There is enough demand within a three-mile radius of the train station for existing retail and planned retail, according to the Rahway Survey. Community Insights, which was commissioned by the Rahway Center Partnership, examined 63 separate categories of retail for the survey.
Monthly Archives: November 2008
Restaurants would draw us downtown
Casual, upscale dining garnered the highest consistent interest among four categories of respondents to the Rahway Survey. Opinions were more varied among other retail choices.
Rahway Survey results are in
Remember the Rahway Survey? I bet it’s been awhile since you thought about those signs around town last year that directed you to a Web site to solicit your opinions and shopping habits, among other things. A Phase 1 report by Merchantville-based Community Insights was presented Friday morning to several dozen people during a meeting hosted by the Rahway Center Partnership.
Cool Hand Luke easily tops the poll
It’s clear which Paul Newman film RR readers prefer. I’d say the top three in our latest poll are the ones he’s probably most well known for generally, although I was surprised how poorly The Hustler and The Color of Money fared.
Each option garnered at least one vote, and I tried to offer a smattering of choices, from old to newer to comedy or drama. There were a few that I wanted to squeeze into the list (The Hudsucker Proxy, probably one of his least known and most underrated), but we got to 10 pretty fast.
As always, our polls are anything but scientific:
“If the UCPAC were to screen Paul Newman films, which would you like to
see?”
Cool Hand Luke, 52 percent (18/34)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 38 percent (13/34)
The Sting, 35 percent (12/34)
Slap Shot, 20 percent (7/34)
The Hustler, 17 percent (6/34)
The Long, Hot Summer, 17 percent (6/34)
Fort Apache the Bronx, 14 percent (5/34)
Absence of Malice, 8 percent (3/34)
Hud, 8 percent (3/34)
The Color of Money, 5 percent (2/34)
The poll was borne out of an earlier post in which we suggested the arts center show some Newman films since he passed away in September. Maybe take a slow weekend and show a movie Friday and double features Saturday and Sunday?
We’ll try to get back to posting a poll every couple of weeks. Watch out for new ones, and maybe even some repeats since we have more readers lately, and don’t be shy about suggestions. Enjoy.
Two more properties for Landmark
Landmark Companies has acquired two more properties in recent months for a future project along Main Street.
Salon finds another space
A beauty salon that was rebuffed in an attempt to gain space on Irving Street has found a new home on St. Georges Avenue. Heavenly Hair Styles plans a grand opening this month at its new location near West Grand/Westfield avenues.
The Redevelopment Agency last month failed to approve a zoning overlay, by a 3-3-1 vote, that would have exempted the salon from a city ordinance that prohibits personal service businesses within 1,000 feet of each other.
Commissioners are expected to memorialize a resolution on the overlay at their next meeting (Nov. 12), according to Cynthia Solomon, director of community development and secretary to the agency.
***
No surprises but here are Rahway’s unofficial election results for anyone interested, which do not include absentee ballots.
Budget hearing on Monday
A public hearing on the municipal budget will be held during the City Council’s regular meeting next Monday night after which it’s expected to be approved [CORRECTION: A public hearing will be held but a vote will take place after notification from the state on the city’s request for $1 million in extraordinary aid, which could come by the end of the month].
The city’s net valuation is up about $30 million, which is only for nine months of the year, according to City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier, but a full-year assessment would be about $41 million next year. Last year’s valuation was up about $10 million, or 0.67 percent.
But it’s still not enough to avoid a tax increase. It’s unclear how much of a tax hike the $43-million budget for 2008/09 will carry but the city is awaiting word on a $1 million request to the state for “extraordinary aid.” Just about half the budget ($21.4 million) is allocated for salaries and wages for 344 city employees. Though the budget is down about 3 percent from last year’s $44.3 million, the amount to be raised through property taxes is up 7 percent, from $26 million to $27.8 million.
Although last year’s budget saw a mild drop in municipal taxes ($2,276) for the average assessed home ($133,000), it was the first time that sewer fees were separated from the local property tax bill. The annual sewer fee for a single-family home is $245 and it varies for other types of residences and businesses.
Happy Birthday Rahway Rising
First and foremost, thanks to everyone who’s been reading the blog over the past 365 days, and for commenting and sending e-mails. Hard to believe it’s been a year, but in the time since I started the blog, Hotel Indigo and SkyView at Carriage City Plaza have both opened and Hamilton Laundry finally was demolished. The economy has tanked altogether as well, forcing changes to two projects in town.
I started the blog because I’m interested in what goes on in my neighborhood and in my town, and I figure most people are as well. Unfortunately, while there are plenty of cable news channels screaming about the presidential election (granted, it’s important too), there’s precious few media covering what’s happening at a local Zoning Board or Planning Board meeting. What can I say, I’m a community journalist at heart, from my days as, well, a community journalist for a weekly newspaper.
You’ll notice there’s no advertising on the site. I’ve thought about messing around with Google AdWords but I thought it probably wouldn’t be worth the four cents a week I’d rake in. The blog isn’t what pays my bills either, so it’s really more a hobby/community service.
For those who are curious, here are some random readership statistics about the blog. I started tracking blog traffic in earnest with Google Analytics in mid-January, so these figures are for the last 8 1/2 months or so, and not a full year:
30,408 Visits
57,605 Page views
1.89 Pages per visit
2:23 Average time on site
8,384 Visitors
We have 151 subscribers by email, compared to 68 after six months (and 156 just yesterday…?). It’s been around 150 for a few weeks now. The highest number of visits in a day (226) was July 7; perhaps after a post about the number of units closing at SkyView. Not surprising considering SkyView is among the most popular key word searches that end up on the blog. We also get a number of visitors searching for Luciano’s and Cubanu, with a few looking for The Savoy. The most widely read posts also are still the ones about Luciano’s and Cubanu.
Goals for the second year? I’d like to hopefully spice up the blog graphically, but sometimes it’s tough to find the time after writing a few posts a week. I’m also hopeful of “marketing” the blog a bit more and getting the word out. It’s just been word of mouth and Internet searches so far that have pointed people toward the site. I’m also hoping to get a regular poll back up and running more frequently; that kind of petered out a few months ago. I also might be open to finding a new name for the blog if anyone has suggestions. I’ve explained the title before but I get the impression people think the blog is a totally pro-redevelopment, positive-only place to visit. I’ll write about anything going on, but good or bad is for readers to decide.
As always, I’m open to suggestions for improving the blog. Feel free to tell me what you like or don’t like either via the comments section below or by email. There’s been talk amongst the inner circle for some time about hosting a Rahway Rising happy hour or some kind of get-together. Maybe I’ll just have everyone over for some Karaoke Revolution.
Thanks again for reading.