Rahway Rising

10. Property acquisition moving forward, March 1

9. MVC site to be rezoned, Sept. 7

8. Rahway tapped for Best Small Town Arts Scene, April 2

7. Council supports two marijuana facilities, Dec. 20

6. New BA, police director spur reorganization, May 17

5. First phase of Meridia Brownstones completed, Dec. 17

4. Poll results: What's your favorite coffee in Rahway?, April 9

I'll save the top 3 for the podcast along with some bonus content beyond the top 10 posts of 2021 as well as a few nuggets exclusive to the podcast, some items to which Patrons had early access. Look out for a complete post of the full top 10 coming Monday on the blog.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the site over the past year. Remember, if you enjoyed one of more than 100 posts (including 12 podcasts this year) that kept you informed about #Rahway in 2021, please consider supporting the site. Here are three ways:

• Become a patron via Patreon - ow.ly/QOLN50Hepep
• Make a one-time contribution via PayPal
• Become an advertiser: ow.ly/Qxnx50Heper

Thank you again and happy new year to all!

Craig Sumberg started in September as the new executive director of the Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) -- the same week that Hurricane Ida came through town and left Hamilton Stage under water. In this episode, I sit down for a conversation with Sumberg in his office about his first few months on the job. Among our topics:

* The outlook for Hamilton Stage and the financial impact of it closing [3:01];

* Early fundraising efforts and his plans for the center [4:22], how that will drive better programming [9:25] and what donors can do [25:02];

* Where he sees UCPAC fit among other arts facilities in the area [6:42] and hiring a talent buyer to secure shows [7:27];

* The biggest challenges for UCPAC going forward [20:47]; and,

* Is there such a thing as "Central Jersey" [25:25]?

"I believe we play an important role in the community both in Rahway and in Union County," Sumberg said. "I want people who live within 30 miles of us to know that we're here."

Opened in 1928, the 1,334-seat UCPAC was acquired by Union County in 2006 for $1.3 million. The facility underwent a $6-million expansion and renovation in 2008.

"We're going to have to find our niche. That's going to take some poking around," Sumberg said, including recently hiring a talent buyer, Stamford, Conn.-based Music Without Borders. "There's room in New Jersey, though a very competitive market, for UCPAC to do more significant programming. And I very much believe that that fundraising dollars and memberships dollars will go hand in hand with better programming."

To make a donation, click here or visit https://ucpac.org/donate/

Sumberg briefly served as executive director of the 15-year-old South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) last year before the pandemic forced layoffs at the facility. He led the Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation in downtown Tucson, Ariz., where he was credited with growing the budget from $600,000 to almost $5 million. Previously, he was senior vice president for resource development for the Jewish  Federation of Southern Arizona. He also was executive director of the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, a 900-seat arts and culture center in Washington, D.C.

* Hurricane Ida hits Rahway

* MVC site to be rezoned

* September reader poll: Favorite bar in Rahway

* Hamilton Stage closed indefinitely

* Pine Street to be vacated,

* Arts Center reopening with new leadership,

* Save The Trees of Rahway,

* Council pursues overlay zone for West Grand Avenue,

Looking ahead at municipal meetings the rest of this month:

* Tuesday, 7 p.m. -- City Council
Two ordinances that were introduced and posted will be up for a public hearing and final adoption: O-38-21, would vacate Pine Street as part of a proposed 14-unit townhouse complex near Flanagan Field and Barnett Street. The project gained approval from the Zoning Board of Adjustment in April but requires City Council to vacate Pine Street, transferring the right-of-way of a public street to a private property owner. O-40-21 would create a West Grand Avenue Overlay Zone (WGO), encompassing 82 properties from St. Georges Avenue to Whittier and Irving streets.

* Oct. 18, 7 p.m. -- Zoning Board of Adjustment
On the agenda is an application seeking to replace the vacant Burger King building on Routes 1&9 near Rutherford Street and East Milton Avenue. The existing footprint of 3,000 square feet would be expanded to 5,000 square feet, of which 4,000 square feet would be used for a convenience retail use selling wine, liquor and beer, and 1,000 square feet for a fast food eatery. A second floor would include 5,000 square feet of office space.

