Wellmont Revisited

Can't wait to see how it turns out. I'd like to see these guys headline there.

Hanson?

There goes my joke: "Jonas Brothers? I remember when they used to be called Hanson."

I couldn't be more thrilled about this development.

Can't wait to be able to support this addition to Montclair's arts and entertainment scene in person. Not so sure I'll be paying money for Hanson, but I bet the Bowery Presents will bring along some top-notch acts.

Maybe Hanson has matured into a more contemporary act, although I can't say that I've heard anything from them since the unmentionably awful 'mmbop' thingy.

Al Green?? Fabulous!!!!

I can't wait till this sucker is finished. It's gonna be great!

I heard the Allman Brothers were supposed to play there as well....did anyone hear anything about that?

It looks like it was once, and hopefully will be, a grand venue. They certainly don't make 'em like that anymore.

But can Baristaville truly sustain such a live performance venue, given all the other theaters and concert halls around? Just in our immediate area there are the one at MSU (Kassin?), SOPAC, NJPAC, Westminster Arts Center, etc.

I do hope they succeed. I frequently attend performances at the beautifully-restored Community Theatre in Morristown, and I think the Wellmont could fill that niche very nicely here in B-ville.

I'm still disappointed that the 12 Miles West theater company got screwed over in their deal to buy the Century Theater in Bloomfield. For the life of me I cannot understand why the owner broke the contract at the last minute, considering that the theater remains vacant to this day. That would have been a wonderful anchor for the long-awaited downtown redevelopment.

I hope there's a good mix of jazz and classical in there also..

Cute reaction from the Brooklyn Vegan:

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/03/the_bowery_pres.html

catinthehat: I like this one, reminds me of Sleepless in montclair.

.".But, that is not what the kids of Montclair really want. We just want to have the quieter town we grew up in, meaning we do not want New York flocking to bloomfield ave. I mean give me a break, Urban Outfitters is right around the corner from this place.
Fuck that."

Oh but it's okay when the suburbs flocks to New York and changes it's character right? Just not the other way around?
Music venues have closed and live music has been prohibited in certain venues in downtown NYC because assholes from the suburbs move into the gentrified East Village and then want it quite like in New Jersey where they came from, and they have stuff muted and shuttered. But when there's a hint of it coming at you the other way you instantly cry.. nonono. Hyprocrite. Douchbag. Fuck That? Fuck you.

I hope the the noise of New York comes over and fills Bloomfield Avenue until you can never get a good nights sleep again.

The old "Century Theatre" is not actually vacant, porkroll. You can add that venue to the list of those competing for acts and an eventual audience. The theater was sold to another concert promoter some months ago (part of the reason the 12 mile west sale didn't happen) who intends to turn it into a smaller, more initmate, showcase. I think it goes by the name of MAC right now but I don't know much more about it. I haven't seen much activity so far but have been told that the owner is making slow progess inside fixing it up. We shall see...

I look forward to the addition of 1,000 cars whenever there is a performance.

Plan to walk from Walnut Street to frequent your favorite restaurant.

Debbie asked: "You have to wonder what we, as a culture, were thinking when we covered up the great prosceniums..."

I'm sure the thinking then was, let's cover it up and if- down the line- someone wants to "bring it back," they can.

The alternative would have been to raze the building.

Here, for a fee- we can have the old place back.

Apparently, Cathar has demanded a Lawrence Welk tribute night.

One word, "parking." 13%annualtaxhike read my mind.

Apparently, Cathar has demanded a Lawrence Welk tribute night.
-----------------

And a one...And a two

Pork Roll - Growing up in Montclair, seeing venues come and go, I agree with you in questioning the success of such a venture.

On the other hand, I do see great potential in the venue with it being backed by the driving force of Bowery Presents, and have heard of quite a few credible acts placing holds already. As far as competing with surrounding venues, I think this will be a stand out.

Parking will be a nightmare but I think the money floating in to our local businesses may make up for the headache.

I support any venture that looks to increase the tax rolls in Montclair. I unfortunately foresee a short-lived success as the lack of parking will be a major detriment to the potential for repeat business.

Will people be willing to pay for parking at the Crescent deck and then walk the 1/4 mile down to the theatre?

Survey says? X

I've been to BAM in Brooklyn, Mayo in Morristown, State Street in New Brunswick and a number of other local venues. What they all have in common is convenient parking or public transit options. I hope the Bowery Presents is aware of how bad the parking issue has become.

