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Downtown, Rahway, Retail, Routes 1/9, St Georges Avenue

11: Skeptical of Supermarkets

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One of the most frequent conversations among readers is about bringing a supermarket to downtown Rahway. It’s been the subject of the occasional reader poll and there was even a campaign five years ago to lobby Trader Joe’s to open in town.

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That’s not to say there aren’t options in and around downtown Rahway. The Cherry Street Market has been around a long time. There’s also Universal Meat Supermarket on Elizabeth Avenue and Rahway Farm in the Deals Plaza on St. Georges Avenue, a half-mile from downtown.

Matt Casey of Rahway-based Matthew P. Casey and Associates has been analyzing supermarket retail for more than 30 years. He helps open new grocery stories, conducting feasibility studies on a geographic area, studies the best places to build a story and projects how much business a store might do.

I spoke with Casey for a blog post in 2017 and it was among the most popular posts that year. I thought it would make for a good podcast episode to revisit the supermarket conversation with him. We talked back in October as I was brainstorming ideas for podcast episodes and not much has changed. We discussed the local options in and around Rahway and why it’s so difficult to attract one to Rahway..

We also discussed the cult of Trader Joe’s, the rise of home delivery during COVID and its short- and long-term impact on the supermarket industry, and what a Rahway market would have to do to compete. “If I’m doing a supermarket study for an individual who wants to open a supermarket in downtown Rahway — or anywhere — my first question is going to be what are you going to do different, what are you going to offer the customer that’s unique or different that’s going to change a customer’s mind from ordering from Walmart” and having it delivered to your door within two hours.

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Rahway

9: Zoning Board postpones Pine Street application

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It’s been a quiet couple of weeks on the blog, with the only posts of late both related to a Zoning Board application that seeks to build two, five-unit townhomes near Flanagan Field.

The Zoning Board met on Dec. 21 via Zoom but at the request of the applicant, Pine Street Rahway, LLC, the application was pushed to the Jan. 25 meeting. That will allow the applicant, a Colonia-based developer, to address some comments and questions raised in the engineering report and some other aspects of the application.

The project would build the 10 units adjacent to Flanagan Field, just off Barnett Street. The application seeks preliminary and final site plan approval to build 3 ½-story, three-bedroom units on two undeveloped lots that would be combined into one, about three-quarters of an acre. It would require nine variances, including a use variance because townhomes are not permitted in the R-residential zone, which is medium-density, single-family.

You can find more details and relevant materials from the application in this Dec. 15 post on the blog, as well as the follow-up on Dec. 22.

  • The week between Christmas and New Year’s is always quiet and the next municipal meetings won’t be until next week at the earliest. In the meantime, be on the look out for some follow-up posts on the blog about City Council and Redevelopment Agency business.

FLASHBACK:2010 – Improvements spotted at Kings Inn. It’s not earth-shattering news but I documented some renovations that were spotted at the motel along Routes 1&9, near the Riverwalk condos. it’s an excuse to link to music videos that featured the distinctive tower at The Kings Inn, including Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and a wildly popular hip hop song from the early 1990s.

Keep your ears open for a special episode of the podcast, aiming to release in early January.

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Apartments, Condos, Downtown, Rahway, Redevelopment Agency

8: New timelines for Meridia Brownstones

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  • Changes to the redevelopment agreement for Meridia Brownstones set forth milestones and timelines — as well as potential penalties — for the 487-unit rental development that’s been behind schedule. For more background and a timeline on the project, give a listen to this episode of the podcast.

  • City acquired three lots for $500,000. Three lots at the corner of Irving Street and Seminary Avenue are included in a concept plan for the Hamilton Street redevelopment area, which is included within the Arts District Redevelopment Plan that focuses on the northern end of downtown.

FLASHBACK: 2013 – Redevelopment Agency, A&M settle for $215,000. In this episode, we take a look back at a settlement over relocation assistance related to a downtown redevelopment project. Give a listen to find out details of the 2013 settlement as well as some historical perspective on the 116-unit Metro Rahway development on Campbell Street.

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Downtown, Rahway

6: It’s getting cold outside

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LOOKING AHEAD: City Council will meet for a special meeting Monday at 12:30 p.m. The regular meeting will be on the following Monday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.

FLASHBACK – 2011: Steel dismantled at The Savoy site

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