State Pair Trim-A-Trtt Su[ Wdlingten | Teterboro | Wood-Ridge | Cadstadt | East Rutherford | Rutherford | LyndW I North Arlington "Pulse of the Meadowlands In North Jersey Section I, Group 1 championship, Panthers upset Mount. Lakes PHOTO BY BILL AUEN-NJ SPORT/ACTION EAST RUTHERFORD - Head coach Barry Blauvelt and members of his Wellington High School football team celebrate the Panthers' upset victory over top-seeded and previously unbeaten Mountain Lakes in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 1 state champion- ship game, Dec. 3, at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, where the locals recorded a thrilling 23-21 victory. Please see Page A7 for more coverage. WEST END GETS A SHOT IN THE ARM Open Site of old ShopRite in space in Rutherford finally sells new plan ByJohnSohes EDITOR IN CHIEF for EnCap RUTHERFORD — The old ShopRite By Susan C. Moeller NJMC gets building, located at 310 Union Ave. in SKNIOR RF.PORTRR Rutherford, has been sold for $2.3 million, a^MVUng to the real estate brokerage firm LYNDHURST — Housing has involved in the deal. been removed from the New Jersey anew The vacant building has been a misting Meadowlands Commission's plan for tooth in the retail smile of Rutherford's land formerly controlled by EnCap Golf West End section for some time. Locals are Holdings LLC. Numerous other uses, hopeful that with new stores moving in, the including a solar farm and commerce executive western section of the Borough of Trees will center, have been penciled in. undergo a renaissance. When EnCap failed to deliver on its Chuck Lanyard, president of The controversial plans for the area, it left Goldstein Group, New Jersey's leading retail behind a legal mess and contaminated, brokerage firm, said the sale was a no-brain- fallow property. But, it also cleared the director er for the parlies involved, way for a fresh look on how to use the "A property like this is pretty desirable," 1,400 acres that stretch through four By Susan C. Moeller he said in an interview with The Leader. "It's municipalities from Rutherford to Kearny. SKNIOR REPORTER a great neighborhood." Officials from the NJMC, including Union Avenue Rutherford Associates Marcia Karrow, who will replace Robert LYNDHURST — Former New Jersey LLC owned the 25,000-square-foot prop- Ceberio as executive director in 2011, pre- Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow will erty. The buyer is a company known as J.S. sented a new blueprint for development replace Robert Ceberio as executive Rutherford LLC. of the "Kingsland Redevelopment Area," • director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Both the seller and buyer were repre- during public meetings in Lyndhurst and Commission. Ceberio will retire Dec. 31. sented by The Goldstein Group. PHOTO BY JOHNSOITES Rutherford, Dec. 7-8. In addition to her experience in There has been considerable activity in The old ShopRite site in Rutherford sails for $2.3 'There is no housing in this project," the Assemhlv. Karrow, from Raritan the sale of retail properties over the past few million. New retail will come to the West End. Ceberio assured the group of approxi- Township, has served on environmental months," Lanyard added. "Buyers are look- mately 20 people who gathered for the and affordable-housing task forces for ing for properties and we have been quite Lyndhurst presentation. Gov. Chris Christie, according to offi- successful in marketing and selling several Specifically, 151 acres in Lyndhurst are cials at the NJMC. retail properties throughout New Jersey." that promotes business growth in the special designated for a commerce center, with Both issues pla\ a significant Although immediate details were unavail- improvement district Parades, dining-out permitted uses to include banks, hotels, role in decision making within the able on what exactly will move into the site, events and commercial incentive programs social services, recreation, parking and Meadowlands District. Lanyard did allow that two retail leases have are a frequent feature of the centrally-locat- utilities. "It is my privilege to be named the already been negotiated. ed business community. An additional 38.9 acres in Rutherford, New Jersey Meadowlands Commission's What likely won't be in the spot is anoth- The West End, a much smaller district, adjacent to the Lyndhurst commerce cen- next executive director," Karrow stat- er supermarket, leaving Rutherford as one is outside the purview of the Rutherford ter, have similar permitted uses. And, at ed. "I am fortunate to succeed Bob of the only towns in South Bergen without Downtown Partnership. the northern tip of the redevelopment Ceberio, who has led the NJMC during its own chain grocery store. Local residents However, the western area is slowly area, Rutherford's so-called northern critically important tunes. I look forward head to the ShopRite in Lyndhurst, the Stop