Drove by it today and it is still there.

You got some bad information. I would never trust that website again. Don't go there.

Hey speaking of Journal Square congratulations it looks like the expansion of Restaurant Row into Little India will pass on April 11th, 2012. Both Healy and Lopez should be proud of passing something that no one in the neighborhood is clear on or wants passed. (except for that guy from $hort Hills who owns properties all over Journal Square including 3 properties on Little India..wink wink , nudge nudge)

Nice he doesn?t have to deal with the congestion, gridlock (most of the weekend) * or lack of parking because of the current ?thriving? state of Little India?s stores and shops. (Nidia that area needs revitalizing? Really?) No truth to the rumor the guy is going to name the restaurant at 827 Newark Avenue? Taj Mahealy is there? Or is it Inidia fine dinning ? (I think I would rather have the campaign contribution than the name...like in 2009)

I know Brenan is not voting because he owns a bar. I still don?t know why Lopez voted/is voting on the Restaurant Row expansion yet she couldn?t vote on the entertainment ordinance because someone in her family owns some type of establishment. Hmmm.

Hey just one more thing?Could someone tell me how that guy from Short Hills could build a 4 story 23 unit apartment house at 300 Magnolia Ave , Journal Square without having ONE parking spot? (yes that tiny little block) Another Healy admini$tration favor? Thank you planning board for this one. You just added possibly 23 cars to an already impossible street parking situation. You are all of bunch of geniuses I will give you that.


* I?ll make a bet with you Healy. A car race on a Saturday around 2:00 pm. You start out near Saint John?s Church on the Blvd. I will start out on Westside and Broadway. We race to each others starting points. The only rule is we have got to use Newark Ave. But since I know the area I will change the rules so you don?t have to deal with maneuvering around the cars waiting for spots in the middle of Newark Ave. (the 5 minute waits) I will let you go down St. Paul?s to Tonnele Ave. bypassing Newark Ave. if you would like.

But good luck with that I was stuck at the light by Saint Ann?s Church in a good 20 minutes of the gridlock on Tonnele because of the cars waiting to make the left onto Newark Ave. along with the cars coming up Broadway that were backed up because of cars waiting to make the right onto Newark Ave. I won't even mention the mess at White Castle. In need of a little attention and needs some revitalization indeed! Can?t wait until booze is added to the formula. Cheers!

April 10th?.err.. let me also put in the year ?2012. (so when I look at this thread next April 10th I won?t get confused)

Still waiting for the big news about the appointment or search for a new developer.

Just when I thought JScare couldn?t get any worse. In the past few weeks there has been a ?shank-ing? of a 45 year old man by a beggar, a cold blooded ?whack? of a 24 year old man, and now an attempted ?snatching? of a 28 year old woman. Its bad news for the young (and older) newcomers whose help we need to turn Jersey City around. Right Healy?

Maybe that prison idea for JScare might come in handy. Wait it is already like an open air prison with all of the violence going down. (hence the above prison slang)

Word!

Cops accuse three men of brazen attempt to kidnap 28-year-old woman from Jersey City street corner


Published: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 12:04 PM
Updated: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 12:07 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Three men are in custody today after a brazen attempt to kidnap a 28-year-old Jersey City woman on the corner of Kennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue early yesterday evening, according to police.

Lucky for police, the woman was able to snap a photo of the vehicle as it fled the scene, one that clearly showed the car?s license plate number and the face of one of the suspects looking back at her from the vehicle?s backseat, according to a police report.

Hamayun Muntaz, 22, of Jersey City, Omair Chaudhry, 23, of Bayonne, and Aamir Walayat, 22, were all arrested last night and have been all charged with attempting to lure an adult and conspiracy. The three men are due to appear in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City this afternoon.


Full JJ piece?

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... e_three_men_of_braze.html

I found an old link here on JClist that may help you.

Old link from 2009?.

http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=17720

Hey tommyc_37 how did it turn out?


*** ***

I never got a ticket...but here's some info?

If you go to court you will first meet with the prosecutor he/she will offer you the no points deal.

In one instance a friend got a ticket for reckless driving..long story..accident, etc. He got a lawyer because of the fear of law suits, etc. The lawyer talked to the prosecutor before court. When it was before the judge it was downgraded to obstructing the flow of traffic. That 5 minutes of work by the lawyer cost the guy with the ticket $1100 (lawyers bill) plus whatever fine there was. But it was well worth it.

Good luck!

