Wilson Avenue Expansion Property Revaluation

GOIRONBOUND.COM
The Ironbound’s Expanding Dining Scene
Ironbound BID Hosts Meeting to Promote Sidewalk Cafes
The Ironbound has been recognized as one of New Jersey’s top
dining destinations for many years. Its reputation was built on the
concentration of excellent Portuguese and Spanish restaurants in
the district, with Brazilian restaurants growing in numbers and
popularity in recent years. While traditional favorites serving Iberian fare, as well as new restaurants offering updated interpretations of classic Portuguese, Spanish and
Brazilian dishes continue to dominate,
a growing number of dining spots are
offering exciting new flavors that are
adding to the mix of dining options in
the Ironbound.
Nearly a dozen local business and restaurant owners participated in a meeting hosted by the Ironbound BID to help promote the
proper permitting and operation of sidewalk cafes in the Ironbound District. The IBID’s professional staff was joined by representatives of the City of Newark’s Special Permit Office and the Alcohol Beverage Control Commission to provide and accept applications, and to offer guidance.
When Hell’s Kitchen Lounge opened
on Lafayette Street in 2007, its menu
of burgers, sandwiches, fish and chips,
cobb salad and extensive beer menu was
a welcomed change of pace. Owned by
Ironbound native chef Anthony Moraes,
who brought experience at some of
New York’s top restaurants including
the esteemed Eleven Madison Park, and
his wife Kelly, with an equal amount of
“front of the house” experience at noted
restaurants and bars in Manhattan and
Hoboken, Hell’s Kitchen has proven to
be equally popular with visitors to the
nearby Prudential Center as it has with
Ironbound residents and visitors. The restaurant’s overall ambiance can be summed up by its motto, “Damn Fine Food, Wicked
Drinks and a Hell of a Good Time.”
Co-owners Francisco Rosa and Rodrigo DaSilva decided to
share their passion for a great burger by opening Burger Bound
on Van Buren Street. With years of experience in the restaurant
business, they wanted to bring a fine dining experience to a very
casual and fun atmosphere, where the food is always fresh, and
the guest always come first. The only frozen items you’ll find at
Burger Bound are their amazing shakes and ice cream treats. The
burgers are all handcrafted, made with 100% organic meat with
no hormones and no antibiotics. The
menu is also designed to please vegetarians, salad lovers and health conscious
diners. There’s indoor seating and an
inviting outdoor patio to dine at the
restaurant which also provides delivery
service.
Manu on Ferry Street has proven to
be another popular addition to the
Ironbound restaurant scene, serving an
interesting and unusual combination of
sushi and Spanish cuisine.
Another new restaurant, El Guayaquileño on Monroe Street, serves the
cuisine of Ecuador, including traditional
favorites like ceviche, lomito saltado
and other meat, seafood and chicken
specialties familiar to the Ironbound’s
growing Ecuadorian population.
“The IBID strongly supports sidewalk cafes because they add to the welcoming environment for Ironbound residents and the thousands of visitors we host every year,” stated Seth A. Grossman, IBID Executive Director. “The City will be regulating and enforcing
sidewalk cafes more forcefully in the weeks ahead, and we thought it was important to serve as a liaison to help people in the Ironbound District understand the rules and apply for permits correctly and successfully so they can operate effectively and contribute to
our reputation as New Jersey’s top dining destination.”
“The Newark Police Department in conjunction with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Section (ABC) fosters open lines of communication with
businesses and Community residents,” noted Lt. Adolph J. Perez, Jr., of
the ABC.
Property Revaluation
Concerns Unite
Ironbound Business
Community
“I encourage all restaurants that have been authorized by ABC to have a
Sidewalk Café License to renew their license in a timely fashion. We are
all stakeholders in our communities so I urge all businesses to follow all
applicable laws pertaining to ABC and sidewalk cafés. Anyone can contact my office with any questions, comments or concerns relative to ABC
or their sidewalk café,” Lt. Perez concluded.
To pick up an application, for more information about the sidewalk café
permitting process or about other programs and services provided by the
IBID, call 973.491.9191 or email [email protected].