changing — thanks to a group of det cated node, an additional 10 acres are zoned to continuing Bob's outstanding work & Shop in Carlstadt or elsewhere for their residents. for vertical development. and advancing the commission's key bulk food shopping. Birdsall held citizen round-table discus- The remainder of the redevelopment role in promoting economic growth Councilwoman Kimberly Birdsall, sions a couple of years ago, and from those area in Rutherford, including wetland and environmental preservation in the who has been crucial in pushing for the meetings grew the West End Committee, areas, will be left open, with a section Meadowlands region." revitalization of the West End, said the a group of volunteers looking to improve available for a solar farm or other renew- Karrow has served on the Delaware announcement should be welcome news for the economic vibrancy of Rutherford's able energy. River Basin Flood Mitigation Task Force Rutherfordians. western section. Maria Johnson chairs the A chunk of Lyndhurst, North Arlington and as the assistant director of the New "Something needs to be an anchor in group, and she's all smiles over the news of and Kearny, totaling 158 acres, is desig- Jersey Department of Treasury. She has that area of town," Birdsall said. "Something ShopRite's sale. nated as a sustainable energy park. been a Hunterdon County freeholder to bring attention to the West End. There's "The West End Committee is ecstatic to EnCap's legacy is clearly evident in and Raritan Township committeewom- a lot of great opportunity in that area." hear about the recent sale of the ShopRite stringent requirements for potential pri- an. During her tenure in municipal Rutherford's West End is an anomaly in property," she wrote in an e-mail. "Strong vate companies who may seek to actually government, Karrow helped to secure South Bergen. Few towns have two separate neighborhoods contribute to the quality conduct the redeveloping. 1.000 acres ol open space, according to strips of retail like the Borough of Trees. of life for everyone — clean streets, vibrant The New Jersey Inspector General, in information provided by the NJMC. The formal Rutherford Downtown area, local businesses and walkable communities." a .report released in 2008, characterized which encompasses Park Avenue and its The news of the sale might come as a the EnCap-NJMC interaction as "a study K-mail SMorlletiwl.raderSnvspapers.net environs, is managed by the Rutherford in what can go wrong when a public Downtown Partnership, an organization Please sao SHOPRITE on Page A14 body with high-minded public policy goals [PHOTO OF MARCIA KARROW COURTESY Of NEW JERSEY MEADOWIANDS COMMISSION! Please see NJMC on Page Al 5 A2 THE LEADER THURSDAY, DECEMBER U. 2010 POLIGE BLOTTER By Susan C. MotNw management told him not to come Revenue Service that someone using and SunoJ Santos .LaferSurgwy ™. SENIOR REPORTER back to the bar. her name had already filed an indi- C«*ea*»SpBd«l««wlinF«n«ti vidual form and been given a $5,000 " !L*nny,En(l«copy,DirMR»l The information below is compiled Drugs and alcohol tax refund. from local police blotters, as that infor- mation is made available, and is not EAST RUTHERFORD — Sergio Hood ornament stolen ftt1 933.4111 j intended to give a full description of every Garcia-Monzon, 37, of Bloomfield, wwmMHOcoar criminal incident in the local area. was arrested and charged with pos- NORTH ARLINGTON — Some session of marijuana under 50 grams, time between Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. and following a motor-vehicle stop, Nov. Nov. 27 at 12 p.m., the hood orna- Assault 23. Garcia-Monzon was pulled to the ment was stolen from a 2006 Jaguar When you need a good lawyer... ^|H NORTH ARLINGTON — A police side of the road after a police officer while the vehicle was parked in front officer on patrol in the early morning reportedly observed him driving at of a Rutherford Place residence. The ANTHONY J.RffOSTA,ES|P§ hours of Nov. 25 observed a man on a high rate of speed, 82 mph in a iconic ornament is valued at $100. Certified by the Supreme Court ^ Wl the ground in front of a Ridge Road 55-mph zone. As the officer interact- ofNJ as a Civil Trial Attorney B0 WJ fl j address. The man was attempting to ed with the suspect, he reportedly saw Scam? COUNSELLOR AT LAW ^P 1 [] stand up and was bleeding from his a small baggie of what appeared to be Call today for a free phone consultation II j j jj face. The injured man told the police marijuana in Garcia-Monzon's pock- LYNDHURST — An 86-year-old officer that he had been approached et. When asked what it was, Garcia- female notified police Friday, Dec. by another man who started an argu- Monzon allegedly said, "a little bit of 3 that while she was driving her 201-991-0067 II ment and then punched him in the weed." The suspect also received a Acura in the ShopRite parking lot, a 432 Ridge Rd., North Arlington, NJ Ml face.