(is it me or has crime gotten worse in JC since the 12 detectives were promoted, the JCPD web site updated, and the JCPD town hall meetings convened ?)

Woman robbed of paycheck among five robbery victims in Jersey City this weekend

Published: Monday, April 09, 2012, 10:07 AM
Updated: Monday, April 09, 2012, 10:25 AM

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

The weekend saw a series of robberies in Jersey City, with the victims including a 48-year-old woman robbed of her paycheck and a 50-year-old man punched unconscious by a guy he had been drinking with at a West Side Avenue bar.

All of the robbers are still at large.

The 48-year-old woman was walking on Liberty Avenue on the city?s western slope on Friday at about 11:30 p.m. when, she told police, she was grabbed from behind by a male wearing a dark-hooded shirt and hat.

The man grabbed her around the neck and punched her in the face several times before grabbing her purse and fleeing, the woman told police. Her purse contained a cell phone, an identification card, a payroll check and other items, according to a police report.

The incident was caught on a surveillance camera stationed on Liberty Avenue. The man is described as standing about five feet 10 inches tall, of medium build and wearing the hooded shirt, light pants and reflective sneakers.

The other 4 crime stories?

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ed_of_paycheck_among.html


*** ***
Buy the JJ?our only link to the real CRIME picture in JC.

Ahh yes the classic ?Mayor Whelan? type sweet shots. One by the victims, one by the exhausted firefighters, and one by an injured firefighter.

I?m surprised he didn?t don a helmet and climb a ladder like Mayor Whelan. After all there is an upcoming election.


Where are his comments in the news????? Donations to families, etc?

(looks like JC is a small increase..I guess they don't want JC taxpayers to be pissed with the comming mayoral election)(DeGise favor to Healy?)

County property taxes in Hudson going up, if proposed budget adopted next month

Published: Monday, April 09, 2012, 3:02 AM
By Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal

Property taxpayers in Hudson County are going to have to fork over more money to support county government if a proposed budget is adopted next month that is, unless you live in East Newark or West New York.

The owner of an East Newark property assessed at $77,000 would see their annual property taxes shrink by $33 this year. The owner of a West New York home valued at $102,000 would see a $36-a-year cut, according to budget figures released by the county last month.

The biggest hikes as part of the proposed $475 million county spending plan would be in Guttenberg and Weehawken.

A taxpayer who owns a property in Guttenberg with an average assessed value of $253,000 would pay $208 more in county property taxes this year, a 16 percent hike from last year. And a Weehawken taxpayer with a property assessed at $239,000 would face a $217 hike, a 10 percent jump.

County officials say rising fuel, pension, health care, and salaries have forced them to increase the amount of money to be raised from local taxpayers in this year?s budget from last year?s $279.7 million to $292.7 million.

Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise declined to comment on the budget until it is finalized. Other county officials explained that the amount residents pay in county taxes is entirely determined by a straightforward formula: owners of properties with high assessed values pay more.

The proposed budget is simply the starting point for negotiations between municipal officials and the county, said county spokesman Jim Kennelly. ?Last year we worked with (municipalities) to lower the tax levy by about $2 million,? he said.

County taxes will account for a ?large portion? of increase in property taxes in his town, said Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, noting Guttenberg recently underwent a townwide revaluation and property values in Weehawken remain buoyant.

Elsewhere in Hudson County county taxes are set to increase by less than 1 percent in Jersey City and North Bergen. County taxes for a property in Bayonne with an average assessed value of $132,000 would increase by $117, or 7.8 percent.

?Obviously any tax increase is not desirable but when it is a small, stable amount from year-to-year, like we have seen in both the municipal and school budgets here in the township, it is much more acceptable,? North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco said.

A public hearing on the proposed county budget is scheduled for 6 p.m., May 22, at the County Annex, 567 Pavonia Ave. in Jersey City.



http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... perty_taxes_in_hudso.html


*** ****

Change in Hudson County tax under proposed 2012 budget
Published: Monday, April 09, 2012, 3:01 AM
By The Jersey Journal


This chart compares the proposed Hudson County annual tax for 2012 with the tax for 2011 under the county?s proposed budget for a properties with an average assessed value.

