01newark_CA0.ready.html', '01newark_CA0_ready', 'width=456,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,r esizable=yes'))
Michael Nagle for The New York Times
BETTING ON NEWARK Antonio Rodrigues, left, and John Brito said they knew the area was improving.

FOUR years ago, John Brito and Antonio Rodrigues, natives of the Ironbound section of Newark, bought a rough-and-tumble corner bar downtown on Mulberry Street called the Caverna. They planned to turn the three-story building into an establishment that was part pub and part lounge, both uncommon then in Newark.

Nearly $1 million in renovations later — more than 15 times as much as they had expected to spend, they said — their Arena Bar and Lounge has become a popular pre- and postgame stop for fans of the New Jersey Devils, the National Hockey League team that began playing at the Prudential Center, one block north, last October.

After another round of renovation, the bar has reopened just in time for the start of the hockey season (the Devils’ first home game is Oct. 10). Mr. Brito and Mr. Rodrigues are anticipating a replay of last season’s successes.

Then, about two hours before each game, fans, many wearing red or white Devils apparel, streamed into the bar for a beer or a burger. When a game ended and thousands of fans poured out of the 17,625-seat Prudential Center, many stopped at the Arena Bar to wait out the traffic. The arena is also home to Seton Hall University (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/s/seton_hall_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org) basketball games and many concerts. But even when nothing was going on at the Prudential Center, the bar did a brisk business at lunchtime and on many nights.
“We knew the area was going to turn around,” said Mr. Brito, 35. “It was just a matter of time.”

Newark, six miles west of Manhattan, has been slowly trying to revive itself, particularly since the Prudential Center opened. The Arena Bar appears to be among several successful small businesses that are hoping both to piggyback on the city’s recovery and contribute to it.

“Wagering on Newark makes for a smart bet,” said Stefan Pryor, deputy mayor for economic development. “Newark is an up-and-coming city. We’ve got incredible assets that have been underleveraged for a long time, and we’ve got more assets along the way. Every day, businesses and residents are arriving in Newark with the expectation that the city’s only going to get better.”

The Arena Bar was a much riskier venture when Mr. Brito and Mr. Rodrigues bought the space in March of 2004. A site nearby had been selected for the arena, but it was far from certain that it would be built.

Then, for 20 months of the nearly two years through late 2007 that it took to build the arena, the stretch of Mulberry Street in front of the Arena Bar was closed to car traffic. Construction workers still came, and Mr. Pryor held his office Christmas party there as a show of support, but the business foundered.

“It was uncomfortable, to say the least,” Mr. Brito said.

“It devastated us for a while,” said Mr. Rodrigues, who is 36.
Both had experience in real estate, and they still thought they had a sound idea. The Arena Bar is a block from the Newark police headquarters and about two blocks from City Hall, so government workers provided a core of customers. There was no place downtown quite like the bar, with its cherry-wood floors and hardwood moldings.

From the beginning, they wanted to create more than a sports bar, so they shied away from names like Devil’s Den. They picked a logo that included a silhouette of the Colosseum in Rome. They painted the walls burgundy, rather than the Devils’ bright red.

Business was so good that the owners began a $350,000 renovation and expansion project in July. They received a license to sell food and drink outside, and the sidewalks were repaved in stone as a seating area. The main room was remodeled, with “Jerusalem gold” stone walls and a new bar. A garage in the back of the building is being converted into another bar.

The main room and new area will be open to everyone at lunchtime and before games and events. The intention, Mr. Brito and Mr. Rodrigues said, is to create two late-night ambiences: an elegant lounge with a dress code and disc jockey, and a louder, higher-energy sports bar. The menu is to be expanded to include salads and freshly squeezed juices in the main room, but there will always be space on the menu for a burger.

Draft beer is a big seller before Devils games, but the Arena Bar also offers more than 50 martinis and a menu that includes picadinho, a Brazilian hash with pork cubes, shrimp and potatoes. Mr. Brito and Mr. Rodrigues furnished the back of the main floor with plush sofas and wingback chairs, and they lower the curtains on weekends to create the aura of a lounge.

The emergence of the Arena Bar and other businesses has changed the decades-old perception among suburbanites that Newark was unsafe at night. Many doubted that Devils fans would come to the Prudential Center in quite the same numbers as they had to the team’s former home, now known as the Izod Center, in East Rutherford, 12 miles away.

But when the Prudential Center opened with a series of Bon Jovi concerts, the police established a mobile command center near the arena and a huge presence for blocks around, to make sure people felt safe. The Devils drew about 10 percent more fans last season than they did the year before, and the Arena Bar’s business tripled after the Prudential Center opened.

Chip Hallock, president of the Newark Regional Business Partnership, said of the neighborhood: “What I’ve heard is people saying, ‘This isn’t what I expected.’ There’s kind of a good will and a good feeling. People are on the street, and I think it’s just the beginning of what’s going to happen around here.”

When Jim Tencza and Lou Linn, who work in Paramus, arrived early for their first Devils game, they asked a police officer to direct them to a good place for a beer, and he pointed to the Arena Bar.

“You’ve got good food, good beer and good scenery,” Mr. Tencza said before a game last season, smiling as he nodded at one of the waitresses.
And the prices are reasonable, Mr. Linn said. “They don’t gouge you.”

A pint of domestic beer sells for $4, and there are often specials. Inside the Prudential Center, a 12-ounce bottle of domestic beer is $7. The Arena Bar has also given discounts in “Restaurants Round the Rock” fliers — referring to the Prudential Rock logo that has become the arena’s nickname — put under the windshield wipers of cars parked nearby. People will stay hours after a game because they are more comfortable in the neighborhood now.

“I’ve never had a problem,” said Kelly Maione, a Devils fan from Flanders, N.J. “I thought it was going to be a dirty and not a friendly area. I used to wait for somebody to walk with me to my car. Now, it’s like, ‘See ya!’ ”

Above the bar’s main floor are two open floors, which Mr. Brito and Mr. Rodrigues said might be converted into a V.I.P. lounge and a cigar lounge. They have 15 employees, including a recently hired general manager, and they plan to do more hiring as the business grows, they said.

“People are starting to understand that there’s a 24-7 resident population here now,” said Alfred C. Koeppe, president of the Newark Alliance, a nonprofit group of business leaders. “It’s just a matter of time before you see something like a first-class bookshop going in downtown. It’s like what’s happened at Yankee Stadium for all those years. How many feet can you walk without seeing Derek Jeter (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/j/derek_jeter/index.html?inline=nyt-per)’s jersey in a storefront?”

The streets around the Prudential Center are often awash in hockey fans wearing copies of the red jersey worn by the Devils’ goaltender, Martin Brodeur (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/martin_brodeur/index.html?inline=nyt-per). A 350-room hotel is planned for the area, and Mr. Brito said business at the bar could double over the next year.

“Yeah, it was a big risk that we took,” Mr. Rodrigues said.
But, he added after a pause, for the Devils and the Newark business community, “it was an even bigger risk.”

block944

October 1st, 2008, 03:26 PM

“People are starting to understand that there’s a 24-7 resident population here now,” said Alfred C. Koeppe, president of the Newark Alliance, a nonprofit group of business leaders. “It’s just a matter of time before you see something like a first-class bookshop going in downtown. It’s like what’s happened at Yankee Stadium for all those years. How many feet can you walk without seeing Derek Jeter (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/j/derek_jeter/index.html?inline=nyt-per)’s jersey in a storefront?”

.....

LOL 24x7? Its DEAD after the hockey games as everyone peels outa here as fast at they can. Nothing else bothers to stay open thats why people go there. Police presense? LOL yeah right

66nexus

October 1st, 2008, 05:52 PM

LOL 24x7? Its DEAD after the hockey games as everyone peels outa here as fast at they can. Nothing else bothers to stay open thats why people go there. Police presense? LOL yeah right

No police presence huh. That is absolute proof you haven't been to game, even you should know that Newark cannot afford to NOT have a heavy police presence during games/concerts.

Don't say 'here', I doubt you're still in Newark (if ever)

scrollhectic

October 2nd, 2008, 07:53 PM

... and if Cogswell would get their heads out of their rectums Broad St. between Washington Park and Raymond Blvd would also be covered...

Though I don't know the inner workings of the company, I feel the need to come to Cogswell's defense here. Given our economic situation, I think it might be difficult for them to find financing for any large scale redevelopement projects right now. When financial times were better, it was still difficult for them to secure financing for Eleven80. And though they are tooting Eleven80 as a huge success story, I think their occupancy rate is only 80% - 85%. If any high end residential developement east of the Hackensack River had an occupancy rate that low, it'd be considered a bad investment. Most of the high end developements in Hudson and Bergen county are around 95% occupancy - even with the economic slump. And their rent rolls are higher. A luxury one bedroom in Hudson county fetches upwards of $2000. You can get one for $1700 at Eleven80. Maybe their budgeted for low occupancy but that building cost over $100 million to redevelop, so I'm kind of at a loss as to how they're making any money on it. That may also help to explain why they haven't been so quick to develop the other sites along Broad Street that they own.

Again, I don't know anyone who works for Cogswell, but I think they've done very well considering the hurdles they've had to overcome. As much as I'd like to see more development at a faster pace, Newark just doesn't have the demand nor the asking price that justifies - from an investment perspective - such expensive development. Large scale developments really have to be creative in securing financing. I have to tip my hat to Cogswell, Tucker, Lam, Shaq and others developers who are taking risks in investing in Newark when Jersey City is a safer investment at the same price. Not Berger though, I still think he's tacky.

block944

October 3rd, 2008, 11:26 AM

anyone know what they are building next to the prudential center? I saw a building getting torn down today... seems they started last night as I smelled the fumes from my place

newarkdevil1

October 3rd, 2008, 04:51 PM

Block,

The buildnigs being torn down are part of the NHA's triangle park agenda. They will take down two more buildings there so that the 4 story bring building on market is the first building on the block.

newarkdevil1

October 3rd, 2008, 04:52 PM

<H1>Wall Street crisis puts Nets' future Brooklyn home in jeopardy

by Ian T. Shearn and George E. Jordan/The Star-Ledger Tuesday September 30, 2008, 7:10 PM

Four months ago, Goldman Sachs assured all financing would be in place for a $950 million professional basketball arena in Brooklyn by today.
Bruce Ratner, owner of the New Jersey Nets and developer of the ambitious, $4 billion Atlantic Yards project, said he was "inches away from completing the deal."
That was before prestigious investment firms started to fall and credit markets went into full-scale panic, triggering a financial crisis on Wall Street unseen since the Great Depression.
Tuesday, a spokesman for Goldman Sachs offered only a "no comment" when asked about the financing for the nearly $950 million arena, fueling persistent doubts about the viability of Ratner's plan, which has been systematically downscaled and delayed since it was first rolled out more than four years ago.
The latest setback came Monday, when Ratner said that ongoing legal disputes had again pushed back ground breaking for the arena, Originally slated to open in 2006, and most recently in 2010, it will now not be ready before 2011.
For his part, Ratner remains resolute.
"Atlantic Yards will be built and it will create thousands of needed jobs and affordable homes," Ratner said in a prepared statement. "This is all the more important as our city and country confront one of the most difficult economic downturns in history."
Atlantic Yards -- 16 skyscrapers, an 18,000-seat basketball arena for the Nets, and thousands of apartments at a site at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic avenues -- has been delayed by a string of legal challenges and questions about financing.
That leaves the Nets playing at the aging Izod Center in the Meadowlands for at least the next three years, which will perpetuate competition with the Prudential Center hockey arena in Newark.
The latest delay may complicate the $400 million naming-rights deal with Barclays Bank, which is expected to help offset the cost of the arena, according to published reports. The deal with Barclays was contingent on Ratner's financing for the project to be in place by the end of November.
Neither Barclays nor the Nets responded to email requests for interviews.
A New York appellate court last week refused to dismiss a lawsuit by nine property owners in the footprint of the project challenging the use of eminent domain. The court rejected a motion to throw out the case by the Empire State Development Corp., whose spokesman, Warner Johnston, declined comment.
Opponents in Brooklyn object to both its size and the use of eminent domain by the state to make way for the project.
Candace Carponter, legal director of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, said the Wall Street crisis, pending court case and questions about tax-exempt bonds mean the project may never be built.
"The plan is now in doubt," she said in a statement.
Lawrence Swift, a partner at Troutman Sanders, a Manhattan law firm that specializes in sports facility financing and other large transactions, said the use of tax-exempt bonds could make or break Atlantic Yards arena.
The meltdown on Wall Street, he said, has prompted major banks to high fees that dramatically raise the cost of conventional loans. However, tax-exempt bonds backed by the city and state would be attractive to wealthy investors looking to exit the volatile stock market.
"It could go ahead, the financing could be there," Swift said. "You also have people buying into it for PR reasons to support the city or concept."
Ratner is also awaiting a critical Internal Revenue Service ruling on whether the arena in Atlantic Yards is eligible for $800 million in tax-exempt bonds to finance construction of the arena, according to Atlantic Yards officials.
</H1>

newarkdevil1

October 3rd, 2008, 05:19 PM

Does anyone know what is going on with this building. I have seen one post implying that this might be where Seton Hall Law is going to put it's dorms but have no verification.

http://www.oldnewark.com/busind/images/office/firemans02/firemans02022003spohn.jpg

66nexus

October 3rd, 2008, 07:05 PM

Corner Bar Cashes In as Newark Redevelops
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/10/01/business/smallbusiness/01newark.span.jpg Michael Nagle for The New York Times
NOT JUST FOR FANS Renovations are complete in some rooms of the Arena Bar and Lounge, and more are planned.

By DAVE CALDWELL (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/dave_caldwell/index.html?inline=nyt-per)
Published: September 30, 2008
NEWARK

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/10/01/business/smallbusiness/01newark2.190.jpg (javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/10/01/business/smallbusiness/01newark_CA0.ready.html', '01newark_CA0_ready', 'width=456,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,r esizable=yes'))Michael Nagle for The New York Times
BETTING ON NEWARK Antonio Rodrigues, left, and John Brito said they knew the area was improving.

FOUR years ago, John Brito and Antonio Rodrigues, natives of the Ironbound section of Newark, bought a rough-and-tumble corner bar downtown on Mulberry Street called the Caverna. They planned to turn the three-story building into an establishment that was part pub and part lounge, both uncommon then in Newark.
Nearly $1 million in renovations later — more than 15 times as much as they had expected to spend, they said — their Arena Bar and Lounge has become a popular pre- and postgame stop for fans of the New Jersey Devils, the National Hockey League team that began playing at the Prudential Center, one block north, last October.
After another round of renovation, the bar has reopened just in time for the start of the hockey season (the Devils’ first home game is Oct. 10). Mr. Brito and Mr. Rodrigues are anticipating a replay of last season’s successes.
Then, about two hours before each game, fans, many wearing red or white Devils apparel, streamed into the bar for a beer or a burger. When a game ended and thousands of fans poured out of the 17,625-seat Prudential Center, many stopped at the Arena Bar to wait out the traffic. The arena is also home to Seton Hall University (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/s/seton_hall_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org) basketball games and many concerts. But even when nothing was going on at the Prudential Center, the bar did a brisk business at lunchtime and on many nights.
“We knew the area was going to turn around,” said Mr. Brito, 35. “It was just a matter of time.”
Newark, six miles west of Manhattan, has been slowly trying to revive itself, particularly since the Prudential Center opened. The Arena Bar appears to be among several successful small businesses that are hoping both to piggyback on the city’s recovery and contribute to it.
“Wagering on Newark makes for a smart bet,” said Stefan Pryor, deputy mayor for economic development. “Newark is an up-and-coming city. We’ve got incredible assets that have been underleveraged for a long time, and we’ve got more assets along the way. Every day, businesses and residents are arriving in Newark with the expectation that the city’s only going to get better.”
The Arena Bar was a much riskier venture when Mr. Brito and Mr. Rodrigues bought the space in March of 2004. A site nearby had been selected for the arena, but it was far from certain that it would be built.
Then, for 20 months of the nearly two years through late 2007 that it took to build the arena, the stretch of Mulberry Street in front of the Arena Bar was closed to car traffic. Construction workers still came, and Mr. Pryor held his office Christmas party there as a show of support, but the business foundered.
“It was uncomfortable, to say the least,” Mr. Brito said.
“It devastated us for a while,” said Mr. Rodrigues, who is 36.
Both had experience in real estate, and they still thought they had a sound idea. The Arena Bar is a block from the Newark police headquarters and about two blocks from City Hall, so government workers provided a core of customers. There was no place downtown quite like the bar, with its cherry-wood floors and hardwood moldings.
From the beginning, they wanted to create more than a sports bar, so they shied away from names like Devil’s Den. They picked a logo that included a silhouette of the Colosseum in Rome. They painted the walls burgundy, rather than the Devils’ bright red.
Business was so good that the owners began a $350,000 renovation and expansion project in July. They received a license to sell food and drink outside, and the sidewalks were repaved in stone as a seating area. The main room was remodeled, with “Jerusalem gold” stone walls and a new bar. A garage in the back of the building is being converted into another bar.
The main room and new area will be open to everyone at lunchtime and before games and events. The intention, Mr. Brito and Mr. Rodrigues said, is to create two late-night ambiences: an elegant lounge with a dress code and disc jockey, and a louder, higher-energy sports bar. The menu is to be expanded to include salads and freshly squeezed juices in the main room, but there will always be space on the menu for a burger.
Draft beer is a big seller before Devils games, but the Arena Bar also offers more than 50 martinis and a menu that includes picadinho, a Brazilian hash with pork cubes, shrimp and potatoes. Mr. Brito and Mr. Rodrigues furnished the back of the main floor with plush sofas and wingback chairs, and they lower the curtains on weekends to create the aura of a lounge.

PAGE #2

The emergence of the Arena Bar and other businesses has changed the decades-old perception among suburbanites that Newark was unsafe at night. Many doubted that Devils fans would come to the Prudential Center in quite the same numbers as they had to the team’s former home, now known as the Izod Center, in East Rutherford, 12 miles away.
But when the Prudential Center opened with a series of Bon Jovi concerts, the police established a mobile command center near the arena and a huge presence for blocks around, to make sure people felt safe. The Devils drew about 10 percent more fans last season than they did the year before, and the Arena Bar’s business tripled after the Prudential Center opened.
Chip Hallock, president of the Newark Regional Business Partnership, said of the neighborhood: “What I’ve heard is people saying, ‘This isn’t what I expected.’ There’s kind of a good will and a good feeling. People are on the street, and I think it’s just the beginning of what’s going to happen around here.”
When Jim Tencza and Lou Linn, who work in Paramus, arrived early for their first Devils game, they asked a police officer to direct them to a good place for a beer, and he pointed to the Arena Bar.
“You’ve got good food, good beer and good scenery,” Mr. Tencza said before a game last season, smiling as he nodded at one of the waitresses.
And the prices are reasonable, Mr. Linn said. “They don’t gouge you.”
A pint of domestic beer sells for $4, and there are often specials. Inside the Prudential Center, a 12-ounce bottle of domestic beer is $7. The Arena Bar has also given discounts in “Restaurants Round the Rock” fliers — referring to the Prudential Rock logo that has become the arena’s nickname — put under the windshield wipers of cars parked nearby. People will stay hours after a game because they are more comfortable in the neighborhood now.
“I’ve never had a problem,” said Kelly Maione, a Devils fan from Flanders, N.J. “I thought it was going to be a dirty and not a friendly area. I used to wait for somebody to walk with me to my car. Now, it’s like, ‘See ya!’ ”
Above the bar’s main floor are two open floors, which Mr. Brito and Mr. Rodrigues said might be converted into a V.I.P. lounge and a cigar lounge. They have 15 employees, including a recently hired general manager, and they plan to do more hiring as the business grows, they said.
“People are starting to understand that there’s a 24-7 resident population here now,” said Alfred C. Koeppe, president of the Newark Alliance, a nonprofit group of business leaders. “It’s just a matter of time before you see something like a first-class bookshop going in downtown. It’s like what’s happened at Yankee Stadium for all those years. How many feet can you walk without seeing Derek Jeter (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/j/derek_jeter/index.html?inline=nyt-per)’s jersey in a storefront?”
The streets around the Prudential Center are often awash in hockey fans wearing copies of the red jersey worn by the Devils’ goaltender, Martin Brodeur (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/martin_brodeur/index.html?inline=nyt-per). A 350-room hotel is planned for the area, and Mr. Brito said business at the bar could double over the next year.
“Yeah, it was a big risk that we took,” Mr. Rodrigues said.
But, he added after a pause, for the Devils and the Newark business community, “it was an even bigger risk.”

taken from nytimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/business/smallbusiness/01newark.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

tommyguy

October 5th, 2008, 02:08 PM

I have really enjoyed reading the messages in this Newark thread. I came late but I think I have read every one. Have to admit I get a laugh out of mostly upwardly mobile well-to-do nexgenners verbally duking it out over what place is better, Jersey City or Newark. Who woulda thought that even possible a few years ago?

