| Author | Message | ||
     Shelley Stile Citizen Username: Sstile Post Number: 4 Registered: 12-2002 |
Important: Now you can sign SOAR's petition on-line supporting the establishment of a Downtown Redevlopment Corporation which would insure that our Village's redevelopment is in the hands of impartial professionals instead of a few Village officials. Go to www.southorangesoar.com...Also, look for important upcoming dates. | ||
| noracoombs Citizen Username: Noracoombs Post Number: 6 Registered: 8-2002 |
Whoops--that "...Also" isn't part of the URL. The correct SOAR URL is www.southorangesoar.com Sign the petition today, and help bring organized redevelopment to our Village! | ||
| Summersby Citizen Username: Summersby Post Number: 7 Registered: 10-2002 |
Here is a direct link to the petition signing area. http://southorangesoar.com/sign.html | ||
| Dave Ross Supporter Username: Dave Post Number: 4080 Registered: 5-2001  |
Don't large construction projects take time? The SOPAC is a $10.5 million development. The Beifus site is privately owned, but apparently things have begun moving on that. I'm trying to understand if you're against what's been proposed and is underway or just want to move things more quickly (and who wouldn't?). Can you tell us more about the abandoned gas station pictured on your web site? | ||
| Bananafish Citizen Username: Bananafish Post Number: 22 Registered: 12-2002 |
No answer? Sounds like this isn't an informed group. | ||
| jrf Citizen Username: Jrf Post Number: 287 Registered: 5-2001  |
Dave, What gas station??? | ||
| Shelley Stile Citizen Username: Sstile Post Number: 6 Registered: 12-2002 |
Bananafish- I made the mistake of sending Dave a private e-mail with the explanation of the gas station and everything else he questioned. We are a very well informed group and I hope I can clarify things for you a bit more: -The gas station on Irvington Avenue is privately owned and is in great need of environmental cleanup. As Irvington Avenue is not part of the designated CBD(Central Business District) under The Redevlopment Act of NJ as applied to SO, the Village cannot condemn it and buy it. I also imagine that a cleanup of the toxic site is quite a large bill. I suggest that if you want more info you contact Mary Theroux, a Trustee who also lives in the area. Also, the Irvington Avenue Partnership is involved in redeveloping/revitilizing that area and they could be a good source of info for you. As fas as the progress and status of SOPAC...from what SOAR has discovered, in talking to a number of people who have been intimately involved in the planning, both professionally and otherwise, it probably could have been nearing the end of construction if professional advise had been heeded from the get-go. The general outloook we have gotten is that the design is mediocre, SOPAC should be the focal point of redevelopment...not stuck in a parking lot, the budget is insufficient to cover expenses for a professioanl PAC, the people involved in attempting to push it through are not professionals and yet they have have been attempting to make all of the professional (architectual, construction, operating budget, etc.) decisions (without heeding much advise from consultants, etc.) and are failing miserably. There are great concerns about losing the tax exempt status of the project, there has been no search for a Director of SOPAC and rumour has it that they don't have the adequete budget to hire a professional to run SOPAC anyway, rumours of allowing PArks and Rec Dept run the movie theaters!!!....on and on. We have repeatedly heard that the project is destined for failure as it stands now and of course that puts the Village and therefore all the residents of SO on the hook for the millions of dollars in loans. I suggest you attend the meeting on this Tuesday the 4th of the SOPAC Board at Village Hall at 7:30pm. SOAR intends to ask some probbing questions at that time. | ||
| wnb Citizen Username: Wnb Post Number: 16 Registered: 8-2001 |
Can you please explain what "Main Street South Orange will be melding into the DRC" means (on the history page)? | ||
| wnb Citizen Username: Wnb Post Number: 24 Registered: 8-2001 |
Guess not. | ||
| Shelley Stile Citizen Username: Sstile Post Number: 8 Registered: 12-2002 |
RE: WNB Question/Main Street?Downtown Redevelopment Corporation Sorry for the delay...Main Street's functions (Facade improvement, downtown promotions, design assistance, volunteers, economic development) would be part of the Downtown Manager's responsibilities as well as additional items like additional maintenace services, etc. | ||
| wnb Citizen Username: Wnb Post Number: 25 Registered: 8-2001 |
So do you really mean to say that "Main Street South Orange would be melded into the proposed DRC," which is what it sounds like your answer seems to imply, or that this melding is something that is definitely going to happen, as the text on the site seems to imply? | ||
| mrosner Citizen Username: Mrosner Post Number: 170 Registered: 4-2002 |
WNB: I just want to clarify that the village is currently looking at setting up a Downtown Management Corporation (DMC). The task force made up of volunteers including several members from Main Street, The Chamber of Commerce, the Parking Authority and Seton Hall as well as others who showed an interest in the village downtown. The task force recently completed their initial report and are now looking into the details of how to get the DMC started and how it should be funded. They proposed that this next phase will take three months. They would like to see the DMC started by the Fall. The DMC might oversee some areas of the redevelopment but would comprise of much more. Main Street is a volunteer organization which might agree to become part of the DMC but at no point would the village think it could tell Main Street volunteers whom they had to report to or how they should operate. The DMC task force was created by the Village board of trustees last May (put on the agenda by yours truly) and when we saw the intial presentation the Board was impressed with the quality and the scope of the report. My congratulation to all the members of the DMC task force for a job well done. | ||
| wnb Citizen Username: Wnb Post Number: 26 Registered: 8-2001 |
Thank you for the clear explanation, now I understand. | ||
| Shelley Stile Citizen Username: Sstile Post Number: 14 Registered: 12-2002 |