MUNICIPALITY....AVERAGE ASSESSED VALUE 2012/COUNTY TAX....2011/COUNTY TAX ?.2012 County tax?.2012 /INCREASE(DECREASE)


BAYONNE, ($131,000)/$1,493 /$1,610/$117
EAST NEWARK , ($77,000)$1,325/$1,292/($33)
GUTTENBERG, ($253,000)/$1,305/$1,513/$208
HARRISON ($140,000)/$1,572/$1,624 $52
HOBOKEN/($143,000)/$2,245/$2,356/$111
JERSEY CITY/($92,000)/$1,499/$1,510/$11
KEARNY/($95,000)/$1,531/$1,582/$51
NORTH BERGEN/($136,000)/$1,365/$1,369/4
SECAUCUS/($174,000)/$1,660/$1,726/$66
UNION CITY/($121,000)/($1,283)/$1,391/$108
WEEHAWKEN/($239,000)/$2,125/$2,342/$217
WEST NEW YORK/($102,000)/$1,397/$1,361/($36)


http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... hudson_county_tax_un.html

Try Michaels over at the Bayonne Crossing Mall..


Bayonne Crossing Way
BAYONNE, NJ 07002-5304
(201) 437-0261

http://www.michaels.com/

This is the April 8th, 2012 11:59am JJ piece..

(you are right where the F*** is Healy? There has been no comment from him on any of the local news casts)


52 people displaced, five firefighters injured in six-alarm Easter morning blaze in Jersey City

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... displaced_five_firef.html

I found another article about the Pavonia Avenue jail to go along with my above post. Some cool Shawshank Redemption action going on right in old Journal Square. I wonder if they met up with Red on the beach of Zihuatanejo, Mexico? (I think Stephen King did a little ?borrowing? from the head lines of the Jersey Journal/Star-Ledger/NYT?s)

Star-Ledger, The (Newark, NJ)

HUDSON JAIL INMATES FLEE ON SECOND TRY


Published: November 30, 1989

Three Jersey City men escaped the Hudson County Jail early yesterday in a breakout that closely resembled a failed attempt by two of the inmates last month.

Luis Bayron, 18, Porfirio Rivera, 29, and David Cordero, 20, were still being sought last night following their flight from the Jersey City facility, authorities said. They added that Bayron is a murder suspect.

According to jail officials, the inmates apparently used a hammer to pry open a cell door and puncture a hole in the ceiling over an adjacent catwalk before making their way through the crawl space. They then removed a metal plate at the end of the shaft and used a ladder fashioned from bedsheets and a rope to lower themselves from a fourth-floor window overlooking Pavonia Avenue, officials added. The jail officials said the escape occurred between 11 p.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m.

In addition to homicide, county spokeswoman Lori Rankin said Bayron has been charged with weapons possession and robbery. She added Rivera and Cordero were awaiting trial on charges that include robbery.

Jail officials said the three men were not believed to be armed.

According to Rankin, on Oct. 11 Bayron and Rivera were charged with attempted escape after jail officials detected a similar rope ladder hanging from a window of the jail.

Rankin said the state Department of Corrections was scheduled to conduct a "full security audit" of the jail last night.

Until the audit was completed, said Rankin, "We will have extra security precautions, a canine corps to patrol the facilities and one additional armed post" outside the jail.

She said the state was also sending a "lighting team" to brighten the Pavonia Avenue side of the facility where the three escaped.

"They will be flooding that side with light as an extra precaution," said Rankin.


*** ***

Three Men Use Rope Ladder To Escape Jail in Jersey City

AP(NYT)
Published: November 30, 1989

Three inmates, including one charged with murder, escaped overnight from the Hudson County Jail by descending a homemade rope ladder in view of a major thoroughfare, the authorities said today.

Between 11 P.M. Tuesday and 7 A.M. today, the prisoners apparently pried open a cell door, punched a hole in the ceiling over the adjacent catwalk and made their way to the end of a crawl space. There they pushed out a metal wall plate and emerged near a fourth-story window overlooking Pavonia Avenue at the front of the jail, where they climbed down, a spokesman, Cas Rakowski, said.

These two guys are hardly break through architects. They are not only ripping off Tim Burton?s Gotham City architecture, there are also ripping off the idea of having a highrise prison in Journal Square Jersey City. It sort of looked like the one in the picture without the ?arches? . I think you guys should go back to the drawing board.

Our infamous jail was on the corner of Central and Pavonia. It is now a parking lot behind the Court House/ Administration Building. It was closed in the 80?s amid a ton of controversy and ripped down in the 90?s. Inmates moved to the new Kearney jail.

A lot of problems arose in the mid 80?s because of the explosion of inmates in county jails around the country. Around the same time as crack started hitting the scene. Also a time when people were still existing JC by the truck load.

