Monroe wrote:
Every downtown zoning variance for more units should have at least four extra floors added for Section 8 housing. Moving people out from Greenville to downtown can only help those living in distressed neighborhoods. Isn't Fulop progressive enough to support that? It's what de Blasio wants to do in Manhattan, so it should be good enough for JC.

bodhipooh wrote:
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Monroe wrote:
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Atsushi wrote:
I personally think that a life sentence without the possibility of parole is a much more severe punishment (and I know it's cheaper than execution).

He could live 60 or more years, given his age. It's what, 50K/year to incarcerate someone. It's cheaper to keep him in a cell, feed him, give him medical attention, etc over that time than killing him??

Yeah. Not sure how Atsushi reached the conclusion that it would be cheaper to house an inmate than executing him. This is a very young criminal. He will likely live another 50+ years. The state of SC is looking at a huge expenditure to house him. If the feds get him, it will be much higher.

Yvonne wrote:
I was on Newark Avenue near the Courthouse around 3:30 PM on Thursday. I couldn't figure out why the traffic was so congested, even a Hudson County Sheriff was outside trying to direct traffic. When they show the people downtown on the mall they should also show the congestion is causes at the other end.

MDM wrote:
One odd thing was this guy had multiple blacks on his friends list on Facebook.

You can't see it now.. Facebook pulled his account and deleted any post referencing it.

user1111 wrote:
By JASON HOROWITZ, NICK CORASANITI and RICHARD P?REZ-PE?A JUNE 18, 2015

The man suspected of killing nine people at a prayer meeting at a historic black church in this city?s downtown area was caught on Thursday some 200 miles away in North Carolina, local and federal officials said.

After an intensive, 14-hour manhunt for the man who carried out a massacre that officials are calling racially motivated, Dylann Storm Roof, 21, ?was arrested in Shelby, N.C., during a traffic stop? shortly after 11 a.m., said Greg Mullen, the Charleston police chief.

Story

HeightsBrat wrote:
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Christine wrote:
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jcguy05 wrote:
Mayor made a terrible purchase if he actually paid 700k+, for that amount of money you can buy a house in rutherford, glen rock or even ridgewood where the area and schools are infinitely better.

Keep in mind most people buy single family have kids who need good schools.

I actually commend him for not leaving the city in which he is mayor. Why a terrible purchase? The area is undergoing major changes right now.
His NYC view is gorgeous. I think that people should purchase according to their own priorities. Some prefer neighborhoods, some prefer hubs - he has the best of both - nearby shops, farmer's market, shoprite at base of elevator, coffee shops, new bars opening, lite rail elevator, access to Hoboken and Lincoln tunnel, 2 parks.

I am just glad he stayed in Jersey City. I think that local politicians should stay local.

By law, the mayor & councilpeople must reside in Jersey City. Unlike some others, he actually lives here & not using some shell address. (I hope that is the right term)

user1111 wrote:
Now that's a dream commute, If more people worked in Jersey City the heights is the way to go. Congrats, nice to hear Bergen Lafayette priced the mayor OUT!

Erobinsonh wrote:
I'm all for thriving local businesses - but if you add thousands of people to the tiny Village neighborhood (Ben Torrei said at a VNA meeting this winter that more than 1000 potential apartments are in some stage of development in the Village right now), then you better hope that the taxes generated are enough for the city to deal with the added infrastructure needs of these people - water, sewage, schools, parking etc.

With increased business for these local shops may inevitably come higher rents and expenses. As the streets get clogged with traffic, deliveries and supplies take longer.

I used to live in on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village - when I moved there about a decade ago, it was filled with funky stand-alone shops: antique shops, boutiques, a grocery store, the infamous Condomania - now they are all gone and that stretch of Bleecker is all Marc Jacobs and Coach and Mulberry - you can no longer buy a carton of milk, but you have an extraordinary amount of choice if you are looking to spend at least $6000 on a handbag.

At the moment The Village is a sleepy little neighborhood, relatively quiet at night and on the weekends. And a lot of people want to keep it as an oasis in this city, a place where people feel like they are part of a small community. At the "Vision" meeting for the Village last month, the suggestion about opening another PATH station on the south side of the Village drew some strong objections from residents who like it quiet and don't want floods of people going in and out of a PATH station.

As I said in my original post - lets decide on density and height by community consensus and a change to zoning codes if need be, not by having developer after developer push the variance envelope.

By the way - Dog and Cat mentioned the banners around the lot on Newark and Brunswick, which made it look like every business in the neighborhood was embracing the project - those were taken down this morning. Apparently the logos were used without permission (though some people I talked to didn't mind the free advertising, others were mad).

Lima17 wrote:
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ricky241 wrote:
Not sure which group is behind this or if its a bunch of irresponsible kids...but this is not a good way to deal with something one may not like.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... he_wall.html#incart_river

Already discussed in the 'Anti-gentrification activist' thread

VillageIdiot wrote:
My understanding is that variances are granted when there are real physical problems with the development, so I think a variance for providing 50 parking spaces on that triangular piece of land is probably legitimate. Though I have to wonder where everyone is going to park, and there will be dozens of people moving into this building who will have cars.

