This is infuriating. The area around Grove would not be what it is without the last ten years of pop up markets and festivals, and the small vendors who've taken the risks and battle poor weather and sales week after week. The Path alone would have not done much for the place, look at JSQ or the Exchange Place for comparison. Those are hubs with huge pedestrian traffic, but neither is really the a place where anybody spends much time.

If the dude who runs the dinning/drinking conglomerate on the Grove Plaza (Favia?) is really interested in increasing his profit margin, he should look at improving the quality of service and the culture of his businesses. He should look through the reviews his establishments get a few pointers. I was excited about the place opening, but after my first time there, I vowed never to come back. The food was not worth it, the service slow, the experience cold, and place felt soulless. A good restaurant creates a following regardless of price, decor, and (almost) location -- loot at Thirty Acres, Taqueria Mi Mariachi Taqueria or ME Casa.

As for Two Boots, sure, they've paired up with ArtHouse for some monthly open mic which might enable them to sell a few more slices and pints or whatever, but I still can't forget that they had a direct hand in shutting down The Space Station in 2012, and thus making venues for live bands in JC even more dismal. Why patronize their business with so many other good pizza joints include some that go out of their way to support local stuff? (Delenio was out there at Merseles Studios for ArtoberFest not just selling, but also handing out slices to performing musicians without any fanfare. The simple things matter!)

We have our reasons not to support these businesses, but if they succeed at pushing out the small food vendors and/or the beer stands from the pop up events at the Plaza, I'll be all for a public boycott. Sure we want JC to thrive as a community and small business play a huge roll in that, but there is a huge difference between pursuing highly profitable commercial strips and building strong communities.

Damn it. This post made me mad!

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This. Exactly. If it was $10 million annually, maybe, but what they're offering plus whatever incentives this might bring in terms of a few jobs is way, way too low. Why are we selling ourselves so cheap? We already put our lives and communities at risk to get gas into the city as cheap as possible, and now we're supposed to accept a one-time pittance and a yearly sum that amounts to the annual alaries of the guys manning a single garbage truck, in exchange for dealing with 800,000 tons of their waste annually and saving them a ton of money in perpetuity --seriously? Are we supposed to feel fortunate about this or proud of our leadership for sticking JC with such a crummy deal?

Nobody? Really? This is looking more and more like a ghost company.

Hi, my building -- a four-story walk up -- is considering contracting Crowne Management, but I simply cannot find anything on them other than their website (www.crowne.management/#about-us). They say they've been in business for eight years, but their online footprint is almost nonexistent, which is in itself weird and brings me here. Has anyone ever worked with them? Thanks in advance!

Darn it, I missed the Defending Champions... and yes, I did show up. You know, sometimes it's useful to post more information than there will be "Vendors, Crafts, Kid Fun Stuff, Music, Food, Booze."

You may also look into the Tenmarc Building on Communipaw Ave. I don't know if rent their space for receptions, but this is an incredible space if you don't mind the historic industrial look. They had a great event during one of JC Fridays last year, and they've held a couple of other things, but I don't know what goes on there on a regular basis. Does anyone know?

Two more that come to mind -- can you tell I've been also searching everywhere?

Grace Church
http://www.gracevanvorst.org/rentals
I have no idea how much they charge, but you at least know your $ is going to an organization with deep service roots in JC. I've been to some of their art openings and know they allow/serve wine. The one thing that might be an issue is that they don't rent their hall on Saturdays any more.

The Hewn Arts Center
http://www.hewnartscenter.com/#!contact-us
https://www.facebook.com/hewnartscenter
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1697189?guests=16&s=kwni
For a wedding, you'd probably end up paying more than their $200 airbnb fee, but it's not bad for JC.

Another option is the Culinary Conference Center. Although they don't allow you to bring your own caterer, I thought it might be worth including in the list for other readers: http://culinaryconferencecenter.com/weddings.htm

If you don't mind a bit of distance, you may want to consider the Polish American Home in Bayonne. Their hall rental rates are pretty reasonable, and you can bring you own caterer, but you do have to buy your booze from them. I stumbled upon them when looking for venue nearby.