I'll never understand how people can whine about parking in Montclair. In 20 years here I've never had a problem parking downtown. Not on a Sat night, not in the day, not anytime.

If people want to park directly in front of where they're going, they're going to be disappointed. If they can walk a couple of blocks - no problem.

The Wellmont is going to be awesome.

relax people, are you really from around here? The lack of parking has been an issue for at least 25 years. The decks that were recently built have eased that some but you'll always here out of towners say that they specifically avoid going to Montclair because of the parking. People who live in Montclair scramble for parking permits like they were gold. There are waiting lists fer crissakes. You sound like a shill.

Looney, you sound like a loon. Like I said, if you want to park RIGHT in front of where you're going, you're SOL. If you can manage to walk a couple of blocks, you'll never have a problem.

This ain't Hoboken...

This might not be Hoboken, but try ordering some pie for pick-up from Villa Victoria with a 3-year old in the child seat. From Wednesday to Saturday night, it certainly does feel a lot like doing the same at Benny's in Hoboken.

We're talking 1,000 cars. I hope they don't decide to tailgate any of these shows. Wouldn't it just be great to have a bunch of teenagers drinking and bbqing in your front yard?

Yup, relaxpeople is a shill.

Got parking?

Yes 13%, if you want to park directly in front of Villa on a Sat night in September, not gonna happen.

Looney,

Are you talking about overnight permits? That's a whole different issue my dear. Get off you ass and walk.

People don't go to Montclair anymore because it's too crowded. (Thanks, Yogi).

It's very dirty pool, j.perlstein, to attempt to insult me when I haven't been part of the debate. (I realize that's probably par for the course round your homestead, true, but it's distinctly non-pardlike...)

Of course I quake before your no doubt much hipper musical tastes, too. Yea verily, "Sesame Street Live" or "Dora the Explorer" is probably so much more fun than, for me, Tift Merritt and Teddy Thompson tomorrow night. Y'all have a nice time with Elmo anyway, and try not to eat too much cotton candy.

Dear relax people, I do walk. In fact, I walk a lot and, most importantly, I don't drive. I've worked and/or lived in Montclair for decades and I can assure you that it's not just an overnight parking problem that plagues the 'Clair. Merchants complain about their customers complaining about parking. Patrons recant stories of driving around in circles looking for available spaces. And this is after the Crescent Deck was built. If you check the link to the other Baristanet thread that I posted, the poster was lamenting the overall parking problem. And this doesn't even approach the complaints scores of people have posted about being ticketed wantonly by the Montclair Police.

So, in closing, may I suggest that you get off you(sic) ass and stop glossing over a major potential problem. Your shill is showing.

Well, Cathar, you seem aghast that your vacation calendar was not posted on my desktop.

Looney,

You strike me as one of those Land Rover driving Park Slope migrants who moved to suburbia and can't believe she can't park RIGHT IN FRONT of Raymond's on a Sunday morning. Shock! Horror! Tip for you: park around the corner and walk a block or two.

Or are you one of those Montclair divas who think they deserve a designated spot in front of Urban Outfitters? Shall we put up some cones for you darling?

My, I'm aghast at your lack of reading comprehension, relax people. I am a pedestrian and, FYI, NOT a Brooklyn transplant. Essex County raised, babe. I had countless breakfasts at Something Different on Church probably before you were born.

Your vitriol shows how defensive you are of your shallow shilling. Perhaps you need to seek your own advice and "relax people."

Loonie baby!

So there it is! You've been here soooooo long that you are entitled to a parking spot right on Church Street. I didn't see it before - you're a grouchy geezer.

At your advanced age, maybe a condo in Florida would be better for you than the stress on your knees of walking a couple of blocks to your beloved Church Street?

What can we expect next Loonie? Tales of how great parking was in front of Bond's?

