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I wish you eat plastic.

If you're living next to a bodega in Jersey City, you'll have people stopping for loosies and buttered rolls from 6 in the morning blasting their music in their idling cars, hanging outside drinking their coffee, smoking and talking loudly while the smell of bacon wafts up to your apartment to the point that you'll never want to open your windows again.

Bodegas are excellent to have down the block, but not next door.

This is the most absurd thread ever. Why would it be illegal? You yourself admitted it was zoned as residential/commercial. Also the CO happens after you do all your work and get your inspections.

jc_dweller is correct below. Other than a sign permit or something, you're just going to have to live with being next to a bodega. Which as others have said, is actually a pretty nice thing.
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So true! There is only one solution. Ban schools is residential areas. They create noise, pollution, and destruction to property. We can not allow this in our quite neighborhood.

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I don't doubt that's true, but are we just listing examples of where lots of trash is produced? I can think of a lot of examples that also aren't relevant to living next to a bodega.

I own a property situated right between McDonalds and Ferris High school. Every school day I live through an act of ecoterrorism. On average I throw 50 gal worth of their garbage twice a week(corner property 150' sidewalk). Sometimes I wonder if I should apply for a federal grant to cover the cost of the garbage bags.

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I've lived next door to bodegas twice in my life and it was awesome for reasons stated above: easy access to needed products. Never had an issue with dirtiness or foot traffic.

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You will be glad they are there when you find you need that quart of milk or whatever you forgot to buy at the market the day before, but don't have the time to run out and get it now.[/quote]

Also - they can serve as dependable place to have packages shipped while you were are at work.[/quote]

Agreed on all of the above - plus my local deli owner keeps his eyes open and knows the goings-on in the neighborhood. He's a good eyes/ears for where we live. It's awesome to walk just a few feet and get milk/bread/etc. We shoot the breeze and share gossip. It's all a positive.

I would suggest introducing yourself and looking at the glass as half-full.

In terms of your home value, I like having stores close by. It would be a plus for me.

Just curious if a coffee shop or yoga studio with an artsy sign was opening up instead of a convenience store/deli (aka bodega) how would you feel about the property? (lol)

Side note I know many property owners who lease their ground floor space as stores. Many of them stipulate that no food product s can be sold. Or some if food is involved than monthly proof of pest control services must be provided. It solves the problem of roach and rat infestation. Better to keep a store front empty looking for a non-food tenant then to have to deal with critters. (imo)

An example is the older attached buildings with storefronts along Newark Avenue around Journal Square the yards of the buildings run up to the rail road cut?.rats galore down there. (and they like to tunnel)

short of possibly having a sign that does not meet size limits (which i really can't say either way not knowing what it actually looks like), nothing is wrong here.

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You will be glad they are there when you find you need that quart of milk or whatever you forgot to buy at the market the day before, but don't have the time to run out and get it now.[/quote]

Also - they can serve as dependable place to have packages shipped while you were are at work.

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You will be glad they are there when you find you need that quart of milk or whatever you forgot to buy at the market the day before, but don't have the time to run out and get it now.

Jane Jacobs and I congratulate you on the re-urbanization of your neighborhood. If you're lucky, this will encourage other small businesses to open. I can't help but believe that the small businesses in my neighborhood - 9 Bar, P&K, Prato, etc. enhance the value of my house and community.

In general, I find this post to be ridiculous.

"for reasons of cleanliness"....based on what? I've never seen a speck of trash in front of the bodega next to me...and there isn't even a trash can within several blocks. If they fail to maintain the sidewalks around their store, then you can complain.

"more traffic"....I'm sorry, is this the new Whole Foods or Trader Joes that everyone's been dying to have in Jersey City? People are not going to drive to your block to shop there. If you mean foot traffic, all I can say is really? You live in a city.

"unsightliness"...not sure if this is redundant to cleanliness or more about seeing 'stuff' in a window front that was empty up until now. Again, all I can say is really? You live in a city. You are disappointed that you didn't do your homework, but it is unreasonable for you to think that a property with that zoning can't open a store.

"devaluation of property." Debatable but unlikely.

Signage, however, is something that you should look into as there might be rules on the size, location, etc.

Honestly, your best bet is to get to know the owner, reach out to them with any concerns before taking it to city officials, and trying to work with them to be good neighborhood citizens.

The OP seems to be mistaken about a few things.

1. Just because a property has been vacant for years does not mean it cannot be used for the use that it is zoned for. In this case, your call to the city confirmed that it is zoned for the use you see being developed.

2. You seem to think that you are owed some type of notice when your neighbors improve their properties.

3. You seem to think that work cannot be done on a property that does not have a C.O.

4. You seem to suspect that, in the process of securing a C.O., the city will not conduct an inspection.

I'd recommend that instead of getting all Gladys Kravitz on your neighbor, look forward to a new business that will contribute to the city's tax revenue.

what makes you think they did something illegal? seems like an assumption based on nothing. you think city should maintain a policy of trying to keep storefronts vacant?

A store is opening next door to my home in the Heights, where I've lived for 15 years. When we bought our house, the ground floor space of the house next door was empty and two rental apartments above were occupied. A new owner bought this property shortly thereafter. The ground floor remained empty for many years and the two apartments were always rented. I've inquired from the city and found this is a mixed commercial/residential property and although it's not been utilized as such for maybe 30 or more years, it's still legal to do so now. I didn't even think to ask about this when we bought the house (my mistake as a first-time home owner). Over the last year this space has been slowly outfitted for everything needed for a convenience store/deli. The owner is working on the place more over the last few months. He's put in big plate glass windows, a big roll down gate on one side and seems to be ready to move in, They've put in shelves, refrigerators, outdoor lights, etc. Tonight they put up a big sign, very ugly. The sign lists all the products they will sell, including cigarettes, cigars, wraps, sandwiches, soda, groceries, lottery, etc. The sign also lists their hours as being open 7 days a week from 6a.m to 8pm. All this is very troubling to me for reasons of cleanliness, more traffic, unsightliness and devaluation of property. I don't know if it's all legal, but certainly I had no communication that this was going to happen until the work began. As of yet the store isn't open. I heard they may not have a C of O yet. I guess I'm asking if there's anything I can do, how I can check if all this is legal, including hours and products being sold, size of windows, even. Or any thoughts, ideas, or similar experience anyone has. I really don't want to move, as I like the neighborhood and love my home. Thanks for your time and thoughts.