Visible Vacancies, but Downtown Still Strong

Serving Westfield, Scotch Plains and Fanwoad Friday, July 30, 2004 50 cents Visible vacancies, but downtown still strong ay MUD establish a private park with tables and a by Details New York earlier this year, and often the product of market forces; land- THE RECORD-PRESS' gazebo on the Prospect Street side of the "For Rent" signs still adorn the building's lords are trying to get the highest rent building, converting a building many saw facade at the corner of Central and North. possible for their spaces from reliable WESTFIELD — Despite several long- as an eyesore into an attractive pedestrian According to Downtown Westfield businesses, while tenants are seeking term vacancies at high profile locations destination. Corporation Executive Director Sherry prime locations at the lowest rent possible. downtown, local officials say the central But according to real estate broker Cronin, while the space is located in the The market haggling has left spaces like business district is as viable as it has ever Tony Schilling, the space has been quietly core downtown area, it tends to see less his unoccupied from time to time, he said. been. re-opened to the market. Though the com- pedestrian traffic than other retail loca- "Vacant spaces are lost opportunities, The open storefronts at 200 Central pany's website still tions. but we're also being patient and trying to Ave., 1 Elm St., and 138 Central Ave. are lists plans to open in Building owner do the right thing," Pascal said. at very visible "gateway" sections of the Westfield, according "Vacant spaces are lost opportu- Roy Pascal said the "If I had lowered the rent I would have downtown. But in each case, stakeholders to the broker the nities, but we're also being patient property is more of a filled the space immediately," he contin- say, the vacancies are less indicative of a restaurant won't be destination location ued. "Often the space seems to linger, but downward trend in the viability of down- coming to town after and trying to do the right thing." than an "impulse- at some point you pull the trigger when town than a product of their own particu- all. Schilling said — Roy Pascal buy" location, and you get a good price to rent and (find) a lar circumstances. the company's deci- downtown property owner said he is carefully good tenant." The large gray building on the north- sion to pull out may evaluating the next One very good tenant to leave the west side of the the corner of North be partially attribut- "~~~"~^~~~"^^~~"""~ tenants he will bring downtown was the Imaginarium, which Avenue and Elm Street has been unoccu- able to the restaurant chain's Hoboken into both the ground floor and second floor occupied a 4,000 square foot ground-floor pied for nearly six years. Last winter, town location, which hasn't done as well as orig- areas of the building, each of which offers space at 138 Central Ave., between East officials thought they'd found a solution to inally hoped. more than 800 square feet of space. Broad Street and North Avenue. The toy the retail vacancy when the Planning Neither the Elm Street building owner "It seems to me the chain tenants are retailer's departure was more the result of Board granted parking variances to allow nor company officials returned repeated the ones that have stability, that they're the company's poor performance at stand- a Wolfgang Puck Express to set up shop at phone calls seeking comment on the the ones hanging in there," Pascal said. alone locations nationwide than with the busy intersection. future of Wolfgang Puck or the long- "The independents tend to run hot and problems at its Westfield outlet. As part of the board's approval, vacant building. cold." Lori McBride has taken over the reigns Wolfgang Puck officials had planned to The 200 Central Ave. space was vacated Pascal said downtown vacancies are (Continued on page A-2) of the Scotch Piains-Fanwood High gills basketball team, bringing with her six years of college coaching experi- ence and an NCAA championship ring, Voyage for story, see Sports, Page C-1. Staying cool in the pool to Italy renews the link between LMng Strom 2 towns By MAD wfdi Armstrong THE RECORD-PRESS Campers at the JCC of Central New SCOTCH PLAINS — The two Jersey tracked the exploits of Tour towns couldn't be more different de France champion Lance — one is a quiet suburban com- Armstrong recently, and at the munity founded just over a cen- same time helped build support for tury ago, lying within earshot of the athlete's foundation, which New York City; the other is a tiny worts to fight cancer. See the story historic village