Category Archives: Uncategorized

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Agency discusses potential developer

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Rahway is apparently drawing interest from a developer that has the funding to back a project Redevelopment Director and City Administrator Peter Pelissier told the Redevelopment Agency at its March 2 meeting that he and Mayor Rick Proctor met with a developer within the last couple of weeks who’s “very, very interested,” and has financing available, for development in Rahway. Later in the meeting, the Redevelopment Agency went into closed session for about 40 minutes to discuss the matter.

Government bodies are allowed to close portions of their meetings when discussing matters of personnel or potential litigation.

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David Ginfrida, owner of David Ginfrida Home Improvements on Elm Avenue, passed away March 10. His obituary appeared in The Star-Ledger and his funeral will be tomorrow morning.

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Appraisers’ report expected this month

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An appraiser’s report should be completed by the end of March so the City Council and Redevelopment Agency will know how much additional money will be needed to acquire three remaining homes adjacent to the Bell building, according to Redevelopment Director and City Administrator Peter Pelissier.

The Redevelopment Agency awarded a contract in January to Prime Appraisal of Woodbridge to appraise the three remaining properties between the amphitheater site and the Bell building that it hasn’t yet acquired.

At its meeting this month, where Pelissier briefed commissioners, the Redevelopment Agency awarded a $32,900 contract to Frank Lurch Demolition Co., LLC, of Avon By the Sea for 324-326 Hamilton St. The 2 1/2-story, multifamily home was purchased last summer by the Redevelopment Agency for $240,000. The agency bought the first of the five homes along Hamilton Street in March 2009 for $340,000 and razed it last year.

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Coming soon: New train station stairs?

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Be still my heart, it looks like there’s a possibility that the stairs at the Train Station could be repaired by spring.

A recent addition to the board blocking access to the center stairs, near the taxi stand, is a poster that reads similarly as this station advisory on the NJ Transit website (though neither are dated specifically (so let’s hope it’s not a stretch that I’m assuming it means mean May 2011):

“The stairway serving the center of the inbound/eastbound platform (near the elevator) remains closed for necessary repairs. NJ Transit is working through the required permit process and expects construction to begin mid-March and continue through early May.”

An April 2, 2010 advisory noted that the stairs would be closed until further notice for “necessary repairs.” A year later and it would appear the “necessary repairs” were slowed up by the permit process, necessary approvals and paperwork. Just a guess, as there’s no word from NJT.

The most information I could come up with were in the comments to this blog post last year, where readers posted the responses they got from NJT’s customer service: Something about a re-design and approval required from the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Who knows, maybe it had to re-bid as well, which would cost a few months at least. I say, let’s have an anniversary party.

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Price tag rising on Arts District projects

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A trio of change-orders and construction costs for additional parking at the Bell building could increase the cost of the Hamilton Street arts projects by as much as $2.1 million.

The Redevelopment Agency on Wednesday approved three change-orders to the Bell building renovation project totaling about $348,000. The largest change-order was $275,000 for site work all the way around the building to the nearest adjacent home, which includes some drainage work. Another change order for $4,500 was for an alternate bid for the roof, and another set aside $68,500 for mold remediation throughout the building.

Mold is on most of the walls, studs and rafters in the Bell building, City Engineer James Housten said during a presentation to the Redevelopment Agency last week. Remediation will be done in two phases: first, clean and demolish the walls, and then the roof and windows will be installed at which point the entire interior can be fogged.

The change-orders increase the $5.825-million contract for the Bell building to $6.173 million, which Housten said was still less than the $6.2 million in the current account for the project. The cost of parking construction, however, came in at a total of almost $1.6 million, including $815,000 for Lot A and $256,000 for Lot B, and another $507,000 for soft costs and contingency.

Lot A, where the amphitheater originally was planned, would have 99 spaces while Lot B would have 58 spaces, along with 16 remaining behind the Bell Building, for a total 173 spaces, almost as many as the 202 seats planned for the black box theater, Housten told commissioners last week.

Construction bids for the Bell building renovations also don’t include the soft costs for architect fees, $281,000; engineering fees, $260,000, and utilities, $25,000. In all, the project could need another $2.1 million, not including bond and legal costs, which is broken down in this Google spreadsheet.

At least one commissioner, Timothy Nash, seemed concerned during discussion of the costs possibly rising to $8 million or more for the projects. “That’s a lot of money,” he said.

If City Council approves financing next month, the city could bid the parking lots and break ground by August, Housten said. If all goes well, both the parking lots and black box theater would open sometime next spring. He reminded commissioners that the parking lot would be available for a lot of other uses, not just the Bell building, such as the Union County Performing Arts Center and downtown activities and restaurants.

