Oh no, we have a new liquor store in the neighborhood, the Deli Mart on Main Street near Spring Valley Ave. For decades, Hackensack has had a policy against allowing new package liquor stores to open up in neighborhood settings. They've denied all liquor license requests to sell package liquor in neighborhoods. The last one was Simon Sez at State & Clay Streets around 1975.
Simon Sez caused a nearly continuous parade of liquor-buying pedestrians walking east down Clay Street from beyond Park Street. These pedestrians were littering, cursing, fighting, pushing drugs, prostituting, panhandling, blasting music, and generally being a nuisance and a drain on the police. Locals called it the "Clay Street Parade". It had severe consequences on the neighborhood. At one point there was an organized effort by the police to repeatedly bust Simon Sez for liquor sales to minors, so that their license would be permanently stripped (the effort failed in court).
The Simon Sez problem was so bad that the city decided not to allow any new liquor stores in any neighborhood. Liquor sales was deamed to be incompatible with the residential quality of life. They draw in drunks and homeless people as walk-in customers, and they encourage loitering and panhandling. More liquor just means more problems. Ever since the Simoz Sez disaster, they have simply been denying the liquor license requests. Only along the highways, including River Street/Hackensack Ave have new licenses been granted.
Both the Cerbo and Zisa administrations refused to allow any increase in package liquor sales in the neighborhoods. The new administration apparently knows nothing about this tradition, or has other ideas of what kinds of businesses belong in our neighborhoods. I'd like to know who was in favor of this change, and why. But I don't expect any response to be posted.
We don't yet have inner city problems in the Fairmount part of the city, but who knows what the future holds. The Deli Mart's new liquor license is PERMANENT. 10, 20, and 50 years from now that store, or its successor, will be selling liquor. It is now OPEN SEASON on all our neighborhoods. Every little convenience store and bodega is going to want the right to sell liquor. Yes, they'll have to get liquor licenses, but they can cry discrimination because the Deli Mart was given the right. The city is defenseless and can no longer say that the policy has been continuous since 1975.
It cost big bucks for a liquor license, but makes sense economically to invest in one. Next will be the Central Mini-Mart at Central Ave & First Street, then
"In & Out" on Union & Atlantic Streets (they already want to do it), and how about a few more in the Anderson Business District and on Hudson Street.