I love the Metropolitan Area and always have; I find excuses to visit both places quite often.

I frequently visit the main libraries in both cities and often shop at the Newport Mall. I'm also a transit buff so I ride the Newark City Subway and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail regularly too.

The fact remains though, to me anyway, both cities' downtown sections still have an 'inner city' feel to them. People are coming back to both downtowns but their unease is palpable. Understandable, as you still see some pretty shaky people hanging about. I'm a working class guy who has lived in some pretty tough New York neighborhoods and I long ago decided to refuse to live scared. I try and use my head, but I refuse to knuckle under to the thugs.

One concern, in taking the Light Rail from Newark Public Library to Penn Station or walking from the PATH Grove Street station to the Jersey City Library I seldom see any police. Occasionally I see a Newark police car driving down Broad Street but that's about it. (Are there any foot cops in either downtown? I never see any.)

That people still get mugged at Newark's downtown rail stations during the afternoon, why should posting that information be verboten? I need to know that, actually. We in denial here?

Finally, what's missing from these discusions is the fact the great majority of Jersey City and Newark residents are working class non-white people. Until the city works for them it won't really work for anyone. Yet in these discussions they are invisible. You get the impression, at least I do, these cities are all about renovated office buildings, condos and the urban settlers who will work and live in both. That's kinda sad.

Marv95

October 5th, 2008, 02:50 PM

3 Things:

Downtown Newark very rarely has foot patrol except during events and occasionally in the Broad/Market area, south of the buisness district. They have street cameras scattered throughout though. Don't know about JC as I have yet to see any foot patrol downtown even in Newport. But I've seen a couple of cameras there too.

No one is in denial abiut muggings, but the fact is there are muggings in broad daylight in Manhattan, Center City Philly, the "tourist" areas of DC, downtown Boston and SF, etc.,(non-blighted, affluent areas folks) yet I don't hear people making such a big fuss for those areas in their respective forums, do you?

Newsflash: Yuppies don't care about non-white, working class people. If they want to move back to the downtown, they don't want a majority of the downtown to be a different color from them or "homeless" crackheads asking for a handout so they can score some drugs in the hood; they crave for a Cosi or Starbucks every 2 blocks, not 99 cent stores or Harlemesque retail. You want the inner city element removed from downtown(which is very understandable as I do too lol), but you don't want the working class blacks, who contribute to an inner city downtown, to be forgotten. Which one is it, because ya can't have both.

tommyguy

October 5th, 2008, 06:40 PM

Marv thanks for the response. I enjoyed reading it.

Limted time available now but I do want to give some feedback re: crime (daytime muggings) in the cities Marv mentioned.

SF I don't know about. Washington -- even out alone late in the evening -- seems pretty peaceful. Philly's Market Street -- the whole Center City area -- seems fine. Boston feels very mellow. As a New Yorker, this may sound naive, but I actually don't think there are many midday muggings, at least not in Midtown. For one thing, there is a major police presence. And everything's always crowded.

I think the major difference with all of the above and Newark is the vibe you get in the streets, at subway stations, at bus stops, when you pass someone on an unexpectedly deserted downtown street. The comments you overhear people making.

(Two middle-aged African-American working guys on the City Subway heading home. I hear the man with a newspaper spread open on his lap saying he was born in Newark, lived there his whole life. They've been talking about how 'safe' Newark has supposedly become and laughing sarcastically Two Ecuadorean women waiting for their ride on Market St., a block east of Penn Station at 7 PM. Eyeing the loiterers across Market -- on the steps of the long-abandoned bank -- and saying they didn't like waiting there, be glad when their ride showed up.)

Mind you, Newark seems so much safer than even in the 1990s, it's hard to believe. But I still see it as a tough urban environment where you need to be a bit wary.

tommyguy

October 6th, 2008, 09:23 AM

You want the inner city element removed from downtown(which is very understandable as I do too lol), but you don't want the working class blacks, who contribute to an inner city downtown, to be forgotten. Which one is it, because ya can't have both.

Marv I didn't say anything about wanting the "inner-city element removed" from downtown. I don't want to see a new, improved "Apartheid-Newark" arise from the ruins of the old city. That won't be good for anyone.

I don't quite understand your statement above. I recognize the sentiment, though. I said the downtown still has an inner-city feel to me. But hey, there's inner-city good and then there's inner-city bad. You got hip, funky inner-city where everyone feels included (that's good) and you got mean, down-and-out inner city where everyone is at risk (that's bad). To me, the inner-city feel in downtown Newark seems a blend of both right now.

scrollhectic

October 6th, 2008, 03:07 PM

Other crimes, particularly burglaries, show slight rise

Sunday, October 05, 2008 BY JONATHAN SCHUPPE
Star-Ledger Staff

Newark's steep drop in murders and shootings continued through the third quarter of 2008, but overall crime remains slightly higher than it was last year at this time, according to figures released last week by the police department.

The murder count stood at 45 at the end of September, down from 76 in 2007, a drop of 41 percent. That still gives the city a chance at ending the year with fewer than 58 murders, which would be the lowest number in modern history.

Shootings -- incidents in which someone was shot and the total number of victims --are also on the decline in Newark, by 16 percent and 19 percent, respectively, according to police.

But those gains have been offset by a slight uptick in the amount of total crime. The number of so-called index offenses -- murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts and auto thefts -- has inched up by 3 percent this year. That increase has largely been fueled by a 35 percent jump in burglaries.

Along with the crime numbers, the police released figures showing that police officers' sick time and overtime has dropped, along with the number of civilian complaints about their conduct.

All year, Newark has been battling an increase in property crimes, which they attribute in part to the popularity of Global Positioning System receivers and a surge in scrap metal prices. But the major reason, police say, is an overhaul in the way they count crimes.

After a 2007 audit found discrepancies in the way officers categorized crime reports, Police Director Garry McCarthy said he implemented a series of reforms to make the statistics better reflect reality. As a result, he said, many crimes that weren't labeled as index offenses in the past are now being placed in those categories. He estimated that 20-30 crimes per week were mislabeled.

"Our numbers last year were not correct," McCarthy said. "We fixed them as best we could."

The changes have disproportionately affected burglaries, McCarthy said. He called the jump in those crimes a "false positive" that will disappear in 2009, when the department has a full year of corrected numbers to use as a baseline.

He said he's less concerned about making year-to-year comparisons than knowing the actual volume of crime and applying resources to deal with it.
Nonetheless, he noted that murders are traditionally the most difficult crime to mislabel -- and he has his eye on the city's low mark of 58 murders in 1997.

"We've done a lot of work," he said, "and we're still on pace to break the record."

NYatKNIGHT

October 7th, 2008, 04:13 PM

tommyguy, thanks for posting. I'm not sure anyone can argue that the cities need to work for their working class citizens. If there is a lack of that in this thread perhaps it's due to lack of understanding of the topic, but I wouldn't go as far to say anyone is ignoring it. By all means let's have the discussion.
That people still get mugged at Newark's downtown rail stations during the afternoon, why should posting that information be verboten? I need to know that, actually. We in denial here?Discussion of the crime is absolutely not forbidden, as you well know after reading this thread, including the previous post. Nobody has denied that there is crime. I've been moderating this forum for many years though, and in my experience when a new member starts out by listing post after post and page after page of every crime that makes the police blotter, it is an automatic red flag for a troll. And please note I allowed the posts to stand as I think that member potentially has more than that to contribute. It is certainly not allowed in any thread for any city or neighborhood on this board, I think the others here have aptly stated why.

scrollhectic

October 9th, 2008, 02:01 PM

County announces plans to tear down a parking garage, put up a park

Thursday, October 09, 2008 BY CARMEN JURI
Star-Ledger Staff

For the last 40 years, the space behind the Essex County government complex in Newark was a place for cars to park.

Soon, it will just be a park.

County officials yesterday announced a $4 million project to demolish the parking garage and transform it into the first county park to open in 80 years.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo joined with Gov. Jon Corzine in announcing the project, scheduled to be opened by next fall.

The 2.7 acres of open space will beautify a neighborhood that at tracts hundreds of thousands of county residents who come to conduct business, as well as residents of the Society Hill townhouses and students who attend Essex County College nearby and Newark Tech Vocational School across the street, he said.

DiVincenzo said students at Newark Tech will be able "to look out of their classrooms and see the beautiful trees and the fountain, and residents will have a tranquil place to stroll and relax."

The park will be dedicated as the "Essex County Veterans Memorial Park" in honor of all military veterans, he said.

"Naming the park for our veterans is a tremendous opportunity to recognize the brave men and women who fought for our country and our liberty. Along with the Veterans Courthouse, this is our way of showing respect and admiration for their dedication and sacrifice," he said.
Corzine said the park will "lift up the lives of the people who live here."

"This is an incredible move for ward for the greater community who live and work and go to school in the neighborhood and don't have access to open space," Cor zine said.

Naming the park for veterans is a way of thanking them, he said. "It's setting a stage where people will recognize them," Corzine said.

Military veterans from throughout Essex County were invited to attend, and guest speakers included retired Maj. Gen. Jonathan Scott Gration of Nutley and several current Essex County employees who served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Work to demolish the garage on Howard Street started Oct. 1 and is scheduled to be completed in about three months. Essex County is funding the demolition through its capital budget.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection awarded the county a $1.5 million Green Acres grant, and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund is providing a $1.5 million matching grant to fund the park development.

"Against all odds in the middle of this great city, we are creating open space. This is a remarkable accomplishment," said Commis sioner Lisa Jackson of the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Plans call for planting several hundred trees and creating walking paths and lawn panels where people can sit and rest, said landscape architect Brian Clemson of Hatch Mott MacDonald of Millburn. A fountain and gazebo will also complement the design.

"It's a truly spectacular place and space," he said.

tommyguy

October 9th, 2008, 06:05 PM

A fireside chat about hooks and ladders
The Star-Ledger
Joan Whitlow
Friday, September 26, 2008

Saturday Newark held a celebration to mark the reopening of a firehouse at Bergen Street and Lehigh Avenue after years of renovations that took longer than they should have.

I missed the speeches because on the way to the fire station, I stopped at a fire on Avon Avenue near Peshine.

By the time I arrived at the fire, there was smoke but no flame. The street was filled with apparatus -- from the fire station on Avon Avenue and the one on Clinton Place. I was told that one company -- that means a firefighting vehicle and the people to staff it -- at the Avon Avenue firehouse had been closed -- which means reassigned -- and the entire Clinton Place firehouse was being closed.

The city giveth but the city taketh away? That seemed to make the reopening at Bergen and Lehigh a little less thrilling.

There were balloons, music at Bergen and Lehigh. Neighborhood kids Asada, Sekou and Bakari Rashidi, who are 7, 6 and 4, had made a poster that said: "Welcome back Engine 29 and Ladder 10."

The shiny red firetruck parked in the dock said "Ladder 5," however. I wondered why. Whatever the number, the presence of the ladder must have been reassuring to the neighborhood given what had happened not long before. An elderly woman was injured jumping from an upper floor to escape an early-morning house fire on Keer Avenue, neighbors told me.

They believed that if the firehouse at Bergen and Lehigh had been open, the response would have been quicker and the woman might not have had to jump.

Yesterday morning I stopped by Bergen and Lehigh, knocked, called out, jiggled the doorknob and found the newly opened firehouse closed up tight.

I went over to Clinton Place and found Ladder 5. The crew was helping comrades pack up to leave today. I remembered that the mattresses upstairs at Bergen and Lehigh had been wrapped in their just-bought plastic when I toured the place Saturday. Some openings are not really openings.

But if they stick to the schedule, Ladder 5 will become Ladder 10 as of today. I was told not to pay attention to the number painted on the truck. I was also told to go talk to the administration.

I did. Newark Fire Chief Michael Lalor explained that during the previous administration, because of budget problems and because no council member wanted a fire station to close in his ward, the fire department had rotational closings. On any given shift, a firetruck or engine would be parked at firehouses around the city in reassuring shininess but without a crew assigned to drive it to your rescue. It was deception.

But how is the permanent closing of companies and an entire firehouse better? I asked.

Lalor insisted that the coverage is better now that the city is being honest. So what happened on Keer Avenue? I asked.

Lalor pulled the record sheets. He said he could not tell how long it took to call the fire department, but the official record says the department got the first call at 1:26:49 a.m., sent out a radio order for a response at 1:27:14 a.m. and had firefighters on the scene at 1:30:34 a.m.

Lalor Googled the distance between the now-closed Clinton Place firehouse and the newly opened Bergen-Lehigh firehouse and got half a mile. There should be no discernible difference in response time for the area, he said.

It's hard to convince the average person that having a firehouse a half-mile away is as good as having one on your block. That's why children make posters when one opens in their neighborhood.

Newark has in fact had a significant drop in fires in recent years. Lalor says the vacant lots make good fire breaks, it is harder for a blaze to spread through a block and newer construction comes with sprinklers.

There have been fewer fires, but there still are fires. There was the blaze that was set to hide a horror of a crime this month: the shooting deaths of an adult and three teenage women, including a 13-year-old. It happened in Irvington, but because of confusion about where the house was located, Newark responded.

I asked Lalor which firefighters would come if a fire broke out while I was working at The Star-Ledger.

After all, the downtown firehouse that was on Mulberry Street was torn down by the previous administration -- on its last day in office -- to benefit the Prudential Arena landscape, even though the arena was one more reason to preserve, if not expand, downtown protection.

Lalor checked: Firefighters from Clinton Avenue would come to my rescue, and maybe those from Springfield and Hunterdon, a station that had been converted to a community affairs operation but was reopened with one engine company, no ladder truck.

Did the city need to build a new downtown fire station? I asked. Lalor said he thought so. Anyone with good sense would.

Copyright @ The Star-Ledger

scrollhectic

October 20th, 2008, 12:02 PM

by Maura McDermott (MMcDermott@starledger.com)/The Star-Ledger Monday October 20, 2008, 7:55 AM

When the Prudential Center opened in Newark almost a year ago, Mayor Cory Booker called it "a testimony to hope."

The $375 million arena was envisioned not just as a gleaming showcase for concerts and sports games, but as the spark that would "continue to fuel and energize the resurgence of Newark," Booker proclaimed on opening
night.

http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/10/large_ele.JPG
Jerry McRea/The Star-LedgerElephants chow down during a lunch for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus elephants, held outside for a sidewalk audience the Prudential Center.

But with the economy in crisis, even the arena's biggest supporters say it must work hard to fill its calendar with top-notch acts, and the resurgence of the neighborhood around it will be slower and more hard-fought than expected.

In its first year, the 18,000-seat arena -- nicknamed the Rock -- has sold more than 1.5 million tickets and received glowing reviews from fans. However, its 150 concerts, family shows and sports events fell about 20 to 25 short of the hoped-for number, according to Jeff Vanderbeek, owner of the New Jersey Devils and developer of the arena.

Vanderbeek said he feels confident the arena will book 175 events next year. "A new building like this is going to continue to amaze people and sell itself," Vanderbeek said.

The Rock's fortunes have a direct impact on the city's budget, and on the neighborhood around it.

The rent Newark collects is pegged to the arena's profits. The city is due to receive 7 percent of all revenues from suites, concessions, naming rights and advertising, plus 4 percent of all other revenues. That payment can range from $2 million to $6 million a year.

The arena also owes $2.5 million for "base" rent, maintenance, sports and job training programs, according to its lease.

Vanderbeek said his accountants are still analyzing the numbers.
The Rock has until Oct. 26 to make the payment, and independent auditors will pore over the arena's books, according to the venue's landlord, the Newark Housing Authority.

The arena had a strong showing in its first year, despite the economic downturn, according to Vanderbeek and concert industry executives.
In addition to the $105 million Prudential naming rights deal, the arena has sponsorship contracts with PNC Bank, Verizon, AmeriHealth, Lincoln Mercury and Pepsi, Vanderbeek said.

Fans packed the Prudential Center for shows by Bon Jovi, Hannah Montana, the Eagles, Alicia Keys, Tom Petty and Celine Dion, among other performers.

Ticket sales were strong for last week's seven shows by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, according to a circus spokesman.

So far, most shows at the arena have been booked by AEG, the nation's second-largest promoter, which manages the arena. Live Nation, the biggest promoter, booked no acts there.

John Scher, a major independent concert promoter, said the first show he's booked at the Rock -- Metallica's two-night run early next year -- is nearly sold out. If it goes well, more acts will follow, he said.

Newark got the booking, in part, because its major competitor, the Izod Center in the Meadowlands, was only available for one night, Scher said.
But it didn't hurt that a Metallica manager had a great time at an event at the Rock, he added.

"You hear it's this beautiful arena, but seeing it is a lot better than hearing about it," Scher said.

The same is true for fans, said Arthur Stern, a developer who owns the first market-rate apartment building downtown in decades.

Stern brought his 12-year-old daughter and her friends to a Hannah Montana show at the Prudential Center in December and was amazed by how many teenage girls took the train from Manhattan to Newark -- many without their parents tagging along.

The arena "has had an absolutely unbelievable effect on the perception of downtown Newark, which is certainly one of the major issues that everyone's confronted," Stern said.

Already, Stern's 317-unit rental building on Raymond Boulevard is more than 90 percent leased, he said. "Without question, the arena helped," he said.

It's also helped keep downtown streets bustling with activity after dark. And that has attracted the interest of entrepreneurs.

In the last year, at least four new bars or restaurants -- Hell's Kitchen Lounge, The Spot Lounge, Scully's Publick House and 60 Park Grill -- have opened within a few blocks of the arena.

A 4-year-old Mulberry Street watering hole, the Arena Bar and Grill, just completed a nearly $1 million renovation.

Yet another eatery, the Brick City Bar and Grill, is expected to open by early November, with seating for 120, a bar with big-screen televisions and a waterfall.

"The arena is the main reason we're here," said Izzy Sema, who got the idea to open the restaurant with his brother-in-law, Brian Karwoski, when they had trouble finding a place to eat before a Bon Jovi show last year.

As more restaurants open, Newark could get to be like Hoboken, where "you know you're going to find a good place to eat and a lot of people walking around," Sema said.

But even as the downtown nightlife improves, once-ambitious plans for new downtown hotels and skyscrapers have faltered as lending for such projects has dried up.

"The handicapping variable is clearly the economy," said Al Koeppe, president of the Newark Alliance. "We're not seeing the cranes in the city we'd like to see, and we're not alone. ... Hopefully that's transitory, as it has been in the nation's past."

stache

October 20th, 2008, 04:55 PM

I spoke to a woman that stayed at the Hilton for the Celine Dion concert and she said she would never come back there. She was looking for ice cream on a Sunday afternoon and there was noting available for her within walking distance.

Marv95

October 20th, 2008, 05:15 PM

A lack of ice cream? Heh. There are better excuses than that. They don't serve ice cream at the Rock? BS. And isn't there a Rita's off Ferry St along with a couple places?

