Click the titles below to read the full article

• A New Era Seen for the Square, June 19, 2006
• SQUARE ZEAL! Plan calls for towers to rise from the rubble, March 8, 2006
• A new beginning for Journal Square , March 7, 2006
• Vote on Square developer tonight , March 7, 2006
• Landlord has parting words, March 3, 2006
• Square bargain: $1.1M fine, March 3, 2006
• Tawil, Jersey City make deal on $4M in fines, March 2, 2006
• High hopes for Square eyesore, March 1, 2006
• It began with single lot in NYC, March 1, 2006
• Day in court, finally, over $4M in fines, March 1, 2006

• A sale at Square with benefit for all , February 28, 2006
• Harwoods see towers in place of Tawil blights, February 25, 2006
• Tawil's day in court deferred for 4th time, February 23, 2006
• Leaky pipe forces 2 Tawil tenants to close businesses at Square, February 18, 2006
• Gone in 60 days, February 01, 2006

• Tawils' court date again put off; city pushes teardown, November 29, 2005
• Square demolitions behind schedule, but city not worried yet, October 29, 2005
• Square stores to shut, demolition is unclear, October 26, 2005
• Demolition going slow at Square, September 21, 2005
• Square landlord, biz tenants ordered to talk, September 14, 2005
• Wendy's closes at Square, September 14, 2005
• City: Contractor told us work could begin; Asbestos halts 2 demolitions, July 27, 2005
• Politico law firm hired by Tawils, July 25, 2005
• Square sandwich shop closing as demolition countdown starts, July 22, 2005
• Square demolition off until fall, July 21, 2005
• One question remains: Will Tawils rebuild on Square properties they've allowed to crumble? July 7, 2005
• Tawil family has racked up millions in fines for properties, June 30, 2005
• Sides settle payment dispute Square demolition continues, June 23, 2005
• Unlike Square properties, DKNY building across the river sparkles, June 22, 2005
• UP TO THE TAWILS, FOR NOW: Mayor quotes family as promising housing,
  retail stores, parking, June 22, 2005
• City should help Square shape up, June 21, 2005
• DEMOLISHING AMERICAN DREAM: Shop owners stand to lose everything when
  Square buildings come down, June 21, 2005
• Limited Partnerships: Safety net for large companies, June 20, 2005
• TAWIL THE SQUARE'S ROOT OF DISREPAIR? Family has racked up millions in fine for
  decaying structures, but may hold key to revitalization of neighborhood , June 20, 2005
• 2 Square demolitions halted by contractors' money dispute, June 16, 2005
• Square demolition is back on track, June 11, 2005
• Demolition project under way with gutting of two buildings, June 8, 2005
• THE BEGINNING OF THE END: Demolition project under way with gutting of two buildings, May 24, 2005
• Square demolition jobs are showing progress, May 17, 2005
• Journal Square on the move: Concourse demolished, State Square building opened, May 16, 2005
• Square eyesore still standing, May 10, 2005
• Knock buildings down, then talk, May 9, 2005
• 1 Square building to be a pile of bricks by Monday, May 6, 2005
• Tawil's being sued by 3 Square tenants, April 29, 2005
• Warrant issued for manager of Square buildings, April 28, 2005
• 14 businesses doomed 3 restaurants to survive, April 26, 2005
• Commercial tenants fuming over the plans near Hotel on the Square, April 21, 2005
• Demolitions a first step to new Square? April 14, 2005
• Lights out, Hudson says to businesses, April 14, 2005
• Lipski: Housing, parking and retail planned, April 13, 2005
• Commercial tenants fuming over the plans, April 13, 2005
• 14 businesses doomed, April 13, 2005
• Journal Square redevelopment inching closer, April 6, 2005
• Journal Square store opens again after three-month closure, March 10, 2005
• On gloomy block, one store reopens, March 04, 2005
• Square store is allowed to reopen, March 02, 2005
• Doesn't NJ Transit know the buyer? February 25, 2005
• Square buildings in shambles, and owner eyes more, February 23, 2005
• Demolition deadline extended 2 months, February 21, 2005
• 'Square' Pegs, February 18, 2005
• Risky Business, November 17, 2004 (PDF Format)
• Building violations close businesses, November 25, 2004
• Building woes may rejuvenate Square, December 02, 2004
• To remove Square building's parapet, December 03, 2004
• Journal Square business gloom, December 04, 2004
• Crack in 'Hotel' now wider, Jersey City told, December 14, 2004
• Tenants at Square site must vacate, January 10, 2005
• Square site's future cloudy, January 24, 2005

 

Demolition going slow at Square

Five months after the first brick was poked out, 10 Tube Concourse - a one-story building next to the PATH Transportation Center in Journal Square - has been reduced to rubble.

