With 2017 in the books, let’s have a look at the most popular posts of the year, as judged by you, the reader, based on most page views.
There were more than 29,000 views directly to the home page but more specifically, these are the posts of 2017 that garnered the most views:
1. Former gym, future Wawa site sold for $2.3m (Aug. 3) – 2,471 views
The site of a former gym on St. Georges Avenue received Zoning Board of Adjustment approval in August 2016 to build a Wawa convenience store and gas station.
2. Wine bar in the works for Main Street (Aug. 21) – 1,069 views
The transformation of a vacant storefront on Main Street, which for years had been a shoe store and more recently a banquet hall, will eventually become a wine bar.
3. Fitness center slated for former Pathmark site (December 2016) – 1,019 views
Technically, this was one of the last posts published of 2016 but it also made the rounds throughout 2017, enough to be among three that garnered more than 1,000 views.
4. Steinman steps down (Dec. 25) – 922 views
Mayor Samson Steinman resigned less than a year before his term expires. It came out of the blue, eight months after he took a medical leave following his second car crash, and four months before the filing deadline for the June primary.
5. New Church Street area to become Sal Mione Park (Nov. 22) – 908 views
After a number of homes along New Church Street were demolished as part of the state’s Blue Acres program, City Council designated the green space as Sal Mione Park with plans to dedicate it in the spring.
6. State of the City 2017 (March 13) – 881 views
Among the big themes of the mayor’s annual remarks were the new hotel for Carriage City Plaza, renaming a downtown space as Tesla Square, and a pop-up youth community center on East Cherry Street.
7. Talking supermarkets with an expert (Feb. 9) – 880 views
This was an enlightening discussion with Matthew Casey, who has been analyzing supermarket retail for more than 30 years.
8. Downtown artist housing taking shape (Aug. 1) – 878 views
Formerly referred to as the Rahway Residence for the Arts, the 58-unit affordable housing project on Central Avenue now goes by the name The Willows at Rahway.
9. Construction under way on artist housing (April 17) – 875 views
Construction on the affordable housing development, with a preference for artists, began early in 2017 and began to take shape by the spring.
10. City releases body, dashboard camera video (July 17) – 819 views
After the city initially denied an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request for body and dashboard camera video of the mayor’s car crashes, we challenged the decision and went to court. Eventually, a judge ruled that the video is a public record and the city decided not to appeal that decision.