?In recent years soaring drug arrests have swelled the inmate population. The Hudson County Prosecutor recently said his caseload had doubled to 16,000 cases in 1989, from 8,000 in 1985.?

These paragraphs from the NYT?s (and full links at bottom) will give you a quick picture of what it looked like. (mentally) I can?t find any pictures of it.

?Overcrowding, especially in the last year, has made the (8 story) grimy gray brick-and-stone building on Pavonia Avenue a tinderbox of frayed nerves. Traces of toilet paper and burned sheets from a dozen disturbances hang from the bars.?

(the jail was build to hold 300 inmates)

?In May 1982, a Superior Court judge said conditions at the 63-year-old Hudson County jail were deplorable and ruled that inmates were being deprived of their constitutional rights because of overcrowding. At the time, the average daily population was over 500 inmates. As of March 14, the number was 869. With a rated capacity of 302 inmates, the eight-story Hudson jail was at 288 percent of capacity as of that date. Among large county jails, only Passaic County's was higher at 332 percent with 1,511 inmates.?

(There was a fire in 1982 it is still listed as one of the top ten prison fires in the US.)

?PRESENT and former inmates at the Hudson County Jail are disputing the official version, given by the County Prosecutor, of the fire in which seven inmates died two weeks ago, according to Howard Moskowitz, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union. Mr. Moskowitz said that he had interviewed more than a dozen inmates who were on the eighth floor of the 56-year-old jail when smoke began coming from Cellblock 8-7. That is where the seven inmates - including one who had admitted during psychiatric evaluation that he played with matches - were trapped. The official version of the tragedy, as given by Howard J. Ruvoldt Jr., the Hudson County Prosecutor, was that a guard about 60 feet from the cellblock was driven back by smoke and flames and unable to free the inmates. He produced a minute-by-minute timetable of what happened from 5 A.M., when the fire was discovered, until it was extinguished nine minutes later. ?

?On May 19, 1982, when Judge Gregory J. Castano of State Superior Court ruled that inmates were being deprived of their constitutional rights because of severe overcrowding, the daily average was about 500 inmates. A month before seven inmates had died in a fire. He ordered a complete renovation or a new jail by 1987. But ground was not broken until that year.?

?In March an inmate died of a beating that gave rise to disturbances amid allegations of a ''goon squad'' of corrections officers. A deputy warden and three guards were indicted on murder charges in his death.?

?In December a 28-year-old inmate was shot to death, hit by .32-caliber pellets in a shotgun shell that authorities said had gotten inadvertently mixed in with shells meant only to stun rioting inmates.?



Some things I remember about the jail?

-Parents use to take their kids up to it if they were bad. Stand them across the street and tell the kids that they would to wind up in there? If a parent was lucky and inmate would be yelling or throwing crap out of a window for added theatrics. I remember my mother?s sweet voice..?That?s it you?re going up to the jail ..LET?S GO!? (Damm?I knew I should not have lifted that penny gum ball from John?s Bargain Store up Journal Square!)

-The Cub Scouts would have annual trips to the jail/courthouse. We would get little badges and be lead into a cell and locked in. Scared the shi* out of me.

-There was a tunnel from the jail to the old Court House so inmates could be brought directly into court from jail.

-Politicians would hold annual ?spend a night in jail? events. How ironic some actually wound up in a real cell?.like County Executive Robert C. Janiszewski.

-There was an under ground parking lot for cops to bring in prisoners. The driveway had the 8 story cell windows lined up on either side of it. The inmates would ?store? up (get ready) piss and crap in containers. As the cop cars were driving down the driveway the inmates would ?christen? the cars with a gift.

-Families of inmates lining the streets across from the jail. Yelling up to their loved ones.

Too bad the county didn?t hold onto the old jail building instead of making it a parking lot. That would have been a cool place for condo?s. You think the ghosts in the Old Medical Center or Saint Francis Hospital?s are pissed. Just imagine having an inmate as a ghost in your bedroom. Or make it a hotel like Boston?s Liberty Hotel ..cool place? www.libertyhotel.com (you know you urban explorers / newcomers would have dug that)


Old-timers got any stories about the jail? Jump in.

*** **** links to pieces about jail *****


Warden and 2 Jail Guards Held in Death - March 1989 (the guy was from DTJC)

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/16/nyr ... tml?pagewanted=all&src=pm


(story about the jail) No Headline ? Jan 1990

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/26/nyr ... tml?pagewanted=all&src=pm


Inmates in Jersey City Set Fires in an Uprising ? Oct 1989

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/14/nyr ... fires-in-an-uprising.html

Beggar stabs man near Square

(April 7, 2012 from the Jersey Journal)

A Jersey City man was stabbed in the chest early yesterday morning off Journal Square after telling a beggar he had no change to give him, officials said.