The next wall to fall will be a free-standing one next to the restaurant Mr. Gusto Express, acting Construction Code Official Ray Meyer said yesterday.

After that, asbestos will be removed from 17-23 Journal Square, followed by the parapets - the part of the brick facade that extends beyond the roof line - and the billboards on top of the Hotel on the Square building and 17-23 Journal Square, Meyer said.

This work is part of a massive demolition - and redevelopment - plan for this key block of Journal Square.

Roughly 80 percent of the properties on the block are owned by the Tawil family, New York City real estate investors who have allowed their buildings to deteriorate to the point they are now, according to city officials, beyond repair.

But the planned demolition is moving at a snail's pace.

In May, contractors began to dismantle 10 Tube Concourse and 17-23 Journal Square, a three-story commercial property at the south end of the block. But work had to be stopped after state inspectors found asbestos.

Fearing that ripping down one building could affect adjacent properties, the Tawils have decided not to proceed with further demolition until the commercial tenants in their buildings are all gone.

Most of these tenants have been given a deadline of Oct. 28 to move, said David Lipari, an attorney representing the small business suing the Tawils.

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Square landlord, biz tenants ordered to talk

The owners of Three Bros. Pizza, Twin Donuts, and several other businesses on Journal Square businesses will have an opportunity to confront the landlord who's trying to evict them, their attorney said yesterday.

"We were ordered by the court to attempt to mediate," said Jersey City-based attorney David P. Lipari. "Hopefully we can have some construction conversations with the Tawil family in regard to this matter."

The Tawil family, New York City-based investors, own 80 percent of the block neighboring the PATH Transportation Center. Their properties have fallen into such disrepair that they must be torn down, city officials said.

But in order to proceed with those plans, several businesses that have made Journal Square their homes must be tossed out.

"My tenants want to be compensated for their loss of business, loss of their livelihood, loss of investments, and loss of their ability to provide for them for them and their families," said Lipari, who represents 13 businesses.

An attorney representing the Tawils didn't return phone calls yesterday.

No date has been set for the mediation hearing, Lipari said. Many tenants have already left. Those who remain have been given an Oct. 28 deadline to vacate their premises, Lipari said.

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Wendy's closes at Square

Wendy's on Journal Square closed last week due to poor sales and limited opportunity to expand, according to a spokeswoman for the Ohio-based company.

"This has been in the works for two years," said Pat Yonchek, field marketing manager for Wendy's International, referring to Thursday's closure of the fast-food establishment.

"The store was under-performing and sales potential was limited," she said. "There was no drive-through and no room for expansion."

Plus the store's five-year lease had expired, Yonchek said.

The store - one of 6,000 around the world and at least five in Hudson County - even removed a bathroom to add seating, Yonchek said.

But although the store was "jammed" during peak hours, off-peak hours remained "very slow," Yonchek said.

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City: Contractor told us work could begin;
Asbestos halts 2 demolitions

Jersey City officials are blaming a demolition contractor for telling them that two Journal Square buildings were free of asbestos and thus could be demolished.

But last month the demolition work had to be halted, and steps taken to ensure public safety, after it turned out the buildings—10 Tube Concourse and 17-23 Journal Square—did indeed contain the carcinogen, officials said.

The buildings in question are owned Ralph Tawil Jr. and his family—New York City-based landlords who own roughly 80 percent of the block adjacent to the PATH Transportation Center, including the dilapidated Hotel on the Square.

Prior to the start of demolition work, city officials received a letter on May 4 from Marie Grasso, owner of MMG Design Inc. of Staten Island—the demolition contractor hired by the Tawils—stating "all asbestos has been cleared" at the two properties, said Maria Pignataro, a spokeswoman for Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

But Grasso—who hired a subcontractor to work at the site—said she never told city officials the buildings didn't contain asbestos.

"There is a back wall behind the parking lot that has asbestos that has to be removed and has been exposed to the public for more than 30 years," she said.

However, Pignataro said the letter left city officials with the mistaken belief that the properties were asbestos-free and demolition could begin immediately.

But on June 7, inspectors with the state's Department of Health and Senior Services—working in conjunction with the federal Environmental Protection Agency—collected samples from debris at the site.

City officials said they don't know what prompted state inspectors to show up at the site, since city officials had no reason to doubt the information Grasso had given them, Pignataro said.

