Last summer in Kansas, a 9-year-old was loving his Little Free Library until at least two residents proved that some people will complain about anything no matter how harmless and city officials pushed the boundaries of literal-mindedness:

The Leawood City Council said it had received a couple of complaints about Spencer Collins' Little Free Library. They dubbed it an "illegal detached structure" and told the Collins' they would face a fine if they did not remove the Little Free Library from their yard by June 19.

user1111 wrote:
You are so full of shit, yeah you! You people don't want a bakery with backyard seating but 'those people" should be OK with this, Ignorance and entitlement on one board. Oh what fun!

Yvonne wrote:
I have contacted the city clerks offices from Edgewater, (not Hudson County) to North Bergen, Guttenberg and Weehawken to inquire about their tax abatement policies. Those towns do not receive state funding to their schools so there is a limit on tax abatements. It is not handed out like JC.

zerkski wrote:
That video was one of the most amusing and satisfying clips I have ever seen. When you are not a governor anymore, you lose your clout and are treated the same as the rest of us! Show respect and you MAY get respect...don't mess around with those ladies!

bodhipooh wrote:
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K-Lo wrote:
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zoning are so restrictive that a place like Prato can't legally open up in the this or other neighborhoods

But Prato did legally open, and they were getting great word of mouth and building their customer base....and then they started expanding in a way they knew was illegal. This isn't a repeat of Atomic Wings.

Sigh... Atomic Wings. In the Hall of Shame of JC BD shenanigans, this likely takes the top spot.

Development happens in other North Hudson town along their waterfront without 30 tax abatements. I speak because I want it on record.

Yvonne wrote:
I agree JCGuys, taxes would have increased because our payment to the board of ed went up an extra $40 million since 2005. But in 1988, you only had the first 4 buildings in Newport plus the mall. All the other development downtown which now have abatements did not exist. I have always said, abatements are contracts and not ratables, only ratables are used by the County to figure the tax rate.

I_heart_JC wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
Thanks! Is anyone going to speak in support?

I would like to see more cafe's like Prato Bakeries setup shop in the city, legally.

and there's the key word: legally.

look, I enjoy Prato, and think they're a great addition to the neighborhood, but they entered into their lease with full knowledge of the zoning restrictions (and if they didn't, then they're knuckleheads.)

first, they added indoor tables. then, when nobody complained, they pushed their luck by adding seating out back.

now they've been asked to stick to the letter of the zoning that they originally agreed to, and they're trying to paint their neighbors as pitchfork-wielding NIMBYs.

not cool, Prato.

I really hope this works out to everyone's benefit. I'd like Prato to stay, and I'd like their neighbors to continue to enjoy living there. but if these two notions are mutually exclusive, them I'm gonna have to be Team Neighbor.

Yvonne wrote:
It is amazing how Secaucus and other town in North Hudson did development without 30 years tax abatements. By comparison Secaucus has a low tax rate. With all this development our taxes increased from $30.52 to nearly $75.00 after reval. If abatements were great, our taxes should have not increased. In 1988, after reval, you paid $3,000 to JC if assessed at $100,00, now you are paying $7,500. JC did not have the buildings in 1988 as it does now. Tax abatements was sold as a way to stabilize our taxes. The reversed has happened. These abatements were contracts, not added to the ratable base and our taxes rose.

The Jersey City Board of Education passed a $665 million budget for the 2014-15 school year last night that will result in a 1.5 percent increase in the tax levy.

The portion of the budget paid for by the city tax levy is about $110 million, while last year the levy was just over $109 million.

Local taxes pay 16.5 percent of the 2014-15 budget, 63 percent comes from state funding, 14 percent from state and federal grants and the remainder from federal aid and other local revenue, Campana said. Jersey City, the state's second largest school district behind Newark, is slated to receive $418 million in state aid for 2014-15, $612,000 more than last year.

Adonis wrote:
F it then. Let the large chain establishments compete with the mom & pop establishments (without any government intervention) and let the JC consumer decide the correct mix.

Dolomiti wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
I don't doubt in the many Podunk towns across America that a big box retailer could destroy all of the small business in the area. I don't think that's sustainable for the long term (50+ years).

Walmart has been at it for well over 20 years now, and shows little sign of slowing down.

What typically happens is Walmart will kill smaller and less efficient competitors, like the aforementioned bodegas. Those storefronts are usually then occupied by non-competing businesses like restaurants, hair salons and so forth.

IMO making predictions 50 years out about purchasing habits is incredibly speculative. E.g. no one in 1980 could have predicted that people would buy shoes via computer communication in 2020.

DouglasReynholm wrote:
when will this thread be changed to "Hipster vandalizing Charles & Co. caught"..... he must be a mastermind criminal !

Frank_M wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
I don't care how cheap it is, I can't stand WalMart and it's long lines and shitty customer service. Give it a generation or two.

