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Hackensack Discussion / Re: Area in need of Rehabilitation
« on: April 06, 2016, 03:02:11 AM »
Hackensack, like many NJ towns, has tried to take advantage of the shift toward city living without truly understanding how successful urban locations form. The public investments, such as the PAC park, are great; but, tearing down older building stock with space for affordable small businesses to build luxury towers is all kinds of wrong. Cities are attractive when people can feel a sense of place and identity being there - destroying historic buildings slowly turns Hackensack into any generic NJ town. In addition to the architecture lost on Main Street, nearly 10 or so retail spaces have been eliminated. Because of the building's age, these spaces were affordable for local businesses. The project plans retail space for a restaurant or two small shops, which will likely be leased at much higher premiums that only chains can afford - and, again, chains = generic. Someone mentioned the developer wanting to include retail but couldn't do so.. that's almost certainly not the case. Just like he had no intention of preserving the clock or facade, he had no intention of adding more retail space in an untested market considering the extra costs associated with retail.
As far as preservation goes, the city absolutely could have required the developer to preserve any or all of the old buildings; this is common practice when a developer seeks assistance from the city: they must give back to the public through preservation, open space, etc.
Hackensak is attempting to build the "there" in downtown which is its fatal flaw. Residential usually isn't developed until an area becomes attractive due to the mix of businesses and attractions nearby. Building these luxury towers first without the market for the kind of retail needed to support its residents is a tough sell, and will simply promote continued use of cars to go elsewhere to shop.
The town is doing a terrible job in vetting these projects' designs. The Main Street project is one of the widest towers I have ever seen and is completely dominating and out of scale to the downtown. This should have been broken into 2 towers. More retail space should have also been required. Meanwhile, it's clear that they are planning in a vacuum. Otherwise, developing standards for State Street would have been prioritized to facilitate urban-oriented uses and live/work residences to support Main St. retail. Because of this lack of vision, the State Street project was approved despite including no commercial space AND presenting a bank wall to the new PAC park. Unfortunately, this is why that park is destined for failure. Public space needs surveillance to maintain safety, through patios, residential porches, etc. The park is surrounded by nonactive uses, creating the perfect place for crime and loitering.
The City needs to prioritize preservation, develop design standards for State and River, and create a plan for connecting downtown to the waterfront. Additionally, there are several schools nearby - dense student housing would bring retail demand without the pressures of luxury projects.
As far as preservation goes, the city absolutely could have required the developer to preserve any or all of the old buildings; this is common practice when a developer seeks assistance from the city: they must give back to the public through preservation, open space, etc.
Hackensak is attempting to build the "there" in downtown which is its fatal flaw. Residential usually isn't developed until an area becomes attractive due to the mix of businesses and attractions nearby. Building these luxury towers first without the market for the kind of retail needed to support its residents is a tough sell, and will simply promote continued use of cars to go elsewhere to shop.
The town is doing a terrible job in vetting these projects' designs. The Main Street project is one of the widest towers I have ever seen and is completely dominating and out of scale to the downtown. This should have been broken into 2 towers. More retail space should have also been required. Meanwhile, it's clear that they are planning in a vacuum. Otherwise, developing standards for State Street would have been prioritized to facilitate urban-oriented uses and live/work residences to support Main St. retail. Because of this lack of vision, the State Street project was approved despite including no commercial space AND presenting a bank wall to the new PAC park. Unfortunately, this is why that park is destined for failure. Public space needs surveillance to maintain safety, through patios, residential porches, etc. The park is surrounded by nonactive uses, creating the perfect place for crime and loitering.
The City needs to prioritize preservation, develop design standards for State and River, and create a plan for connecting downtown to the waterfront. Additionally, there are several schools nearby - dense student housing would bring retail demand without the pressures of luxury projects.