asny10011 wrote:
Is the water table safe being so close to the cemetery?

JerseyCityFrankie wrote:
The use of language is flawed isn't it? Its claiming to include ....."spaces for theaters, art galleries and studios, museums, libraries and more".... When you put the letter "S" at the end it makes it plural, right? SO are they claiming there will actually be two or more libraries in this small complex? More than two museums? Two or more theaters? Its a bullshit list of imaginary substance that was clearly thrown together in haste. It is NOT being specific about what it claims to be offering in exchange for a zoning variance and I believe the bar should be higher for proposals like this. If the developer has substantive things it can bring to the table they should have no trouble at all listing them and DEFINING them. Pointing to other unrelated developments in other parts of the world and claiming you can do the same is NOT in itself a plan for success.

corybraiterman wrote:
yes, that would be the entire purpose of it. now local politics being the shithole that it is, obviously it would go to fund a couple dozen new beach homes for some cronies, but you can't operate under the (generally correct) assumption that monies raised will not actually be used for their intended effect.

here's the thing - no one loses anything. we've never had the use of that entire area since they demolished the connecting bridges what... 12? 15? years ago. even then, most people never went up there because there was nothing to do. people would lose that giant ugly wall that's been slowly crumbling and occasionally getting tagged. it'd be a lost opportunity if you really look at it like that, but no one's taking a park away from you or anyone else - just the opportunity to make all the taxpayers spend more money on an excessive design because building and maintaining 5 bridges, about 15 blocks worth of fencing, multiple entrance and exit points including ADA compliant ones is wrapped up in "we want moar park!"

fk that. get a ground level park. get nutbag yvonne happy and make one or two of those blocks a municipal/residential parking lot. spend the money on the shit we need rather than excessive futility.

nice things are nice. parks are nice. so's the new world trade center. it looks pretty. it sure wasn't worth the money.

JCGuys wrote:
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nafco wrote:
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JCGuys wrote:
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Wishful_Thinking wrote:
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JCishome wrote:
I've spent plenty of time looking around at my fellow PATH riders, and that's why I'm not buying the theory that the PA wants us walking by those ritzy new shops. Most of us won't be stopping by to pick up a Bulgari watch on our way to Lincoln Center.

Right!? I walk through the Oculus every day to and from work, and have started to pay attention to the stores that are getting ready to open. I had hoped it would be something along the lines of Grand Central - higher end, yes, but accessible - O & Co., Papyrus. I'm really surprised to see the stores in the Oculus - Kate Spade, Gucci, Longines, etc. I agree - PA (or is it Westfield's decision) seems to have paid zero attention to the demographics of the PATH riders.

I'm curious what other people think - is this supposed to become a destination for the surrounding Wall Street crowd?

I hope it all flops and Westfield loses tons of money.

Why? Even if most 'common people' dont shop there, higher end retail means higher rents, and if they can make $1 billion of the $4 billion they spent back, they are at least on the way to charging retailers instead of commuters. Im sure they will squander that money but I would rather them get some income from someone who isnt the working class commuter or tax dollars to fund whatever it is they do.

It's not just rent! Most malls have intricate contracts with retailers that involve paying not just a monthly rent, but also a percentage of total sales. So, if this place is a runaway success, the PA could end up generating a ton of money not just in rents.

Also, the idea that this place will fail is silly, at best. Despite all the naysayers in here, this mall be a huge success. Downtown Manhattan now attracts a lot more tourists and even locals. More and more people are moving down there, and there will be tons of people coming to Westfield Place to shop.

I'm all for the Port Authority generating more money, but I would love to see the ROI on this $4 billion boondoggle. The facility has very poor ingress\egress and it leads to bottlenecks trying to exit. The PATH platforms are too narrow and crowded, It takes too long for passengers to clear while. This is where cash should have been spent making it column-free instead of the whale carcass.

A transit center with much better access for riders, more retail space, and office space could have been built for much less than $4 billion, but the PA wanted to waste $4 billion by partnering with an arsehold Spanish architect.

