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)

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)

Have you checked with the building department to see of permits or COs were issued? Your post suggests not, but for all you know they did get them. If they did, your complaint is merely about aesthetics. Not that I disagree with that assessment but it's entirely different than unsubstantiated accusations of working without permits.

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.

Clearly this stretch of Newark is a place where normal laws do not apply. Have you ever driven down that stretch in a car? God forbid you do it on a bicycle. As bad as Jersey City drivers are, and they are AWEFUL, traffic law compliance and plain old common sense take a nosedive in this magical realm of driver and pedestrian foolishness. When I'm a passenger in a car driven by an out of towner I make it a point to prepare the driver to forget anything they may believe is commonly understood by all the other drivers in the land, on Newark there are no laws observed, either by drivers or pedestrians. I am no longer surprised by any level of buffoonery I witness on Newark.

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.

*** ****

Not being condescending Neverleft, but did they give you a hard time over the deck permit?

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 !!!