The 45-year-old Baldwin Avenue man was walking home around 12:08 a.m. when the beggar asked him for change at Newkirk Street and Summit Avenue, reports said.

When the victim said he had none, the man stabbed him in the middle of the chest in a downward motion using an 8-inch knife before running away, reports said.

The victim made it home and was driven to Christ Hospital where a doctor told police the stab wound had caused no critical internal injury and was not life threatening, reports said.

The beggar was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, reports said.

Anyone with information on the assault is asked to call the Jersey City police tip line ....

- MICHAELANGELO CONTE

http://www.nj.com/jjournal/

*** ***
Buy the JJ ? it is the only link we have to the real CRIME picture in JC.

( hey Chief C ?how it that fancy new online/realtime JCPD crime blog coming along? )
(at least there are no physical assaults in Jersey Cities ?blogosphere? right Healy?)

Behold! (no Easter pun intended) It looks like there was some action on the below properties by the JCBD.


827 ?(gutted , rebuild) This is the building that collapsed when they put second and third floor additions/extensions over a 100 year old store roof. It?s the one that looks like it has a restaurant inside ready to open. (waiting for the RR expansion to pass I bet) Nice marble floors throughout the first floor. Very strange the front gates have been open every day of construction. Now they are sealed shut, but you can hear work going on behind them. This is the building that houses the upstairs law offices of Philip Matsikoudis the ex Jersey City Commissioner of the Planning Board, the brother of the current JC Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis , and one of the lawyers that represented Healy with his ?shore? troubles. Hmmm. (saw all of that juicy stuff when I put 827 Newark Ave. in the google) I also see the owner seems to be a deep pocketed Healy contributor from 2009.


829 ?(tear down , rebuild) No action , nothing in windows.


831-833 (tear down , rebuild, 2 buildings) There is a big orange STOP work order on the door of 833 which is connected to 831 via a metal gate.(who does that?)


839 ? This is a restaurant on one side of 839. The other side of 839 has a double glass door. That has a long corridor with a money transfer store in it along with what looks like the entrance to the upstairs apartments. This is where they were trying to build another small store the other day. (there is no new construction and there is now a big yellow construction permit on the double door. But it is from Feb 1, 2012. I say that must have been for the restaurant not those little stores. No way you can split stores like that)

That is interesting about the Cunningham sign. I did some digging on some other DTJC signage.

If you want to do searches on a property in the jc planning board minutes ?in Google type in an address and jersey city planning board after it.

Found this from April 7, 2011 , so if this signage is still up I guess it comes down on Saturday.

Case: P 06-018 475 Washington Blvd ? Monaco Approval for one (1) year interim use signage for banners and adjusted signage.

Didn?t find anything about the massive Liberty Harbor sign on Grand in the JCPB minutes but did find these two pieces about LH in other sources?.


Wednesday September 17, 2008, 6:55 PM

According to Planning Director Bob Cotter, Mocco sought and received Planning Board permission to have a temporary parking lot. But that was eight years ago and Mocco was only given permission to have the lot for three years, Cotter said.

Cotter said he didn't believe Mocco needed site approval from the Planning Board for the sign and temporary sales office since they are both temporary structures.


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2008

Finally, an advertising billboard on Grand Street violates city codes, and the city is fining the developer more than $1,000.


???? is it the same massive sign that is up now???

Nothing on the 6 ugly non-historical signs on the JCMC (old JC museum) building at 350 Montgomery. The planning board should really get after them for that mess.

Yeah that sucks?you know with WM?s lackadaisical attitude with pickup and the mess they leave behind?it is almost as if they have a lobbyist working on the inside of JC government.

Here?s an idea take the video of crap falling off of the WM truck. That is a $200 fine right there for littering from a motor vehicle. Give the video to the person (dizzyd) in the ?Littering from MV? thread to use in court. If the city doesn?t give WM tickets for littering maybe the person can get out of his/hers. Only fair right?

How tragic.. did any one here know the guy?

Good site for finding ?fun? in New Jersey.

www.funnewjersey.com


Yes there are still arcades in NJ?.(but nothing can compare to the old Hudson Mall Arcade)


www.funnewjersey.com/upload_us ... ids/ARCADE_CENTERS_NJ.HTM



Looks like you will need a car to go have fun though.