NYatKNIGHT

October 20th, 2008, 06:21 PM

Doesn't Hamburgao have ice cream?

stache

October 20th, 2008, 07:12 PM

She wasn't the type to traipse around Newark looking for ice cream.

Marv95

October 20th, 2008, 08:32 PM

Ferry St IS within walking distance. Well the majority of all the restaurants, shops, etc. are anyway. But Hamurgao might require a bus ride though.

stache

October 20th, 2008, 10:08 PM

She was unfamiliar with Newark and wanted something close to the Hilton.

scrollhectic

October 21st, 2008, 01:24 PM

http://media.cnbc.com/i/CNBC/Sections/News_And_Analysis/__Story_Inserts/graphics/__SPORTS/__N-Z/Steinbrenner_Jones_Photo.jpg
Steinbrenner and Jones

The most powerful brands in American sports — the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys — are getting together to form a stadium hospitality company called Legends Hospitality, CNBC has learned. The business, which will be unveiled to the public later today in New York City, will be equally owned by the Yankees, the Cowboys and Goldman Sachs [GS 120.00 http://media.cnbc.com/i/CNBC/CNBC_Images/componentbacks/watchlist_down.gif -1.50 (-1.23%) http://media.cnbc.com/i/CNBC/CNBC_Images/backgrounds/realtime_icon.gif] (http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/gs) . An undisclosed part of Goldman's share will be owned by Dallas-based equity investment firm CIC Partners.

The company will be called Legends Hospitality Management and its aim is to operate catering, concessions and retail merchandising, not only for the two new facilities that will be opened by the Yankees and the Cowboys next season, but also for other interested teams.

The company will be headquartered in Newark, N.J., and will be operated by a former Pizza Hut president, a former senior vice president for Centerplate and a New York Yankees senior vice president.

In April, it was reported that Centerplate, which had previously run concessions at Yankee Stadium, had lost the bid for the new Yankee Stadium to Legends Hospitality, though at the time it was unclear what exactly Legends was. Centerplate reportedly pulled in an estimated $70 million in annual revenue from its contract with the Yankees. The company's stock plummeted after news of the Yankee Stadium deal was made public. Centerplate was bought by private equity firm Kohlberg & Co. for about $200 million in September.

Other companies competing with Legends will be Aramark, which is also private, and Levy Restaurants, which is owned by Compass, a hospitality company traded on the London Stock Exchange.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/27276608

NYatKNIGHT

October 21st, 2008, 06:19 PM

She was unfamiliar with Newark and wanted something close to the Hilton.There is ice cream close to the Hilton had she walked down Ferry St., that's the point. She didn't need to traipse, she didn't even need to go far. She may not even have needed to go outdoors as you can probably get it somewhere in the train station. It just sounds like a very lame excuse for never returning.

stache

October 21st, 2008, 07:22 PM

Even you don't know if there's ice cream there on a Sunday afternoon. I told her that her best bet was McDonalds but she wasn't interested. I'm assuming there's a concierge at the Hilton, I don't know if she asked there, I assume she did. The point I'm making once again, is that something as basic as a little ice cream is not easily available to your typical out of towner in downtown Newark.

block944

October 21st, 2008, 11:05 PM

The deli on clinton street is for sale/closing and star bucks is gone in Feb 2009.

stache

October 22nd, 2008, 01:35 AM

The card shop in Gateway has closed, also the convenience store in Penn next to gateway has closed.

Marv95

October 22nd, 2008, 09:40 AM

stache

October 22nd, 2008, 09:57 AM

that's about it so far.

Marv95

October 22nd, 2008, 10:04 AM

Yeah I would think that Broad St/Cedar would be one of the last places they put one. They already opened one up on Washington/Market where an art gallery used to be but oh well.

Also I wonder where this "Legends" Yankee/Cowboy thingy will be headquartered at. I hate the Cowboys but I think this is a good thing?

NewarkDevil5

October 22nd, 2008, 11:36 AM

stache

October 22nd, 2008, 12:50 PM

I only told this story to illustrate a point. This was one woman willing to shell out I'm assuming at least $300.00 to spend a night in a Newark hotel and see a concert, and why her reasons were for saying 'never again' to returning to this city. Perhaps the concerned citizens of Newark can station themselves in the Gateway on Sunday afternoons to tell the Hilton out of towners of their local dining options beyond McDonalds and Subway. :rolleyes:

66nexus

October 22nd, 2008, 02:36 PM

Sorry to say it then, but her reasons for not wanting to stay are a little absurd. I too don't think that her claims are a good measure of a city's downtown. If such were the case, then she would hate many cities across the states.

stache

October 22nd, 2008, 04:54 PM

and she gets to spend it any way she wants to.

block944

October 23rd, 2008, 08:14 AM

Oh big deal.

And I'm surprised that Starbucks is still open. I was assuming from the paranoia that it was gonna close sooner than later. PS anyone notice a furniture opening where the Duane Reade used to be?

I asked the people that work there in starbucks, they are stuck in a lease till end of january 2009 and then after that they are leaving.

block944

October 23rd, 2008, 08:16 AM

The card shop in Gateway has closed, also the convenience store in Penn next to gateway has closed.

Yeah I knew the indian guys that owned it, they flat out said business wasn't good enough to cover the expenses and rent so they had to close down... this is INSIDE penn right when you come into the gateway!

The taco bell inside the gateway closed awhile ago too... that amazes me.

"Taco Bell & Pizza Hut (On Site Restaurant)- Fast Food"

http://professionaltravelguide.com/hilton-newark-gateway/hotels-509556/

block944

October 23rd, 2008, 08:20 AM

According to a quick search on Yahoo, there's a place called "Everything Yogurt & Salad Cafe" in the Gateway Center itself which specializes in all manner of Yogurt treats (which I would assume includes frozen yogurt). There's also "Nick's Ice Cream Parlor" on Jefferson Street, about a half a mile (five blocks) away from the Gateway Hilton, which I would assume, from the name, serves ice cream.

I've lived in and visited many cities in my life (including living in Manhattan for some years) and to demand that there be an ice cream parlor that you can spit to from your hotel room is absurd. As it happens, there is one, but in all reality to use that as a measuring point for a city is the most arbitrary thing I've ever heard. Would it be nice if there were more of them in the downtown area? Yes. Do I consider it a measuring point for a successful downtown? No.

No the point the poster was making was the place is dead after 7pm. I live in 1180 and there are times that I'm starving and the only place to go is Mcdonalds on broad st where the hoodlums are, Mcdonalds in the gateway or subway in front of 1180 or the chicken place on broad (its all grease). There is nothing else open and the entire area is a dead ghost town and luckily I have my dog with me when I walk around else I'd creeped out. Otherwise I need to get a car and take off to Clinton to go chipotle,chevys, for real food. The only other city I've seen like this is Camden.

I work (Horizon BCBS), go to school (NJIT) and live (1180) in Newark and I would want nothing more than to have this city revive itself but instead you guys are cheerleading when things are obviously not going well or right. The only local pharmacy store (rite aid) I use to go to is gone on Market street!! Why? Because there is no business in the area. The crime on my campus is crazy, not just whats on the blotter but the crimes that go unreported such as smashed car windows and harassment from the hood people against minority, asian students.

Even as I post this now, the latest headline on NJ.com is

"

Two die in high-speed Newark crash

A speeding car wanted in connection to several robberies slammed into a telephone pole in Newark today, killing two of the four people inside, police said"

NYatKNIGHT

October 23rd, 2008, 10:00 AM

So, the city is hopeless and the only things worth mentioning are all negative.

stache

October 23rd, 2008, 10:05 AM

Most of the boosterism posts here ring false and kind of desperate.

Marv95

October 23rd, 2008, 10:29 AM

So, the city is hopeless and the only things worth mentioning are all negative.
It's what these folks live for. No different than those from nj.com who have agendas.

As far as these "boosterisms", they aren't false or desperate, it's just telling it how it is. Newsflash: most cities' downtowns are dead after rush hour(I was in DC this past weekend and I can vouch for that), small/large businesses are closing due to the economy, and crime occurs in mid-sized cities whose population is 50% black.

Instead of bitching about it how about telling us what do you want or providing some solutions. I could write an essay about my opinion on what's wrong with Downtown Newark(not just the city itself) and offer some advice or ideas to solve the problems. In fact, I think I will post some of that in this thread.

NewarkDevil5

October 23rd, 2008, 10:56 AM

scrollhectic

October 23rd, 2008, 12:44 PM

By Eric Peterson (http://www.globest.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.author.contact.view?client_id=globest&story_id=174702&title=%2417M%20Converts%20Factory%20to%20Housing&author=Eric%20Peterson&address=http%3A//www.globest.com/news/1272%5F1272/newjersey/174702%2D1.html&summary=NEWARK%2DNewwork%20LLC%20will%20turn%20an% 20eight%2Dstory%2C%20former%20jewelry%20plant%20in to%2067%20rental%20units%2C%2020%25%20of%20them%20 classified%20as%20affordable.)
Last updated: October 23, 2008 11:32am

http://www.globest.com/newspics/nej_richardsonlofts.jpg
Richardson Lofts

NEWARK-Work is just under way by the locally based Newwork LLC to convert the eight-story, former jewelry factory--at 50-60 Columbia St. here--into 67 rental units. The project, named Richardson Building Lofts, was officially kicked off this morning with a groundbreaking attended by local officials.

"Today, we are once again manifesting Newark’s continued transformation by converting this historic industrial building into modern, state-of-the-art rental apartments," says Mayor Cory Booker, in a statement. "These apartments will offer a variety of amenities and features."

The $17-million project will turn the building into a combination of market-rate (80%) and affordable (20%) lofts. Newwork LLC managing partner Michael Saltzman has set a summer 2009 date for completion, and the finished product will feature a common atrium linking all the units, as well as fitness and business centers and a rooftop garden.

"This is a true public-private effort between a local developer, the city and the Brick City Development Corp.," Joseph Ritchie, CEO of Brick City, tells GlobeSt.com. BCDC is the economic development arm of the City of Newark.

"We’re pleased to bring to bear appropriate city and BCDC resources to support this important project," Ritchie says. "It will restore a great historic asset, provide affordable housing and contribute to Newark’s 24/7 downtown neighborhood, all while keeping with the city’s sustainable development principles."

To support the project’s 14 affordable units, the city provided a $980,000 low-cost loan to Newwork, using funds from HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program. PNC Real Estate Finance provided an additional undisclosed amount through a construction loan, and will also monitor construction for both lenders.

The city also included a 30-year tax abatement in its incentive package. BCDC provided assistance with Newwork’s approval process, and extended a $100,000 bridge loan from its First Movers Fund to help Newwork prepare the building for construction prior to drawing on the PNC construction loan.

scrollhectic

October 23rd, 2008, 12:50 PM

http://richardsonlofts.com/

66nexus

October 23rd, 2008, 12:53 PM

There is no 'boosterism' of Newark shown when it's based on fact.

I'm with NY@K and others on this, as much as some posters say others are too positive, why does it always have to be negative?

It's like this:

"Hey there's a new restaurant opening across from the arena..."

-yeah but the crime is high

"Hey, they're upgrading ferry street infrastructure"

-yeah, but there was an accident of 78

"Hey, aubonpain is going to Newark Penn"

-yeah, but Starbucks is on its way out

It's like "yeah, we know."

and what on the green earth does two dying in a speeding crash have to do with anything we're talking about here? It's almost like saying it just to say anything.

And block, you definitely changed your tune. When you first started posting there was absolutely no display of care for Newark.

66nexus

October 23rd, 2008, 12:57 PM

Most of the boosterism posts here ring false and kind of desperate.

I bet you cannot name one as wild as a lady not wanting to return to Newark because she can't find her ice cream.

Even I could find a better reason than that. Yes, it was an illustration of a point, however, it carries traits of the same desperation you seem to sense on the 'boosterism' posts.

Marv95

October 23rd, 2008, 01:05 PM

JCMAN320

October 23rd, 2008, 01:08 PM

Why can't you have affordable housing in Downtowns. You just assume that its going to attract a ghetto element. Not all people that need affordable housing are ghetto or committed to crime.

stache

October 23rd, 2008, 01:13 PM

Marv is speaking in code. 'Artists' = white. And 66, I'm not desperate at all. I just report what I see and hear.

Marv95

October 23rd, 2008, 01:32 PM

Umm, 1st off I'm black, and I'm from East Orange in case you haven't noticed. When I say artists I mean those with an artistic background, ie sculpting, painting, etc. And second, Newport doesn't have affordable housing. Neither does Center City Philly, downtown Baltimore, Boston, etc. Look how better off they are. The point is lots of crime and quality of life issues occur around...wait for it...affordable housing. And the last thing Downtown needs is more of it. It's the LAST thing.

As I said before, if the units were geared towards artists(they don't have to be white), then I don't have a problem with it. Until then, it's like the 99 Cent stores and the low rent retail--it attracts the ghetto element, which future developers frown upon.

scrollhectic

October 23rd, 2008, 03:08 PM

I understand your argument Marv and to a limited extent, I agree with you. I think Newark is taking strides to provide affordable housing, so much so that it seems as if that's all that's being built. There is, however, a need for it and since clustering affordable housing together has obviously not worked in the past, I think creating mix income neighborhoods and housing is the right way to go. I think an 80/20 ratio of market rate to affordable housing is a great compromise. It ensures to other developers that there's a healthy number of middle income people moving into the area, while not outpricing long time residents of the city.

Newark is a city has a great fear of "outsiders." I don't know why. I grew up in Newark and I still don't know where that mentality comes from, but it's as much of a hurdle as unemployment and crime. I think an 80/20 ratio is a good compromise. I know New York City is more of an exception than a rule, but there are examples of affordable housing next to luxury apartments in many parts of that city. It's not impossible.

In regards to the retail - sometimes esthetic plays a part in all this. There's nothing wrong with discount stores; they just need better curb appeal. There are 99 cents stores in Beverly Hills, CA. They are no different from the ones in the sketchy parts of LA, but they don't have a million things on display in the store windows, tacky metal gates or poorly designed signage. And believe me, they are brimming with rich, Beverly Hills residents and their poodles.

The Subway on Broad in front of Eleven80 is an example of good curb appeal. Lots of large, glass windows, plenty of light in the evening, even after the store closes and no metal gates. Same with the BofA that just opened on Broad and Market. The esthetic plays a role. Newark may be having trouble attracting big name brands into downtown, but I think a lot of the smaller business have a place there; the store fronts really need face lifts though.

block944

October 23rd, 2008, 06:30 PM

It's what these folks live for. No different than those from nj.com who have agendas.

As far as these "boosterisms", they aren't false or desperate, it's just telling it how it is. Newsflash: most cities' downtowns are dead after rush hour(I was in DC this past weekend and I can vouch for that), small/large businesses are closing due to the economy, and crime occurs in mid-sized cities whose population is 50% black.

Instead of bitching about it how about telling us what do you want or providing some solutions. I could write an essay about my opinion on what's wrong with Downtown Newark(not just the city itself) and offer some advice or ideas to solve the problems. In fact, I think I will post soe of that in this thread.

Not hopeless, but more of... what we are doing ain't working.. please don't use the " agenda card". The whole newark is in renaisance mode has been pushed since the 1990's and its still not here. The renaissance mall is demolished, renaissance towers is the only residential area to live in next to Ferry street condos which is all the way on the other side of town with no light rail service. If newark was the place to be, the busted down buildings would be been torn down like they were planning in the 90's and condos/townhomes would be here by now.

Compare that to Harrison across the river, they are NOW tearing down the area and rebuilding the area. Already the new townhomes are worth 400k+,... why because there is a sound business plan on how to attract people and businesses.. Newark has broken,fragmented ideas that go nowhere

block944

October 23rd, 2008, 06:39 PM

Right now downtown Newark is in a Catch-22 with regards to late-night businesses. If there's no demand for late night businesses, then there will be no late night businesses. If there's no concentration of late night businesses, no one will go there during late nights, hence no demand.

Part of the problem is that so few people actually LIVE downtown that there is no population to sustain the businesses in the absence of commuters. Sure, you've got 1180 and a couple of other places, but the total population of the central business district is something on the order of 5000 people in that square mile of a city that averages about 11,000 (20,000 not including the airports) per square mile.

People aren't going to walk from the Ironbound to Broad Street for an ice cream cone at 8pm when they can get it on Ferry Street. Neither will people in Roseville or Weequahic. But if people start LIVING downtown that will give businesses the ability to stay open later because it won't just be the 200 people at 1180, it'll be people up and down the Broad Street strip getting that late night ice cream.

What I'm hoping for is that with the University Heights colleges adding dorms and bringing in a residential population that will cause Halsey and Washington Streets to develop into a store-front collegetown. Those establishments will have to stay open late to keep up with the students they serve.

As that happens, if a few more apartment buildings get built downtown, bringing in a residential population to live there, you'll start to see 24-hour supermarkets, the Broad Street diners will start staying open 24 hours again, you'll see the little things that people not only need, but like to have in their vicinity when they're living there. Ice cream parlors, coffee shops, pharmacies, etc. will come when people are living there.

Right now people don't live downtown, they work there. They do their shopping at home, in the neighborhoods and suburbs. The arena has changed many people's attitudes about Newark and companies are starting to consider it as an option for office space as money becomes tight. People are going to start looking into housing options near their work as gas will never go down to where it was in the comfortable 70mph-down-the-Turnpike-to-work-days.

If people start finding their jobs in downtown Newark (which many already do) and they start seeing decent housing options available downtown and the collegetown area already offers many of the amenities necessary to live within walking distance, then more people will start to move there. As more people start to move there, the amenities along the rest of Broad Street that exist already for the commuting population will start to stay open later. Many of them already do specifically for game and show nights. New ones will also begin to open to cover the things that are missing.

The key to breaking the Catch-22 is to bring in population to sustain a late night business. The students brought in by the colleges would be perfect because students don't generally have a whole lot of choices as to where they live but they do usually have a decent amount of spending money to work with and for every one student who lives on campus, three or four more who live off campus might conceivably be brought in to hang out with them at their dorms and wander the collegetown area late night.

The reason being is that people think its not safe, and the fact is... it ain't safe. I walk home from NJIT to 1180 cause the light rail is offpeak at night and I've seen glass smashed on cars off bleecker. I walked my dog once from 1180 and dudes coming out of The spot yelled out "da f#ck you lookin at n!gah". That was the last time I walked my dog to the parking area at night on Mulberry. No one is going to put there life in jeopardy and at the same time expect to pay market rate for housing. If you want people to come, LOWER the friggin cost of living here and people will come. 1600 for a studio in newark? come on. I can understand crazy people walking up and down broadstreet but to have be a place you call home for 1600 a month? no way. New York City, Hoboken, Jersey City's business areas aren't like that. I wanted to walk my dog in the pit/fountain area in Military park and some bum was doing a number 2.

Also the students want no part of downtown newark either, you have UMDNJ, NJIT, Seton Hall, Rutgers all in 1-2 mile radius and again the only thing open late are the campus centers and cafeterias. After 7pm all the campuses are a ghost town because nobody wants to show up on the police blotter being robbed at gun point, like the blotters I've been posting as everyone takes off and heads home.

So please, all you pumpers posting how great everything is have the agenda, I live here in newark and I'm telling it like it is.

and just out of coincidence the latest headline on nj.com is "
Man shot in the head in Newark

Wednesday October 22, 2008, 4:38 PM"

block944

October 23rd, 2008, 06:51 PM

Why does downtown housing have to have affordable units? Okay it's not Section 8 lol but it still doesn't make sense to have affordable housing in a downtown. It just attracts the ghetto element. But if this was geared towards artists then I wouldn't have a problem with it.

Exactly, thats how hoboken started, if someone would renovate the abandoned buildings next to the chicken/wing place on broad across from the park then things will start to change. But I guarantee everyone is going to be greedy if they do renovate those buildings and end up pricing everyone out. Canco lofts is like that in jersey city right now, every month I get a flyer in my mail about them discounting or hold promotions to try and sell a unit.

