| Author | Message | ||
     michael brant Citizen Username: Mbrant Post Number: 73 Registered: 10-2005 |
It is very clear to me that there is no long term vision by the BOT in our town. Beifus is a disaster and the property should be condemned by the town. The Rug location is absolutely disgusting. This property should be condemned by the town. THD is trying to pathetically build a location that could possibly be taken over by Millennium and knocked down. The gas station on Valley sits vacant...sick! We demolished old beautiful buildings on Vose to make way for...NOTHING! And then there is the S.O.P.A.C. Now with all these HUGE empty spaces sitting you still can't park your car. So enter S.O.P.A.C. up and running bringing possibly hundreds of vehicles to town every day and night. On any given evening and weekend days the traffic is backed up the hill entering town. What the hell was the B.O.T. thinking when they decided to build SOPAC? No plan no vision. Restaurants are complaining there is no parking and we are going to open a 5 plex movie theater and art center? What was the BOT thinking? Put the cart before the horse. Are they awake? | ||
| Buzzsaw Citizen Username: Buzzsaw Post Number: 3823 Registered: 5-2001  |
I am just a guy from Maplewood, what do I really know - but....here's what I would do. 1) Turn that bifus lot into a huge (pay?) parkinglot 2) cut the crap and get a food store in the dumpy old shop rite building 3) the ruge place should be a mom / pop moderately priced home needs store ( like bed bath & beyond - but not so beyond) 4) turn the gas station in to a chipolte mexican grill drive through ! 5) I don't know what to think yet on the THD or Millennium thing. South Orange Village could be amazing. It could be a Hoboken type place - lots of action lots of people spending money. I can't vote in S. Orange - but I wish I could. | ||
| MHD Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 3340 Registered: 5-2001  |
Michael - Just curious...how long have you lived in town? | ||
| peteglider Citizen Username: Peteglider Post Number: 1779 Registered: 8-2002 |
I really believe there is a disconnect between ideas/vision and execution. Shoprite, Beifus, THD, Rug store -- all had reasonable ideas. Problem is, other than maybe THD, the execution is pitiful so far. Why? Well, first of all, it's property owners aka "amateur developers" who take the lead in these projects. (yes, the ShopRite isn't exactly that). Intentions good, but sorely lacking in experience. Secondly, I think the village operates on the "best intentions" principle. Assuming, that each of these owner/developers will do their best and get these projects done. BUT I don't see that that there is much of a disincentive to the way these projects are being executed! In other words, there are no penalities in the agreements, no ordinances that allow enforcement, no deadlines. Yes, if you fine, these owners too much, they will probably go bankrupt. Which means they wern't the right developers to start with. (so it goes back to "amateur developers". the biggest mistake is the village not insisting on experienced, well banked developers working with the property owners.) Bring on Millenium and their top 2 or 3 leading competititors. Lets get proposals from them all -- their vision, their plans, their financial incentives to the village. But letting "Tom, Dick, and Harry" be so miserably in charge of thier own developments -- a huge mistake. Pete | ||
| michael brant Citizen Username: Mbrant Post Number: 74 Registered: 10-2005 |
MHD I have been her for around 6 months. The problem with developing a small town like ours is it takes years for plans, approvals, financing and building any large project and you can as we see leave construction sights. The rug man should never have knocked his building down until everything was in place. From what I remember from coming to town the Beifus location once had a Mercedes dealership on the property. That business never should have been shut down until he had everything in place. The supermarket least sat empty until the project was completely approved so you are not looking at a hole in the ground for years like beifus and rug store. And back to beifus what a wonderful anchor to have in town a Mercedes dealership! What a bad business decision to shut that down. SO in my opinion the mgt of the town does not have a clue what to do or how to do it. A great example of what to do on a smaller scale...the sickley buildings were full renovated in a short amout of time. They were left empty but not as an eyesoar. The location owned by Bunnies...They rented to a wonderful store that is a great addition to town and to people who seem to be real business people. And the store is beautiful to look at. As far at the mrt of our town well they act like spoiled children playing with their parents money. | ||
| SoOrLady Citizen Username: Soorlady Post Number: 2976 Registered: 9-2003 |
