Not all "progress" is progress. Especially when Quality of Life is reduced to the point that people flee a neighborhood. State Street was abandoned by the residential community. Around 1970, Temple Beth-El and the Methodist Church, both left State Street and both moved to the same stretch of Summit Ave. That's more evidence that State Street was abandoned. Historic houses of architectural quality were bulldozed into oblivion, and replaced with industry and tacky little retail stores like C-Town. And let's not forget the loss of the Opera House, located in a large Armory building previously at State and Mercer.
Over the course of decades, State Street slowly became dominated by SOCIAL SERVICES. This is even further to the detriment of the Quality of Life and the residential community.
Look what's up and down State Street. You have Faith's Foundation just south of Warren Street, the Salvation Army, the 2 homeless facilities next to Christ Church, Christ Church also hosts Peter's Place (which is the most objectionable of all the shelters), and lets not forget the liquor store at State and Clay where all the bums and homeless can buy liquor. Further north, at the corner of State and Passaic is an apartment building converted into a 5-story homeless shelter for families, and there is some other kind of social service facility in the vicinity of State, Ward, and Main Street. The social service people wanted to create a "safety net". That safety net exists to the detriment of economic development and quality of life.
And right off of State Street, I think there is still a plan to convert the Social Security Building into another giant homeless shelter.
State Street is only now attempting to come back, in the form of redevelopment, including multi-unit buildings and offices. Buildings that actually pay taxes, and don't burden taxpayers by stretching the resources of our police and social services. Now that is what I call "progress and modernization". Thankfully, our city administration wants to redevelop State Street. They have zoned it appropriately, and applications to build are always approved.
Three cheers for Lynn Jantos, for her little development across from Christ Church !!! She converted a tacky little one-story retail building into something that would fit right into downtown Tenafly or Ridgewood, without a second thought.