* Oct. 19, 6:30 p.m. -- Alcohol Beverage Control Board

* Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m. -- Redevelopment Agency

* Oct. 28, 7 p.m. -- Planning Board

* Reader poll results: What's your favorite restaurant?

* City launches public input survey: The city is looking for feedback as part of a downtown strategic plan that's in the works.

* Three properties win tax appeals: The three properties were 195 W. Main St. and two of the Riverwalk townhomes.

* Second phase of The Mint-North tweaked again. The Planning Board approved changes, adding one residential unit and four parking spaces in the six-story building planned at Poplar and Main streets.

* 2020 Crime data: The Uniform Crime Report showed that reported crime in Rahway was up about 28% -- from about 190 incidents in 2019 to 224 in 2020 -- one of six towns in Union County to report an increase. Access crime data going back to 1999 by becoming a Patron of RahwayRising.

* SID transition continues: City Council held its first meeting at the new Downtown Management Corporation, including a report from the new SID director.

* Taxi rates going up: City Council approved a $1 increase in taxi cab rates, the first hike in eight years.

* Reader poll open: What’s your favorite summer outdoor event?

- A reorganization of City Hall included a new city administrator and police director.

- The municipal budget was approved, with no increase in the municipal portion of tax bills, and here's a closer look at PILOTs in the 2021 budget.

- Two polls came and went since the last episode, and now a third is currently up on the site. Have a look at the result of the Favorite Sandwich poll, and Favorite Outdoor Space. Don't forget to vote in the current poll, Favorite Restaurant (eat-in, table service), which closes next week.

- City Council took over management of the Rahway Special Improvement District (SID) and confirmed five members of a new SID Advisory Board, replacing the Rahway Arts & Business Partnership Board of Trustees.

- City Council in June introduced an ordinance regulating cannabis but then tabled cannabis legislation until the Planning Board has a chance to review it this week.

It's a super-sized episode this week:
* Rahway finished second in the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice poll for Best Small Town Arts Scene, beating out 19 other nominees to be among the top 10 winners.
* The reader poll for May is open: What's your favorite sandwich in Rahway? There's quite a bit to choose from in this month's poll, with classic deli sub joints, any number of assorted Latin American choices, and some Middle Eastern fare too. Best sandwich has no definition, it could be a burger, wrap, a panini, falafel, whatever your preference. Voting remains open for a few more weeks. Results will be posted ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. As for the last poll, What's your favorite coffee in Rahway? It was a bit of a runaway with Melao Coffee & Creamery getting a deluge of votes the day after the poll opened to grab a commanding lead while The Coffee Box finished 2nd.
* The second round of Rahway CARES grants distributed more than $255,000 in COVID relief to 115 businesses, ranging from $750 to $2,720, with an average total of $2,220. Patrons of RahwayRising.com can access exclusive details on the grants via the Patreon.
* The Planning Board approved tweaks to the second phase of The Mint. The north building, at Poplar and Main streets, will increase from 92 to 108 units and will be 6 stories instead of 5 because of the elimination of underground parking. During hours of testimony and comments at the April 27 meeting, the city's parking plan came up during the hours of testimony and comments at the April 27 meeting. Learn more about the city's parking plan in this post from 2019.
* The Redevelopment Agency heard a concept plan that proposed a 20-unit building on a vacant West Main lot that backs up to the Rahway River. The proposed wood-frame building would break down as 16 two-bedrooms and 4 one-bedrooms with 20 parking spaces across two levels.
* Finally, the Zoning Board of Adjustment approved variances to allow a 14-unit townhouse complex to be built off Barnett Street near Flannagan Field.
Looking ahead, the Zoning Board is scheduled to meet May 17. The Planning Board is scheduled to meet May 25 (listen to the tail end of this episode for some exclusive info on that agenda).

* Four Esterbrook Avenue properties will be studied to determine if they qualify for redevelopment.