I don't think you'll get much of an argument from anyone who posts on MOL. Unfortunately, when you look at the results of the last election and the number of people who bothered to vote, S. Orange gets what it deserves. The apathy of the residents in this town is appalling. Drew Beifus, although he does not live in town, is still on of the "good ol' boys". IMHO the BOT should take his property and turn it into a parking deck. BUT also, IMHO, as long as Calabrese controls most of the board members, that won't happen. | ||
| MHD Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 3343 Registered: 5-2001 |
Michael, You are very perceptive for someone that has only been here 6 months. As my new icon represents, you'll sooner see pigs fly than real progress while Calabrese and his cronies continue to destroy the town with political patronage, inaction and incompetence. | ||
| Spitz Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 1388 Registered: 3-2003 |
SOL - I know that you had previously posted about the apathy in this town, and you are absolutely right. We have a VP who feels he can just say whatever is politically expedient, and the suckers will believe it. And he's been right, at least as far as a large part of the population is concerned. For instance, recall his statement the week before Thanksgiving that demolition of the Vose bulidings would take place the following week, and excavation might even begin. TITLE HADN'T EVEN PASSED TO THE DEVELOPER! HOW COULD HE POSSIBLY MAKE THIS STATEMENT! But he did, and it has just become standard operation procedure on his part that most of the residents aren't that smart and I can tell them anything, and they'll believe it. Isn't this the heart of the problem? | ||
| Rastro Citizen Username: Rastro Post Number: 2314 Registered: 5-2004  |
Michael, though I wasn't here at the time, I believe ht Mercedes dealership closed because Mercedes pulled Beifus' franchise. I cannot speak to whether the business did well, but you can't force someone to keep a business open. That said, our BoT does spactacularly little to ensure that people who undertake development projects are qualified, follow specific guidelines, and actually do the work they promise. They do not seem to understand that they are doing the town a disservice when they let these projects languish, and act like they are helpless to do anything. Perhaps Mark and Eric need to stage a coup...  | ||
| peteglider Citizen Username: Peteglider Post Number: 1781 Registered: 8-2002 |
mb -- To me the issue is that what happened to Beifus, ShopRite, Sayid/rug store -- sh*t happened, and then these "amatuer developers" didn't have the resources to make something happen. Heres what I understand (and corrections, please) -- Beifus -- Mercedes yanked the franchise out from under him, later the building burns. It takes him years to recover enough to even begin planning a new development. ShopRite -- building languishes, "threats" of a low class market coming to town, BOT jumps in to the rescue. but then site has environmental issues -- then it takes years to get plans and developer in place. Sayid -- has approved plans, then demolishes building -- oops -- realizes costs too high for what is planned -- oops -- must redesign without basement -- oops -- uses fill from SOPAC without permit (which needs to be tested for contamination) -- builds a nice fence (well better than Beifus) -- now what? To put it nicely, these guys are not the Einsteins of business! Nor do they appear to be backed by flush investors who can deal with the hiccups. Why would one let prime real estate "rot" for years at a time, making no money? Beats me. Condemn their properties -- let experienced developers take over. There are 3 prime downtown areas -- put them out to bid. Give them each to a different developer -- with the lure of getting the *big* Valley St development. Pete | ||
| MHD Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 3344 Registered: 5-2001 |
Pete, With regard to Sayid, you forgot to add: ....buys additional property on South Orange Avenue--oops-- has to go back to Planning Board with revised plans. Discusses "future business arrangement" with Calabrese in South Orange and Germany --oops---Calabrese must recuse himself from all future discussions, yet still somehow manages to provide updates (or lack thereof) at public meetings. | ||
| Old and Gray Citizen Username: Pastmyprime Post Number: 310 Registered: 2-2005 |
Maybe the town needs Lasik? | ||
| michael brant Citizen Username: Mbrant Post Number: 75 Registered: 10-2005 |
If in fact beifus lost his franchise then it is unbelievable that the town would give him an approval to continue. I say condemn because it will be the only way to remove the owners of the properties from the situation. Then sell them off to a developer. Right now you have beifus disaster and rug disaster. The odds of getting any movement here would be better to sell the location to even someone like Pulte look what he built. Regardless of you opinion of the project it is up and running and is not a eye soar. | ||
| monster Supporter Username: Monster Post Number: 2079 Registered: 7-2002  |