This parking issue, I find it very amusing. I have lived in Montclair for all of my 40 years so I think I can lend some perspective. First of all, most suburban downtowns would LOVE to have a parking problem to begin with; it is the result of a successful and thriving community. A lot of suburbs are having trouble attracting people to their downtowns and have lost a ton of commercial activity to malls. When the Sienna was being planned (or any constructive project in this town for that matter), everyone cried about the potential parking issues. What these people forget is the former Hahnes was a pretty decent sized department store that actually drew a ton of traffic, far more than what the current commercial and residential units draw at that location today. Looking at the Wellmont project, was that not a movie theater? I must imagine that at some point with 3 theaters showing multiple movies there was some traffic that pre-existed in relation to that property, and so this ?new? project cannot directly lead to the need for 1000 additional parking spots as indicated by a previous post. People in this town who cry about parking just don?t get it! What is the alternative, implode the building? Stifle any commercial development that attracts paying customers to our town? WTF do you expect a commercial building in our downtown to put to use as that can be economically viable and WONT attract traffic??? Should we knock this building down and put up a parking deck? If you have a problem with parking, either don?t drive or move?or drive to the F?n mall, there is always parking there.

I often walk to Bloomfield Ave and I live a ten minutes walk north of the corner of Bloomfield and Elm/Grove.

Do you think these 2,000 theater goers will be from Montclair? No, they will be suburbanites who are accustomed to waiting five minutes for the other suburbanite to pull out of their great parking spot at their local Target when there are hundreds of available spots just 10 spaces further away.

These are the people that a venue like the new Wellmont will cater too and they will not be willing to walk ten minutes to the venue in the heat of the Summer or the cold of Winter.

I wish the owners great success and truly want it to succeed to help our lack of ratables. Unfortunately, their lack of due diligence in regards to the parking issue will spell the Wellmont's downfall just as the Red Cheetah and the short lived comedy club that preceded it.

We'll revisit this in two or three year's time when it is converted back into a multiplex ;)

13%,

You are expecting 2000 extra people for each event, so I guess the place will be sold out....well that sounds like a good problem for the new Wellmont owners to have. Also, you think all these 2000 people wont be from Montclair, which makes sense since nobody in Montclair likes music. In terms of due diligence, I wonder what you would come up with for a good and viable use of this pre-existing commerial building with little impact on traffic? I am all ears.....

getaclue,

I am not offering alternative solutions. I am simply prognosticating the success of the venue.

Did you ever wonder why the movie theater (of which I used to frequent quite regularly) didn't do well? Perhaps the lack of convenient parking?

Montclair has a parking problem for all those not willing to walk five minutes to their retail destination. Yes, many of us here do not fit that profile, but to think that the venue will attract an audience that is made up of more than a very small percentage of locals is ludicrous. Did you ever go to a Met game or a concert at the old Brendan Byrne/Continental Airline/Izod arena? I doubt even 1% of the attendees were residents of East Rutherford.

The concept of bulldozing the Wellmont to build a parking garage would probably have a better net gain in ratables for Montclair in the longer term.

And have you noticed how many former metered spots have been converted to permit parking over the last decade. Pretty soon, you better make damn sure your outlet caters to locals because they truly will be the only ones to utilize the business.

Dearest relax people, you might need to adjust your meds. Your eyes still aren't reading what I posted. I suggest you look up the word pedestrian if you still have difficulty re-reading what I wrote earlier.

If I recall, you might be the same shill who defended the backwards bus shelters along Bloomfield Avenue. Do you work for the Montclair BID?

Here's an alternative. How about privately financed skatepark or a community center with a parking garage below it?

Looney Tunes!

Yes, Looney my dear, pedestrian means tiresome or boring. This pretty much describes old, grouchy people like you. Thank you for the perfect word.

I hear the Wellmont might get some acts that are designed for your wrinkled ears - Peter Paul and Mary!

Now I can't guarantee that you will be able to park your big SUV right in front of the venue, but maybe if you whine some more about having to walk, we can take up a collection here to rent a limo for your entitled ass!

13%,
I am still not sure I understand...comparing the Izod center to this project. This is a pre-existing commercial building, not a new development. As far as a the small percentage of Montclair residents who would come to the Wellmont, I don't think it matters if 100% come from outside of town. Success or failure won't depend on parking alone. If that was the case, since you state that Montclair has a parking problem already, then our downtown would be not be thriving as it is. I get it, maybe we limit commercial activity and development so that we wont have a parking problem and then the streets will be empty so you can park your car right in front of empty commercial businesses. Good plan. If anything, the success of this place will depend on the quality of acts they can attract, which based on the owners track record, I would say is better than most (certainly better than the Red Cheetah and the Comedy Club). As for as prognosticating whether this will be successful or not is not really the issue, they are spending $3 million dollars in our town to try and improve and reuse an existing facility for its intended purpose. A success would mean that much more to all of downtown businesses (and our tax rateables that you like to refer to), far exceeding the perceived parking issue. I would much rather see them try and fail then to have the place sit vacant and dilapidated. My guess is that you would prognosticate failure for any business at that location or any other in town, based solely on the assumption of the parking problem. My suggestion would be maybe to move to Bloomfield or even Newark, not a lot of parking problems in those downtown areas, and look at all they have to offer....

