Politics & Government

Mayor Talks About Business Development in Mid-Year Interview

Patch speaks with Bloomfield Mayor Raymond McCarthy about development efforts, in the first of two articles about the state of the township.

 

In the eleven years Mayor Raymond McCarthy has been in office, this year, perhaps more than any other, the town has come together over one issue: town redevelopment.   

Critical to the mayor’s agenda is the need to bring new vitality and financial stability to Bloomfield. After a decade marked by debilitating lawsuits and a staggering economy, the town now seems to be on the brink of a rebirth.

Find out what's happening in Bloomfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Patch met with McCarthy this week to assess the progress of the redevelopment so far, and what residents can expect in the coming year.  This is Part 1 of a 2-Part interview.

 

Find out what's happening in Bloomfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

PATCH:  Any news on the town center development project?

McCARTHY:  I have a to finalize the [bond to help pay for the new parking garage.]

to inform people what's going with the development.  We will try to give as much information to the people of Bloomfield as possible.

PATCH:  One subject that seems to be important to Patch readers is which businesses will rent space in the retail portion of the development.  Does the developer still intend to rent to Foodtown and Subway?

McCARTHY:  Yes.  I don't have a problem with Subway.   And the people who live in the residential units, the people of Glen Ridge, of Watsessing Heights, the people who live in [the town center] area, will dictate what they want from their supermarket. 

If [Bloomfield residents] all want a Trader Joe's then what we have to do is make this first development successful. 

Trader Joe's is really specific about what they want.  They need X-amount of square footage and X-amount of people who walk past that area every day.  They said no to the mayor of Caldwell when she wanted a Trader Joe’s there, just because you couldn't make a left turn out of the old Sealfon’s parking lot onto Bloomfield Avenue. 

PATCH:  Do you know how much effort was put into finding alternatives to Foodtown?

McCARTHY:  Both ShopRite and Stop & Shop couldn’t do it because their other locations are too close [to the development.]  We really, really wanted a ShopRite.  I called Wakefern myself to see if anything could be done.  They said no.

PATCH:  How many other retail spaces are available to rent?

McCARTHY:  Six to eight, depending on how you cut [the space] up.

PATCH:  Will there be news at the upcoming meeting of any additional tenants?

McCARTHY:  They're negotiating with different restaurants right now.   Hopefully there will be news on August 14.

PATCH:  So you see this development as essentially Step One of Bloomfield’s improvement/revitalization process?

McCARTHY:  People are looking for something to happen.  They’re looking for hope.  When the development is done, some people will be disappointed and some people will be elated.  But I think the overriding concern right now is that people see something happening there for the first time in twenty years.

PATCH:  Is anything else happening that people should know about?  

McCARTHY:  L-COR, one of the largest developers in the state of New Jersey – if not the country – came to me on Friday and said, ‘What do you have that we could develop?’ 

This isn’t new, developers have been coming around for years, but when you see an L-COR coming around you know the heavy hitters are here.

PATCH:  Are they interested in Bloomfield because of its proximity to Manhattan?

McCARTHY:  Absolutely.  Direct access to Manhattan in less than 30 minutes.

That’s why we were approved as a Transit Village from the state of New Jersey the first time we applied.  It helps us [qualify for] a lot of the grants we’ve gotten for the downtown.

PATCH:  People are saying, if it’s such a desirable location, why not have the developer pay for the parking garage and compete with other companies for the chance to develop Bloomfield?

McCARTHY:  Because we haven’t proved ourselves.  We have a downtown that’s been vacant for years.  Put the first [development project] together and everything skyrockets. 

Bill Colgan was smart enough to be the first guy [to take on the project.]  Don’t be the second guy, or the third guy, or God forbid the fourth guy, because then you’ll pay through the nose.  Land values go up.  Property values go up.  Acquisition becomes expensive. 

But we’ve not proven ourselves.  We’re trying.  We’re going at it 180 miles per hour.  All you need to do is start it.  That’s all you need to do.

 

To read Part 2 of Mayor McCarthy's Midyear interview with Patch, click

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