Yes and just from a personal point of view. Many people who I grew up with became cops, firemen, teachers, and public employees. (looks like I should have also) They either just retired or are retiring in the next few years. Boom!

*** ***

Here is a classic comment from the www.nj.com thread?.?.

Quote:

I always knew those ?Up with People? dudes were shady.

(the comments on www.nj.com are reaching 130..)


More than 1,200 former N.J. public employees collect pensions of at least $100,000 annually

Published: Thursday, April 05, 2012, 9:21 AM
Updated: Thursday, April 05, 2012, 10:53 AM

By The Star-Ledger Continuous News D

TRENTON ? The number of retired public employees who collect pensions of $100,000 or more has climbed to 1,244, according to a report on New Jersey Watchdog.

The list is topped by former Essex County College president A. Zachary Yamba, whose pension is $195,000 a year.

Former Rutgers athletic director and New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority head Bob Mulcahy has a pension worth $162,399 annually. He also got a severance package worth about $600,000 when he was fired by Rutgers in 2008.

Retired Ridgefield Park superintendent John Richardson, who gets a pension of $160,418, is third on the list.



Fulll www.nj.com (SL) piece with links to lists?.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012 ... 1200_former_nj_publi.html


(some of those names are very familiar hmmm)

stillinjc wrote:

Quote:

(hey stillinjc you are right it looks like JC is heading back to the 80's...carjackings and now chain "snatches".)



Jersey City woman's neck is scratched when thief "snatches" her necklace


Published: Thursday, April 05, 2012, 3:00 AM

By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

A thief snatched a 58-year-old Jersey City woman?s necklace on a Greenville corner Tuesday, reports said.

The woman told police she was at Linden Avenue and Old Bergen Road at 2:55 p.m. when a man grabbed the necklace and ran north on Old Bergen.

The man, in his 20s, dropped the chain but got away with its gold crucifix valued at $400, reports said. He was wearing blue jeans, white sneakers, and a gray-hooded sweatshirt with ?Jordan? printed on the front, reports said.


JJ piece?.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... y_womans_neck_is_scr.html

Comments on the below piece from the HR link?.


Inclusion in the city?s Restaurant Row zoning law would exempt restaurants like Mithaas, and dozens of additional watering holes at the other end of Newark Avenue, from the 520-foot rule.

WTF ..dozens? There are only 4 or 5 restaurants ?err watering holes and a few already have liquor



With the expansion of Restaurant Row, the city?s hope is to attract more bars and restaurants to the Newark Avenue corridor and to support the bars and restaurants that are already there.

Where are there going to fit? (Aren?t there already dozens of watering holes?) There are about 25 store fronts on the stretch of Newark Ave. Like I keep saying they have been fully leased since the 70?s. (except ONE) I think the city would be doing a disservice to the Indian community of JC who get their groceries and vegetables in the very popular stores along Newark Ave. Is the plan to push them out for more watering holes? Doesn?t make sense. There are oh so many other area?s of JC that would benefit from an expansion of RR..NOW!



?This is an area that is in need of a little attention and needs some revitalization. So, I support this,? said Nidia Lopez, the Ward C City Councilwoman. She represents the Journal Square community that includes the portion of Newark Avenue that would be included in the expanded Restaurant Row.

This chick must be viewing Little India from Florida. Revitalization? It is the most vibrant shopping area in all of JC. It is like Times Square there on weeknights and weekends. Like I keep saying DTJC Restaurant Row was put in to attract newcomers to the new DTJC developments. The neighborhood around Little India doesn?t need help there are no new developments it is surrounded by 2 FAMILY houses and apartment buildings. Again all fully occupied. Not many empty buildable lots in the area.



Here?s the full Hudson Reporter piece?

Revitalizing the other end of Newark Ave.

I?m not making accusations I am making observations. When I have to display permits in my windows for minor electrical or plumbing work I would think developers would need to do the same. I walk up Newark Ave. a few times a month. I have never seen any permits posted in any of those buildings. The only time I saw something posted from the building department was when someone told me about the partial building collapse in the rear of 827 Newark Ave. Sure enough for the next few days there was a Firemen?s spray painted X box along with a taped sign from the city that said ?building not fit for human occupancy?. That sign lasted a few days if that.