wouldn't it be nice if their could be a class action lawsuit by SO citizens against the Govt. of SO, so that they could take away control from those incompetent arsewipes, orthen again, perhaps starting a town wide movement to unseat them come the next election. I vote for Dave, DAVE!, let Dave be in charge well if I lived in SO, I would vote for Dave! | ||
| bettyd Citizen Username: Badjtdso Post Number: 75 Registered: 12-2005 |
I don't think South Orange should aspire to be like Hoboken. I moved to the Town in 1965 and have seen a lot of changes. The recent ones are not good, in my opinion. The downtown looks horrible and is dirty, empty storefronts, high density apartment and condo complexes have sprung up, parking garages will soon dot the landscape. South Orange used to be somewhat of a sleepy, suburban town. I get the impression many residents and town government feel a desire to make S.O. another borough of New York City, with fancy eateries, performing arts centers,high density housing, restaurants and jazz clubs, etc. If I want a five star restaurant or jazz or artisitc exposure, I'll go to the greatest city in the world, which is 14 miles away. That performing arts center with five cinema movie theater I feel will be a disaster for the town. If you want to see a movie take a five minute ride to Essex Green. South Orange has ceased to be that quiet, sleepy suburban town it historically has been. By trying to make it more urban, hip and happening it has lost much of its essential character. Those are the qualities of NYC and Hoboken, and they don't have to work at it. In my opinion, based on 40 plus years of observation, people are trying to make S.O. something it has never been and can never truly be. It is no longer the quiet suburban town, but it also has not become this urban, hip and happening spot. It is in this netherland between the two, without an identity. | ||
| jayjay Citizen Username: Jayjayp Post Number: 389 Registered: 6-2005 |
Its amazing that a so-called business man like Beifus could not or would not do what it took to keep a Mercedes franchise viable - given the product demand. If Mercedes yanked the franchise, I'll bet it was because he did not make the capital investment in bringing the physical plant up to their standards. So this is who we let develop a keystone piece of the downtown. As far as I'm concerned, he and Calabrese are of the same ilk. Neither deserves our confidence or trust. As for Shop Rite, those owners never wanted to invest in South Orange. They were putting all their money into Livingston. The only thing that kept them was the sweetheart lease they had. In addition, the footprint of the place is too small for most other chains to be interested. So who knows what will ultimately go in there. Some small time operator in a small space straddled with an inconvenient parking deck. I'd scrap this idea in favor of some hardball negotiations with Pathmark and A&P to improve their locations. BTW, we could have had a supermarket where Gaslight Commons was built, but Calabrese didn't want competition from a store which would have likely included a pharmacy. Talk about conflict of interest. Then there's the Saiyd saga. Calabrese is about to climb into bed with him. More questionable behavior from our Village President, who feels he has a right to do this. Fine, but how about resigning from office first? Now there's talk about Valley Street redevelopment. What happened to Irvington Ave. redevelopment? What about the strecth of South Orange Ave (between Village Hall and Rite Aid) which has a collection of second rate shops (sorry Sonny's, but its true). How about re-developing that? And while you're at it, the stretch on Scotland that includes the Prescription Counter. | ||
| Mayor McCheese Supporter Username: Mayor_mccheese Post Number: 846 Registered: 7-2004  |
My vision of South Orange 20 years from now is Newark. | ||
| michael brant Citizen Username: Mbrant Post Number: 76 Registered: 10-2005 |
Newark? Meaning what Mc cheese? | ||
| Mayor McCheese Supporter Username: Mayor_mccheese Post Number: 847 Registered: 7-2004 |
Michael. I mean that in 20 years South Orange will look much like Newark does today. Sorry, I thought I was pretty clear on that one. | ||
| Two Senses Citizen Username: Twosense Post Number: 413 Registered: 7-2004 |
Years ago Beifus refused to make the capital improvements sought by Mercedes USA, because he did not have faith in the future of South Orange. Instead, he sought to move his dealership to Short Hills, Summit, or near either, but was stopped because it overlapped with Morristown Mercedes' trading area. He persuaded Mercedes USA to buy out his franchise, and allow him to milk his former customer base through continuing operation, primarily by his son, of his Valley Street repair/body shop facility. (Ironically, the owner of Morristown Mercedes lives locally, and allegedly offered to buy Beifus' dealership many years ago.) While Beifus now lives in Morris county, he ultimately saw sufficient potential in South Orange to unsuccessfully attempt to develop his South Orange Avenue property. If ever built and sold, he aspires to shut down his repair facility, and seek a new dealership in western N.J. for his son to operate. This is the "developer" to which South Orange has doled out hefty financial incentives and banked on for way too many years to redevelop this prime parcel at the gateway to our downtown. How's that for vision? | ||