Can we all chip in and get a clue for relax people?

getaclue:

Your name is apropo.

I really do wish them success, which you seem to be ignoring. I suppose those with an opinion that differ from yours do not deserve to live in Montclair.

It is not so much the lack of parking that is driving me out of Montclair, as it is the every rising property taxes. Add the close-mindedness of certain neighbors to the list of reasons.

I truly wish I had your optimism. I prefer to leave my emotion out of the assessment.

Looney! Loonster! Loon o' rama!

Are you OK darling? It's almost 1 PM. Nap time for old folks!

I had an idea! We could create a Trolley system, the kind you enjoyed as a kid, to take you around to all the business districts in town. Now, I know it's not like your horse and buggy, but you'll never have to worry about parking again!

13%,

This started as a rebuttal to the constant complaints and whining about parking in town and to those who cry about this issue whenever any new project gets proposed in town. I personally believe the parking issue is not a major problem, just the reflection of what a destination our town has become, or at the very least not as dire a problem as most here claim it to be. My response was not personal and was not intended to be used an issue or as a means to determine who is fit to live in town and who is not.

As far as taxes, that is quite a bigger problem than parking, and one I don?t believe I touched on. Perhaps having thriving businesses with higher revenues would help lessen our property taxes? Perhaps raising the parking meter and lot rates to offset rising taxes could be of use? Somehow I guess I dont have a clue as to how having a successful commercial downtown district, parking and taxes are related? As far as having a difference opinion, I welcome and have encouraged to actually be presented one, at least one which is based on reasonably sound facts, which I am still waiting to hear.

So we have opposing views on both the prospects of this venue and the issue of parking in Montclair.

I can accept that.

Let's revisit this in 2010, shall we?

At 8:44am, I wrote:

Dear relax people, I do walk. In fact, I walk a lot and, most importantly, I don't drive.

Minutes later at 9:09am, relax people wrote:

Looney,

You strike me as one of those Land Rover driving Park Slope migrants who moved to suburbia and can't believe she can't park RIGHT IN FRONT of Raymond's on a Sunday morning. Shock! Horror! Tip for you: park around the corner and walk a block or two.

Or are you one of those Montclair divas who think they deserve a designated spot in front of Urban Outfitters? Shall we put up some cones for you darling?
----------------------

Again, I maintain that you, rp, are thoroughly confused. You are also making erroneous assumptions about me. Please step away from the keyboard and get some oxygen.

Loon dog! Loon doggy dog!

You can't drive because they took away your license because you're too old? That sucks. But truth be told, old ladies gripping the wheel with white knuckles scare me.

A consolation for you Looney - no parking problems! There might be a senior shuttle that will drop you off right in front of Raymond's! Don't be confused darling. It used to be 28 waaaaaaaaay back in your day.

PMS?

No jerseygirl, I believe Loonie is going through menopause.

Actually, jerseygurl, it's sounds more like psychosis brought on by shilling for the Montclair BID.

rp, I bet that you're older than me, lady! Zoink!

Lu lu Loonie!

Zoink?!? Ha ha ha ha! Had to Google that one! Shaggy! Ha!

You're dating yourself babe.

Got another idea for you Loonie. Designated parking spots for the elderly. Right in front of your Montclair destination of choice. I know you said you refuse to walk and want to park within 10 feet of where you're going. You'd be the perfect candidate.

That's it. You've shown your hand.

relax people=profwilliams!

Loonie Tunes!

I understand that when you are running errands and need Depends Undergarments from CVS that you can't find a parking spot directly in front of the store. It must suck, being all old and shriveled and having bladder issues and no parking!

Solution darling: order Depends online! This way, you'll never have a parking or wetness problem again!

relax people, I hope that you're not too strung out today from your hangover of idiocy. Have a fabulous day and keep on battling those windmills of your mind, you addled Don Quixote.

Loon!

So glad to see you live another day! Getting old must be scary. You probably won't be around, but in the future, we'll have transporter beams that will zap people down right in front of their Montclair destination. If you last long enough, you'll never have to worry about parking again!