For generations, the Ironbound has
been a community of immigrants, blending cultural influences
from food to music that have drawn visitors from New Jersey
and beyond. The newest additions to the Ironbound dining scene
are already attracting new visitors and a loyal following among
locals as well.
First-Class Mail
U.S. Postage
PAID
A&E Mailers
56 Congress Street
Newark, NJ 07105
ELECTRONIC WASTE COLLECTION EVENT
Newark businesses and residents emptied their cluttered closets, drawers and
offices to take advantage of a free collection event for household and business
generated e-waste at Peter Francisco Park near Newark Penn Station. A total
of 7181 pounds of electronics equipment was collected for proper disposal at
the event, the second hosted by the Ironbound Business Improvement District
(IBID) and ECOvanta in cooperation with the City of Newark. ECOvanta is
the e-waste recycling subsidiary of Covanta Energy, the operator of the Essex
County Resource Recovery Facility in Newark. Nearly 80% of all the e-waste
collected consisted of televisions!
Participating in the event were (left to right) East Ward Councilman Augusto
Amador, Brenda Anderson, City of Newark, Recycling Coordinator, Chris
Bernardo, IBID Operations Coordinator and David Peterson, Account Executive,
E-Covanta.
The IBID joined with East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador, other elected
officials and community leaders to
support Ironbound business community
members who experienced significant
problems with the recent property
revaluation conducted in the City of
Newark. Hundreds of local commercial property owners participated in
community meetings to express their
concern over the initial results, and to
share information regarding the appeals process.
Reports of commercial property values
increasing by 100 percent and more
prompted many owners to question
the methodology used by Appraisal
Systems, Inc. to produce wholesale
property value increases that appeared
implausible when compared against
market conditions. By joining forces,
the Ironbound community was able to
have the process reviewed, the appeals
process extended and ultimately, many
of the property valuations in question
revised.
“The results of the property revaluation were correctly questioned because
of these concerns in the Ironbound in
Continued on page 5
Call Ironbound at 973-491-9191 or visit us on the web at www.goironbound.com
Spring 2013
Call Ironbound at 973-491-9191 or visit us on the web at www.goironbound.com
Wilson Avenue Expansion
In March, the Newark Municipal Council approved an amendment to the enabling ordinance to include Wilson Avenue from Ferry
Street to Stockton Street in the Ironbound
Business Improvement District (IBID). Five
new board members representing business
and commercial property owners from Wilson
Avenue will be elected to the IBID’s board of
directors. The IBID will provide assistance to
the Wilson Avenue business community in the
areas of management, business practices and
performance, marketing and communications,
business retention and recruitment, streetscape
enhancements and public safety.
“Over the past 10 years, Wilson Avenue has grown from what was considered a secondary
retail area and route to Newark’s industrial and port areas to become a bustling business
zone and an extension of Ferry Street business area,” noted Seth A. Grossman, the IBID’s
Executive Director. “We worked closely with Wilson Avenue business and property owners who expressed interest in becoming part of the IBID, holding community meetings
and organizing objectives, priorities and strategies, and we look forward to the benefits to
the entire Ironbound District.”
Ann Street School &
Lafayette Street School
Named Winners of 11th
Annual Anti-Litter Art
Contest
Ann Street School students Louis
Fernandes, Andrew Valente and Luana
Chociai won first place among fifth to
eighth grade students and Lafayette
Street School students Izabo Ramos,
Haley Tixi, Emilia Espinosa and SarahMarie Zaldumbide won first place for
first to fourth graders in the Ironbound
Business Improvement District’s (IBID)
11th annual Anti-Litter Art Contest.
Continued on page 4
Call Ironbound at 973-491-9191 or visit us on the web at www.goironbound.com
(left to right) Participating in the award ceremony for the
Ironbound BID’s 11th Annual Anti-Litter Poster Contest
were Seth A. Grossman, IBID Executive Director, Ann
Street School’s Louis Fernandes, Art Teacher Mrs. Marilyn
F. Richardson and Andrew Valente, and Councilman
Augusto Amador (student Luana Chociai not present).