66nexus

October 24th, 2008, 04:51 AM

^I would like to know where anyone anywhere is saying how great Newark is...

['I live here in Newark'] You really don't know about the real Newark do you?

I'm from the South Ward Osbourne/Lehigh, you're worried about broken bottles and bums? You live DOWNTOWN, one of the lowest crime spots in the city, yet you present yourself as an 'inside scoop' man when according to your own claims you limit yourself to the campus/downtown anyway.

And when presented with a challenge, you claim that people are merely making Newark seem great? Please elaborate.

I would assume that when your lease is up you're leaving...no?

66nexus

October 24th, 2008, 04:53 AM

Marv is speaking in code. 'Artists' = white. And 66, I'm not desperate at all. I just report what I see and hear.

So when you report what you see/hear it's just reporting. Yet, when myself or others post new plans/developments it automatically transforms into desperation on our part?

stache

October 24th, 2008, 07:54 AM

Many of the development posts are cut and pastes of professional press releases which tend to be upbeat, to put it mildly.

block944

October 24th, 2008, 10:49 AM

Okay then lets play fair:

Newark asks lawmakers to exempt Prudential Center from $6M in property tax

by Dunstan McNichol (dmcnichol@starledger.com)/The Star-Ledger Thursday October 23, 2008, 7:29 PM

Looking for a save that would make Devils goalie Martin Brodeur proud, Newark city officials asked the state Legislature today to deflect a $6 million property tax bill they say was inadvertently assessed on the new Prudential Center.
"This is not a tax break," Paul Sangillo, attorney for the Newark Housing Authority told members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee as he urged their support for a bill that would exempt the arena from the tax bill (A2693 (http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/A3000/2693_I1.HTM)). "This is an effort to correct a technical error at the inception of the development of the arena and nothing more."
Sangillo said officials who crafted the arena plan under former mayor Sharpe James bungled provisions in the development deal that were supposed to exempt the new arena from property taxes.
Under terms of the agreement, the arena's owners pay Newark a portion of their concession sales, suite rentals and other revenues in lieu of property tax payments.
But Sangillo said the agreement as approved fails to explicitly exempt the new arena from property taxes. Without a change in the law, he said, the Housing Authority, which owns the land where the arena is built, will have to pay Newark $6 million in property taxes in addition to passing along the revenue payments the authority receives from the arena's owners.
Changing the law, he said, will not save the Devils from paying the tax bill.
"The for-profit Devils will not benefit one iota," he said. "The only one on the hook is the Newark Housing Authority."
Republicans balked at the change, saying the arena should be subject to taxation.
"This is $6 million the City of Newark should be collecting based on existing law," said Assemblyman Samuel D. Thompson (R-Monmouth)
After about a half hour of debate the measure cleared the Assembly Committee by an 8-4 vote along party lines.
=====================================

Now for a city with so many tax breaks and a school system that is not funded by local property taxes. Why the heck does newark need a tax abatement on the prudential center when the center was built to generate revenue? I complain because any place you live in NJ, trenton, camden and newark (recieved 54 million in funds from the state) and other distressed cities take chunks of the state budget away from better places and to me tosses it into a black hole. To me the whole city except for university heights and businesses on raymond+broad are on life support with no means of recovery. As of mid September total crime in Newark was actually up 4%. Leader of the pack is Burglary which is up 38% followed by rape at 18%. These statistics can be found on the Newark Police web site. So where is the effort/money going when kids are being robbed, crime is up, stores are closing, the city needs tax abatements, rates for train/busses is up, gas prices were up, property taxes are up, health insurance premiums are up ? The saddest part is everyone wants to vote Obama because he is black and the republican party really f'd up with Bush, but if you look at Obama's tax plan he is basically takeing money away from businesses and giving to people that pay little to no taxes which to me is how newark as a city seems to be structured as well as the entire state of nj and which is why businesses+jobs are leaving.

Now look at NYC in the 90's it was almost as bad as Newark but Guliani changed all that, property values sky rocketed and the area boomed.

"Health-care premiums outpace pay in N.J

The cost of health care premiums in New Jersey rose nearly five times faster than wages this decade, creating a growing financial burden for both workers and employers, according to a report released today by a health care consumer group."

newarkdevil1

October 24th, 2008, 06:15 PM

Seriously, Block has to be the angriest man in Newark...and I know some angry people. That rant in regard to taxes shows you just didn't read what the actual request was. The city pays PILOT fees based on revenue generated by the arena in subsitute for the property taxes. This is standard fair for arena deals (see both the Yankees Mets and proposed Nets arena/stadium bond financing arangments). As for your rants about state aid, I wonder if you are aware state aid gets poored into such needy communities as Glen Ridge, Montclair, Hoboken and Jersey City to stabalize taxes as well. How dare those bastards in Newark ask for state money.

As for your fears of walking outside by the "The Spot", I think your alone in your building. Three of my friends live there and have no problems as meeting me there, Scullys, Arena, Killkennys, Mcgoverns, Park 60 or Mix 27, they just ignore the sometime ignorant locals. You clearly have a tainted view of the city and see no hope, and coincidently will not be missed when you don't renew your lease at 1180. The rest of us that live or recently moved into the city of Newark have enjoyed the new developments. Newark is behind JC and Hoboken in terms of development but certainly you would just have to have blinders or maybe just not get farther than 4 blocks from 1180 for you to realize how much development is really going on.

Finally, If you don't like it here, you are welcome to leave :p. I on the other hand have enjoyed watching entrepreneurs work with government to make a stab a turning around the state's largest city and I plan on seeing that process through.

newarkdevil1

October 24th, 2008, 06:23 PM

Since "stache" doensn't like cut and pastes, I'll type out what develoments are going on:

The area for the side park for the arena is now all cleared and triangle park is is the first stages of development. The city has reserved the designers of Bryant Park in NYC to do the work.

Also, you won't see it in the headlines, but Market Street has 3 buildings between Mullberry and Broad that are already halfway through the process of being converted to residential complexes. The first of which actually faces the new park on Mullberry and Market.

Finally, since block seemed to like Harrison's development so much (which by the way used both Emminent Domain and tax dollars to move forward). The South East corner of Lafayette and Mullberry just had the two old brick buildings there taken down. The developer that brought you the Harrison Riverfront Apartments is working to do a smaller scale version of the original Mullberry st. Promenade design.

As for me...Im leaving to go walk those scary streets of newark to enjoy watching the Devils kick the Philly's Butts :D

66nexus

October 25th, 2008, 01:18 AM

Many of the development posts are cut and pastes of professional press releases which tend to be upbeat, to put it mildly.

That's just late 20th early 21st century reporting. Of course there will be a tone to it, otherwise how would it be listed:

"Brick city development has, unfortunately, started renovation of an old Newark pub. We are not excited about this development, but thought it would be good for the citizens to know. Sadly, this new luxury unit will have views of Manhattan..." etc

I would understand more if there were numerous posts about upgraded manhole covers because that is quite underwhelming.

To sum it all up, I suppose I am curious as to what you consider desperate Newark boosting

stache

October 25th, 2008, 05:04 AM

It's all over this thread. Just take a look through the pages, you'll see it if you have an objective eye. I'll point it out the next time someone posts something like that.

block944

October 25th, 2008, 11:23 AM

66nexus

October 25th, 2008, 12:41 PM

It's all over this thread. Just take a look through the pages, you'll see it if you have an objective eye. I'll point it out the next time someone posts something like that.

See, but I don't consider the following scenario Newark boosting (if this is what you mean)

[Based on true posts]

[POSTER 1] -Man, Newark can't even keep it's own Starbucks?! What's going on?

[POSTER 2] -Newark still has 2. One at the airport, and one in the Gateway only two blocks away.

Is poster 2 a Newark booster?

Marv95

October 25th, 2008, 01:16 PM

Finally, since block seemed to like Harrison's development so much (which by the way used both Emminent Domain and tax dollars to move forward). The South East corner of Lafayette and Mullberry just had the two old brick buildings there taken down. The developer that brought you the Harrison Riverfront Apartments is working to do a smaller scale version of the original Mullberry st. Promenade design.
I know there were 3 buidings there, but for some reason they left the one in the middle (with the antennas) still standing. I hope they tore it down like you said, as I haven't been down there since Monday.

scrollhectic

October 25th, 2008, 02:26 PM

by Steve Politi (spoliti@starledger.com) and Jeffrey C. Mays (jmays@starledger.com)/The Star-Ledger
Saturday October 25, 2008, 11:41 AM

The Newark Bears, the minor-league team that brought baseball back to the city after a 50-year absence, is on the verge of folding, according to team and Essex County officials.

http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/10/large_bearsstadium.jpg
Tony Kurdzuk (tkurdzuk@starledger.com)/The Star-LedgerRiverfront Stadium

Marc Berson, a Millburn-based real estate developer who purchased the team in 2003, said this morning that mounting financial losses have forced him to fire several team employees and that he is exploring options to sell the team. The news was first reported on the Web site AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com (http://atlanticleaguebaseball.com/).

"There's no secret that the economic side of this has not been positive for years," Berson said. "There's no secret to that. There's no secret that the numbers of people attending have not been anywhere near the capacity of that stadium. Anyone can take notice of those two facts."

When it opened in 1999 at a cost of $36 million, Newark Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium was supposed be a lynchpin in the revitalization of the city's downtown area.

But the team never drew the crowds Essex County and Newark officials had expected. The Bears averaged 2,746 fans this season, second-lowest total in the Atlantic League. The rival Somerset Patriots, meanwhile, drew nearly twice as many spectators - 5,433 a game - playing in Bridgewater.

The Bears' struggles mean a city that once had two flourishing professional teams - the minor-league Newark Bears, a top farm team for the New York Yankees, and the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues - is in danger of being without pro baseball again, and raise questions about the future of the ballpark.

"No matter what happens, there's going to be baseball in Newark," Berson said. "We have two college teams that play in Newark and we have lots of other high schools that play in the city. Bears Stadium has been a place where they do play their home games.

"Most importantly, and that's why I'm not prepared to make a statement at this point, is we are working on different alternatives that would provide for minor-league baseball to continue in Newark. This is moving very quickly."

Asked how much money the team had lost this season, Berson would only say, "It's a lot of money."

"This is not a philanthropy," he said. "I really do believe, and I've stuck with it because I believe, that this was good for Newark and good for the city, and very important for the North end of town. But there are limits. We're doing everything we can to find a solution here."

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo said that no matter what happens with the Bears, the stadium would not close. He said he will meet next week to explore other options for the team, including arranging the sale of the team or making sure it moves to another more viable league. He said his dream would be to have an major league affiliated team there but that idea has run into problems.

"Say we have no team. We would go in there and conduct business. We would go to the colleges and the high schools and rent it out," DiVincenzo said. "This is about the bigger picture of the Newark. We haven't been making money but we have brought so many people to Newark."

The county and Newark do not make money off of the stadium. In recent years they have split an $11 million annual payment to pay off the bond debt that was used to build the stadium. DiVincenzo said he was asked to commit more money to the project but declined to do so.

"I will sit down with (Newark Mayor Cory Booker) and we will run the stadium ourselves and break even with high school and college sports," DiVincenzo said.

The area around the stadium is in the midst of a major redevelopment plan. The Westinghouse building and the old Lincoln Motel have both been recently torn down to make room for possible residential and commercial projects.

"There is interest in the stadium because people see all the development there," DiVincenzo said. "We are not making money off the team playing there but it's the bigger picture about Newark that matters."

NYC4Life

October 25th, 2008, 02:33 PM

The Bears might have been even more overshadowed with the opening of The Rock (Prudential Center).

66nexus

October 25th, 2008, 03:44 PM

The Bears might have been even more overshadowed with the opening of The Rock (Prudential Center).

I agree and honestly I didn't think the Bears stadium would be successful from it's initial opening. Not to say that people wouldn't go, but numbers sustainable? A tough sell.

The Devils had the advantage of having an established fanbase. Newark had to create one with the Bears

Marv95

October 25th, 2008, 07:23 PM

If they had a Major League affiliate, there wouldn't be a problem. Whether it's the Yankees or Washington Nationals.

block944

October 26th, 2008, 01:38 AM

"Interesting comments, but I'd like to give my perpsective since it happened two blocks down on my street. I just moved to Newark a 6 months ago, and this is the 3rd shooting on this street. This street is infested with drugs sellers and buyers. The whites bow thru here in their BMWs, get their 'stuff' and drive out. We're left here to deal with the aftermath. The last shooting literally left blood on my doorstep. I have lived in DC, SF, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Vegas, and I have never seen a place like this...except maybe Detroit. Newark has a long way to go to overcome it's reputation. It is very sad to see Black people, just existing, not living. Many look like the living dead, they just take up space, and contribute nothing. Just taking, and stealing, and hurting. The saddest part of all is to watch the kids, turning into the same 'fiends' that their parents are. Mayor Booker seems to be a good Mayor, but it will take community effort to turn things around. I don't see that happening because there is no 'community'. There are two police stations within 5 blocks of yesterdays shooting, but there is an alarming lack of police prescence on the streets. It's like the wild west, especially driving on the street, where rules of the road do not exist! People dump tons of trash out of there cars, or while walking by, throwing it in your yard, needles, used condoms, vehicle parts, dirty diapers, YOU NAME IT. When I first got here, I found it interesting, or pathetic, that 'everyone' has a new car or SUV. 'Splain that rational! You pay hundreds a month in car notes and insuruance, but you live in a pig-sty. We walk around the dealers, and say hi, but don't report them. There is no pride, personal or otherwise. This city would make millions a years just by traffic enforcment, which could then be pumped into needed services, and no I'm not talking section 8. They need to be phased out after the first child. I know that rough, but so is life in Newark. I have real fear for my safety, and I was raised in SE DC! These gangs need to be treated like the domestic terrosits that they are. They should go to jail, and NEVER be released. What about redemption and rehabilitation? Be saved, be rehabilitated, but stay your ass in jail, you gave up your rights to be free when you did whatever it is you did. Education is free, all you gotta do is show up and try. I know it's hard, but people do it all the time. Education is the only permanant way out of this ghetto mentality. One of the best things this city could have done is tear down these high-rise projects. They breed trouble. Continue tearing the down. But now, these same elements have spread out into low-density public housing, like many of the roaches that they are. Tuff words, but you should live here, and see it, breathe it. It's hard to teach people who have never had anything, to respect anything. I would love to see the City get out of the public housing biz, and find a way to promote home ownership. If it's yours, you will care, at least SOME. I've seen urban rehab, and it can be done. But first, you gotta give a damn."

stache

October 26th, 2008, 05:45 AM

Promoting home ownership is what got us into our current financial situation.

66nexus

October 26th, 2008, 07:08 AM

Block are you referring to the recent drive-bys? None were near the campuses

block944

October 26th, 2008, 10:09 AM

Block are you referring to the recent drive-bys? None were near the campuses

It was Sussex ave, I guess since nobody was hurt it's considered just vandalism so it doesn't make the paper.

I don't see how rutgeds and njit would use the stadium as they both use the field in rutgers as there aren't large turn outs for the games

JCMAN320

October 29th, 2008, 01:13 AM

Newark leaders defend city's reputation after spate of violence

by Jeffery C. Mays/The Star-Ledger
Tuesday October 28, 2008, 9:00 PM

http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/10/large_exrepu.jpg
Amanda Brown/The Star-Ledger
Mayor Cory Booker during a press conference in Newark earlier this week during which the shootings from this past weekend and the controversial arrest of a CBS cameraman were addressed.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker has spent much of the last year touting the city's dramatic reduction in homicides and plugging the state's largest city as a viable destination for businesses priced out of New York City.

But a 90-minute spasm of violence Friday has set the city's reputation back to the days when comedian Jay Leno compared Newark to war-torn Kosovo.

After gunmen drove through the city fatally shooting two people and injuring another and two others were shot in separate incidents, two suburban high schools refused to play football in the city on Monday.

Today, Parsipanny High School became the third team to say they don't want to come to Newark to play Weequahic High School on Thursday, almost a full week after the shooting incident and the arrest of two suspects.

Booker said the perception of Newark as unsafe simply does not jibe with the facts. He reeled off a number statistics that list Newark as a leader in both crime reduction and population growth. New businesses are opening and law firms that left are returning. Schools that were formerly commuter colleges are now building dormitories

"You see joggers all over the place now and you didn't see that before. You see people walking dogs in Newark. You see the artist community opening up galleries," Booker said. "There are stubborn people with misperceptions of our city but the realities are taking affect."

Probably slower than the mayor would like.

Just last year, former ESPN lead hockey analyst Barry Melrose told fans headed to the newly-opened Prudential Center not to venture outside the arena, "especially if you got a wallet or anything because the area around the building is awful." Melrose apologized and later toured the city, saying he was impressed by the "energetic" and "friendly" people.

Two weeks ago, the mayor's office contacted the publicist of the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" after residents called to complain that one of the questions asked what is Hades and one of the possible choices was Newark, said Director of Communications Desiree Peterkin Bell.

Bell said the city is setting up a meeting with the show's publicist and will request an formal apology. Millionaire publicist Trisha Miller confirmed the question appeared on the daytime show but declined further comment.

Upon the news that the Newark Bears minor league team may close, former Yankees catcher and team owner Rick Cerone cited the shooting incidents as one reason the stadium on Broad Street is failing, calling Newark the "Wild, Wild West." Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo called Cerone's remarks "out of line."

Newark Police Director Garry McCarthy said he blames Newark's lingering perception problem on the fact that crime reduction is easily overshadowed by sensational incidents like Friday's shootings.

"A crime reduction really isn't sensational, especially when you juxtapose it with one car running town and involved in four separate shootings," he said.

McCarthy said residents tell him every day that they feel safer but it could take years, he said, for that impression to spread to Newark's suburban communities.

Devils Owner Jeff Vanderbeek said he's seen the perceptions of fans coming to the Prudential Center for events change over the last year. Vanderbeek said he's now starting to notice fans venturing farther into the Ironbound for parking and restaurants.

"The Hannah Montana concert, which was attended by all children and their parents sold out in seven minutes. The Celine Dion concert was mostly older people and it was sold out. I talked to people from Hunterdon County who had never come to Newark before," Vanderbeek said.

That's why venues like the Prudential Center and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center are so important in helping to change perception of the city, said Al Koeppe, president and chief executive of the Newark Alliance, a nonprofit that has focused on public safety in Newark.

"Perceptions change but reality remains. We can't blink away that we've had violence but we also can't ignore that the city has made extraordinary progress," said Koeppe.

Booker, who has faced criticism about the way some stories he tells outside the city portray Newark, sought to decrease the notion that the shootings were random, saying the victims were "targeted for assassination."

Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said some young people who get involved in drugs and violence and are going to commit shootings of the type that happened Friday. But he said those incidents are not confined to Newark.

"I just want to let the folks in Scotch Plains and Fanwood know it can happen there," Fontoura said.

"This is a war. We need to band together and address these issues, not cast a pall over the thousands of Newark kids that work hard by saying you are not worthy and we don't want to be with you," said Fontoura.

tommyguy

October 29th, 2008, 11:44 AM

The rest of us that live or recently moved into the city of Newark have enjoyed the new developments... have enjoyed watching entrepreneurs work with government to make a stab a turning around the state's largest city and I plan on seeing that process through.

Just out of idle curiousity, newarkdevil (or anyone) why did you move to Newark? Why now? If you're from Newark, why are you staying?

Convenience? Price? You're making a political statement?

All/none of the above?

tommyguy

October 29th, 2008, 12:10 PM

from The Star-Ledger

Today, Parsipanny High School became the third team to say they don't want to come to Newark to play Weequahic High School on Thursday, almost a full week after the shooting incident and the arrest of two suspects.

That is a despicable decision, in my view, probably driven by local politics. Very unfair to the many decent kids and people in Newark.