LARGE HALL - Up To 210 People
$250/Hour. 25% Deposit Of Total Contract
4 Hour Min. + 1 Hour For Prep/Cleaning

MEDIUM HALL - Up To 80 People
$100/Hour. 25% Deposit Of Total Contract
4 Hour Min. + 1 Hour For Prep/Cleaning

SMALL HALL - Up To 50 People
$75/Hour. 25% Deposit Of Total Contract
4 Hour Min. + 1 Hour For Prep/Cleaning

Here is their website: http://www.thepolishhome.us/index.html

The story:

KIYC: Investigation finds possible waste, abuse at Jersey City Police Department
Updated August 28, 2014 10:51 PM
JERSEY CITY - Some politically connected police officers in Jersey City are getting lucrative benefits that don't go to others, including take-home cars and massive amounts of overtime, a Kane In Your Corner investigation finds. In one case, a captain, named to his post by Mayor Steven Fulop in the mayor's second week on the job, raked in nearly $24,000 in overtime pay over a two-month period, even though his timesheets showed he only worked four overtime hours. In the wake of the investigation, the city says it is auditing take-home vehicles and overtime department-wide.

Kelly Chesler is a lieutenant in the Jersey City Police Department's Motorcycle Squad, but she gets a benefit the city claims only goes to top brass or undercover units: a take-home, city-owned Dodge Durango. Kane In Your Corner watched Chesler use the SUV to commute daily from Morris County, an 80-mile round trip.

Officers Michael Maietti and Anthony Ruocco, clerks in the Motorcycle Squad, also commute daily in city-owned vehicles, Kane In Your Corner found. Maietti commutes 48 miles a day in a city-owned Dodge Magnum, while Ruocco commutes 56 miles daily in one of two city-owned vehicles.

The Jersey City Police Department Motorcycle Squad is run by Capt. Joseph Ascolese, who was personally named to his post by Mayor Fulop a week after Fulop took office. Jersey City spokesperson Jennifer Morrill claims Ascolese was promoted because he lives in Jersey City and Fulop wanted more residents in command positions. But Kane In Your Corner never saw Ascolese commute to a Jersey City residence; he and his take-home vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade, were repeatedly tracked to a home in Bergen County, where records indicate he has lived since 2002.

Taxpayer advocate Jerry Cantrell, president of the Common Sense Institute of New Jersey, calls the free rides "another example of the abuse that goes on in this state," adding, "Why shouldn't any average citizen be able to access free gas?"

When Kane In Your Corner asked for a list of all personnel assigned take-home cars, the city refused as a matter of "security and surveillance," saying that they are predominantly assigned to undercover officers. But internal sources, speaking anonymously, say the motorcycle officers do not meet the criteria to be assigned vehicles for off-duty use.

Frank DeFazio, who recently retired from the motorcycle squad, agrees. He says there were never any unmarked units assigned to the Motorcycle Squad in the past because, "we don't run any plainclothes operations."

The apparent abuse is happening despite Fulop's high-profile crackdown on take-home vehicles. In one of his first initiatives as mayor, Fulop eliminated many of them and installed GPS units in others.

The free rides are not the only unusual benefit some Motorcycle Squad officers are receiving. Some are also racking up huge amounts of overtime, not always justified by time sheets. In January and February, as New Jersey was hosting the Super Bowl, payroll records show the typical squad member received about $3,000 in overtime pay. However, Maietti racked up over $10,000, Chesler more than $13,000 and Ascolese a staggering $23,800.

The reason for Ascolese's massive overtime payout is a mystery. Documents provided by Jersey City under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act show he worked just four hours of overtime during that period. That means if the city's records are correct, he would have been paid nearly $6,000 an hour for four hours of work.

Fulop and other Jersey City officials declined to be interviewed. In a written statement, Public Safety Director James Shea says the city is "currently conducting an audit of both vehicle assignments and overtime."

Attorney Gina Mendola Longarzo, who represents three police officers currently suing Jersey City, says the department has long had issues with disparate treatment. "There's definitely an A Team and B Team," she says, adding "If you are politically on the right side, you're going to get preferential treatment, you're going to get the overtime details, you're going to get the plum assignment. If you're on the wrong side of the political line, you're going to be punished."