Looking at the JC Planning board meeting minutes I do see a notice for construction at 829 Newark Ave. (nov 2008) and I do see a (july 2009) notice to subdivide the lot at 831-833 Newark Ave. into two separate buildable lots. No building plans and don?t see anything about joining the two buildings ground floor levels with an interior metal pull down gate. (who does that?) The only thing for 827 Newark Ave. is a request to remove a big oil tank under the front side walk. BTW I remember that removal. After it was removed there was a massive uneven patch of gravel and sand instead of sidewalk. It was like that for months and months on a heavily traveled pedestrian sidewalk. Did the city check up on that removal?

It?s not my job to go looking for this stuff. I thought the building inspectors did that as requests for permits came in. Follow up inspection, I had one!

What got me going with this is that Newark Ave. Restaurant Row Expansion that is being forced down the surrounding neighborhood resident?s throat?s who do not want it. Who is requesting it?

After doing research on who owns what I am beginning to see why it is being pushed. A restaurant that looks like it is ready to open. No permits in the windows. A major developer who not only owns a lot of property around Journal Square but owns 3 of the maybe 25 properties on that little stretch of Newark Ave. called Little India. Abatements on small projects that even the BA / ex-Tax Assessor at the time was surprised came up. (hey O?Reilly how is your firms $3 million property revaluation of JC going?) Hmmmm.

Gotta look into this more?now where is that 2009 mayoral campaign donor list?

If you google any of those Newark Ave. properties the old building will come up.

827 ? Binny (gutted , rebuild)
829 ? Entice (tear down , rebuild)
831-833 driveway, Beauty Salon, Sara Jewelry (tear down , rebuild)
835 ? Kitchen Supply (not touched)
839 - Bolo Curry ?that is the strange one it is now a new small restaurant that double glass door next to it in the same building is where there were building stores within stores today. 4/3 (who does that?)

Again just a concerned JC citizen?s observations. Also I would never show my face in the building department with a complaint?.never know if you are ratting on someone who is connected to the administration. (who does that?) I could just imagine the tickets that would be coming my way if I did. (goodbye driveway or worse)

hey Bob it's April 3rd 10:00 pm...

Do you know where the "new" Journal Square Developers are?


Remember this.....



Jersey City signals it wants developer of massive Journal Square project to act, or face default

March 10, 2012, 3:03 AM
By Terrence T. McDonald - The Jersey Journal

In April 2009, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy stood on a 1.5-acre site adjacent to the Journal Square PATH station and hailed an imminent twin tower project as a ?great step forward? for the city.

The project two towers, one 58 stories and the other 38, sitting atop a seven-story retail and parking base with a rooftop terrace would begin later that year, and be completed in three years.

It?s now three years later and the site remains vacant, save for weeds and the occasional soda can or beer bottle surrounded by metal fencing.

The twin tower project appears to be nothing more than a dim fantasy, but that may all change soon. City officials say they want the heart of the city to see the same kind of development that?s occurred Downtown.

?Journal Square is really the next area, and Journal Square is primed and ready for a project,? said Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Bob Antonicello.

For years, the Journal Square project was stalled, with main investor Multi-Employer Property Trust (MEPT), of Washington, D.C., blaming the poor economy for its inability to find a partner to help it with financing, according to Antonicello.

After missing an August 2011 deadline to put a shovel in the ground, and then missing a second deadline of Dec. 31, 2011, MEPT has until April Fool?s Day to get the project started in earnest, Antonicello said.

?The issue that we had really with MEPT was this process was kind of ready, aim, aim, aim, aim ... and they never fired the gun to actually go vertical,? he said.

MEPT did not return a request for comment.

If the April 1 deadline passes without movement on the project, MEPT will be in default of its agreement with the JCRA, and the city agency can find someone else to help realize the long-awaited proposal, Antonicello added.

Healy said he stands by the JCRA?s latest bid to move the project forward.

?The redevelopment of Journal Square is a major priority for this administration and we support any and all actions that the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency takes so that construction may begin as soon as possible,? Healy said.

The proposal consists of 50,000 square feet of retail space on the basement, ground and second levels; 330,000 square feet of parking on five levels; and 1.24 million square feet of residential space, including about 1,500 units.
http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... y_signals_it_wants_d.html

Right ? I posted something about it a while ago we call it real life Frogger! Not to be mean but the people DO NOT look while crossing. Also I think the idea of crosswalks to the shoppers over there means any space between two parked cars. It is scary for ALL involved!

