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We can only hope. Something has to be done. My taxes have gone up $2900 in just over 4 years while my home value does not reflect that and barely is more than I paid for the house in 2006.
Sad to say another "new" spot on the avenue will close after just 4 short years. "Charmed" can no longer sustain buisness due to "limited foot traffic on Haddon Ave." The owner thinks everything just becomes a restaurant. Still think we shouldn't go for the liquor license or gastro-pub, Mr. Mayor? What should we open to sustain the avenue? Please don't blame the economy.
There is a guy in town named Joe Dinella who has been writing feverishly ( The Retrospect) for the removal of the mayor. I think he was burned in some way during the "town council got first dibs on the real estate" thing. I'm beginning to see how the borough hall works and am getting less happy.
While you and I are on the same side of the liquor issue, I don't think that increased foot traffic alone will bail these places out. A good business model at the wrong time is still the wrong business model. Consumer spending is low and joblessness is still high.
Also, further revenue is not needed for the borough to solve anything. The borough needs to make the avenue a destination, sure. But this is needed to keep the town desirable which keeps housing prices elevated, etc. I think that gastropubs/bars are part of that, but I'm not sure it will ever happen on the avenue given how NJ auctions liquor licenses.
Most of our property taxes go to education spending. Everyone in town keeps showing up to vote yes for the school and municipal budgets and then complains that their taxes are too high. For what it's worth, school enrollment is down 3% year-over-year but education and municipal spending go up, up, and up!
I agree Tom but Colls is slave to the Lumberyard loans as well as The Heights of Collingswood which is supposedly in disrepair and becoming a high rise project. I think I agree closer to your point that the avenue needs to be a destination. Restaurants (and bars) serve the town after 6 p.m., that doesn't help store clerks. You need to bring in the medium hitters to get the traffic up: Blue Mercury Spa, Janine & Jack. Sweat, Vespa store?.... Check out Westfield, NJ. They are what Colls and Haddon avenue should be.
I thought the Heights of Collingswood was sold by the borough. I thought it was Parkview before and the borough sold it and realized a gain on the sale. I believe this is the origin of the "PRIDE" Grant, which was the $150/year. Lumberyard will eventually work its way off of the books, but you are right that it's a drain on the town's outstanding financial obligations. I think we need to start by not re-electing a mayor who wants to underwrite his law business by bonding for projects that were never approved by taxpayers. How far this will go when the county stooges all won re-election by a landslide is TBD, but it's a start!
Quote from the mayor: "Trader Joe's is not coming to Collingswood." He also said that the rumor on chains not being allowed in Collingswood is false and he does not know where that came from. He claims they actively try to solicit smaller chains to Collingswood.
bollox... Is that because the town is not yielding a second floor of development, and Trader Joe's wants to be a stand alone structure?
I live a few hundred feet from where It could have been built, and was really hoping to be able to walk to the grocery store rather than drive (20+ minutes to Marlton when we go to Trader Joe's).
There really aren't many other competitors for Trader Joe's that the town could try to go after next. It cant be a full size grocer, given the developable lots' sizes. Collingswood could try to convince Whole Foods to create a unique store that fits the size, but that is very doubtful.
I always thought that TJ's fit neatly into small areas. Almost built for villages like Collingswood. If you go to Media, PA which is almost exactly like Collingswood, you will find both a Trader Joe's and Iron Hill Brewery tucked into the downtown. They also have one or two smaller bar / restaurants that our mayor seems to feel "are a bad idea" here.
I am increaseingly of the belief that more pressure must be put on the mayor and town council to get the town moving. The Lumberyard should be supported by something...it looks like an eyesore over there.
More stores fail on the avenue than succeed. I would like to see a sweeping change at the top.
eh.... I think the town has definitly been moving in the right direction over the last 10-20 years, so its hard to criticize the overall performance. But there needs to be some major projects/initiatives to take everything to the next step. Im willing to give Maley a few more years to see if he will continue progress. He's not at an Andy-Reed-level yet.
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