Where ever they play, I hope Weequahic kicks their azz!! :cool:

scrollhectic

October 29th, 2008, 12:57 PM

October 29, 2008 10:21am
By Eric Peterson (http://www.globest.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.author.contact.view?client_id=globest&story_id=174822&title=Verizon%20NJ%20Gets%20%2420M%20Transit%20Hub %20Tax%20Credit&author=Eric%20Peterson&address=http%3A//www.globest.com/news/1276%5F1276/newjersey/174822%2D1.html&summary=NEWARK%2DThe%20telecom%20company%20is%20th e%20first%20to%20benefit%20from%20the%20state%26%2 3146%3Bs%20new%20project%2Drelated%20Urban%20Trans it%20Hub%20program.)

http://www.globest.com/newspics/nej_540broad.jpg
540 Broad St.

NEWARK-Verizon New Jersey Inc. went under contract to sell (http://www.globest.com/news/1100_1100/newjersey/168549-1.html) its 428,000-sf headquarters building at 540 Broad St. to Accordia Realty Ventures early this year. And in June, the company said that rather than move, it would stay in the building, leasing (http://www.globest.com/news/1170_1170/newjersey/171256-1.html) 140,000 sf back from Accordia for 10 years. Now, the telecom company is the first to benefit from the state’s Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit program.

In exchange for making $25 million in capital improvement to its space and the building, as well as keeping more than 700 employees at the site, Verizon New Jersey will receive tax credits amounting to just more than $2 million per year for 10 years. As part of the equation, new owner Accordia is also making capital improvements that will boost total expenditures past $75 million. The project will also bring to market the nearly 300,000 sf that will not be occupied by Verizon.

The legislature approved and Gov. Jon Corzine signed (http://www.globest.com/news/1066_1066/newjersey/167184-1.html) the Urban Transit Hub program into law early this year. It provides tax credits of from 80% to 100% of qualified capital investments made in projects within a half-mile of major transit stations in nine cities. Projects must generate at least $75 million in capital improvements and at least 250 full-time jobs. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority oversees the program and issues approvals.

“It is particularly meaningful in this case, and in this tight economic environment, because it will act as a stimulus to bring other businesses into Newark,” says Caren Franzini, CEO of the New Jersey EDA.

“This program is an important addition to the financial tools that we have available in New Jersey to spur urban redevelopment,” says Corzine, in a statement. “Just as significant, this project will add almost 300,000 sf of office space to a tight Newark office market and enable the city to attract new businesses to its downtown.”

The landmark 20-story, art deco building dates to the late 1920s. The sale price has not been released, but industry sources have told GlobeSt.com that the number is in the $35-million range.

scrollhectic

October 29th, 2008, 01:24 PM

I hope part of that $75 million in capital improvements will go towards night lighting. Even with a few office lights on, the building is a dark slab between the IDT building and 550 Broad Street. It has such great architectural detail; it would be great if they installed flood lights to accentuate that detail at night... like Cogswell Realty has done for Eleven80 and 744 Broad. It would also be great if Berger would light the Military Park Building again. And I sent an e-mail to NJDOT regarding lighting the Stickel Bridge... no response from them yet. It's been 3 weeks.

And 33 Washington looks so great when lit up at night. I can't figure out their lighting schedule though. They had it lit for about two weeks almost a month ago. They no longer have it lit at night :(. It looks so distrinct with the purpleish blue light cascading down the building. It really adds something to Newark's skyline at night.

NYC4Life

October 29th, 2008, 01:31 PM

NJ.com

$150M office tower to be built in Newark

by The Associated Press

Tuesday October 28, 2008, 7:58 PM

Newark officials say the city's economic renaissance is continuing with the downtown area's largest premium office project in 16 years.

Tucker Development Corp. detailed its plans for the $150 million Liberty Plaza on Tuesday.

The Highland Park, Ill.-based company will build the 22-story tower -- containing 410,000 square feet of office space -- on a tract across from the Broad Street train station. The 3.5-acre site is near the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and Newark's Penn Station.

Officials also said the building's tenants may qualify for tax breaks under the urban transit tax credit program, a state initiative meant to encourage development near transit hubs.

"As people and businesses become more cost conscious, it opens a door for us," said Joe Ritchie, chief executive officer of the city's Brick City Development Corp. "The Class-A office market is very tight, and we were ready for a new building."

The site will feature a fitness center, a rooftop garden, a bank, retail space and 750 parking spaces. And a second, optional phase could boost its total square footage from 440,000 to 1 million.

Robert Corrales, a spokesman for Gov. Jon Corzine, said the administration's economic assistance and recovery plan emphasizes projects that stimulate economic activity by creating jobs.

"(Liberty Plaza) is exactly the kind of development needed," Corrales said. "It will create jobs and ultimately position New Jersey for a strong recovery."

Corzine said the economic slowdown may actually help Newark and Jersey City, as cost-conscious executives explore cheaper locations close to Manhattan. Liberty Plaza is a 20-minute train ride from downtown Manhattan and not far from Newark Liberty International Airport.

"Newark's economy has experienced very stable growth security despite the extremely challenging market," Mayor Cory Booker said. "As cities and states across the nation find themselves faced with new challenges not seen since the early 1990s, Newark - a city that was already in transition - finds itself better poised to attract new residents, secure employment opportunities and retain businesses."

© 2008 New Jersey On-Line LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Marv95

October 29th, 2008, 02:00 PM

^^It doesn't mention when construction will take place. But I just got back from that area and I noticed a couple of large tents there and a few workers milling about.

NYC4Life

October 29th, 2008, 05:23 PM

Construction should begin when an anchor tenant is found.

newarkdevil1

October 29th, 2008, 06:41 PM

Tommygun, to answer your question I became interested in Newark when I was a child. I think I was fascinated with the idea of NJ having it's own city (it seemed like NJ was one gigantic suburb growing up). I went to school in Scranton and loved having access to a downtown and not needing to drive (all of which Newark could provide). Finally, my wife ended up attending school and working in NYC and it's hard to find a better bargain than Newark for that combo.

I think you will find, or at least I have, that Newark's new residents tend to be a bit more optimistic than those that have been here longer. Although it's speculation, I have found Newark to generally have three types of people: The old timers that left, that talk about the 50s as the glory days and always talk about how they want it to come back. The middle aged that only remember Newark from the 70ties onward and the series of promised and never realized Renaissances. Finally there are those that have come during the past decade or so that have witnessed the major developments such as the NJPAC, PRU and Bears Stadium. This coupled with a resurged interest in cities across the country including JC and Hoboken have given the city some reference points for growth.

I think that Newark is truly experiencing a Renaissance but there is a question of sustainability. I think most people would agree that many factors must continue to come together over the next ten years to sustain the drive toward being a truly viable vibrant city. Ultimately if the state continues to view Newark as it's bastard child there will always be a war between the suburbs and urban communities. This fight saps NJ's ability to compete globally as we keep throwing scatter shop attempts at development instead of refining our existing assets.

block944

October 29th, 2008, 06:50 PM

Newark Bears file for bankruptcy

The Newark Bears minor league baseball team filed for bankruptcy, saying they owe their biggest creditors more than $4.6 million, including $3.4 million to its mortgage company and more than $800,000 to Essex County.
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/10/large_bearsbankrupt.jpgTony Kurdzuk (tkurdzuk@starledger.com)/The Star-LedgerView from the top of the center field at Riverfront Stadium.
The team's stadium opened in 1999 with great fanfare and marked the return of professional baseball to Newark after a five decade absence. But after a packed opening night, attendance at the stadium never took off.
Newark and Essex County financed the construction of the $30 million Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium with the sale of bonds. Later, remaining bond funds were used to build a parking deck that is leased out to surrounding businesses during the day. The city and the county now share a more than $1 million annual debt payment.
Team owner Marc Berson and Essex county executive Joseph DiVincenzo both said over the weekend that baseball will remain in Newark despite what may happen to the Bears.
DiVincenzo said he was looking to possibly help arrange a sale of the team and that at worst, local colleges and high schools could use the stadium for games.
The team filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday. Under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a corporation is allowed to continue functioning while it undergoes a financial reorganization and creditors are repaid.

NYC4Life

October 29th, 2008, 09:07 PM

Updated On 10/29/08 at 05:48PM

Verizon secures $20M in tax credits to stay in Newark

By David Jones

New Jersey awarded its first-ever urban transit hub tax credit to Verizon New Jersey Inc., under a sale-leaseback agreement with Accordia Realty Ventures that will keep the phone company headquarters in the city of Newark, officials said.

Verizon, which had previously announced plans to leave its Newark headquarters, will receive $20 million in tax credits over 10 years under the state's new program, which is designed to encourage businesses to operate near commuter rail stations.

The program offers tax credits to companies that locate within a half mile of a N.J. Transit, PATCO or PATH station in one of nine N.J. cities, including Hoboken, Jersey City, Elizabeth and other areas.

Verizon officials said the company had planned to consolidate its Newark call center operations with two other facilities in Scotch Plains and Madison, N.J., but the proposed credit was signed into law during the past year and the company decided it would maintain is presence in Newark.

"We have a commitment to the city of Newark," said Rich Young, spokesman for Verizon.

Fairfield, N.J.-based Accordia earlier this year agreed to buy the 428,000 square-foot Verizon building at 540 Broad Street, and to lease 140,000 square feet back to the telecom giant over 10 years. Officials did not release a sales price, but sources familiar with the agreement say Accordia paid about $35 million for the building.

Officials said they are looking to lease the remaining 300,000 square foot space to one or more corporate tenants, who would also qualify for the tax credit.

"What you're trying to do is create a situation where you are keeping economic development and jobs in a major city near a transit location," said Glenn Phillips, spokesman for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. "In Newark it's particularly relevant because it's also going to help bring other tenants."

Joe Romano, principal at Accordia, said about $75 million will be spent to build out the space and upgrade other parts of the building, including the lobby and an old theater, which will be converted into a conference center. GVA Williams will market the new space for about $20 a square foot, and Romano said that a 12,000 square-foot retail space will be available for a restaurant or other retail tenant.

Joe Ritchie, chief executive of the Brick City Development Corp., the main economic development agency in Newark, said the city is recruiting financial services and technology companies to relocate their back-end operations there, as Broad Street sits on top of a major broadband pipeline that is designed for high-speed data operations.

tommyguy

October 30th, 2008, 12:54 AM

newarkdevil1 thanks very much for the interesting and detailed response. I can see the attraction. And I guess compared to Manhattan the prices in Newark are pretty good. And the commute via NJ Transit is one of the easiest. Even the much cheaper PATH alternative isn't too bad. But I wonder how much talking you had to do to get your wife to agree on moving to Newark. Did you say, Newark? You mean the one in New Jersey? :cool:

But one point I made earlier, I can't see how you're going to have a viable vibrant downtown if it's surrounded by neighborhoods in crisis. Like it or not [CALLING Marv! :D ] you and the inner-city element are all in this together. A major key to Newark's rebound will be -- I'm sure -- a growing and healthy industrial/service economy that will provide jobs for the rest of Newark.

I always wonder though, as a frequent visitor to Newark, where would downtown residents food shop? Find a dry cleaners? Get a decent meal on say a Sunday afternoon? Buy a Sunday paper? How about if you suddenly realize at 10 PM you have a) no milk, b) no rolls for breakfast?? How about ordering takeout?

What do you do in Newark for fun? Like on weekends. Or if mid-week you come home from work and decide you feel like a movie? Where do you go? Or spur-of-the-moment decide to rent a movie? Where do you clothes shop? Look at furniture? Get your car repaired?

I've noticed many of the posters -- on this forum and a couple others -- seem to exclusively mention bars and the great Portugese restaurants in the Ironbound as the "things to do in Newark". But nothing else. And only the bars by name. That sounds like they're recently out of college but still in frat mode.

block944

October 30th, 2008, 08:36 AM

Devils to Newark: You owe us $800,000

by Maura McDermott (mmcdermott@starledger.com)/The Star-Ledger Thursday October 30, 2008, 5:01 AM

The Devils do not plan to pay the first year's rent on the $375 million Prudential Center and instead say the Newark Housing Authority owes them nearly $800,000 due to delays in completing the arena.
The authority, which owns the arena, gave the team until last Monday to make what was expected to be a multimillion-dollar rent payment, granting the team's requests for two extensions on the Sept. 30 deadline.
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/10/large_PARENACX.jpgJohn Munson/The Star-LedgerAerial view of the north side of the Prudential Center in Newark.
Also:

-- Newark Bears file for bankruptcy (http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/newark_bears_file_for_bankrupt.html) -- High school football is returning to Newark on Thursday afternoon (http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/high_school_football_returning.html)
On Tuesday, team owners delivered 12 pages of letters and calculations to the authority stating their lease allowed them to deduct nearly $2.9 million from the roughly $2.1 million rent owed and take a $210,000 credit for next year's rent, due to delays in building the year-old arena and completing construction on surrounding land.
As a result, the authority owes the team $791,530, according to a letter from Gordon Lavalette, an executive vice president with the team.
Mayor Cory Booker said yesterday he was "deeply disappointed."
"We are confident that the Newark Housing Authority will pursue the appropriate course of action to ensure that the city and its residents receive their fair share," Booker said in a statement.
Keith Kinard, executive director of the authority, said the agency plans to declare the team in default. The authority and the team will have 30 days to resolve the rent conflict or go into arbitration.
"I operated in good faith, only to have mud thrown in our face," Kinard said. "They're a hockey team and they're obviously playing games."
Kinard said construction delays did not interfere with the arena's operations and should not result in a discounted rent.
Team owner Jeff Vanderbeek said the Devils are merely abiding by the terms of the 30-year lease.
"We have fulfilled our responsibilities under the contract and we will continue to do so," he said. "This isn't a charity. This isn't a philanthropy. This is a business. So we're going about our business."
The team's lease calls for a base rent of $1 million in the first year; an additional rent payment ranging from $2 million to $6 million, based on a percentage of arena revenues; and $500,000 for sports and jobs programs.
Since the first lease period ran slightly more than two-thirds of a year, from opening day on Oct. 27, 2007, until July 1, the payments are pro-rated.
So the team would owe $2.1 million, or slightly more than two-thirds of the $1 million base rent and $2 million minimum additional rent.
But the lease also allows for steep discounts due to delays in completing the arena and the amenities around it, according to the team.
According to the team, the authority owes $902,778, for the 26-day delay in getting the arena ready for the team's home opener last Oct. 27. That delay means the Devils do not need to pay the first year's base rent and can deduct $209,627 from the second year's rent, according to the team's calculations.
The team also cited a January 2006 agreement between the authority and the Devils promising all work on Lafayette Street would be complete by May 1, 2006. The street work wasn't done until March 27, 2007, and because of that the team said the authority owes $20,000 a day "up to a ceiling of $2 million" for the delay, according to the team.
The full $2 million penalty has been due since Oct. 1, 2007, according to the Devils.
The authority also said that because the entrance plaza at Mulberry Street and Edison Place is still not complete, the Devils should get $177,831, according to the team.
"None of these things were ever brought to our attention in countless meetings, in countless correspondence going back and forth with them. Frankly, I'm shocked," Kinard said.
The Devils also owe $1 million for maintenance, although the team made no mention of that, said Bill Crawley of the Newark Downtown Core Redevelopment Corp., which oversees development around the arena.
The team did commit to making payments for sports and jobs programs just under $347,000 instead of $500,000, due to the short lease period.
Richard Monteilh, the city's lead negotiator with the Devils, said when the lease was signed under former Mayor Sharpe James, the Devils were responsible for some of their own financial and construction delays.
"A good partner in the deal, as we thought we had, would not use that as an excuse not to pay the rent," Monteilh said. For its part, the city let the Devils off the hook on certain commitments, such as getting a hotel built on a parking lot owned by Edison Properties, he said.
The arena was a joint effort by the Devils and Newark, with the city paying $220 million toward the cost of the arena construction, and the Devils paying an estimated $156 million. Local and state agencies are spending about $85 million on the plaza, streets and planned parks around the venue, according to city and housing authority records.

newarkdevil1

October 30th, 2008, 10:06 AM

First off I saw the article in this mornings paper in regards to the Devils rent and knew I could depend on block to post it ;-)
Btw, some excellent points posted there in regards to development that I have to touch on at some point, specifically in regards to the hotel development.

Tommyguy, to answer your questions my wife was very frightened when I suggested Newark, especially given what she had seen heard since coming over from Europe 7 years ago. I think what sold her, and some of my friends that followed (from Queens, Wyckoff and other outside communities) depended on showing them the city and getting past the image that is passed amongst the suburbs.

As for your later points, Newark will grow based on it's individual neighborhoods, just as Jersey City and Hoboken did. Right now the Ironbound is experiencing growth and gentrification primarily due (in my opinion) to it's easy access to public transportation. From there you find people either in the North Ward or in "downtown" Newark. The central, south and west will need significant improvements to turn them into stable neighborhoods. I have been amazed that fewer projects have happened along the parkway corrider to bring in big box retailers and such.

As for the downtown question, most of those questions answers : where to shop, do dry cleaning ect.. lies two blocks away in the Ironbound. I don't see this as a negative, as the Ironbound has been a existing strong neighborhood for most of the cities existence. I think overall as more infill projects happen, specifically more hotels, residential complexes and student dormitories, the more 24/7 operations will open to serve downtown residents.

The final two paragraphs of your post seem sort of funny from a resident's perspective. I am glad that you don't see our mechanic shops, blockbusters, clothing and furniture stores but can assure you they exist. I think you will find we typically post about projects that generate a buzz and bring tourist. Every city "sells" itself through it's core competencies and the truth is the nightlife is much stronger in the Ironbound than downtown. I think that would make sense since up till a few years ago there were very few people living there and not much reason to go downtown.

The arena, NJPAC, hotels, colleges, airport and Penn Station are huge for the "downtown" Newark neighborhood. I don't think I can underscore how important it is for the city to have a tourist friendly area filled with restaurants.

As for your things to do check out
www.goironbound.com (http://www.goironbound.com) ,
www.downtownnewark.com (http://www.downtownnewark.com)
http://www.fhcanewark.org/events.html
www.gonewark.com (http://www.gonewark.com)
http://www.newarkarts.org/

Overall, I think if you ask residents, you will be surprised to found out we are like all other communities, with churches, clubs and all sorts of interest that bind us. Without being too much of a pitchman...you have to speak to residents and I think you will be surprised about the amount of things that exist here in Newark.

tommyguy

October 30th, 2008, 10:22 AM

Thanks newarkdevils1, yes I have seen the places you mention in the Ironbound. And I'm familar with the links, but without meaning to pry, where do you go? What do you and your wife do in Newark on the weekends?

You have a favorite dry cleansers? Takeout place? Restaurant in Ironbound? Do you have a favorite auto-repair place you go to?

Btw, I live in Yonkers, another suburban city with a bad rep, so I'm not being hostile by any means. Just curious.

How about anyone else, why'd you move to Newark?