But you can't ask for a variance just because you want to make more money.

And I don't think that the city should be in the business of giving out extra floors just for because the building looks nice. It might have looked even nicer at 12 stories!

CatDog wrote:
I'm not wild about the design, it seems out of place. At first I was opposed to this whole project for being too large, but after walking around Manhattan a bit and looking at buildings, I'm not really opposed to some larger buildings in the area, so long as they aren't excessive. A 7 or 8 story building melds reasonably well with brownstones there, so why not here?

My main problem is that I've heard the developer has complained that the reason he needs the variance on this project (and every other project he's working on) is because otherwise he can't make money on the project. Which is stupid reasoning. If you can't make money on a project unless you get a variance that exceeds the current zoning restrictions, then maybe you shouldn't have bought the property? Or should re-work your plans to play by the rules? Or maybe push to get the area re-zoned instead of going through constant variance fights? I don't see how his inability to make money within the current zoning regulations is anybody's problem except his own.

The lot also just got a large banner on the fence featuring a bunch of local businesses, which makes it seem that they either support the project, or that his development company had something to do with them, which is odd. If I were one of those business owners I'd feel a bit annoyed at having someone trying to advertise their own business using my business's name without ever asking my permission.

user1111 wrote:
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Vigilante wrote:
http://gothamist.com/2015/06/14/nsfw_ ... 02c6a2b7c-662753#photo-13


When Jersey City starts doing crap like this then it'll be over.

So what did the winner get, A penis?

jerseymom wrote:
By The Jersey Journal
on June 14, 2015 at 8:10 PM, updated June 14, 2015 at 8:21 PM

Jersey City police are investigating a pair of shootings this evening in the area of Martin Luther King Drive.

The first one occurred on Orient Avenue off King Drive, with the victim being transported by car to the Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health.

The second was reported about a half hour later at King Drive and Union Street.

The conditions of the shooting victims could not be immediately determined.

Meanwhile, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office is continuing to probe the shooting death of a man, approximately 40 years old, early this morning on McAdoo Avenue near Rutgers Avenue

More

denised wrote:
I agree bike_lane! And we're now also dealing with that at Union republic. You can now only fit one person walking on that sidewalk. It's ridiculous! Talk about bad neighbors! I appreciate being able to eat outside but at the same time we all have to share these sidewalks and now if someone with a stroller / walker / wheelchair / etc, is trying to get through I'm afraid for them.

tamard wrote:
Does anyone know the latest scoop on the Pedestrian Plaza?

bodhipooh wrote:
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hero69 wrote:
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bodhipooh wrote:
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Sommerman wrote:
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moobycow wrote:
I'm happy to see some affordable housing included.

They also launched a website for the project.

http://www.hudsonexchangejc.com/

From the link:
Thanks to feedback and input from the community, our new plan will create a more accessible and unique environment.
...................
Did any one participate in these feedback sessions or did the local communty associations participate? I ask because the survey in the link seems so preliminary rather than an attempt to get clarification or refinemant on already collected feedback.

After taking the survey, I simply assumed they are trying to gauge people's preference for retail options. Personally, I think more restaurants, and some clothing options, would be nice. We don't really need big box retailers (we already have a Best Buy and Target less than a mile away from there, plus all the other retailers in the mall) so a few more upscale options would be welcome. Despite all the improvements in Newport Mall over the past few years, it is still mostly crappy stores. As for restaurants in that area, there aren't many worth their space. Chili's is decent is you happen to be in the mood for causal dining, but VB3 is a hit-or-miss shit show, and there is nothing else close by. Within a 5 - 10 minute walk, you have Fire & Oak (decent to below average) and some shuttered spots (Azucar, closed for almost a year, rumored to become another White Star, and Skylark Diner, formerly South City Grill, which has been closed for a while), along with Bertucci's (decent for what it is) and Batello (really great!) and Taphaus (decent food, great beers, and even better views).

wouldn'tit be great if developers of metro plaza developed their site to complement the mall so that these two properties could cross pollinate each other

I think it is safe to say that the targeted demographic of these new towers would be 100% against THAT idea. The people they hope they attract are not the same customer that would patronize the mall. If the developers of Metro Plaza really manage to lure some higher end retailers, that could accelerate the eventual demise of Newport Mall.

bodhipooh wrote:
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Sommerman wrote:
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moobycow wrote:
I'm happy to see some affordable housing included.

They also launched a website for the project.

http://www.hudsonexchangejc.com/

From the link:
Thanks to feedback and input from the community, our new plan will create a more accessible and unique environment.
...................
Did any one participate in these feedback sessions or did the local communty associations participate? I ask because the survey in the link seems so preliminary rather than an attempt to get clarification or refinemant on already collected feedback.