As it turns out, it's a good thing state inspectors stepped into the picture. By June 23, the samples had proven positive for asbestos and city officials closed the worksite, Pignataro said.

Interim measures have since been taken to insure the public's safety, said Nathan Rudy, public information officer for the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

A tarp has been draped over a dumpster in the rear of 10 Tube Concourse identified as containing asbestos. There is also a tarp over the front of that property, although the building is completely exposed from every other direction.

City officials await an asbestos removal plan from the Tawils that must be approved by EPA officials, they said.

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Politico law firm hired by Tawils

With millions of dollars in fire and building code violations hanging over their heads, Ralph Tawil Jr. and his family—owners of several dilapidated properties on a key block of Journal Square—have hired a high-powered law firm to represent them in their dealings with Jersey City.

According to city officials, the Tawils have hired the Parsippany-based law firm Weiner Lesniak. One of the firm's principals, state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Elizabeth—chairman of First Bank Americano in Union City—is a powerful Union County political boss and a close mentor of former Gov. James McGreevey.

Key fund-raisers for many Democrats across the state, the law firm specializes in municipal law, land use and zoning, labor and employment, and insurance work, according to its Web site.

The firm has assigned attorney Joseph Ranieri to work with the Tawils, city officials said—and he certainly has his work cut out for him.

Properties owned by the Tawils through various limited partnerships have amassed millions of dollars worth of fire and building code fines. And in response to a planned demolition of these properties, the Tawils are being sued by at least 14 commercial tenants who claim they are being evicted from their stores through no fault of their own.

The demolition work that began roughly a month ago has ground to a halt with the discovery of asbestos in two buildings slated to be taken down and a fear that adjacent buildings are so unstable that taking down one could cause others to collapse.

The Tawils own roughly 80 percent of the properties on the block adjacent to the PATH Transportation Center.

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Square sandwich shop closing as demolition countdown starts

The Subway sandwich shop at 8-11 Journal Square is among the first of a stream of commercial tenants that will vacate a key block in Journal Square over the next several months.

"This is tremendous loss for us," said Chetan Pandya, the owner of the sandwich shop which is slated to close Sunday at the end of the business day. "To move out, look for another location, move back in. It's too much."

The store's landlord—a limited liability company owned by New York City real estate investor Ralph Tawil Jr. and his family—plans to demolish several dilapidated buildings he owns on the block next to the PATH Transportation Center, presumably to make room for a new development.

Pandya, who owns a second Subway store at Newark and Summit avenues, opened his Journal Square shop three years ago and has been paying roughly $4,000 per month rent, he said.

And even though his business has not been cited for any violations, it is housed in a property that has racked up several million dollars in fire code and building violations and is part of a massive demolition plan agreed to by city officials and his landlord.

Aside from losing half of his business, Pandya said six employees will be out of work.

As per a clause in his lease, Pandya received a three-month notice that his building was slated for demolition, which gives him until July 27 to move out. But since he has to remove equipment and store it, Pandya said he must close on Sunday to have enough time to be out by Tuesday.

Several other commercial tenants on the block have been notified they have until November to leave.

Through different corporate entities, the Tawils own roughly 80 percent of the properties on this block and plan to tear all of them down. The only properties not owned by the Tawils are the buildings that house the Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's, Song's Hallmark and McDonald's, 12, 14, and 15-16 Journal Square respectively.

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Square demolition off until fall

Demolition work on two eyesore properties on Journal Square will likely not resume until November, an elected official said yesterday.

The two properties in question—10 Tube Concourse and 17-23 Journal Square—bookend the block next to the PATH Transportation Center.

The takedown of these buildings, owned by New York City real estate developer Ralph Tawil Jr. and his family, was begun roughly a month ago, but is now on hold for two reasons, said Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski, who represents the area.

Lipski said there's a concern that some of the structures are sounstable that taking one down could damage its neighbors.

Those properties were slated to be included in a more widespread demolition effort later this year, and the tenants in those properties were told they had to be out by November.

Therefore, Lipski said, it makes more sense to wait until they are out of harm's way before proceeding.

Secondly, asbestos—a known carcinogen—has been discovered at both 10 Tube Concourse and 17-23 Journal Square, Lipski said. However, he said, there's no immediate danger to the public—asbestos is a problem only if it becomes airborne—and the Tawils have until mid-September to come up with a asbestos removal plan.

By November, the Tawils must present a detailed demolition plan to city officials, Lipski said.