JCexpert558

October 30th, 2008, 06:43 PM

At my highschool in New Jersey, I heard that the reason for those were because of gang initiation, and there to maplewood next!:D

block944

October 31st, 2008, 01:02 AM

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center to lay off 100 employees

by Mark Mueller (mmueller@starledger.com)/The Star-Ledger Thursday October 30, 2008, 7:03 PM

Citing a dropoff in federal reimbursements and the high cost of treating the poor and uninsured, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center announced today it will lay off about 100 employees, including physicians, and "restructure" its outpatient clinics and pediatric cardiac surgery program.
A spokeswoman for the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, which operates the 673-bed hospital, said no programs will be eliminated under the downsizing.
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/10/large_bethisrael.jpgAP file photoExterior of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in 1997.
But some departments, among them geriatric services, will operate with smaller staffs. In addition, the pediatric cardiac surgery program, one of just a handful in the state, has been temporarily suspended, with no new cases scheduled, according to a Beth Israel employee with knowledge of the program.
The employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the hospital's plans, said Beth Israel would likely continue to perform emergency heart procedures on children.
It was not immediately clear when the program would resume or whether it would handle fewer cases. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson also perform heart procedures on children, but Beth Israel is the only New Jersey facility to perform pediatric heart transplants.
Each year, doctors at Beth Israel's Children's Heart Center perform about 170 heart surgeries and 200 other heart procedures, many on children from poor families.
Ronald J. Del Mauro, St. Barnabas' president and chief executive officer, said in a statement today the program's restructuring was under review and would include "every possible option," including a partnership with another health care system.
"Our plans are to keep pediatric cardiac surgery at Newark Beth Israel," Del Mauro said.
He called the layoffs and the restructuring proactive measures meant to "secure the financial viability of this institution."
Beth Israel, one of New Jersey's busiest hospitals, is facing financial pressures shared by many urban facilities, which treat a large number of patients who lack insurance or can't pay their bills.
Declining charity-care reimbursements from the state, along with cuts in federal reimbursements for Medicare and Medicaid, all are taking a toll on the hospital's bottom line, Del Mauro said.
"Despite the medical center's high patient volume, it does not overcome the challenges posed by inadequate payment," he said.

tommyguy

October 31st, 2008, 11:58 AM

At my highschool in New Jersey, I heard that the reason for those were because of gang initiation, and there to maplewood next!

You're talking about the suburban high schools' decision not to play at Weequahic HS in Newark?

At first glance I would say that sounds crazy -- that last weekend's shootings were part of a gang initiation -- but I guess it's possible. It happened where I live, Yonkers, last year.

A teenaged guy walking with his girl was stopped by a group of teens and shot in the head for no apparent reason. The Yonkers police caught the killer and he claimed the shooting was part of a gang initiation.

tommyguy

October 31st, 2008, 12:18 PM

Police ID two arrested in Newark fatal shootings

by William Kleinknecht (wkleinknecht@starledger.com)/The Star-Ledger Monday October 27, 2008, 11:09 PM

Police today identified two people arrested in a string of shootings in Newark last week and said their rampage -- which left two people dead -- was tied to gangs and narcotics.
Scott Banks and Nashon Brown, both 20-year-old Newark residents, were arrested Saturday and charged with the shooting deaths of two people and the wounding of another over a half-hour period Friday.
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/10/large_banksnardone.jpg
Scott Banks and Nashon Brown

Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow, who joined Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Police Director Garry McCarthy at a news conference, said both defendants were believed to be linked to gangs.
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/10/large_exshot3.jpg
Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerNewark Mayor Cory Booker speaks during a news conference this afternoon. Also shown are Police Director Garry McCarthy (left), Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow (2nd from right) and Police Chief Anthony Campos.

"There were strong drug and gang overtones in these events," McCarthy said, adding that exactly what set off the violence is still being investigated.
Booker said he wanted to make clear the city's homicide rate has been down 40 percent so far this year and that Friday's incidents were not random attacks and were not linked to gang initiation.
"These were not random drive-by shootings," the mayor said. "These were individuals shooting at other individuals who were targeted for assassination."
Booker would not say, however, whether the assailants shot the people they were aiming for or whether any of the victims were tied to gangs.
The incidents began at 2:15 p.m. Friday when shots were fired by occupants of a white Infiniti sport utility vehicle at the Seth Boyden housing complex in the city's South Ward. No one was struck by the shots.
The same vehicle was linked to three other shooting incidents. At 2:36 p.m., Quadir Burroughs, 22, was shot and fatally wounded at 20 Ridgewood Ave. A 27-year-old man was wounded at 2:36 p.m. at Clinton and Chadwick avenues, and Angelina Evans, 24, was found shot to death at 174 Boyd St. at 2:45 p.m.
Police chased the Infiniti at one point on Friday, but they lost sight of the vehicle after it pulled onto Route 78. Booker and McCarthy said today that cameras police have mounted in various points around the city recorded portions of the chase and helped lead to the arrests.
They would not elaborate for fear of alerting criminals to the locations of the cameras.
Court records show Brown has had seven previous arrests for indictable offenses. On Oct. 19, 2007, Superior Court Judge Joseph Cassini sentenced him to 364 days in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, eluding police and drug possession.
Banks was arrested in August on a charge of criminal mischief and property damage in Union County. The prosecution in that case is pending.
The shooting spree was followed over the weekend with more violence, including the fatal shooting Saturday night of 30-year-old Devon Chavis of Roselle at the Seth Boyden housing complex.
On Sunday around 8 p.m., a 20-year old man was shot once in each leg on Elizabeth Avenue near the northern tip of Weequahic Park. He survived the shooting.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/police_id_two_arrested_in_newa.html

ASchwarz

November 1st, 2008, 10:57 PM

This thread has been completely ruined by Tommyguy and Block 944. Before, I would visit to read about new developments and news stories from Newark.

Now, it's nothing but Tommyguy or Block 944spamming with every Newark crime story they pull off the net...

oz756c

November 2nd, 2008, 12:00 AM

Agreed. I wish a moderator would boot Block.

This forum used to focus on real estate happenings and changes. Now, there is this new emphasis on the social challenges of the city. We all know Newark has more than it's fair share crime, it's reported on NJ.com daily. Let's hear about real estate developments, this crime reporting / bickering is getting old.

BrooklynRider

November 2nd, 2008, 12:11 AM

I will create a new thread called Newark News & Politics. This thread shall be called Newark Real Estate and Development.

I have moved a few recent News items from this thread, not related to Real Estate and Development, into that thread.

The separation of the topics will be enforced in accordance with the forum Rules of Conduct.

This split is actually a very encouraging sign that Newark is generating greater interest and that this forum is providing a needed outlet for discussion. As a matter of information, both Tommyguy and Block 944 have posted entirely within the bounds of our posting guidelines. News is news and we had only one thread for Newark posts. I hope everyone with any interests in Newark will read both threads as it seems news andpolitics directly influence real estate and development.

BrooklynRider

November 2nd, 2008, 12:13 AM

This thread has been created to separate Newark "News and Politics" fron Newark "Real Estate and Development". Please post accordingly.

tommyguy

November 2nd, 2008, 11:53 AM

This thread has been completely ruined by Tommyguy and Block 944. Now, it's nothing but Tommyguy or Block 944spamming with every Newark crime story they pull off the net...

Agreed. I wish a moderator would boot Block.
This forum used to focus on real estate happenings and changes...this crime reporting / bickering is getting old.

What the hell?

I actually patterned my posts after a Philadelphia site -- in fact I think it's called Wired Philadelphia (also vBulletin) -- which has some great discussions on it. I've learned a ton of stuff about Philly. (There are even high shool kids and people for whom English is a second language who regularly post.) I couldn't believe somewhere on the net New York didn't have the same freewheeling, tolerant type forum.

Who knew Philadelphians would turn out to be less uptight than New Yorkers?!?

My bad! :cool:

newarkdevil1

November 2nd, 2008, 03:41 PM

I actually find this forum interesting because I was able to find items posted 2-3 years ago that I had even missed. I loved the stuff about the Heliport since I pass that section of 21 and have always thought so much could be done there. Just the simple idea of having a heliport and possible boat docking area seemed fascinating. I have no problem responding on different threads as I find the sociological discussions fascinating as well.

As for developments, I am really pleased to see they are set to pave the entrance pavilion for the hockey statue and ticket area of the stadium. I know the developer of the first building on market as they are the same people that did the Isley building on Edison, so look for a similar look. Three other buildings are being worked on that stretch of market. the first two on the left if you are walking from Mullberry towards broad. Also there are two on the right next to the old theater.

The second coupling of developments that are in that same region are both Edison projects that may or may not get off the ground. The old cement sided building on 21 that is bookended by edison and hamilton street is where Edison wants to put a childrens museum (i have not idea what that means btw). The pedestrian bridge has been a fight between edison, the city, the state and NJ transit in regards to who will foot the bill (a greedy Newark resident as myself hopes its not the city). Finally at the corner of Edison and Mullberry, Edison had planned to put their hotel, as I understand it, there are delays in regards to financing.

In general, I think the one development idea that lost steam that really frustrates me is the Convention Center. This was tossed about prior to the Arena and to me is a perfect compliment to where the city is trying to get. Does anyone remeber when this idea was originally tossed about?

I have mixed fealings in regards to the whole tucker development and Bat district thing. I feel like the city has fell in love with this and forgotten that the Gateways still have a tremendous amount of deadspace that could use infill. I think the planned outdoor cafe for the mullberry plaza of the gateway is a huge step forward.

Any other developments that people know if in the NDD district?

stache

November 2nd, 2008, 07:26 PM

devil, where is the pedestrian bridge going to be placed?

block944

November 3rd, 2008, 06:17 AM

I'm a bit confused, all you want to talk about is buildings... But aren't they being built for people to live in? So if people are be robbed, shot, killed.... Guess what they aren't going to live their! It's narrow minded people that built the Bears stadium and now look it's bankrupt! Look at all the stores closing! The build it and they will come mentality does not work on the face of violence. So if you want to spam about new buildings then go ahead. It until the crime and corruption are fixed Newark will continue to be a hole. Already 1180 discontinued valet parking because the parking auth were being dicks and ticketing cars left for valet. Now we have to pay 200 and park further away so now grocery shopping is a wonderful experience. I guarantee now people will leave and go to secaucus junction as rent and parking together are cheaper then 1180 except for students and people that work in Newark. Good job Newark , oops i'm being negative again.

tommyguy

November 3rd, 2008, 09:32 AM

Already 1180 discontinued valet parking because the parking auth were being dicks and ticketing cars left for valet. Now we have to pay 200 and park further away so now grocery shopping is a wonderful experience.

Note to block944-Don't give these reactionaries grounds to have you banned. Please?

That sounds to me like something the Mayor's office would and should get involved in. That the Newark Parking Authority made it unworkable to have valet parking at 1180. If what you say is true, that is and it's NOT a case of the valets abusing the system (which it could be). Possibly you might want to contact the Star-Ledger, too.

Uhhh, waita minute. Valet parking? Newark? Okay, forget the Star-Ledger. :o

Seriously though, what I would like to know is, where does one grocery shop if one lives at 1180? Is there a supermarket relatively close by??

I can't remember seeing one. Even in the Ironbound (and I hope I'm wrong). Residents in the Central Ward have complained for years there was no supermarket nearby, haven't they?

Marv95

November 3rd, 2008, 10:42 AM

Dude there are 2 Pathmarks in the city: one on Ferry Street and the other on Bergen across from UMDNJ(Central Ward). Granted it's Pathmark, but it counts as a supermarket right? There's also a Shoprite, Pathmark and K-Mart in Kearny on Passaic Avenue. There is also some type of large market being planned in that large open space on Springfield Ave by Irvine Turner Blvd but haven't heard anything yet.

stache

November 3rd, 2008, 11:01 AM

block, the new Newark news and politics thread is at

http://74.200.90.114/forum/showthread.php?p=259595#post259595

tommyguy

November 3rd, 2008, 11:27 AM

Thanks Marv. Okay yeah, I Google-streetviewed both. The one on Ferry St looks pretty good. The one on Bergen ditto (looks like it's got more parking) but it's gotten bad consumer reviews. Dirty and apathetic employees. (Old reviews so it may've shaped up.) And how's the neighborhood?

newarkdevil1

November 3rd, 2008, 12:54 PM

Stache,

The pedestrian bridge was to sit on top of the old rail road tressle that crosses 21. This line used to run all the way to the station that sits on broad st that was proposed for the Lionel Museum. The bridge would bring you over to Triangle park on the East side of the arena and would have provided the look shown in all early marketing material for the arena.

Block, I am sure you will find lots of people willing to engage in the subject of urban politics and ect in the other thread. I would be more than happy to discuss any of above matters. I think stache and others have just said that they feel that having two threads better serves the wishes of the entire group.

newarkdevil1

November 3rd, 2008, 01:00 PM

Farther down Ferry is the Metro and you can use Seabras in the inronbound which has 2 locations.
Block, the valet and entire parking situation at 1180 is agravating. I use the TDBank in that building and have been ticketed 3 times...all to make a deposit. I would love to jump on with anyone who would like to write to the mayor office in regards to a more thoughtful way of approaching it. Also,l the guys from Military Park's Valet are rude and agravating and acted like the owned the area.

newarkdevil1

November 3rd, 2008, 01:01 PM

Block...I also posted a response to your 1180 agravations on the other thread. http://74.200.90.114/forum/showthrea...595#post259595 (http://74.200.90.114/forum/showthread.php?p=259595#post259595)

stache

November 3rd, 2008, 01:22 PM

If you're stopping on Raymond right there, no wonder you get a ticket. It's a no standing area. I've seen people there stop their cars and hop in to use the bank machine. It's not a parking area.

newarkdevil1

November 5th, 2008, 10:40 AM

I don't know about everyone else, but something about a guy running and winning a council seat in Newark on the race card aggravates me. I fully understand the views of Booker as an outsider and the disconnect that he has sometimes created between his national image vs. his local image. The real problem I have is when a guy running for council declares that Booker and his Ally are trying to put residents, "back on the plantation".

This goes right up there with Mrs. Crump declaring that the council was "disrespected" because they weren't comped tickets and a box for devils games.

I wonder if these elected officials, who so quickly jumped on the curtails of Barak would be soo quick to drop these same inuedos in his presence as they shamelessly advance their carreers in Newark.

newarkdevil1

November 5th, 2008, 10:43 AM

So I have a Democratic, President, Senate, Congress, Govenor and Mayor (who supposedly is connected with Barak). What do you think the possibilityity of me getting some federal funding for projects in Newark are?

Hamilton

November 5th, 2008, 11:20 AM

Probably pretty small. Obama made huge inroads in the exurbs this election. He'll have to keep them satisfied to win re-election.

If you don't believe me, look at the anti-urban attitude of the NJ Democratic Party, which has had a strong suburban base for over a decade.

tommyguy

November 5th, 2008, 11:52 AM

I don't know about everyone else, but something about a guy running and winning a council seat in Newark on the race card aggravates me.

In Newark? The race card?? For real??

Seriously, are you talking about Charles Bell in the Central Ward??

tommyguy

November 5th, 2008, 01:45 PM

Better late than never.

After week of controversy, high school football returns to Newark

by Mike Kinney/for The Star-Ledger Thursday October 30, 2008, 9:06 PM

http://blog.nj.com/realtimesports_impact/2008/10/medium_hsfb.jpg
Frank H. Conlon (fconlon@starledger.com)/The Star-LedgerNewark
Mayor Corey Booker(left) and Governor Jon
Corzine attended Thursday's game between
Roselle and Newark Central -- the first football
game in Newark since last Friday's shootings.

High school football returned to Newark Thursday night after a tumultuous week of refusals and retractions.
Roselle beat Central, 48-0, at Untermann Field in a game that was notable just for being played.
Gov. Jon Corzine stalked the sidelines for the first half Thursday, along with Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Congressman Donald Payne, State Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker and a dozen other state and local dignitaries. All were there to show support for a city that was in danger of losing its home football games only days ago.
A spate of drive-by shootings claimed two victims in Newark last Friday and suspended all games in the city that weekend by order of Newark Schools Superintendent Dr. Clifford Janey, who also was among the much-watched crowd along the track at Untermann. Scheduled opponents then said they would not come to Newark to play, until the NJSIAA intervened with a firm request that Scotch Plains, Cranford, Parsippany and other upcoming teams honor their obligation.
"Without doubt, these games had to be played here," NJSIAA Executive Director Steve Timko said. "Newark has been very proactive and Roselle has been very cooperative and understanding about the whole situation. What happened was an isolated incident that should not account for a reason to not be here."
Part of the scheduling upheaval was a game that Central was forced to play against Cranford at a neutral site, Roselle Park, after Cranford refused a trip to Newark. That game was originally scheduled for last Friday at Untermann.
The very short turnaround left Central noticeably sluggish against a fresh and capable Roselle team. The media frenzy surrounding the field did not exactly sharpen concentration, said Durham.
"Today there heads were in the stands," he said. "They were all happy, looking for the governor, looking for the mayor instead of worrying about taking care of the business at hand.
"But I understand. This was a nice thing for them to be a part of. And it was nice for the people to see the program. but they didn't see the program at its best. Hopefully, they'll come back some day and see these kids grow up."

http://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/2008/10/after_week_of_controversy_high.html

newarkdevil1

November 5th, 2008, 04:50 PM

Tommy gun, yes that is a direct quote from him. I am just sick of urban politicians selling the same crap to the audience instead of showing how the can raise the neighborhood up. Honestly, the attitude that gets displayed somtimes agravates me.

newarkdevil1

November 6th, 2008, 09:59 AM

tommyguy

November 6th, 2008, 02:30 PM

The real problem I have is when a guy running for council declares that Booker and his Ally are trying to put residents, "back on the plantation".

Is the above quote really an attempt to play the race card? nd1 if you're quoting Charles Bell running in the Central Ward race, speaking to Central Ward voters (and I think you are), that sounds to me like an inner-city politician talking to a largely inner-city audience. I don't know that much about Charles Bell or the Central Ward race -- how it was conducted, what the issues were, how Bell's opponents conducted their campaigns -- but I know from personal experience that inner-city politics are tougher, more raw than in the middle-class suburbs, that's for sure. But hey, it is what it is.

This is the point I tried to make earlier. Newark is a predominately African-American, working class city. I would say one has to adjust their attitudes into accepting that fact.

Maybe Bell meant Booker has been catering to the downtown developers while failing to do much for the neighborhoods? Telling the developers in effect, 'You come, invest and build and I'll handle the hood. I got plenty of cops.' I can see that playing in a place like the Central Ward. Is it true, is that really what Booker is about? I doubt it but I'm sure some people in Newark -- especially in neighrborhoods like the Central Ward -- see it that way.

JCexpert558

November 6th, 2008, 08:36 PM

To be honest, I think that the only thing wrong with Newark is all it's crime. If you change a neighborhood like newarks suburbs ,all the criminals will be more inclined to do more harm.

scrollhectic

November 9th, 2008, 12:45 AM

For those of you that care, A new restaurant opened on central and halsey acrosse from Killkennys yesterday. I met the chef and she said they will be serving "light italian". Building was completely renovated and looks very nice.

Newark to get its own Zagat's restaurant guide

By DAVID PORTER | Associated Press Writer November 3, 2008 NEWARK, N.J. - London, Paris, New York (http://www.newsday.com/topic/us/new-york-PLGEO100100800000000.topic) ... Newark?

New Jersey (http://www.newsday.com/topic/us/new-jersey-PLGEO100100700000000.topic)'s largest city is set to join that elite group as the subject of a Zagat restaurant guide due out by the end of the year.

Newark will join a list of more than 100 other guides in the Zagat's empire, which extends worldwide. The company annually sells more than 600,000 of its New York restaurant guides alone.

"This family has become an international brand, and to have them come to Newark is almost another stamp of having made it," Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker said Monday at the official announcement of the Newark Zagat guide.

The Newark guide, titled "Spotlight on Newark Restaurants," is scheduled to be published by the end of the year and will be available at the Prudential Center and in local hotels and businesses.

The 16-page, wallet-sized guide will feature reviews of 34 restaurants, a fold-out map and additional information about the city's attractions.

Monday's launch was hosted by 60 Park Place Grill, a new restaurant and sports bar situated a few blocks from the Prudential Center arena, which recently marked its first year of operation. The economic stimulus provided by the arena has been responsible for more than a half-dozen new restaurant openings in downtown Newark, according to city deputy mayor Stefan Pryor.

Booker said he first had the idea of attracting Zagat's to Newark during his first year in office. The project received a boost from the recently created Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is dovetailing it with Newark's inaugural Restaurant Week from Nov. 3-13.

"Mayor Booker asked us to do it, and I realized we should have done it earlier," co-founder Tim Zagat said. "We really look for special restaurants that you can't find in your hometown, and Newark is no different."

Zagat guides feature consumer reviews of restaurants in dozens of major cities around the world and have become a standard feature in pocket books and briefcases, particularly among business travelers.

