Category Archives: Uncategorized

Uncategorized

How much would you pay?

Leave a comment

A new poll is up and though it’s not specifically redevelopment related, I thought it’d be an interesting take on the evolution of the news media. Metropolitan newspapers have folded in cities like Denver and an fascinating experiment is under way in Seattle, where a major daily has gone completely Web-only.

Don’t be alarmed, there are no plans to “monetize” the blog through subscription fees or even ads, and I pulled numbers below out of the air. No fancy market research or anything, just an discussion about the future of local news.

“Would you pay a subscription fee to access Rahway Rising?”

* Name a price — it wouldn’t be enough!
* $1 per blog post
* A buck a week is as high as I’d go
* How’s a dollar a month sound?
* You mean you’d pay me, right?

_uacct = “UA-2976232-1”;
urchinTracker();

Uncategorized

Burger wars go to Flynn’s

14 Comments

Wow, it wasn’t even very close. Flynn’s and The Waiting Room had been neck and neck for awhile in the latest poll, but the last few weeks, it’s been aaallll Flynn’s. No need for a run-off even.

“Who makes the best cheeseburger in Rahway?”

Flynn’s, 37 percent (59/156)
Big Belly Deli, 26 percent (42/156)***

The Waiting Room, 14 percent (22/156)
Firehouse Pub, 6 percent (10/156)
Just A Little Healthier, 5 percent (9/156)
Stewart’s, 3 percent (3/156)
Bachmann’s Tavern, 3 percent (5/156)
Rahway Grill, 1 percent (2/156)
Other, >0 percent (1/156)
Cubanu, 0 percent, (0/156)

Technically, the burger at Just A Little Healthier is a bison burger. Cubanu had been nominated but never got a vote. Anyone want to share who their “other” vote was? Rocky’s Bar and Grill? Some other place we missed?

***There actually was a bit of, dare I say, “controversy” in the final night of the poll. Late Wednesday night, Big Belly Deli had but five votes with only hours before the poll closed. I wake up Thursday morning to find BBD got about seven times as many votes in the final hours of the poll than it did in the entire two weeks! I’m guessing someone had a lot of time on their hands Wednesday night…
(P.S. The image above was one I just found in a quick Internet search. Don’t go to Flynn’s, or anywhere else local, looking for it…)

_uacct = “UA-2976232-1”;
urchinTracker();

Uncategorized

Park Square signs first commercial lease

Leave a comment

The first commercial space at Park Square is spoken for. Eyes on You, an optometrist, has signed a five-year lease and will occupy about 1,800 square feet along Irving Street near Elizabeth Avenue.

The buildout is under way and occupancy could come by May, according to Matt Dobrolowski, the listing agent for Park Square.

As for the remaining 4,000-plus square feet for the ground floor at Park Square, Dobrolowski said there have been “on-again, off-again” discussions with a “small, franchise cafe” that could still happen.
For some perspective on progress at the site, at left is a photo taken late last March. The inspiration for that photo (and a continuing series of the same) came from Harvey Keitel’s character in the movie “Smoke,” who snaps a photo from the same spot outside his Brooklyn smoke shop every month for many years. Not quite the same, I’ll admit, but taking a photo every few weeks from the same corner does offer some perspective.

***

A new poll is up and available. Thanks to all who offered their nominees for this month’s question. If you don’t see your favorite on the list, just select “Other” and feel free to use the comments section to specify who that might be.

_uacct = “UA-2976232-1”;
urchinTracker();

Uncategorized

New retail agent at Carriage City

Leave a comment

It looks like Carriage City Plaza has a new leasing agent. Paramus-based The Goldstein Group moved into the ground-floor of the East Milton Avenue corner of the building several weeks ago.

No word from Silcon/Carriage City about what happened to the steakhouse — an unnamed “New Jersey institution” — that was in the works a year ago for that area. I’m sure you all have your guesses.

The dry cleaners at Carriage City has opened but it appears unlikely that Cuppy’s Coffee will move in next door (though Goldstein does label the space that way in their site plan). There remains a building permit on the front door of Cuppy’s — dated earlier this month — indicating alterations to the space for a “Mr. G’s.”

_uacct = “UA-2976232-1”;
urchinTracker();

Uncategorized

Of artists and jetpacks

Leave a comment

A couple of non-redevelopment news items over the last few days:

* A Star-Ledger “I Am New Jersey” profile of local artist Marcel Truppa on Friday. It must have been about a year ago when I made my first visit during one of the First Thursdays events and it was evident, as one person put it in the Ledger profile, “he’s absolutely a local treasure.” If you’ve never been to his downtown studio on Irving Street, it’s worth the trip, whether it’s stories about his art or living in Rahway.

* A Wall Street Journal piece about jetpacks on Monday that included a Rahway environmental engineer who’s been building one in his basement for the last decade or so.

***

I got a suggestion for a new poll question: “If you were desperate for a cheeseburger, where in Rahway would you go?” It follows our culinary theme among poll questions which seem to be the most popular. We have some ideas but to try to avoid leaving out any potential vote-getters (as we did with the pizza poll), we’ll accept some “nominees” this week to be included in the poll; email suggestions or use the comments section below.

_uacct = “UA-2976232-1”;
urchinTracker();

Uncategorized

Return of White Castle in the works

Leave a comment

Slyders fans, rejoice. The Planning Board last night gave final approval for plans to bring White Castle back to Rahway. The 36-seat eatery, with a drive-through, is planned along Route 1 north near East Scott Avenue.

A White Castle franchise had been located on the highway closer to Milton Avenue but was relocated several years ago to make way for the Routes 1/9 realignment project.

_uacct = “UA-2976232-1”;
urchinTracker();

Uncategorized

Townhomes rise on Lennington Street

Leave a comment

Townhomes are taking shape on the site of the former Lennington Tea House property, behind the Best Western off Routes 1/9 north. Several can be seen in the photo to the left, while the foundation for the remaining units can be seen below (which is to the left of the pictured units).

The project broke ground sometime last spring with an anticipation of 18 months for construction. The three-quarter acre site sold last May for $800,000, according to PropertyShark.com. Signs near Route 1 and East Milton Avenue advertising “custom waterfront townhouses” indicate a starting price of $390,000. Each unit will have two bedrooms, with a one-car garage and one parking space.

The builder, Colonia-based GMM Associates, also has constructed four new homes on Sterling Place and rehabbed several others in Rahway. The Planning Board gave initial approval for the redevelopment project at 1797 Lenington St. (Block 353, Lot 2) in late 2006 (.pdf).

_uacct = “UA-2976232-1”;
urchinTracker();

Uncategorized

Progress on Park Square streetscape

Leave a comment

It looks like there’s some progress along Irving Street in front of Park Square, as concrete has begun to be poured for a new sidewalk.

Occupancy at the 159-unit rental development doesn’t look like it will be “early 2009” as reported earlier. There’s almost 7,000 square feet of retail space planned along the Irving Street side of the four-story complex. Landmark Companies of Keasbey has been in discussions as early as last summer with an optometrist and coffee/tea house.

It’ll be interesting to see what rental prices will be once they finally are occupied. Originally planned for a fall 2008 opening, Park Square rents ranged from $1,600 to $2,375 but that was before Sky View entered the leasing market at $1,250 a month.

_uacct = “UA-2976232-1”;
urchinTracker();