There's a typo in the link.
Henry - Calling the Plaza "lively" is a bit of a stretch. I'd say, it's lively relative to how shabby it's been since I moved to Teaneck in 1967. Cedar Lane still appears to have slightly more going on than other local downtowns (Englewood excluded, although they have their troubles too.) I don't think it would take many more prominent vacancies though before Cedar Lane starts looking like downtown Hackensack. This problem is not only Teaneck's though. Last I checked, downtown Ridgewood had many vacancies, particularly as you get closer to the railroad tracks, where, presumably the rents are higher. In my opinion, the landlords are pricing themselves into a world of trouble and it's very possible that it will take decades of high vacancy as we've seen in the Plaza, for rents to adjust downward to a point that it's viable for business to survive.
The problem with Cedar Lane is the disconnect between the type of businesses that are economically viable given current rents and the type of businesses that make Cedar Lane into an appealing and diversified retail hub. The loss of Animations is mourned as it was an attractive anchor that many people appreciated and depended on. At some rent level a store like Animations would be viable. The irony is is that many landlords prefer to rent to noxious 99 cents stores or a cell phone stores with brief shelf lives that can afford higher rents but whose presence ultimately devalues all property on Cedar Lane. I hope that Cedar Lane doesn't go the way of Main Street in Ridgefield Park or Washington Ave in Bergenfield but I'm not optimistic.
Michael - I'm intrigued by your comment that the town actually makes revenue from recycling. Perhaps if this were more widely understood, the people who bitch all the time about their taxes would take a keener interest in separating their trash.
Don't worry, I'm not going that far.
Jeff - It's sweet to think that I've been helping to feed your cravings for crap for your warped enjoyment. Truth is, I've fooled all of you. I'm actually a undercover agent sent to Teaneck from Russia as a child in 1967 to learn your ways and eventually to use the blog as a medium to undermine civil discourse. Now that I've succeeded in my mission, I can move on to Leonia.
How many people spoke up in favor of the reorganization at the public the day before the vote? How many spoke up against it? My sense from talking to people in town is that it's a controversial move for many reasons. Did the members of the Council majority have the right to vote the way they did? You bet they did. What's done is done. I reiterate that the important takeaway here is that they have the political power and can therefore call the shots.
Perhaps this is a good opportunity for one of Teaneck Progresses famous non-scientific completely flawed polls.
The point of post, which was perhaps too oblique for some to understand is that a disciplined approach to political organizing pays off.
Swiggle - I'm not entirely happy with the rush to reorganize the police and fire departments and other moves by the council majority that appear to be self-serving, power grabs and counter to many precepts of good government, however it is beyond the pale to suggest that their votes are somehow illegitimate because the majority of their supporters come from a certain neighborhood.
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Ruckus