The City Council last year approved an $8.5-million bond ordinance for construction of the Hamilton Street arts projects. The Redevelopment Agency in January decided to move forward with the black box theater and build temporary parking at the site of the proposed amphitheater.

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The future James Kennedy Arts Complex?

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The proposed 200-seat black box theater is often referred to as the Bell building simply because it was once a Bell Telephone facility. Eventually, the arts facilities planned on Hamilton Street within the Arts District will need a real name.

During a discussion and presentation about the projects to the Redevelopment Agency tonight, Redevelopment Director and City Administrator Peter Pelissier suggested that commissioners consider naming the facility in honor of former Mayor James Kennedy.

“At some point we need to name the building and refer to it as a complex,” he said. The former mayor would be a good tribute since he “has been behind this from the beginning,” Pelissier said, and continues this passion as executive director of the Rahway Arts District.

Kennedy served five terms as mayor, from 1990 until 2010, declining to seek re-election a year ago. “It was his vision to make Rahway an arts destination,” Pelissier said. “It would be a really appropriate facility to name for Jim Kennedy.”

Redevelopment Agency Vice Chairman Courtney Clarke said the agency would give it serious consideration.

The presentation to the Redevelopment Agency included approvals for change-orders to the black box theater construction bids, an update on the parking situation and a revised financial overview. A complete blog post on the presentation is forthcoming.

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Retail comings and goings

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The Zoning Board of Adjustment had too few members in attendance to vote on the St. Mary’s application tonight, so let’s catch up a few comings and goings in recent weeks when it comes to retail spaces:

* Main Shoe Repair, at the corner of Main and East Cherry streets, closed today. It occupied the location for less than two years, opening in the spring of 2009 and at the time replacing a salon.

* A pet spa is expecting to fill the former Kataluma Chai at 1470 Main St., by sometime in March. Kataluma was in the space from October 2009 to September 2010. Thanks to a reader who submitted the photo at right.

* The Zen Martial Arts and Meditation Center of Rahway recently opened on Main Street, between the Rahway Art Hive and Main Street Barber Shop.

There’s been some scuttlebutt about a few others but I haven’t been able to confirm them yet.

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Patria Restaurant and Mixology Lounge opened in December, replacing the former El Bodegon restaurant on West Main Street. I haven’t had a chance to visit yet and haven’t heard much about it, but there seems to be plenty of curiosity judging by search activity on the web. Normally, there are a few keyword searches that turn up in our blog results several times a week. The most popular usually are Carriage City Plaza or Sky View, maybe a few times a day. Keyword searches for Patria or El Bodegon, however, routinely reach a dozen a day or more, far higher than anything else we’ve seen in the past.

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Facade collapses at burned out E Cherry building

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The ground-floor facade of the burned out building at 65 E. Cherry St. collapsed over the weekend. It’s likely that it occurred sometime between Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon.

The Redevelopment Agency considered buying the property last summer and last spring was looking into possibly demolishing the structure. Dornoch purchased the property for $65,000 from the Parking Authority and more than three years ago had proposed renovations to the Planning Board.
The two-story building has been vacant since a fire destroyed the beauty supply shop in the summer of 2005.
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MyCentralJersey.com had this profile of Aromalicious, the new pastry shop on East Cherry Street.

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Agency awards appraisal contract for homes

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The Redevelopment Agency last month awarded a contract to Woodbridge-based Prime Appraisal, Inc. to perform appraisals on three Hamilton Street properties eyed for future parking related to Arts District projects.

The contract is for $6,000, or no more than $2,000 to appraise each property, all of which are two-family homes:
* 318-320 Hamilton St. (Block 167, Lot 43), which paid about $7,500 in property taxes last year, and last sold in November 1998 for $135,000, according to PropertyShark.com.
* 332-336 Hamilton St. (Block 167, Lot 41), which last year paid about $7,000 in property taxes, but the most recent sale price was not available.
* 342-344 Hamilton St. (Block 167, Lot 40), which paid about $6,300 in property taxes and last changed hands in November 1995 for $124,000.

The Redevelopment Agency last month agreed to pursue a 220-seat black box theater for the former Bell Telephone Building, awarding a $5.825-million bid to Gingerelli Bros, Inc. of Toms River. The agency put off construction of a 1,300-seat amphitheater and instead will move forward with a parking lot on the former Hamilton Laundry site in the meantime.

One home adjacent to the proposed amphitheater site already has been razed, after the agency acquired it for $340,000 in 2008, and another is set to be knocked down after the City Council approved $400,000 for acquisition ($240,000) and demolition and related asbestos and tank removal.

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