After taking the survey, I simply assumed they are trying to gauge people's preference for retail options. Personally, I think more restaurants, and some clothing options, would be nice. We don't really need big box retailers (we already have a Best Buy and Target less than a mile away from there, plus all the other retailers in the mall) so a few more upscale options would be welcome. Despite all the improvements in Newport Mall over the past few years, it is still mostly crappy stores. As for restaurants in that area, there aren't many worth their space. Chili's is decent is you happen to be in the mood for causal dining, but VB3 is a hit-or-miss shit show, and there is nothing else close by. Within a 5 - 10 minute walk, you have Fire & Oak (decent to below average) and some shuttered spots (Azucar, closed for almost a year, rumored to become another White Star, and Skylark Diner, formerly South City Grill, which has been closed for a while), along with Bertucci's (decent for what it is) and Batello (really great!) and Taphaus (decent food, great beers, and even better views).

Yvonne wrote:
Atlantic City is now saying in order to save gambling you must legalize prostitution. This is the reason I don't want to see gambling here. http://www.trentonian.com/opinion/201 ... ity-legalize-prostitution

jmiz wrote:
This just in! Police officer talks to civilian. More details at 6.

Wow, Earl at the JJ is scraping the bottom of the news barrel.

trambone wrote:
Double parking is an epidemic in this city. So is jaywalking. I don't know why the driver would not call the police as soon as they tried to open his car door once he drove off.

The police in this city support a climate of lawlessness.

Monroe wrote:
The middle school boy (reputed to be a gang member) was packing a Glock loaded with hollow points. Add to this, there was an assault of one girl by three others (two of whom are said to gang members) at the high school, and there was a 3AM home invasion this week too. Cops are patrolling the high school today (many parents are keeping kids home) because of a rumored shoot out. All isn't well in Maplewood/South Orange.

Yvonne wrote:
Here is another website on neighborhood crime:
http://www.spotcrime.com/

chvn wrote:
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Yvonne wrote:
But in the meantime more immigrants from Puerto Rico was arriving in Hoboken and I saw the housing market become tight.

OMG. The funniest thing I've read today. What a 'tard!

JCMan8 wrote:
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Dolomiti wrote:
The bottom line is that Stop & Frisk was a bad policy that was implemented in a discriminatory manner. It didn't seize a lot of guns, it didn't reduce crime. Putting the policy under court supervision hasn't resulted in an increase in shootings.

The core of your argument, and it is flat out incorrect.

After two decades of a decrease in shootings and other violent crime, the fact is there has been an increase in shootings since stop and frisk was ended.

"Shootings in New York City have been rising for two straight years, the first time that has happened since the end of the 1990s, when the city was still in the early years of a remarkable downturn in crime.

Homicides by gunfire, seen as a key measure of preventable violence, are up steeply this year. Of the 135 killings through May, 98 involved a gun, up from 69 such killings at this point in 2013 and in 2014.

Taken together, the trends raise concern heading into the summer months, when street violence is often most pronounced. So far this year, there have been 439 shootings, 20 percent higher than the same period in 2013, which was a historically low year."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/02/nyr ... -issue-for-de-blasio.html

Oh, and crime is rising even more in the poorest neighborhoods.

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150 ... -seen-most-nypd-precincts

While well-intentioned, your poetic waxing about "discriminatory practices" is only hurting those who you claim to care about. Residents of low income areas are experiencing a rise in violent crime, which directly coincides with the end of stop and frisk.

iGreg wrote:
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Monroe wrote:
I'm sure the haters here don't question the hundreds of millions of dollars that Hillary Clinton spent on first class plane expenses, high priced salaries, and other fripperies she received from foreign countries while Sec of State . . . which speaks to her judgment?

Oh Hillary, lets hope when she is the next Prez. she will designate a room for the Old Bill to get his BJ's in.

blanquiita wrote:
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Put the four floors of parking underground

Is that even an option considering how prone to flooding that area is?

user1111 wrote:
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Yvonne wrote:
"Her family is upset because they say Scott was not properly interviewed about the shooting."
This indicates to me she has nothing to hide, now some on JCList is blaming the victim.

I am blaming you and people like you for being ignorant, Here is an legit opportunity for you to blast the mayor and the police dept for allowing an open drug market but you sleep. Mark your calendars June 6, 2015, residents have banded and we shall see change.

iGreg wrote:
Some serious issues with that community.

Be nice if the police were allowed to clean it up and make a strong presence.

Why is the crime out of control there?

Is this a liberal issue ?

WTF

diamat wrote:
A 17 story building would really be out of place. There is nothing even close to that tall around it. It would be seen from all, and cast shadows on, the 3-5 story historic buildings and street surrounding it. In all directions.

For a sense of what the street scape could look like when a 17 story building is added next to lower historic buildings, I strolled down Wayne St to between Grove and Marin, next to 95 Columbus.

95 Columbus is particularly poorly integrated with surrounding area with only garages at street level on Wayne, but it gives a sense of what a 17 story building and 4 level garage can do to the street scape.

A 7 story building - that the current plan allows for - would also be taller than all surrounding buildings on Columbus, Wayne and Barrow, but not completely out of place. And should still provide the developer plenty of money. If the developer can't make money out of that lot with a 7 story building they are in the wrong business.

I know you have a vocal group of "followers" on this board, and I miss the food trucks, but thanks Aaron for highlighting this variance application.