Did you ever see the delivery system all of the stores have? Huge container trucks will park in the morning and out of nowhere an army of HI-LO?s will travel up the hill to the main truck. It is like another game PACMAN with the little moving vehicles going up and down the street. Boxes will be put on the HI-LO?s and distributed to all of the stores.

No that was years ago I was just using my deck as an example of me following the rules while developers seem not too. Doesn?t the JC Building Dept do inspections as the buildings are going up? Odd.

I looked it up?. the people that own 827 Newark Ave. also own the building next to it 825 Newark Ave. They also own a whole crap*load of property all around JScare.

825 building was a complete tear down and rebuild years ago. Holy crap I just saw from the JC online tax inquiry that 825 Newark Ave. has been paying much less in property taxes then the rest of the surrounding peoperties.

Let me guess I smell ABATEMENT ?.on a small project like 825 Newark Ave. WTF?

Ahhh with a little more digging I found this from 2007 ..how odd ****


*** *****
Here's something different - a five-year abatement


It's not often that five-year abatements are discussed by the City Council, but at Monday's caucus, there was one presented.

The one in question was for a newly constructed building at 825 Newark Ave. where there would be three residential units, one retail space, and one office space. All will be built by Chosen Investment, LLC based in Short Hills.

The city's business administrator, Brian O' Reilly, explained that five-year abatements are "for smaller developments" such as one and two-family houses and for rehab projects to reduce their tax liability.

In most of these abatements, the owner of the building pays 30 percent of the newly assessed tax on the property each year for a five-year period. They apply to a building undergoing "substantial renovation".

O'Reilly explained that small construction projects qualify for what he called "a five-year phase-in" where the owner pays 20 percent of the new assessed value in addition to the city taxes that were already assessed on the property before the new assessment.

*** ****

I was just over on Newark Ave. (4/3) let?s do inventory?.

827 Newark Ave all kinds of gutting and building of additions in the back of the property. I even heard through the grape vine that when they started the job a year ago. The second and third floor additions on top of a 100 year old store roof collapsed. Wonder how they were allowed to keep building. Permits? Gee it even had a big fire department orange spray painted square box on the front gate showing no bodies were found in the rubble. I think there is an active law office on the second or third floor.??? Looks like the ground floor is a restaurant waiting to open it?s doors. Hmmm. How did the owner know a year ago of the coming Restaurant Row expansion? Just lucky I quess.

829 Newark Ave. It was a complete tear down and rebuild. Have not seen any permits any where. People are now living in the upstairs apartments I just saw a woman come out of the front door. Was a CO given? Looks like the store will be another grocery store.

831 ? 833 Newark Ave. this was a large old one story building on a huge lot. The owner ripped it down and built two new free standing buildings in its place. Subdivided lot?It ..err I mean they will be one huge grocery store. Freezer?s, display cases, and shelving are already in. Permits? The fools actually cut into the sides of the two buildings first floors and have two metal gates connecting the two BUILDINGS! When open it is one big store. WTF? I wonder what that will look like on the tax records.

I would also check the distance from the end of the building to the railroad track fence. Seems they are all very close to that fence. I think there is a specified legal distance. Permit?

Further down next to China Spice there is a very little narrow store. It is at this minute being divided into 3 tiny tiny stores. WTF? They are cutting all of the materials in the middle of the sidewalk because there is no room in the store?err..stores.

I am always amazed at this kind of crap. Me a law bidding citizen always follows procedures and gets the right permit?s etc. Even for a freakin? small deck!

Go do your job !!!

This happened way back in February. I was just wondering if any one on the block heard anything further about the ?accident?. Did the woman whose car was hit get any information?

Nice to know the Sergeant at Arms job is still going strong and they now let them sit with everyone else. I didn?t mention it but they didn?t even count my vote. Maybe they would have if they needed a tie breaker.

If you vote to bill someone they don't want to try, they might roll their eyes and look at you like you're all idiots, but the jurors make the call.

Yes I recall a few times after a vote the prosecutors would roll their eyes. Even with some of the juror?s questions they were very curt in answering them. I guess they don?t want the jurors thinking too much.

I still feel a prosecutor can really sway a jury on how they want it to go. I would love to know what is in the ?secret? grand jury records of the JC cop who killed that Bayonne woman with his car. What was presented to the jury? I think they said he actually testified to the grand jury which never happens much.

Just to show you how long ago I had it. I think it was the mid 80?s. They brought in a drug expert (maybe DEA) to give us an overview of a new type of drug?called CRACK. No one had a clue what it was. They said it was the next big thing and that it would destroy cities. They were right!