JCGuys wrote:
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Wishful_Thinking wrote:
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JCishome wrote:
I've spent plenty of time looking around at my fellow PATH riders, and that's why I'm not buying the theory that the PA wants us walking by those ritzy new shops. Most of us won't be stopping by to pick up a Bulgari watch on our way to Lincoln Center.

Right!? I walk through the Oculus every day to and from work, and have started to pay attention to the stores that are getting ready to open. I had hoped it would be something along the lines of Grand Central - higher end, yes, but accessible - O & Co., Papyrus. I'm really surprised to see the stores in the Oculus - Kate Spade, Gucci, Longines, etc. I agree - PA (or is it Westfield's decision) seems to have paid zero attention to the demographics of the PATH riders.

I'm curious what other people think - is this supposed to become a destination for the surrounding Wall Street crowd?

I hope it all flops and Westfield loses tons of money.

Wishful_Thinking wrote:
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nafco wrote:
This is a LRV or PATH Proposal I made for my thesis a few years back that would connect all the west side of JC to SI and potentially the City. Included were street mockups which allowed for street parking on off-peak hours like other major thoroughfares already do. Of course its cost prohibitive but theres no reason the city cant implement a plan like the Select Bus service which runs North-South in Brooklyn with limited stops in an articulated bus. It resembles a light rail at a fraction of the cost. With a dedicated lane, this would improve reliability and speed like it already has proven to in Brooklyn.

Good project - critical to future plans to better integrate JC into the metro area transportation network (if something like this were actually to happen in the near future, I would stay in the Heights instead of planning to move to JSQ) - the lack of a direct rail connection to Manhattan is a huge drawback to the future of the Heights. I'm curious about a few things:
- who was on your review committee? Where there any local stakeholders, or local planning experts?
- how well was your proposal received?
- did you conclude whether the PATH or LRV equipment was the better platform?
- the SI section seems to cut straight across roads and properties - was the premise to use exclusively existing ROWs?

Yvonne wrote:
Where is the open space? This is poor planning by our planning office, we are allowing developers to place massive buildings in without open space.

JCMan8 wrote:
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brewster wrote:
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Voyeur wrote:
Among the developers' grand plans is a scheme to "raise the streets in the area out of the flood plain [????] while installing new storm and sanity sewer lines. The neighborhood would also get new street lights, public wi-fi, sidewalks and landscaped areas."

Note, some shrubs, not a "park" for the families they presumably are trying to attract to these large units. A whole neighborhood is being built there, but no parkspace, so they will inevitably come down to the already overpressured Hamilton Park. Planning Dept?? Hello??

I'm curious as to whether the Planning Department serves any real function, or if it simply operates as a rubber stamp when faced with a proposal that will generate $$$ for those who have the power in City Hall.

Stringer wrote:

Jersey City bar opens with unique motto: No Wi-Fi...Talk to each other!

By Steven Rodas | For The Jersey Journal The Jersey Journal
August 27, 2015 at  8:45 AM

JERSEY CITY – The 100-year-old building that houses the recently-opened McGinley Square Pub has a rich history.

In the spirit of this classic style – which is evident from the large antique cash register that sits behind the bar – the owner draws inspiration for one of the pub's mottos: "No Wi-Fi: Talk to each other."

"What I'm trying to create here is a good vibe," said 36 year-old Angelo Hatzipetrou, who opened the pub at the end of May. "As you can see we have no televisions, that's done for a reason. We want to promote the social aspect of going to a pub."

McGinley Square Pub, located at 755 Montgomery St. in Jersey City, was formerly operated under the same name. Prior to that it was named after the Orson Welles' film "Citizen Kane."

Read more:  http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... city_encourages_patr.html

Pebble wrote:
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Frinjc wrote:
Good. Now Christie can you come back in the state and do some kind of work? As a taxpayer paying your salary I feel that I am not getting good ROI. You have been quite a disappointment.

When Christie has "done work" in this state the "work" has resulted in the state getting worse.