Restaraunts like McDonalds, Taco Bell, Applebee's and TGI Fridays should rein supreme if your theory is correct. But instead we avoid those places and seek out new restaraunts and cafes that open up. Same will happen eventually with the big box store format.

I applaud your optimism, but you may be failing to account for millions of consumers who don?t feel likewise, and vast regions of the country that aren?t remotely metropolitan. As far as big-box stores go, there?s no competing with them for mass produced consumer goods. They can offer the low prices they do because they deal in volume, and that volume allows them to survive on low profit margins. A small time retailer can?t do that kind of volume and would have to raise prices to uncompetitive levels. It?s unfortunate, but that?s how it is and will most likely continue to be.

Pebble wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
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Pebble wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
I don't care how cheap it is, I can't stand WalMart and it's long lines and shitty customer service. Give it a generation or two.

Restaraunts like McDonalds, Taco Bell, Applebee's and TGI Fridays should rein supreme if your theory is correct. But instead we avoid those places and seek out new restaraunts and cafes that open up. Same will happen eventually with the big box store format.

Except that Jersey City has two McDonalds downtown. There are multiple Dunkin Donuts downtown. TGI Friday's exists downtown. If you really think that these businesses aren't making money, you're only fooling yourself.

I don't know who you place in the "we" category when you say "we avoid those places" but they exist and are not going anywhere.

Sigh, you missed the point. We have more independent restaraunts and cafes than chains in the city. Would you eat at McDonalds?

I didn?t miss your point. Your point is based on a fantasy.

Like yourself, I prefer the small business to the big box store. I prefer the mom and pop taco joint to Taco Bell. However, I am fully cognizant of the fact that I am not everyone.

McDonalds rents a location directly across from the Grove Street PATH exit. If you think they aren?t paying out the nose in rent, you?re fooling yourself. The place is getting business, massive business, downtown.

bodhipooh wrote:
WTC station at 6:25 PM yesterday:

The platform for Newark bound trains started to get really crowded, which my daughter and I noticed as we were riding the escalator down, only to find ourselves getting bunched up at the bottom/landing area, as a train had pulled in and a massive stream of people came out of it. Even my 13-year-old was able to assess the layout as a mess as she turned to me and remarked "this can get dangerous". There is very little space on the platforms to allow for the movement of people in and out of trains while lots of people are going up and down the stairs and escalators. Someone must have told the conductor to close the doors and take off immediately: "closing door" messages started to play as people were still getting out and doors started to close just as those who waited on the platform were starting to board.

Honestly, the experience was a bit disconcerting. What will happen on days when throngs of commuters, tourists and daytrippers start to converge during busy hours?

Pebble wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
I don't care how cheap it is, I can't stand WalMart and it's long lines and shitty customer service. Give it a generation or two.

Restaraunts like McDonalds, Taco Bell, Applebee's and TGI Fridays should rein supreme if your theory is correct. But instead we avoid those places and seek out new restaraunts and cafes that open up. Same will happen eventually with the big box store format.

Except that Jersey City has two McDonalds downtown. There are multiple Dunkin Donuts downtown. TGI Friday's exists downtown. If you really think that these businesses aren't making money, you're only fooling yourself.

I don't know who you place in the "we" category when you say "we avoid those places" but they exist and are not going anywhere.

Bamb00zle wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
"Sure a cafe is allowed now but it could be a... nuclear waste dump. Would you want to live next to a nuclear waste dump?"

Zoning is important, but I feel it's often times lacking common sense and is rarely updated to reflect changing values.

And please tell me, without zoning laws what legal basis would you have for stopping said nuclear waste dump?

bodhipooh wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
Thanks! Is anyone going to speak in support?

I would like to see more cafe's like Prato Bakeries setup shop in the city, legally.

Did you read the comments? Prato would not be considered a cafe under this proposed ordinance.

Frank_M wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
Well run butchers, bakers, fishmongers, delicatessens and specialty shops are making a comeback. There is a growing subset of the population that avoid chains at all costs. If there was a bakery with 5 stars on Yelp next door to a CVS, will anyone actually choose the CVS for their bread?

Quality is certainly playing a larger role in the American consciousness, particularly in affluent urban centers, but do you really believe that the trend of large corporations outcompeting independent butchers, bakers and candlestick-makers, and their conspicuous domination of the overall market will reverse course?

Sommerman wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
This is a fair assessment. DTJC would suffer more than say Greenville, but all would suffer none the less if Abbot funding disappears. Owners of long term tax abated properties would be the only ones unaffected.

It's better to do something now than let the problem compound itself by kicking the can down the road.

Just a guess based on small sample observation, but if 'suffer' means being unable to afford one's home, DTJC might suffer much less than poorer neighborhoods. Pulling a kid out of private school, day care instead of nanny, cutting back on vacations, making a lump sum mortgage payment and refinancing are options that free up money, should taxes go up. Just a guess...