Autos Out, What's Next?

The empty nesters I know are moving out in droves due to the taxes, and the amount of lifestyle housing available in other areas. There is corporate space available next to the Shop Rite, big shiney new buildings that have been mostly empty for years. There are also older buildings being renovated for corporate use.

I'm not sure the demand for either exists enough to be needed in Montclair.

Highest use for this land would be mixed use, retail on the ground floor, residential above. Maybe some space for professional offices or medical. The offering lists proprietary use of the parking garage there, though I'd be willing to bet the town would have a nice disagreement with that interpretation.

An ideal solution would be a 55 and over active adult community which would bring the income for local retailers without putting further strain on the school system. Walkable to a market, museum and theater, both movie and live.

I don't think that space is appropriate for commercial. That section of the Bloomfield Ave. corridor is too valuable as retail and residential. Given its location close to Church Street and the Museum, the project should be viably appealing and add to the downtown aspect of Montclair.

You don't want an office tower that would drastically change the classic nature of Montclair's vista, and you would need to build up to make that viable as a Class A office structure. Also the rush hour traffic from such a facility would be especially problematic. Also, corporations that want quality office space in suburban NJ also tend to want interstate access.

As much as it pains me to agree with the Grills, they are on the money with their 55+ community idea. DCH is the perfect place for it-where the residents dont have to drive to get to all the downtown amenities.
I dont think office space is neccessary or would be convenient for anyone from this location.
A mixed use doctors office/55+ residential complex would be excellent.

The Town should take a serious look at how they can pull in corporate, entertainment, more retail and 55+ residential. We need a plan!

Corporate would be great in this town...we have the trains and busses to NYC, nearby highways, walkable town centers with restauarnts for lunch and shops. Focus on businesses with 20 to 100 employees. Look at the offices on Main St. in Chatham for example: you don't need huge towers!

I think residential is just a shell game, where the developers pocket the profits, and the Town foots the bill for building new schools, etc. Maybe if the Town assessed a $50,000 to $100,000 fee on each new condo I would feel differently.

Another hotel proposal? Whatever happened to the one planned for Church Street across from the Siena?

I can imagine the fun of 100 employees commuting to work each morning- and all the fun of rush hour each afternoon.

Too bad this space didn't become available when Whole Foods needed a larger store...

hrhppg

....this is on Bloomfield Ave....I don't think a couple office buildings will make much difference in the traffic. How many cars per hour go past that spot already? (thousands?)

DeCamp stops nearby...what if there was a shuttle from the Bay St. Train?

How many folks who live in Montclair would love to have nice office space in Town for their business, or a larger company in Town they could work for?

chicken,

I drive past there on some of my commute days- like today. And it is a nightmare already. Another few dozen cars all trying to rush out of work would not be good. And since the current development trend is less parking for more people ? where would these employees park? I don?t imagine few people commuting from NYC to work.

The local business people I know all rent space in East Orange, or Roseland for their offices due to the high rent in Montclair, parking issues and so they can be close to the parkway or 280.

I'm not sure teh idea of a corporate space with worth while when we have such space available right now next to the parkway.

Parking issues in Montclair? Do tell.

Easiest thing would be to get another car dealership, though that's rather unlikely the way things have been going for most of them recently. Someone please call Tesla Motors ( http://www.teslamotors.com ) and tell them they need an east coast delearship and that it should be here.

Aw, just raze it and turn it into a nice outdoor park/plaza with benches and a gazebo. They can turn the dealer's used car lot on the corner of Bloomfield and Orange Road into a skate park for the kidz.

When I first moved to Montclair, DCH was a Rolls Royce dealer. There was a Lotus dealer in town too, next to the post office where the martial arts place is now. Montclair is not quite that rich I suppose. :O

Hey Shirley,

If you want to affect Montclair taxes stop voting to spend our money so foolishly.

$850,000 to move the baseball field 17 feet!

What's with the BOE budget anyway? Why can't the BOE save some money? After all, the BOE is the biggest item on the Montclair Town Budget and Shirley's been on the board for years!!!!

So, Shirley, how are YOU going to save us some money?

I question your motives in sending this letter to the Montclair Times.

I moved to Montclair this past year, having purchased a unit in The Siena. I grew up in Bergen County, and appreciate the ease of the commute into NYC. I enjoy weekends in Montclair as well. Having said that, being over 55 and single, when I retire at 62 in four years, there is little chance I'd subject myself to the high tax rate of Essex County.

I'm not all that far behind you, jimmyp, and I have fantasies of fleeing these taxes as soon as the kids are packed off to college. Are you looking to skip across the border to cheaper towns like Nutley or Bloomfield, or leave the region entirely? And if so, where?

why does this club kiddoo thing scare the dingo out of me? feels like another recreational $pot for parents who can figure out how to interact with their kids without the help of some themed situation with toy store. egads.

walleroo - forget nutley and bloomfield, taxes are high there too relative to property values. costa rica is lovely, so is croatia. if you want to stay closer to home massachusettes is a wonderful option. a friend of mine also just bought a large and lovely home in remsenberg - walk to west hampton and the taxes are about a fourth of what they would be for a similar house here.

That would be a great loacation for Sears or maybe a hardware store!

"the taxes are about a fourth of what they would be for a similar house here."

Dont forget NH. Beautiful, cheap, no state income tax, no sales tax. Thats where Im headed one day. Live free or die!

yes jimmy - true. it's a bit cold for me but it is beautiful and inexpensive.

AVMECH
It was a Sears!

I guess I've been here too long also. That was the joke! It was a hardware store before Sears.(before my time)

Jimmyp and walleroo, I'll be right behind you both - fleeing these ridiculously high taxes. Just cannot afford to stay.

However, the town should do a feasibility study on building 55+ housing for moderate-income retirees. That would also be one way to maintain diversity since most minorities and women in Montclair are moderate to middle income. The DCH space under discussion might work. Also, town could encourage conversion of these large old houses and even some of the controversial "green" areas being assaulted by purely commercial condo developers. We mature folks need walkable areas, with peaceful green spaces, and easy access to interesting cultural institutions and retail places. Sorry, I still won't be there because at the rate the retail is changing in the central business district, I could walk, but I wouldn't even be able to afford a cup of coffee! Still like the idea.

Models might be Crane's Mill built by Lutheran Social Ministries of NJ in West Caldwell. LSMNJ made some kind of deal with the town to takeover unused land. Having 55+ there brought in revenues for nearby retail without adding to the school population or increasing traffic, pollution or density Walpan on Christopher Place - a well run (I think privately owned - therefore tax ratable) assisted living facility in a converted "oversized" house.