Category Archives: Rahway Survey

Rundown of related redevelopment news

Catching up on a few news items around the Interwebs that relate to redevelopment locally in one way or another:

* Here’s not one but two stories from Hoboken Patch about temporary art studios filling vacant storefronts in Hoboken and “Empty Storefronts: Bad for the Economy; Good for Art.” If that idea sounds familiar, it’s because Mayor James Kennedy mentioned it earlier this year, patterning it after a similar program in Asbury Park.

* There’s also this Crain’s New York piece (“Bronx merchants’ artsy ambitions”) about leaders in the Westchester Square neighborhood of the Bronx turning the area into a “nexus of art and commerce.”

* Also, Cranford narrowly approved expanding its Special Improvement District (SID). If you recall, Rahway did the same, to include the Hamilton Street arts projects, but also shifted management of the SID funds (roughly $140,000 annually) from the Rahway Center Partnership to the Rahway Arts District.

Joint advertising, co-op marketing

Consider this a sequel to Monday’s post about retail recruitment and retention, as well as the penultimate post on the first phase of the Rahway Survey report, presented last month.

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Retail recruitment, retention recommendations

So the results of the Rahway Survey are in. Now what? Among the recommendations by Community Insights, it suggests that Rahway must undertake “a concerted retail recruitment effort to attract the kinds of stores, restaurants and businesses that consumers most want.”

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Movie theater, clubs and related retail for entertainment district

A small, two-screen movie theater, night clubs, and ground-floor retail space for entertainment-related businesses could build upon the foundation provided by the Union County Arts Center.

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Retail demands of new growth

Future residential growth downtown will be sufficient to support a 15,000-square-foot grocery store, in addition to a dozen or so new limited service and fast-food eateries.

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Three distinct retail districts downtown

Three distinct retail districts, with specific styles tailored to each, are recommended within downtown:

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Enough demand for 18 more restaurants

Can the downtown area fit another 18 restuarants, on top of the existing handful already in business? Consultants that put together the Rahway Survey think so.

Continue reading Enough demand for 18 more restaurants