| jayjay Citizen Username: Jayjayp Post Number: 390 Registered: 6-2005 |
So the fellow who owns Morristown Mercedes lives in South Orange, and the one who owned South Orange Mercedes lives in Morris County. How is that for irony? BTW, Morristown Mercedes has undergone a huge expansion having built a big new facility on Hanover Road. Seems to me he knows how to grow a business, not milk one like Beifus. Calabrese hitched the town wagon to the wrong horse. | ||
| bettyd Citizen Username: Badjtdso Post Number: 76 Registered: 12-2005 |
Mayor McCheese: I hope you're wrong but I fear you may be right. When I think how S.O. looked 20 years ago compared to today, I fear for the future. The Town has done an abysmal job with respect to zoning and growth over the last twenty years (with most problems occurring recently over that span), and what we see now is the result. | ||
| Flik Chik Citizen Username: Flikchik Post Number: 175 Registered: 3-2004  |
I agree with mayor McCheese... I believe that we are on the cusp of significant change for South Orange and a nudge would send it in either direction - Millburn Summit etc or Newark. On bad days my belief in South Orange wavers enough that I think we put our real estate $s in the wrong place. SO could easily end up looking like Orange, Newark etc due to the complete lack of foresight, planning and implementation. | ||
| bettyd Citizen Username: Badjtdso Post Number: 79 Registered: 12-2005 |
Again, I think town government and some residents would like to make S.O. into Greenwich Village or, as someone above said, Hoboken. But S.O. has never been like those places and will never become them. The Town is in danger of losing its old character (if it has not done so already) and will never become an urban, hip locale (and should not). The Town has tried to become that and is failing in my opinion. A town shouldn't have to work so hard at creating buzz. Maybe we never needed the buzz in the first place. Many of us work in NYC and take the train to and from Hoboken. If I want Hoboken, I'll stop in Hoboken; if I want Greenwich Village, I'll go there. When I come home to S.O. I want peace and quiet, a residential community with a clean and small town downtown that does not have to be bustling with numerous cafes and all kinds of restaurants and hot spots. I don't want a parking problem in my hometown! Give me Bunny's and Cryan's and a couple other local spots with some local character and I'm happy. Forget the chains, and the parking decks, beauty shops, and another apartment complex. A five theater miniplex behind Bunny's. How absurd. | ||
| jayjay Citizen Username: Jayjayp Post Number: 391 Registered: 6-2005 |
Calabrese loves to take credit for the increase in home prices in our town over these past years. He will credit "his vision." The truth is that prices went up due to Mid-town direct and the whole real estate boom. I believe our higher taxes AND the fact that the downtown looks so abysmmal have actually kept prices DEPRESSED relative to adjoining towns. | ||
| susan1014 Supporter Username: Susan1014 Post Number: 1342 Registered: 3-2002 |
bettyd, my take is that much of the "old character" was gone when I moved here 10 years ago, replaced by empty storefronts and memories. I'm thrilled that some new businesses have moved in to fill the gaps left by old favorites that I never knew. Personally I'd rather have hip cafes and restaurants than empty storefronts. Not sure why you want to freeze the town at the survivors from the businesses that were here 20 years ago, and board up the rest. Just so you can have parking??? Give me a break. I'm very dubious on some of the high density housing and large-scale development being proposed by Millenium and their friends on the BOT. But you leave me cold when you suggest that nothing new, upscale or hip should open in the town. Bunny's we love, Cryan's we ignore, but we also enjoy many of the newer restaurants in town, and look forward to attending movies and events at SOPAC (in spite of my concerns over business plan). I'm glad to be 14 miles from NYC, but I laugh at the idea that I should have to go there to get a quality upscale meal or a little entertainment. | ||
| cmontyburns Citizen Username: Cmontyburns Post Number: 1743 Registered: 12-2003  |
"When I think how S.O. looked 20 years ago compared to today, I fear for the future." And yet, the desire of people from outside South Orange to live inside South Orange has never been greater. I'm all for running the scoundrels out of office, getting things moving, etc. But come on. Let's keep some perspective. Newark? Really? "A town shouldn't have to work so hard at creating buzz." I can only imagine what homes in South Orange would cost if we had "buzz." | ||
| MHD Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 3346 Registered: 5-2001 |
susan1014, I completely agree with your post. | ||