Mark- Interesting about the Task Force Recommendations...you stated on February 23rd that the Village was presently looking into a Downtown Redevelopment and Management Corporation. SOAR has requested inclusion in the onging process as we believe that if redevelopment proceeds without a DRMC, nothing will change and we will lack any sens eof professionalsm. The Task Force gave their recommendations on Feb 10 . SOAR presented nearly 1000 signatures of residents in favor of a DRMCthat same evening to the BOT. Today is April 12 and there has been no progress on a DRMC. No meetings. No formal committee. Absolutely no progress on what is, according to many local surveys, the biggest concern of residents...our downtown redevelopment crisis! Don't let yet another fine example of civic mindedness and dedication by the town's residents once again fall to the wayside. When will the new members of the Task Force convene to study the recommendations and when can we see some quantifiable action!!!! | ||
| nwyave Citizen Username: Mesh Post Number: 25 Registered: 1-2003 |
Mr. Rosner, not a tremendous item, but the Fish Market that the SO Village website indicates is coming in the A&E Convenience store location on SO Ave is not coming there. I was in the store today and asked and they said that it was not coming - at least to that location. As I said, I think this is a small item. However, being that we have been victim of the "coming soon" syndrome in so many situations, I do think it is important to manage expectations and update the website accordingly. It would not be fair or accurate to continue to foster the impression of certain new businesses if those businesses are in fact not coming. Personally, I think a fish market would have added a bit of charm to the downtown. Any ideas why it fell through or is it simply going to open in another location. I do see some work on a store across the street (same side as Rite Aid) - any ideas what is coming over there. I focus on what are relatively small stores, but I think ultimately a successful downtown will be an aggregation of lots of nice individual stores, so each new one that comes, or fails to open, is important in reaching that goal. | ||
| mrosner Citizen Username: Mrosner Post Number: 218 Registered: 4-2002 |
Shelley: The task force is the one controlling the speed and they were scheduled to meet a couple of weeks ago. The trustee meeting is tonight and I would be getting my update at that point. I have told you over and over we welcome the participation of volunteers and the task force is a completely volunteer project so far which has put together an excellent plan. As you know, I was the person who introduced the item last spring about setting up the DMC and was ready to put it into place as quickly as everyone could. The task force set forth a time line and hopes to have everything completed by September. As for the redevelopment items, Beifus has started the demolition process and expect that the building will be completely down by the end of the month and at that point they can start construction. Seton Hall and the village have been meeting regarding the arts center partnership and the plans are being revised. The site preparation will begin this week. The Vose Ave. supermarket project is still before the planning board and they are scheduled to meet on May 5th with the revisions that were suggested/requested by residents and the planning board. Although most people would like to see this project happen yesterday, the village requires open hearings and the planning board members follow their own schedule. If the plans are approved then they can apply for permits and move forward. If more changes are requested, they will have another hearing. If this developer feels that there are too many changes that affect the profitablitly of the project then he will walk away and we will begin negotiations with other developers. As for the 1,000 signatures which I am sure SOAR has, but I do not think has ever formally submitted to the village. Usually, when a group states they have signed petitions asking government to do something, they would submit them. | ||
| mrosner Citizen Username: Mrosner Post Number: 219 Registered: 4-2002 |
nwyave: I am trying to find out about the fish market. We only find out when they a store puts a request in for a use permit or a landlord notifies the village. I agree that we need as many small stores as possible and certainly a fish market would be nice. We were very careful not to post a new business on the web page until the permit was taken out just to avoid any issue that we were putting them out there falsely. It is why you see the new ice cream store not officially listed, but under rumored new stores. They do not need a new use permit because it was an ice cream store and the landlord does not have to notify us of a new tenant. As soon as I hear back, I will post the info on here. | ||
| Shelley Stile Citizen Username: Sstile Post Number: 19 Registered: 12-2002 |
Mark- SOAR has the 1000 signatures for the petition supporting a DRMC and will sit down with you so you can go over them page by page whenever you request. It is intersting though that no one ever asked to view the petitions. We could hardly garner any response from the BOT when we presented them on Februry 10th. I know first hand that there has been no progress whatsoever on the Redevlopment Corporation's Task Force study because their efforts to reconvene have been rebuffed by Bill Calabrese who has stated that he will not even consider meeting until sometime in June...after the eletions! That Task Force had a few months to study the recommendations and nothing has happened. If you were the one to have originally supported a DRMC, why aren't you on the offensive for moving this project along? | ||
| nwyave Citizen Username: Mesh Post Number: 31 Registered: 1-2003 |
Mr. Rosner, Any word on the Fish Market? It is still on the Village Website as a new business. At this sensitive time, I think it is especially important to manage expectations - otherwise I fear (and I am absolutely not espousing that here), the website will infact be interpeted as just village propoganda, not to believed. Thanks. | ||
| mrosner Citizen Username: Mrosner Post Number: 253 Registered: 4-2002 |
nwyave: We only post a new business when there is a use permit taken out or the landlord informs us. In this case, there was a permit and the use listed was fish market. At this point in time, we have not been given any information that would cause us to think otherwise other than a posting on this board. If you see there are two different listings for new stores - ones that took out a permit and the other ones that are "rumored" to be opening. I think this was a very fair way to go. I will ask the village administrator to check with the landlord to see what is happening. Trustee election is on May 13th. Vote Line A |