nestled in the on Page B-1. mountains of Abruzzi, due east of Rome. One town's inhabitants speak Italian as a first language, and probably French as a second; in NICOLE DIM ELLA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER the other, English is the dialogue The weather has been gray and dreary much of the time lately, but the rain stopped Monday long enough for some young of choice. In one community, Westfield residents to catch some rays at the municipal pool. At workers have increasingly found right, 7-year-old Corlnne Kuntz flies through the air with the employment in the tourist trade, greatest of ease as she dives Into the pool. Above, Tommy while half a world away, resi- Moore, 3, dons his goggles and gets his hair wet in the spray dents are more likely to be near the kiddle pool. tourists than host them. But scrolling through some of the last names of families that hail from Montazzoli, Italy — Angelozzi, Appezzato, Checchio, Deer presence persists around Ash Brook DiFrancesco, DiNizo — one finds surprising similarities with ByMUDBtSHOP "There are a lot of does run- Reservation has been a priority conducted by helicopter with names found in a New Jersey THE RECORD-PRESS ning around with fawns," agreed since he first took over as the infrared technology. Marks said township. resident and former Mayor Geri township's mayor in 2000. He the census will take place some- "There may be more people SCOTCH PLAINS — The Samuel, noting that not only are said the council has received time in November or December, from Montazzoli (living) in Its simply magic presence of deer on the town- there more deer now than in emails, phone calls, and letters and if it finds an overpopulation Scotch Plains than live there Among the most popular classes at ship's south side continues to be recent years, they're now growing from less tolerant residents, of deer, the deer reduction pro- now," said Mayor Martin Marks. the Westfield Summer Workshop a pervasive problem, as evi- to a healthy size. She reported alerting them to the problem gram could be authorized by The township counts as this year is the magic class taught denced by a homemade "Deer seeing a five-point buck near the over the years. The list of names 2005. Montazzolesi former New Jersey by professional prestidigitation Mark Crossing" sign cobbled together Ash Brook Reservation last fall. runs three pages long, he said. There is a substantial cost governor Donald DiFrancesco Ghia. For more on the program, see by a resident of Cooper Road. "There are more deer this "People are frustrated by the associated with both the census and several former mayors, coun- Page B-1. Arthur Lieberman said he put year," agreed resident Sue Simon. property damage, insects that and the deer management pro- cil members, and people from vir- up the sign to alert motorists "My dogs don't even bark at them spread diseases, and car acci- gram. Marks estimated the cen- tually alt walks of life. : • about the presence of deer in the anymore." dents," Marks said, noting that sus cost could run into four fig- On Aug. 9, in the latest ceie^- area. For Lieberman, the many That the deer population in he had seen ures, and said bration of the two towns' connec- deer in the area are one of the the area is increasing is widely increasing num- the hunt itself tion, a delegation of Scotch Plains charms of the neighborhood he's agreed — but what to do about it bers of deer car- "There are more deer can cost $100 to residents will travel through called home for five years, and is a different matter. While casses along the this year. My dogs don't $200 to kill one Italy together for 10 days, visit- wanted to protect both the area's Lieberman enjoys the animal's side of the road, deer. And to ing Venice, Verona, Florence and fauna and motorists who are presence, not everyone agrees. many of which even bark at them any- keep the future other cities before making their Puppet show coming into contact on the road. According to Mayor Martin are now fawns more. population in way to Montazzoli, population "We put up the sign after a Marks, managing the deer popu- killed in colli- — Sue Simon check, Marks 1,500. It is a village which has at the library fawn got hit," he said. lation in the Ash Brook sions with said, future such a powerful connection with The Scotch Plains Public Library motor vehicles. hunts must be the township that the two com- hosts the Lionheart Puppet As a result of a meeting Union regularly conducted, which also munities have declared them- Company's presentation of 'The County and state Fish, Game and carries a cost.

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