Tim Zagat said he plans to visit many of Newark's restaurants himself, but will rely on the standard formula of reviews written by people who like to dine out and like to describe the experience. He said the company already has a database of about 350,000 reviewers, of which 20,000 live in northern New Jersey.

tommyguy

November 9th, 2008, 01:51 PM

Bell and Osborne dominate the field as Booker weighs the battle

By Max Pizarro (http://www.politickernj.com/user/max), PolitickerNJ.com Reporter

http://www.politickernj.com/files/images/belly.img_assist_custom.jpg
Former Councilman Charles Bell: Politicker photo

NEWARK - The crowded race for a vacant Central Ward Council seat features a veteran with the stalwart backing of Newark’s gray-haired fathers, versus a labor-cash infused newcomer who may or may not receive support from a wobbling Mayor Cory Booker.
Thirteen candidates hope to fill the seat an assignment judge separated from Central Ward Councilwoman Dana Rone after Rone this summer exhausted her appeals process going back to a 2006 obstruction of justice case.

But apparent frontrunner Charles Bell sees his chief challenger - both for Obama affection and for the local council seat - as fellow labor brother Eddie Osborne, whose billboards and signs laden with Obama iconography have hit the Central Ward like an orange blizzard.

The Osborne campaign sizes up the contest similarly.

In their sights, they see Bell, a former councilman, school board member for nearly 30 years and retired labor official with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers Union, who combines name ID and an alliance with time-tested political infrastructure.

For his part, Bell’s out there early every day, shaking hands, making and renewing contact.

Style-wise, he’s straight up old school Newark.

"I always vote for you, Charlie," a woman calls back to him on Hill Street when he points at her through the passing sidewalk crowd and beams friendly recognition.

Slowing at the sight of Bell, a member of Bikers for Obama tells the former councilman he’s voting for him and Bell smiles. "Bell and Obama, baby," he says. "Bell and Obama."

Inside a downtown community pantry, he takes a break from distributing bags of food. "The people of the Central Ward need someone who’s ready on day one," Bell says. "I know where the bodies are buried, I have the experience."

The easy-going former councilman doesn’t look like the embodiment of Booker-backlash, but in many ways he is, as he runs with the support of North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato, state Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex), other council people displaced by the Booker Team in 2006, and Central Ward Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Brown, a close Adubato ally who knows ground-level organization.

"We’re going to have a small but highly effective and well-trained GOTV effort on Election Day made up of 250 soldiers," says Brown, who goes back with Bell to when they used to work together on the Newark Housing Authority.

There’s someone else who’s known Bell a while, too, but he’s not standing with him in this campaign.

http://www.politickernj.com/files/images/ozzbo.img_assist_custom.jpg
Labor leader Eddie Osborne: Politicker photo

That’s Osborne, whose considerable labor support puts him at the top of the cash heap ($40,800 so far, according to last week’s ELEC filing, compared to $33,424 for Bell), but who faces the considerable challenge of emblazoning his brand on the voting public during a short-burst run, in a field where not just one but 12 other candidates are scrambling to distinguish themselves.

At least two others in addition to Bell are generating break-from-the-pack interest: Nikea White - who has the backing of Council President Mildred Crump, and whose signs smother the ward - and Mary Rone, mother of the displaced councilwoman.

If he can sustain his new guy-change time messaging, a potential Osborne advantage is the flood of newly registered presumptive Obama voters in Newark, who could play havoc with the classic urban machine operations of old hands Bell, Brown and Adubato.

Of course, Bell, Osborne - and everyone else in the race for that matter - want to prove that they are the natural homespun versions of presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.).

Osborne’s signs go for subliminal connections by borrowing heavily from the Obama campaign’s font styles and imagery, while Bell’s campaign insignia shows him flanked by two smiling photo portraits of everyone’s favorite presidential candidate.

It’s as if the former councilman’s graphics people scrapped the usual angel/devil dichotomy in favor of two glorious Obamas, one on either of the candidate’s shoulders.

Twenty-two large-scale Bell signs rose around the Central Ward last week to counter the billboard mania coming out of the Osborne camp, and almost overnight three of the Bell signs were plastered over with white paint and shoe polish. "We’re going to find out who did it," says the candidate.

http://www.politickernj.com/files/images/nikea.img_assist_custom.jpg
Council President Mildred Crump, left, and Nikea White of
the Central Ward: Politicker file photo

Meanwhile, the younger Osborne - an ally of Booker’s going back to the mayor’s days as a Central Ward councilman, argues outright that he is "Obama’s change in the Central Ward."

"I respect Charles Bell and what he’s done for workers in the past," says the candidate, sitting down between events in his headquarters on the eastern edge of the Orange Street business district. "He’s a good man, but when I talked to him in the lead up to this campaign, he was golfing and relaxing and I looked at him - looked into his face - and I got the sense that he was happy with the way his life was.

"My view is there are coaches and there are players, and Charlie Bell is in the coaching phase, while I’m ready to charge out there onto the field to make the plays," Osborne adds.

If the Osborne campaign packages the contest as youthful energy versus aging warhorse from the Sharpe James years, Bell’s people see in the Bell-Osborne showdown an equally compelling narrative: pure Newark versus powerful outside interests.

Although a native of the Central Ward and former district leader here, the 45-year old Osborne has statewide connections that make it easy for his opponents to deride his candidacy as a sleek, 11th hour instrument of big money. The candidate serves as the business manager of Laborers Local 1153, an affiliate of the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), and he works for Ray Pocino, LIUNA’s vice president and Eastern Regional manager.

Pocino has close ties to the South Jersey Democratic Organization, and donated in the mid five figure range to Booker’s 2006 mayoral campaign.
Osborne knows his operations have ruffled the parochial old guard, and he knows the charge out there that he’s a drone for Pocino. But Bell's roots, indeed nearly his entire public formation comes proudly from the labor movement. Moreover, Osborne insists the fact that his connections and lifelong membership with the laborers only strengthens him locally.

"My main goal on the council would be job creation," he says. "I want to create jobs related to all trades in the Central Ward."

In between campaign duties, one of Osborne’s chief advisors, Pastor Thomas Reddick, Jr., executive director of the Renaissance Church of Newark, says in two years the Booker administration has made some strides.

"Crime has gotten a little better," Reddick says. "We’re excited about our new prisoner re-entry program, which has really gotten started in the last few weeks. But when it comes down to it, people need jobs, and that’s what Eddie does."

http://www.politickernj.com/files/images/booka.img_assist_custom.jpg
Newark Mayor Cory Booker: Politicker file photo

Now a significant question in the ward is whether the globetrotting Booker, easily the most energetic Obama surrogate in the state but badgered by his critics who say he’s not sufficiently Newark-centric, decides to back Osborne. He may yet back another candidate.

As Rone’s chances of staying on the council crumbled, the mayor said initially that he would prefer a woman to take her seat.

So far only Osborne has shown sufficient campaign muscle to take on Bell, and Osborne wants Booker's support. The double edge on that, though, if the mayor backs the Pocino connection, is it stokes the argument advanced by his most determined local foes that he can only win with a big money channel, whether it’s his own candidacy or that of a potential ally like Osborne.

It also threatens to unite some of the lesser-known grassroots candidates in more bitter opposition. Many of them already smarted at Booker’s increasingly icy relations with the headstrong Rone before the judge dumped her. Booker/Osborne/Labor against the old Democratic Party establishment in addition to the "Remember, Dana" movement might not bode well for the mayor in the lead-up to 2010.

Both Bell and Osborne agree the judge was too hard on Rone when she relieved the councilwoman of her seat, and Booker has made the same public statements.

"In my mind, Dana Rone should be finishing out her term," Osborne says. "She made a mistake, but her penalty was kind of harsh."

"I felt that it was a little severe, and I was hoping in her appeals process that she would have prevailed," says Bell.

Of course, if the mayor picks no one in a let-the-people-decide show of magnanimity, his critics will say Booker’s running away from a fight - and that too has its disadvantages.

Whatever Booker does and with Obama love the Election Day wildcard, Bell and Osborne are already in the thick of it with less than three weeks to go - and they’re not the only ones.

MAX PIZARRO is a PolitickerNJ.com Reporter and can be
reached via email at max@politicsnj.com (max@politicsnj.com).

http://www.politickernj.com/max/24544/bell-and-osborne-dominate-field-booker-weighs-battle (http://www.politickernj.com/max/24544/bell-and-osborne-dominate-field-booker-weighs-battle)

tommyguy

November 9th, 2008, 02:13 PM

Charles Bell wins Newark Central Ward seat

by Jeffery C. Mays (jmays@starledger.com) and Katie Wang (kwang@starledger.com)/The Star-Ledger Tuesday November 04, 2008, 10:40 PM

Voters in Newark's Central Ward selected Charles Bell, a former councilman, to represent them on the city council, dealing a blow to Mayor Cory Booker's political prowess in the city.

Bell, who lost the seat in 2006, beat out 15 other candidates including Booker's choice for the seat, Eddie Osborne, a union leader with Laborers Local 1153, in a tight race marked by high voter turnout for a historic presidential campaign. Bell received 5,000 votes to Osborne's 4,221.

"I ran a first class, upbeat campaign on the issues that face the city of Newark," Bell said. "I'm looking forward to working with the city administration and my council colleagues toward improving Newark.
Although 16 people were in the contest, the race was framed by Booker as a contest between Osborne and Bell, who enjoyed the backing of North Ward powerbroker Steve Adubato. Booker and Adubato have become political rivals who have tested each other's political machines in the last year.

The Central Ward has not had a council representative since August when a Superior Court judge ordered Dana Rone to step down after she was convicted of a disorderly person's offense. There are 18 months remaining on her four-year term.

Rone's mother, who was one of the candidates, finished third. Juanita Winslow finished fourth and Nakia White, who was endorsed by Council President Mildred Crump, finished fifth.

Despite the large number of people in the race, the campaign was a battle between Osborne and Bell, the two candidates with the biggest financial backing. Osborne, who raised $115,000, drew support from national unions, including a Washington-based organization called, "They Work for Us," which counts the heads of some of the country's largest union leaders on its board of directors.

The group mailed glossy fliers to Central Ward residents and put up posters saying Bell was responsible for "corruption and waste." Osborne painted Bell as too connected to corruption scandals in Newark's recent past.

Bell, who raised a little more than $33,000 but loaned his campaign more than $11,000, had the backing of groups like the Superior Officers Association and the Newark Teachers Union, both groups that have clashed with Booker. Jailed former Mayor Sharpe James also donated to Bell's campaign. Bell said that Osborne, like Booker, was just another outsider trying to put city residents "back on the plantation."

"In my 40 years of politics this was the dirtiest campaign that I've been involved with," said Bell. "When you have broad-based community support the money doesn't matter."

Booker, who has suffered a series of embarrassing defeats in his efforts to elect district leaders, took a risk by endorsing Osborne. The mayor is the honorary co-chair of Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama's New Jersey campaign. His former chief of staff Pablo Fonseca served as Obama's state political director.

After pressure to endorse a woman for the seat, Booker said Osborne was the best candidate because of his experience in helping people find jobs. Osborne was also one of the first people to step out and back the mayor when he first ran for Central Ward councilman in 1998. The mayor endorsed Osborne in the last two weeks of the campaign, donated $8,000 and had some of his political supporters donate money.

http://www.nj.com/newark/index.ssf/2008/11/charles_bell_wins_newark_centr.html (http://www.nj.com/newark/index.ssf/2008/11/charles_bell_wins_newark_centr.html)

block944

November 10th, 2008, 07:04 PM

If there is any doubt left is star bucks on broad is closing...

Starbucks 4Q profit drops 97 pct on closure costs

Starbucks 4th-quarter profit falls 97 percent on costs for closing stores, slow US sales NEW YORK (AP) -- Fewer U.S. customers and venti-sized costs for closing poorly performing stores led to lower sales and profit in the fourth quarter at Starbucks Corp., the company said Monday.Seattle-based Starbucks said profit fell 97 percent to $5.4 million, or a penny a share, from $158.5 million, or 21 cents per share, a year earlier. The coffee retailer earned 10 cents per share when the costs from closing about 600 stores in the U.S. and 61 locations in Australia are excluded.
http://us.bc.yahoo.com/b?P=uHDizkSOxCZ46NL1SRemPwEbQ1KkUUkYvawADzHr&T=1erp0m1mg%2fX%3d1226358189%2fE%3d8988914%2fR%3df in%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d2.1%2fW%3dH%2fY%3dYAHOO%2fF%3d326 6652178%2fH%3dY29udGVudD0iZWFybmluZ3M7cmV0YWlsIiBj b2JyYW5kPSI8YSBocmVmPWh0dHA6Ly91cy5yZC55YWhvby5jb2 0vZmluYW5jZS9uZXdzL2FwZi9TSUc9MTBrZm1vZm9sLypodHRw Oi8vd3d3LmFwLm9yZy8.PGltZyBib3JkZXI9MCBzcmM9aHR0cD ovL3VzLmkxLnlpbWcuY29tL3VzLnlpbWcuY29tL2kvdXMvZmkv Z3IvcGFydG5lcl9sb2dvcy9hcDJfMTcweDMzLmdpZiBhbHQ9QV A.PC9hPiIgY2FjaGVoaW50PSI4OTg4OTE0IiBjYWNoZWhpbnQ9 Ijg5ODg5MTQi%2fQ%3d-1%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3dB8C28E44&U=13f4id3c2%2fN%3dM9aPGtG_Rvc-%2fC%3d626899.12894134.13150363.1383221%2fD%3dLREC %2fB%3d5133107%2fV%3d1Analysts expected profit of 13 cents per share, according to a poll by Thomson Reuters.
Starbucks began shutting the U.S. and Australian stores this summer as part of a campaign to reverse slowing sales and falling profits at the company. That turnaround began at the start of the year when former Chief Executive Howard Schultz took back the reins of the company to again fill the CEO and chairman posts.
Besides closing the stores, Starbucks has cut more than 1,000 positions -- many of which were unfilled -- and introduced a slew of new products, including Vivanno smoothie drinks and breakfast pastries.
The company also replaced aging espresso makers and launched new single-cup Clover brewing machines in some markets.
But all the changes did little to boost sales in the fourth quarter, particularly in the U.S, where the turmoil in the economy during the summer months took a gulp out of consumer spending.
Revenue rose 3 percent to $2.52 billion from $2.44 billion. Analysts expected sales of $2.58 billion. Same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, dropped 8 percent in the U.S. as fewer customers came into the stores. Those that did also spent less, the company said. Same-store sales were flat overseas.
Despite the sales slowdown, Schultz said the company was doing what it needed to get back on track.
"We appear to be more resilient than many other premium brands," Schultz said in a statement. "And while we cannot call isolated signs of improving sales a trend, we are encouraged by our ability to drive increased traffic at a relatively low cost, as we did on Election Day" when the company offered customers a free "tall" drip coffee.
For the 2008 fiscal year, Starbucks earned $315.5 million, or 43 cents per share, down from $672.6 million, or 87 cents per share, in 2007. Revenue rose to $10.38 billion from $9.41 billion.
Starbucks said it expects 2009 profit excluding one-time costs between 71 cents and 90 cents per share depending on how steeply same-store sales decline during the year. Analysts predict profit of 87 cents per share for the year.
The company also said it will open about 700 net new stores overseas during the fiscal 2009 year. In the U.S., the company said it will close about 225 stores and open 205 new ones.
Shares fell 13 cents to $10.07 in electronic after-hours trading after dipping 35 cents, or 3.3 percent, to close at $10.20.

JCMAN320

November 10th, 2008, 08:54 PM

Company moves to save bankrupt Newark Bears

by Jeffery C. Mays/The Star-Ledger
Monday November 10, 2008, 5:57 PM

There could be minor league baseball in Newark next year, pending the decision of a bankruptcy court judge.

A company called Bases Loaded Group has signed a letter of intent to purchase the bankrupt Newark Bears and also has provided the Atlantic League with a $1 million letter of credit in the hopes of being included on next year's schedule. A bankruptcy hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Former New York Yankees outfielder and all-star Tim Raines may manage the Bears next year, officials said. Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium also may be used for more than just baseball.

http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/11/large_TIMRAINES.JPG
Noah Addis/The Star-Ledger
Former Yankee Tim Raines hits during a batting practice while preparing for the Olympics in 2000. Raines is under consideration as a possible manager for the Newark Bears.

"We want to keep the Newark Bears operating for the 2009 season," said James Wankmiller, president and CEO of the Bases Loaded Group. "We are also looking at opportunities to use the venue for other community related opportunities and be in operation more than on days where there's baseball. Maybe music or even a restaurant."

According to court filings, Bases Loaded Group will pay $100,000 to NB Baseball's bankruptcy estate and also will make sure the Essex County Improvement Authority receives the $805,761 in back rent it is due.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo said there were two other buyers interested in the team, but the Bases Loaded Group was the only entity willing to commit to the Bears playing the 2009 season.

"My interest is making sure we keep baseball next year, but it can't just be about baseball. You have to run activities year round," DiVincenzo said.

The Bears, owned by real estate investor Marc Berson, filed for bankruptcy two weeks ago. They owe their creditors, including The Star-Ledger, more than $4.6 million.

BrooklynRider

November 17th, 2008, 01:11 AM

The Newark News and Politics thread has been merged back into the Newark thread. Newark is a city that we are all interested in seeing grow and improve. Presently, its real estate and development is wholly intertwined with the news as well as the political actions in the city. Separating the categories does not allow anyone to get a full picture of Newark or the issus impacting its growth.

Facts are facts. Opinions can be argued.

The thread will be a richer environment for posting with this realignment of Newark info.

tommyguy

November 17th, 2008, 10:01 AM

I pretty much agree with the above. I too don't wanna see people posting crime stories just to be downgrading Newark. If someone's car is broken into while they shop, to me that could happen anywhere. If there's a series of drive-by shootings (especially in mid-afternoon) to me that affects everyone in Newark -- whether it's in the 'hood' or anywhere else in Newark -- and is a legitimate story to post here. I also think if college kids in downtown are getting mugged (or at the rail stations) that too is a legitimate story. It's this reality behind the perceptions that has been killing Newark for years. It's not just about white people being afraid of black people. (But hopefully we're finally embarking on a new era.)

I've never lived in Newark but I've been a frequent visitor for almost forty years. From just after the '67 riots to now. I have several good friends who've worked there since the 1970s. A friend who grew up there and still lives there. He's African-American. Does that make a difference? You wanna say no, but realistically it does, I guess.

I'm interested in urban history and for me Newark has always been a fascinating place. The changes taking place are long overdue and startling in how fast they're coming. But it is what it is.

stache

November 17th, 2008, 10:19 AM

A friend who grew up there and still lives there. He's African-American. Does that make a difference? You wanna say no, but realistically it does, I guess.

It's more about blending in with the crowd. If you look wealthier than others, you become the target for crime.

Marv95

November 17th, 2008, 12:14 PM

I pretty much agree with the above. I too don't wanna see people posting crime stories just to be downgrading Newark. If someone's car is broken into while they shop, to me that could happen anywhere. If there's a series of drive-by shootings (especially in mid-afternoon) to me that affects everyone in Newark -- whether it's in the 'hood' or anywhere else in Newark -- and is a legitimate story to post here. I also think if college kids in downtown are getting mugged (or at the rail stations) that too is a legitimate story. It's this reality behind the perceptions that has been killing Newark for years. It's not just about white people being afraid of black people. (But hopefully we're finally embarking on a new era.)

Again, in the past year there have been reports all over the news about Columbia University(Ivy League, not a minor college) students getting mugged in what is supposed to be one of the safest precincts in Manhattan, yet I don't hear ANYONE on this site talking about it. When the Wolfpac controlled Jersey City streets, not one peep. Even on the Philly forums, I hear no one posting about students getting ramdomly attacked near Temple, Penn(again Ivy League), etc., even during the subway attacks this year no-one made a big deal about it. So why is it okay for stories like that to be posted here? It's redundant.