Last month, Fulop addressed the lawsuits by demoting former Jersey City Police Chief Robert Cowan, and Shea says the Kane In Your Corner investigation into cars and overtime highlights another reason the demotion was necessary. It should be noted, however, that Fulop also promoted Cowan to chief to begin with.

No. Installing garbage cans would be a step backwards.
Why would we want to provide a growing food supply to Path rats and mice? Besides, there are several studies that show that the reduction/removal of trash cans can have a positive impact one our behavior: people produce less garbage, they recycle more, and the sites are measurably cleaner than when garbage cans were in place.

http://www.mnn.com/money/sustainable- ... ans-for-google-employees#

http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Publicat ... /LocalAsst%5C31002007.pdf

Of course, some people will just litter, but it seems that most would pack it out.

Now, I do agree that trash bins should remain available outside of Path stations. Why not even add recycling bins? (Ah, because we are not there yet).

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I'm with JCpaddy. I've called the Incinerator Authority, and they've been mostly good. That said, we've taken upon ourselves to try to keep up the stretch of Newark Ave. between Dickinson and 75. We pick up garbage, report and paint over graffiti as needed -- yup, even the trash cans. Of course, this is all property that is either public, owned by the railroads, or empty lots. We do it because we got tired of hearing me bitch about how trashy and abandoned this stretch was. We wouldn't do this to anybody's property. If they don't take care of their own stuff... well, that just reflects on them.

I've gone twice to the office on Summit in the early morning, and on both occasions I was was out of there like 20 minutes later.

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This makes me feel a little less anxious about the repaving of the sidewalk on Waldo. Granted, we are not in the high traffic area that Grove street is, but I hope the replant the trees.

"Tres Chilitos," The Mexican restaurant on Central Ave., is showing the games and serving awesome, awesome food! Since it's a restaurant, it is definitely kid friendly. I'm fairly certain they will show ALL the games they can get their hands on.

In DTJC, LITM is showing the games again this year. Hopefully they'll be projecting them against their big wall in the back. I'm not sure how many games they'll show, but it's safe to expect a good crowd for today's U.S. game.

Have you tried reporting it to the city through the JC Resident Response Center (or JC RRC Fix-It)? You can access it through the city's website and there is also an ap. I know. They've been incredibly responsive the few times I've called to report issues.

The Hilltop neighborhood was supposed to get a park as a consolation prize for this horrible deal. Any word on that?

He also did work for us -- soundproofing and sheetrock work -- and we were rather happy with the end results. The two things to keep in mind when working with him is that (a) he's in demand, and (b) he does not do rushed work. We appreciated that, but that also meant living with dust a little longer than we had anticipated. Still, we have only good things to say about him and his guys. His crews were here every morning on time and left on time, right at five. The couple of times that there was a need to put in extra hours to finish the job, he himself did it. He delivers on what he promises -- granted, with construction/remodeling projects flexibility is a must on both ends. We will hire him again if we ever need to.

Is there video of this?

So, it is actually NOT OK to ride on the sidewalk as per City Ordincance 13-056. His the relevant portion of the document posted by jc_dweller:

E. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or ride a bicycle in any of the following places:
(1) On any public property where signs are posted by the Traffic Engineer prohibiting such use;
(2) On private property where a sign prohibiting bicycle riding has been posted by the owner, lessee or person in charge of such property;
(3) On sidewalks in business districts;
(4) On sidewalks outside of business district areas, except for minors age nine and under.

The ordinance is rather interesting. Thanks for sharing.

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I think it's more a question of bike culture than infrastructure. Sure, exclusive bike lanes are awesome and Hoboken's are even comfy (I do use them and have seen other use them too), but they are not viable in many of our narrow streets. Still, that doesn't mean you get to ride on the sidewalk, or that you should squeeze against parked cars so that angry driver behind you can pass you and clip you on the way -- you take the lane. Most of those narrow streets have very low speed limits (25 mph) and dealing with a cyclist who forces you to slow down is one of the perks of living in a city like this. The suburbs have wider streets, higher speed limits, and less cyclists, so that's an option for those who want speed around town.

With the exception of young kids, nobody has any business riding on the sidewalk. Those who do so are afraid, don't know how to ride safely on the street, and not equipped to deal with the harassment from a--hole drivers. Even if the city made it "OK" to cruise at walking speeds on the sidewalk (what were they thinking????), as our population grows following the city's current high-density model, the only place for bikes is on the streets.