| bettyd Citizen Username: Badjtdso Post Number: 81 Registered: 12-2005 |
"I'd rather have hip cafes and restaurants than empty storefronts." So would I, so would anyone, but we seem to have none of the former and many of the latter. I don't want to "freeze the town" I just wish we would focus more on keeping it a quiet, safe residental community as opposed to some sort of business or entertainment destination, which I don't think it will ever be. Smarter zoning was required years ago and it is tough to reverse problems which are evident now. Answer me this question: Do you think in the last ten years the downtown has improved or gotten worse? How about in the last five? The last two? I think it has clearly gotten worse. Give me a break. A town the size of S.O. shouldn't have a parking problem. Where are people going to park when SOPAC opens? You should be dubious of the high density housing and large scale development on the way. There's no way to stop it given the Town's "anything goes because we need business and tax revenue" mentality. It is exactly that sort of mentality and development that squeezes out hip and upscale and brings in chains and no character. I'm still waiting for the "New York Style" nightclub to make an appearance, and bet Millenium will bring it. What makes people want to visit a downtown, or start a unique business in it, is a quaint, clean, inviting atmosphere that is family friendly and exudes quality of life. I don't see that in S.O. like I used to. I have never seen a Town working so hard to find an identity. | ||
| Josh Holtz Citizen Username: Jholtz Post Number: 272 Registered: 4-2004 |
SO being Newark in the future (and I am assuming the bad sections of Newark) is ridiculous. If someone could explain (Mayor?) why that will happen it will be insightful. As far as the rise in SO housing prices are concerned: 1) Bill Calabrese's initials are not NJT and 2) SO housing increases over the past 10 years are in line with almost every other decent town in this county. In fact, it is my opinion, that the VP has done everything to destroy the housing market in town. The sad part is he continues his quest of futility unknowingly. | ||
| bettyd Citizen Username: Badjtdso Post Number: 82 Registered: 12-2005 |
Rising house prices are not the be all and end all for a town. They have risen in Kearny, Orange, and East Orange. Even in parts of Irvington and Newark. It is proximity to NYC that does that. Quality of life is a separate issue. | ||
| Veritas Ultimo Citizen Username: Veritas_ultimo Post Number: 39 Registered: 12-2005 |
Jayjay:Actually, the owners of the Shop Rite store did want to invest in South Orange and had entered into a contract to purchase the present site of Gaslight Commons from the Warnock automobile group. The deal ended when the Village, in response to the announced plan, changed the zoning of the parcel. The owners of Shop Rite were then faced with a situation in which they had a very small (14,000 square foot store)and, more importantly, that their lease for use of most of the parking lot was expiring in a few years. The owner of the parking lot property did not want to negotiate a long term lease. The company that owned the Shop Rite only owned about a third of the lot. As we know any improvements are expensive and it was possible that improvements would be made and then the store would be threatened with no parking which means no business. Meanwhile, as part of the "vision" thing, Village President Calabrese kept assailing the owners for not improving the store while promising that he could get a Balducci's type store. (Actually, he intimated that he was going to personally to speak with Balducci's to open in the Shop Rite space.) With threats (courtesy of Village President Calabrese appearing almost every week in the News Record) that the Village would have to take action (condemnation)if the store was not improved, the owner decided to just sell to the Village. The Vilage had been asked if it would condemn the rest of the parking lot and sell it to the Shop Rite owner but the plan, as envisioned by Village President Calabrese and Trustee / Redevelopment Counsel C. Hartwyk was to get what they considered a better operator (Balducci's). Revelopment Counsel, evidently after viewing the movie "Field of Dreams", stated at a public meeting that the key part of the strategy to get a grocery operator worthy of South Orange, the Village had to acquire the entire block up to the edge of the Post Office because "serious devlopers don't want to fool around with dealing with multiple property owners". This, if the Village acquired it, the good grocery operator would come. The Village then started the acquisition, with the threat of condemnation looming, of the block. As is usual with the Trustees, mission shift occurred and a bad concept turned into worse execution. Instead of acquiring the entire block, only two owners were bought out, leaving most of the South Orange Avenue frontage in other hands. Then,Surprise! No upscale operator wanted to come because the space is still too small for anyone except a greegrocer! Evidently, the Village couldn't get even a greengrocer in there unless it made a deal to allow construction of over a hundred condominium units over and behind the former store. Now, it turns out that there is not even a contract provision to require that a supermarket or greengrocer be there as part of the condominium deal! Thus, the Village is giving tax breaks for housing directly on Mid-Town Direct for a grocery that doesn't have to exist and which appears financially unable to operate (unless the Village make a major contribution to the cost of refurbishing the store). | ||