And I disagree about Drive-bys affectiong everyone: no one in the Ironbound gives a damn about what happens west of downtown, no one in the North Ward(esp. from Bloomfield Ave northward) cares about what happens in the South(and vice versa). In fact, people from the North Ward and the Ironbound mock those from the other 3 wards; treating them like they're scum. And some of their cases are justified.

stache

November 17th, 2008, 12:51 PM

When did Harlem start being considered safe?

Marv95

November 17th, 2008, 01:58 PM

I meant Morningside Heights.

newarkdevil1

November 17th, 2008, 02:10 PM

Nicks is finally open!!!
Drop in on halsey and central to check it out...

I have pictures from opening night, but I have to put them on my computer

tommyguy

November 17th, 2008, 02:59 PM

stache, when I wrote, "A friend who grew up there and still lives there. He's African-American. Does that make a difference? You wanna say no, but realistically it does, I guess." I meant...

Does it make a difference whether people are black or Latino or white in terms of who they are and how they view things? It shouldn't but so long as people's experience and perception of Newark is different depending on their race or ethnicity it does make a difference. My buddy grew up in...I think it was called Columbia Homes, the projects north of 278 and west of Broad St. (They were torn down about ten years ago.) He's somewhat pessimistic about Newark though he still lives there.

I didn't mean because he's black he is less likely to be a crime victim in the way some white people will say that. (I'm white.) As in, They don't rob their own. Hey those days ended a long time ago. I think we all know that. Actually he's probably more likely to be a victim. (Come to think of it, I'm sure his car's been broken into.)

But I know what you're saying. I think. If you don't want to be a victim don't act like one?

As for Marv's comments -it's Monday and I don't have the energy to get into it. Except to say, crime is way way down in Morningside Hgts (compared to the 1980s) and there has been a viable multi-racial community there for thirty years at least.

stache

November 17th, 2008, 03:03 PM

What I'm saying is true in every part of the world. If you feature a lot of bling people are going to want to take it, regardless of your race.

ASchwarz

November 17th, 2008, 07:11 PM

Here we go again, the thread will again be spammed to death...

So far, only one post specifically on Newark and development, and seven posts on race, crime, bling, and Columbia University.

Funny how the mods allow this thread to be spammed with irrelevent posts. If I started posting a million off-topic posts on a development thread for Manhattan, I'm sure it would immediately be halted, and for good reason.

tommyguy

November 17th, 2008, 09:27 PM

Here we go again, the thread will again be spammed to death...

Yeah here we go again alright. I'd love to hear your definition of the word "spam." I suspect you're speaking in code. Spamming on this forum carries a penalty of automatic banning, does it not? Is that why twice now you've termed messages you don't like "spam"?

Actually I sympathize with you up to a point. But I don't understand the sentiment that because you don't happen to like or be interested in something you don't want anyone else to read it. Can't you just scroll past messages you don't want to read? I really don't see the problem with that.

stache

November 17th, 2008, 10:21 PM

Schwarz does not grasp the meaning of spam. He thinks it means off topic, I guess. :confused:

66nexus

November 17th, 2008, 10:21 PM

stache

November 17th, 2008, 10:23 PM

We had that for a while.

66nexus

November 17th, 2008, 10:28 PM

My stance is: I don't know how much more in depth one can go in regards to Newark crime.

stache

November 18th, 2008, 01:55 AM

If it stopped happening there would be nothing to discuss.

66nexus

November 18th, 2008, 02:15 AM

One-sided and untrue. If there was no Newark crime there would be nothing to discuss and you'd have nothing to say? (no place is ever really 'free' of crime to begin with) I really hope that's not what you meant.

Again, if there was a Newark crime sub thread, the folks that absolutely needed to talk about it could do it forever and ever.

Not the usual stuff like:

-hey there's a new deli opening up

;it'll fail because they don't have crime under control

I'm not saying people shouldn't talk about it (that would be insane) it just gets old when the thread gets flooded with it. I think that's what ASW was talking about in regard to 'spam'

stache

November 18th, 2008, 02:56 AM

scrollhectic

November 18th, 2008, 11:34 AM

Forest Whitaker among producers of new doc series

By Kimberly Nordyke
Nov 18, 2008, 12:00 AM ET
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/photos/stylus/45973-whitaker_forest_b341x182.jpg

Sundance Channel is taking an in-depth look at the challenges facing Newark, N.J., in a new documentary series executive produced by Forest Whitaker and filmmakers Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin.

"Brick City" will center on Newark Mayor Cory Booker, local citizens and key figures from real estate developers to former gang members as they try to remake the city, working to stamp out violence, poverty and corruption and make improvements in housing, employment and education.

Levin ("Slam") and Benjamin ("The Last Party") also direct the series, which will debut with six half-hour episodes in third-quarter 2009. The series will take place over the span of about a year so viewers can see whether things in Newark change.

"This docu series touches on everything that's important to Sundance: economics; politics; well-told, compelling stories about social justice; environmental issues; and questions about developers moving in," Sundance executive vp and GM Laura Michal¬chyshyn said. "We try to do longer and more in-depth stories than just what you read in newspaper headlines or one-minute news stories."

She said it hasn't been determined whether Whitaker, who she says is a "huge supporter of this project and of Newark," might provide voice-over.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i87155f066147ca3950ebcf7945985074

newarkdevil1

November 18th, 2008, 05:55 PM

I actually have a more general questions. I do not have this forum linked. Every time I go to it I usually have to search Newark then find the link that leads me to this string. I have noticed 2 or three other strands on Newark. Should these be all together, does this forum support enough comments to break them apart?

newarkdevil1

November 18th, 2008, 06:05 PM

66nexus

November 18th, 2008, 06:52 PM

It's the largest city in N.J., and if the opening of a deli is considered a news item, that would indicate a serious development problem to me. BTW there's a new housewares store open on Broad St., at the old Duane Reade location.

Yes, if people are going to scream and shout about a Starbucks closing, then a 'deli' opening up (rather than closing) would be just as worthy. (yes I was the one who posted about the new Panera bread at Newark Penn)

But...

of course you could always talk about someone getting mugged on Avon. ave in lengthy detail...

hence the need for a Newark crime thread. Some folks, such as yourself, apparently wouldn't like to talk development, the way I don't care to talk much of Newark crime.

Whether or not you approve of a new 'deli' or a housewares store is of no concern to me. Rather, that I could mention those things, but someone has to remind me of the crime as if it'll suddenly be forgotten.

It's a free country, and the thread is on pretty much all things Newark so I have really have no backing...but it's getting old it is.

66nexus

November 18th, 2008, 06:56 PM

Shifman Opens Renovated and Expanded Factory in Newark
http://www.njbiz.com/article.asp?aid=76647

I actually live near this building and the old facility was a pretty massive brick struckture and it looks like they added a shed onto the side of the building. It kind of stinks because I loved the look of the old structure.

Entirely relevant. Better them expand than to cut jobs, especially in today's economy where even the largest of manufacturers are cutting back.

stache

November 18th, 2008, 08:01 PM

Some folks, such as yourself, apparently wouldn't like to talk development, the way I don't care to talk much of Newark crime.

I'm fine with talking about Newark development when it happens, which is why I mentioned the new housewares store. :rolleyes:

66nexus

November 18th, 2008, 08:13 PM

Well...if I ever need to know when the last candy store was held up for its gum...I'll know where to look;)

stache

November 19th, 2008, 01:02 AM

:p And if I need to know if they restocked the Snickers bars... ;)

JCMAN320

November 19th, 2008, 10:24 PM

Newark mattress maker offers Obama an American dream

by Jeffery C. Mays/The Star-Ledger
Wednesday November 19, 2008, 5:35 AM

President-elect Barack Obama hasn't named a secretary of state yet and the Obama family hasn't decided which breed of dog will get to romp on the White House lawn. But at the Shifman Mattress Co. in Newark's Ironbound section, there's hope that the new president will follow in the footsteps of his predecessors and choose one of their hand-tufted luxury mattresses to lay his head on.

Both the Kennedy and Clinton administrations purchased Shifman mattresses for the White House, so this isn't just wishful thinking, said company president Bill Hammer. The purchases may date back even further, to the Teddy Roosevelt administration.

"We never send a product out that's not 100 percent right, so he'd be sleeping on the best," said production manager Nick James. "To run a country like this, you need a good night's rest."

Yesterday, the 115-year old company unveiled a 24,000-square-foot, multimillion-dollar expansion at its Mott Street factory that will allow it to produce mattresses for U.S. presidents -- or consumers with presidential budgets -- well into the future.

The hand-tufted mattresses, which can cost $3,500 to $21,000, are stuffed with multiple layers of cotton and can take up to 8½ hours each to build. The company also produces furniture-quality box springs complete with titanium rods and 8-way hand-tied steel coils. Shifman additionally produces lower-cost mattresses, starting at $699, that still get more attention than similar products from their competitors, Hammer said.

"It's fantastic that someone of the president's stature would consider selecting us. It would make us very proud and happy if President-elect Obama went with our bedding," he said.

Company CEO Michael Hammer said as one of the few remaining symbols of Newark's past as a leader in the textile and furniture industry, the business remaining in Newark was almost as important as continuing to produce the handmade mattresses. Hammer -- who had worked at Simmons and Sterns and Foster -- applied for a job at Shifman 24 years ago. Six months later, he purchased the business.

"Our employees are the main reason we stayed put in Newark," Michael Hammer said. He said the firm's seven-year process of "combining a 19th century company with a 21st century production process," all while not shutting down the manufacturing process, was incredibly challenging but worth it in the end.

Inside, the new additions and renovations try to keep the style and mood of the brick buildings dating to 1897 and 1918. From a window on the fourth floor, the Passaic River, where cotton used to be shipped to the plant, is visible. An old Singer sewing machine sits next to a modern, computerized one.

The changes improved the circulation of the supplies within the building -- creating separate delivery and shipping areas -- increased the size of the warehouse that holds up to 2,000 mattresses and added extras for the employees such as a cafeteria and locker rooms.

Mayor Cory Booker described the company's commitment to providing jobs in Newark as almost patriotic.

"They are opening for other families a wide pathway for them to get a small piece of the American dream," said Booker, who co-chaired Obama's New Jersey campaign and volunteered to serve as an unpaid spokesman.

"I will be speaking to the president-elect's transition team today and I will be sure to recommend a Shifman mattress," he said with a laugh.

Bloomingdale's is the largest retailer of Shifman mattresses. The retailer's website lists plush, pillow-top and superfirm mattresses ranging in price from $3,500 to $8,800. On the higher end, the Marseilles, Belize and St. Germain Pillowtop Plush run from $7,000 to $21,000.

Michael Hammer said the high-end, handmade mattresses are worth the cost because of the effort that goes into building them. In various areas of the factory, employees do the type of handiwork that just isn't that common anymore, said Bill Hammer, his son.

On the lower level, raw bales of cotton are cleaned and processed into the layers of cotton that are used in the mattresses and box springs. The luxury mattresses can get up to eight layers of 1½-inch-thick cotton. On the same level, another worker hand-bolted box springs into place and then used Italian twine to hand tie the springs to keep them from moving from side to side.

Upstairs, a worker used a giant needle to hand tuft a mattress. The process takes 90 minutes for a queen-sized mattress and two hours for a king. Nearby, women sewed the handles onto the mattress cover.

"We take pride in what we do," said Dennis Rajab, a 10-year employee who was closing a mattress cover.

So what type of mattress would Bill Hammer recommend for the president-elect? It depends, he said.

In a "60 Minutes" interview Sunday, Michelle Obama said that her husband sometimes like to sleep in. Obama said one of the great things about not being on the road anymore is that he can wake up and have his young daughters come in and bounce around on the bed.

"I would tell him to buy the one that feels the best for him," Bill Hammer said before plugging his own product. "But if you are the type of person that likes to sleep, you will love sleeping on a Shifman."

block944

November 22nd, 2008, 03:07 AM

And I disagree about Drive-bys affectiong everyone: no one in the Ironbound gives a damn about what happens west of downtown, no one in the North Ward(esp. from Bloomfield Ave northward) cares about what happens in the South(and vice versa). In fact, people from the North Ward and the Ironbound mock those from the other 3 wards; treating them like they're scum. And some of their cases are justified.

Woman is abducted and forced to withdraw cash in Newark

by George Berkin (gberkin@starledger.com)/The Star-Ledger Thursday November 20, 2008, 11:55 PM

A thief remained at large late tonight after he briefly kidnapped a woman at knifepoint in Newark, commandeered her car and forced her to withdraw money from an automatic teller machine, police said.
The victim was not injured.
The incident began about 8:30 p.m., as the woman left a Pathmark on Ferry Street in the city's Ironbound section, said Detective Todd McClendon, a police spokesman.
As the woman walked toward her car, the man approached her with a knife and ordered her into the vehicle, the detective said. He then drove her to Chestnut Street, where he forced her to withdraw $200 from a cash machine.
The suspect then drove to Broad Street, where he left her vehicle and ran away in an unknown direction.

scrollhectic

November 22nd, 2008, 07:22 PM

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: November 22, 2008

Tim Raines (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/tim_raines/index.html?inline=nyt-per) signed a two-year contract to manage the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League. Raines joins the Bears from the Class AA Harrisburg Senators, where he was a hitting coach last season. He was a coach for the Chicago White Sox (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/sports/baseball/majorleague/chicagowhitesox/index.html?inline=nyt-org) from 2004 to 2006, serving as first-base coach during the team’s 2005 World Series championship season. A seven-time all-star, Raines was one of baseball’s top leadoff hitters and base stealers from 1979 to 2002. ¶The White Sox have reached a tentative agreement with the Cuban star Dayan Viciedo, a 19-year-old infielder/outfielder. Viciedo had 36 home runs and 162 runs batted in with a .287 average in four years in Cuba’s top league. viciedo

Hamilton

November 22nd, 2008, 09:26 PM

It just gets tiring. Newark has had a high crime problem for decades, nj.com posts an article every other day on the matter. I wish we really could devote a thread on that matter (for those specifically concerned)

Sure, call me selfish, but it gets tiring is all

I agree. stache, you're right that development and crime & politics are intertwined in Newark, but they are in New York, too--yet this forum would be unreadable if we let every yahoo post a story about every mugging that happens in Midtown in the thread devoted to, say, 11 Times Square.

We need separate threads for development and news/politics/crime

stache

November 22nd, 2008, 11:25 PM

We had that recently, then the two threads were merged back. New York & Co. on Broad St. is having a store closing sale.

Radiohead

November 23rd, 2008, 12:57 AM

This is from August, but I haven't seen it posted here.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2008/tc20080822_240216.htm

tommyguy

November 23rd, 2008, 12:41 PM

That's an interesting article. The cameras are working too. Besides the example cited in the story, the Newark police said a camera helped them identify the shooters in the recent drive bys in the South Ward.

Btw, one comment in the story clearly described why street crime (aka a quality-of-life issue) is a recurring subject in discussion about Newark and maybe not so much in NYC threads.

"With a nod to New York City's revival, Booker is betting that crime reduction will trigger the economic rebirth of Newark..."

In other words, it's a done deal in NYC, still a work in progress in Newark.

My question is this. It's obvious from the way the critics exaggerate the frequency of crime reports in this thread that what they're really saying is they don't want to see (not just read) anything about crime posted in this thread.

But why would that be? Why would anyone expect to find no mention of crime in a thread about Newark New Jersey? Are they investors who are relentlessly trying to put the most positive spin possible on Newark? Conservatives determined to deny and ignore Newark's gritty reality?

I wonder if the people who react so negatively even know themselves where their anger is coming from?

stache

November 23rd, 2008, 07:12 PM

It looks like they are building a stadium in a brownfield just south of the Harrison PATH station. Any details on this?

block944

November 23rd, 2008, 07:41 PM

The crime is moving downtown:
One person is killed, two others hurt at Newark club

by Alexi Friedman and Ralph R. Ortega/The Star-Ledger Sunday November 23, 2008, 10:30 AM

Two people were shot, one fatally, and another person was stabbed, during an after-hours party in Newark early this morning, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
The violence took place around 4 a.m. at a club on Halsey Street, said Paul Loriquet, an Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokesman. The location, between William and Pearl streets, is about a block from the Prudential Center.
The name of the fatal gunshot victim was not released, and there was no information on the condition of the two people two injured, Loriquet said.
Relatives of the club owner, who were on the scene this morning, disputed that the violence happened there, saying it took place down the street. The club, Afrique House, was holding a private party, said Miriamu Fofana, who is the sister of the club owner, Sekou Fofanu. He was taken to police headquarters, where he was questioned, along with clubgoers, Miriamu Fofanu said.

block944

November 23rd, 2008, 07:41 PM

The kids ain't safe either:

Catching the bus may be a lifesaver for Newark students

by Kasi Addison (kaddison@starledger.com)/The Star-Ledger Sunday November 23, 2008, 9:23 AM

http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/11/large_3_exshot1118.JPGJoe Epstein/The Star-LedgerLarz Fernandez, left, shares a laugh with Alysia Watlkins as they ride the bus after school.
It was one of the coldest days of the year as 28 Central High students climbed onto a yellow school bus for a ride that would take them closer to home. Some said it was too cold to walk, others didn't want to pay to ride the NJ Transit bus. Few said they did it for safety reasons, but that's exactly why Shanice Butler rode the bus.
"You worry about what might happen on the way home," she said.
The issue of how to make Newark students feel safe going to and from school was thrust back into the spotlight a few weeks ago after a wave of after-school shootings.
In response to students' and parents' concerns, Newark Public Schools created a high school shuttle bus program to transport teens from their schools to a central drop-off point near their neighborhoods or the closest bus stop. Shabazz, Science and Central teens were identified for the pilot program that so far costs the district $500 a day.
The schools were selected after principals pointed out "hot-spot" areas, or places where numerous incidents occurred near the schools, said Newark School Security Director Willie Freeman.
The Oct. 24 shooting spree that left two people dead and several injured, including a Central High junior, prompted school officials to call an emergency meeting where high school principals and administrative staff discussed the issues facing their kids, he said.
While the perception is that the schools are unsafe, the truth is most incidents happen outside the building, Freeman said. In addition to security guards, Newark Schools employs special police officers that patrol the immediate area around the schools.
"In that case, you could spit from our school to the shooting," he said of the Oct. 24 incident. "But it happened outside, after hours. These things are occurring, but not at our schools, and they're not our students. We need help and support from the police."
The issue, Freeman said, is providing safe passage for kids as they travel to and from home. In the aftermath of the shootings, Newark school officials reached out to a variety of Newark law enforcement agencies and asked them to step up patrols of major thoroughfares, including Springfield Avenue, West Market Street and Irvine Turner Boulevard.
Those streets are used by large groups of kids, and that's where trouble happens, he said. Before the district created the shuttle program, most Central High students had the option of walking two-plus miles home after school or paying for a ride on the NJ Transit bus.
The school relocated from its previous home on Summit Avenue to a new building along 18th Avenue, and most kids walk along Irvine Turner Boulevard to get home or catch the bus.
Principal Ras Baraka listed about six accounts of students who have been beaten or robbed since the beginning of the school year. He said the attacks included two teens who were pulled off a bus and beaten.
The issue isn't about police protection in front of the school, because district security and Central staff have that covered, Baraka said.
"Stuff happens once they are out of our sight," he said. "We have to be 150 to 200 yards from the door to make sure they get home."
Freeman said he hopes the coalition of law enforcement agencies will help solve those problems. Last week, Newark police were seen driving along the corridor and posted at various intersections, including next to a bus stop frequented by Central High students.
Essex County Sheriff's Department, NJ Transit Police and police officials from local colleges and universities also are patrolling as part of the effort.
The combination of increased police presence and the shuttle service hopefully will help keep students safe, said Shanice's mother Darra Butler.
"Picking the kids up from the new school and taking them to the old is a great idea," she said. "They won't be waiting at the bus stop and they won't be getting into trouble."