Tucson, AZ has a series of programs aimed at promoting "share the road" and street savviness for cyclist that would be worth adapting/replicating: http://bikeped.pima.gov/allsafetyclasses.html
(No corporate sponsors required).

Councilman Boggiano mentioned at the November meeting of the Hilltop Neighborhood Association that J Squared is scheduled to break ground on December 15th.

Here are the details on the tax abatement petitioned by the J2 developers (source below):


"PROPOSED ABATEMENT: Phase I (54-story, 540-unit tower)

"The applicant has requested a term of thirty (30) years for the abatement on the improvements. The Applicant has submitted a schedule of payments to be known as the Base Service Charge. The Base Service Charge is determined upon a fixed per unit service charge beginning at $500 per residential unit in years one (1) and two- (2) and increasing in steps to $2,300 per unit in year twenty-six (26). ?

"The Minimum Service Charge for phase I is $119,334 which includes the land tax of $96,751.89. Service charges for commercial, miscellaneous or parking revenue are included in the Base Service Charge.
"The Applicant will make a nonrefundable upfront payment of $1,797,000 within five (5) business days of substantial completion as defined in the Financial Agreement. Using a factor of seven percent (7%) the present value of that upfront
payment would effectively increase the Base Service charge to $1,200 per unit in years one (1) though five (5) and to $1,248 in years six (6) though ten(10). ?
The applicant has requested a credit for the land taxes entire project against the PILOT for Phase I for the first five (5) years only. That amount would be $329,661.23. The applicant would also pay a Service Charge five percent to Hudson County and an administrative fee one half of one percent (0.05%) to the City.



"PROPOSED ABATEMENT: Phase II (the 70-story, 700-unit tower)

"The applicant has requested a term of thirty (30) years for the abatement. The Applicant has submitted a schedule of payments to be known as the Base Annual Service Charge. The Base Annual Service Charge is determined upon a fixed per unit service charge beginning at $787.00 per residential unit in years one (1) through ten (10). lt increases to $1,000.00 for years eleven (11) through fifteen (15) and increases to $2,300.00 per unit in year sixteen (16). The Minimum Service Charge for phase ll is $132,593.73 which includes the land tax of $125,413.87. Service charges for commercial, miscellaneous or parking revenue are included in the Base Service Charge. The Applicant will make a nonrefundable upfront payment of $2,843,261 within five (5) business days of substantial completion as defined in the Financial Agreement. The final five (5) years under either plan would be at ten percent (10%) of gross revenue. No
adjustment has been made for vacancies in these calculations.


PROPOSED ABATEMENT:Abatement for Phase III (60-story, 600 unit tower)

"The applicant has requested a term of thirty (30) years for the abatement. The Applicant has submitted a schedule of payments to be known as the Base Annual Service Charge. The Base Annual Service Charge is determined upon a fixed per unit service charge beginning at $1,111.00 per residential unit in years one (1) through ten (10). It increases to $2,500.00 for years eleven (11) through twenty- five (25). The Minimum Service Charge for phase III is $154,692.68 which includes land tax of $107,465.47. Service charges for commercial, miscellaneous or parking revenue are included in the Base Service Charge. The Applicant will make a nonrefundable upfront payment of $2,942,766.00 within five (5) business days of substantial completion as defined in the Financial Agreement. The final five (5) years under either plan would be at ten percent (10%) of gross revenue. No
adjustment has been made for vacancies in these calculations.

While it is true the city will be collecting more than it currently does from those parking lots where the towers will be, to have some of these units start at $500 in annual taxes is fundamentally a slap in the face to those of us who pay about that amount per month. I'm all for the much needed improvements and do understand the strategic use of abatements to attract development; what I don't support is the outrageous inequality this creates.


http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/uploa ... Reading/Agenda%20Document(17).pdf

Now let's see if the developer can use the same powerful convincing powers that got him such a comfy, long, and unfair abatement to get the city to do something about the trash on the streets, the vandalism, and the quasi-permanent and shameless street dealers in the area. Whoever thinks parking is the only quality of living issue in our neighborhood, probably doesn't really live here.