| SoOrLady Citizen Username: Soorlady Post Number: 2980 Registered: 9-2003 |
As a 35 year resident of South Orange, I understand bettyd's frustration. The stores of yesteryear were great - Ruth Satsky's, Becks Hardware, Decorating on a Velvet Shoestring, Molly Dickens, all kinds of clothing stores, and Grunnings just to name a few. But, you know what folks... we created what we have now. The Livingston Mall opened and that became the new shopping destination - all those great stores closed or moved elsewhere. Home Depot killed the hardware stores in both South Orange & Maplewood. You get what you pay for. Now we have landlords with empty shops who are waiting for all the Coming Soon stuff to happen so they can boost the rents even higher. If there's one thing I wish the BOT would do it woud be to force a rent-cap so some small businesses could consider moving here. | ||
| MHD Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 3347 Registered: 5-2001 |
Veritas, You omitted the fact that now - almost FIVE YEARS AFTER the Shop Rite was "acquired", the Village STILL does not control all parcels of property necessary for the development of the "Coming Soon" market. (according to Edwin Matthews at the 1/23 BOT Meeting) | ||
| I. Kabish Citizen Username: Parkingsux Post Number: 313 Registered: 6-2005  |
It be nice if the administration were not conflicted by such a resolution. But as you know - I am and have been for quite some time. Whether it's preventing Shop Rite (Village Market) from building on Third Street, prior to their decision to rebuild West Orange Essex Green, or partnering with Sayid who over the course of the last two-three years acquired 14 properties in town, I'm here to plan the future as I see it, not as you see it. After 14 years of planning, I can only see an image of myself. Please understand that SOPAC is under construction and the cost has increased another 3 million dollars. Bad for you, good for me. I can't get anything done for you, but as for me I'm not sure what my net worth is up over the past few years - (must be millions). I even give benefits to bankrupt non-profits who flip properties for a tiddy sum. I. Kabish am a conflicted nuisance upon this community and plan to stay as one. A community rally with media attention in protest of my visionless leadership is more than overdue. The rally slogan will be Leadership - buy, hide and sell in South Orange. | ||
| Veritas Ultimo Citizen Username: Veritas_ultimo Post Number: 40 Registered: 12-2005 |
MHD: Thank you for adding that important fact which illustrates how the Village is mis-handling even the vastly scaled down acquisition. | ||
| Howard Levison Citizen Username: Levisonh Post Number: 430 Registered: 1-2004  |
You should also know that these properties were purchased by the Village for over $3 million and will not receive any payment until the sale of the Condo's (maybe 2008)! The Village was to receive a Promissory note in Dec. 2005 for $1.6 million but hasn't received it (maybe the issue is that they still have not assembled all the properties to convey title) and even if they had it we could not do anything with it other than it shows commitment. Budget revenue projections for this year included tax payments from these projects. The Township has taken ownership of a number of properties thereby taking them off the tax rolls. We are now faced with a revenue short (millions) fall against projected expenses. | ||
| Spitz Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 1389 Registered: 3-2003 |
Howard - Perhaps the CBAC comments should be moved to their own thread. Thank you and the entire CBAC for your work. | ||
| Howard Levison Citizen Username: Levisonh Post Number: 437 Registered: 1-2004 |
It was my mistake on posting and have moved it to a separate thread. | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 3948 Registered: 1-2004  |
Not to burst any bubbles here but I have my doubts the movie theater will last very long. If it does, it will have to show first run movies. Then it will put Maplewood Theater out of business because people would rather go to a new theater then the uncomfortable one in Maplewood. I guess I have a big problem with PAC as a whole. There are a lot of small arts centers in the area struggling. What makes us think we're so special our PAC will succeed over those that have been around for a while? Hey, if we're lucky enough to be able to book some of the bands that play PACS in Red Bank, Morristown, Elizabeth, etc, I'd go! |