* City Council adopted a $325,000 SID budget for 2021 that includes $110,000 for improvements and programming.

* There's still time to vote in the March reader poll, sponsored by Rahway Arts and Business Partnership: "What's your favorite soup in Rahway?" Chime in here.

Looking ahead:
* Planning Board is scheduled to meet Tuesday

* Materials related to an application to build 14 townhomes on Pine Street are due to the to the Zoning Board of Adjustment by Monday.

- Pizza poll results and a new reader poll for March.

- Phase 2 of Dornoch II heads to Planning Board

- Property acquisition moves ahead for Bridgeview

- Housing inventory remains low, in Rahway and beyond

Looking Ahead:
- City Council will next meet on Monday at 7 p.m.

- The Rahway Arts and Business Partnership is scheduled to meet Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

The polls are back. RahwayRising.com kicked off the return of reader polls, sponsored by the Rahway Arts and Business Partnership, with the Favorite Pizza poll. Remember to vote before the poll closes this week.

* Park Square owners secure $34-million loan

* City Council OKs Brownstones amendment

* Properties hit with cleanup liens

* Late fee tacked on to vacant property registration

Coming up this week, the Zoning Board of Adjustment is scheduled to meet Monday and take up an application for two, five-unit townhomes next to Flanagan Field.

The Planning Board is scheduled to meet Tuesday to hear a plan related to a Walters Street warehouse addition that was approved in November.

* The Redevelopment Agency authorized a pre-development agreement with Tesla Redevelopment, which is pursuing the concept for the 300-unit Bridgeview project across the river from downtown.

The concept calls for the development of the entire block around Clarkson Place, Essex, Monroe and Bridge Street -- which includes a PSE&G substation at the corner of Monroe Street and Clarkson Place. The pre-development agreement allows the agency to be involved in property acquisition, according to Redevelopment Director Robert Landolfi.

The agency likely will be involved in the acquisition of at least one foreclosed property and it’s easier for the agency to deal with PSE&G than a private developer, Landolfi said. While the agency can’t condemn the property, he said it can help identify another property for the utility. The five-story Bridgeview concept would be about 300 units across two buildings -- one with 140 units and another with 160 units -- on the entire block. The original concept plan had developers acquiring five parcels of about 1.8 acres. The newer plan includes 11 properties that total about 3.25 acres.

There have been instances in Rahway where original concepts didn’t make it through the final version partly because of property acquisition. Listen to the podcast for more on that.

* The Redevelopment Agency and City Council renewed contracts at their January meetings with the redevelopment director and city administrator. Robert Landolfi serves in both roles, technically he’s not an employee but rather an independent contractor, through Landolfi & Associations Government Solutions Corporation. Both contracts are for $65,000, a combined $130,000, and run through 2021.

Looking ahead:

There are no scheduled municipal meetings this week: City Council will next meet Feb. 8. The Redevelopment Agency’s next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 17. But something is coming this week: Look out for a new reader poll out early this week.

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.

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 Market 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. “Even if someone put a supermarket in downtown Rahway, you’re not taking away from the volume of ShopRites -- plural -- in Carteret, Clark, Linden and Woodbridge. It’d be really tough for yet another supermarket to enter Rahway and do well,” he said.

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 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.

This episode takes a look back at the past year with a countdown of the most popular posts of 2020 (based on page views). Have a listen and let me know what your favorites were from 2020, whether they made the top 10 or not.

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 Flannagan 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 Flannagan 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 the December 15th post on the blog, as well as the follow-up on December 22nd.

- 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.

* 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.

* Townhomes proposed at former St. Mark's Church

* Bridgeview concept adds units, new street

FLASHBACK 2015 - Agency moves forward on Center Circle plan

* Three pavilions are being built where the main outdoor spaces were established in the summer: East Cherry Street, Main Street, and Lewis Street. The city designated seven areas downtown for outdoor dining and social distancing, as part of the city’s COVID-19 Small Business Recovery Strategy.

* Thirty-one votes - that was the difference in the Board of Education election, results of which were certified by the Union County Clerk.

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

Special thanks to the new supporters of the podcast and Patreon that joined the cause this week. The support is greatly appreciated and makes this possible. If you'd like to support RahwayRising, check out support page on Anchor, check out the Patreon page or visit the RahwayRising.com advertising page.

There was only one post this week on the blog but it was a good one: a look at 2019 crime data. Crime was down again in Rahway, about 32 percent, continuing a long-term trend in the city and beyond.

Patrons of RahwayRising get exclusive access to long-term crime data via the Patreon page. Click here for more information about becoming a patron of RahwayRising.

LOOKING AHEAD:

* Planning Board meets Tuesday via Zoom.

* Winter wonderland events will be Fridays and Saturdays through December.

* Small Business Saturday is this Saturday so remember to patronize your local small businesses.

FLASHBACK: 2009 - Union County acquires horse farm in Rahway

Let me know what you think of the podcast, the blog or if you have any questions -- record a voice message here.

Recapping the week on the blog: Planning Board approves an addition to a Walters Street warehouse.

LOOKING AHEAD:

* City Council meets Monday.

* Redevelopment Agency meets Wednesday. Two presentations could be on the agenda: one for Bridgeview and another for the Arts District Redevelopment Plan. The board also may vote on a new redevelopment agreement for The Brownstones.

* Look for a new blog post Tuesday morning about 2019 crime data. A teaser: crime was down.

LISTENER FEEDBACK: Answers to last week's question about designated bike ways. Also taking suggestions for reader polls -- leave a message here.

FLASHBACK: 2013 -- Unsold Riverwalk units acquired to become rentals.

Let me know what you think of the podcast, the blog or if you have any questions -- record a voice message here.

* Local election results: Democrats easily won the six ward seats up on City Council. For school board, three candidates won election to three-year terms and another two-year, unexpired term also was secured. 

* Redevelopment Area Bond payments for The Mint: 

* Redevelopment Agency renews lease for East Inman Avenue lot: 

The podcast got its first voice message -- a question about designated bikeways! Some background info on the city's designated bikeways, which City Council approved last year. Got a question, comment or feedback? Leave a message here.

Rahway Fried Chicken at 1500 Main St. was named by The Digest Online as one of the top 10 spots to get a fried chicken sandwich in New Jersey to mark National Fried Chicken Day, which is Nov. 9.

FLASHBACK -- 10 years: El Bodegon undergoes transformation

The very first blog post was Nov. 2, 2007, so happy 13th anniversary to RahwayRising.com.

Some of the early posts documented a change from one-way streets downtown into two-way streets. There were also others over the years that seem like footnotes in hindsight like Zoning Board hearings for the former Koza's Tavern site on West Scott Avenue and Decker's Tavern demolition at West Inman and Jaques Avenue.

There was a coffee shop rant a few years back in which I bemoaned the lack of options downtown, which coincided with one of the early reader polls. Today, there are some great pizza places - new and old - and our own brewery (also something we talked about on the blog years ago)! There have been lots of changes downtown and beyond and a good place to start is the Redevelopment Map, where you'll see all kinds of details on the 1,500+ units that have been added downtown and beyond in the last two decades.

One thing I'd like to bring back on a more regular basis is the reader poll. It's just a matter of finding the time and some fresh poll questions, so I'd love to get your thoughts. That was always a fun discussion among readers whatever the topic.

What are the biggest changes you've seen the last five , 10, 20 years or more? What do you think is in store for the next decade and beyond? I'd love to get your thoughts, share a message here.

* Sky View condos sold.

* The agenda for the November Redevelopment Agency meeting is expected to be busy one. Commissioners might have two presentations before them: one for Bridgeview and another for the Arts District Redevelopment Plan, specifically the former St. Mark's Church property and adjacent lots. The seven-member board also will vote on a new redevelopment agreement for The Brownstones. UPDATE: The Nov. 4 meeting has been canceled and likely will be rescheduled for Nov. 18.

* The most popular post this month was a brief item about the demolition of a home on Broad Street.

Let me know what you think of the podcast, the blog or if you have any questions -- record a voice message here.