These three properties—10 Tube Concourse, 17-23 Journal Square, and the Hotel on the Square at 8 Journal Square—have racked up at least $3.1 million in fire code violations and $40,000 in building code fines, city officials said.

The properties are so deteriorated, the Tawils have decided to rip them down rather than repair them.

And they've extended their demolition plans to all their holdings on the block, which includes 1-7 Journal Square - home to several small businesses including 3 Brothers Pizza, Twin Donuts, and a 99 cents store.

Most of these tenants had clauses in their leases that called for a six-month notice if their building became slated for demolition, an attorney representing the tenants said.

Also, a court hearing on building and fire code fines attached to Tawil properties scheduled for yesterday was postponed until September, said Alan Pearlman, the acting chief municipal prosecutor.

The attorney representing the Tawils had a scheduling conflict, city officials said.

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One question remains:
Will Tawils rebuild on Square properties they've allowed to crumble?

The redevelopment of the heart of Journal Square hinges on an unlikely savior: a landlord who has run up millions of dollars in fines over the Hotel on the Square and other dilapidated properties.

But Ralph Tawil Jr. and his family—New York City real estate investors who control about 80 percent of the block adjacent to the Journal Square Transportation Center—say they believe they can breathe new life into the center of the city.

The Tawils didn't return phone calls seeking comment for this article, but Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said he met several weeks ago with Ralph Tawil Jr., who runs the family business, to discuss redevelopment plans for the site.

Reluctant to seize the property through eminent domain, Healy said he is taking the Tawils at their word—that they want to build a mixed-used development that's primarily residential, with retail stores and parking.

But this plan sounds eerily familiar to anyone who has monitored redevelopment proposals for the Square. In fact, the Tawils have been party to most of them.

In partnership with local developer Joseph Panepinto Sr., Ralph Tawil Sr. and his brother Saul Tawil began to amass properties on the Square in the late 1980s. Their stated goal: to build a $100 million office and retail complex.

But by 1990, the partnership was in shambles, with the Tawils suing Panepinto, charging him with reneging on a deal to include them as owners of a parking lot behind the Square.

The court squabble ended with the Tawils buying out Panepinto—who has since played a role in converting the old State Theater site into a mostly market-rate apartment building. But in the process, the effort to redevelop the Hotel on the Square block fell by the wayside.

Then in 1997, the office tower plan was resurrected—slightly revised to accommodate a gymnasium, conference center and library that Hudson County Community College hoped to build.

"We are looking at financing the entire project privately, ourselves," Ralph Tawil Sr. said at the time. "We're going to do this and help change the face of Journal Square."

An artist's rendering depicted a 15-story metal and glass office building with a series of smaller retail buildings fronting the Square, with the highest of the shops reaching four stories.

But the Tawils never came up with the financing, and the deal—once again— fell through.

By June 1999, the Tawils were back—this time with a big-money partner: Charles Kushner of Florham Park.

An $80 million Kushner/Tawil proposal included an office tower, with high-quality ground-floor retail, and a building for the college.

"This is going to happen," declared former Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski, now in jail on unrelated corruption charges. "It will be a 'Great Leap Forward,' if you will, in urban development."

Not satisfied the plan provided enough parking, commissioners of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency voted 3 to 2 against it in October 1999.

But Kushner and the Tawils kept pushing for it.

Two years later, city officials killed the plan, concluding the Tawils and Kushner couldn't finance their proposal.

Kushner, a major Democratic fund-raiser, is now serving time for making illegal campaign contributions to the Bill Bradley presidential campaign.

Mayor Healy said he will give the Tawils a chance to redevelop the site.

"But if we continue to see the kind of foot-dragging we've seen for the last two decades, we'll have to move on," he said.

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Tawil family has racked up millions in fines for properties

It's perhaps one of the most incongruous scenes in Jersey City.

Surrounded by globe lights and a kiosk, the fountain in the middle of Journal Square spews water 12 feet into the air, pumping feverishly to effectuate a gurgling calm.

But hovering right behind the fountain is the five-story, mostly vacant Hotel on the Square building, looking like a defeated boxer with his teeth knocked out.

Charles Sciangula, a Journal Square resident since 1969, feels "downhearted" when he walks past the eyesore.

"You invest 30 years in an area and you expect it to change for the better, but this looks worse," he said.

And the view doesn't improve as one moves to the outer extremes of this block.

Next to the PATH transportation center stands what's left of an old bargain store. Earlier this year, its roof collapsed and the owner decided to rip the building down rather than repair it.

At the other end of the block, at Sip Avenue, a three-story commercial building that had to be hastily evacuated in November due to numerous building and fire code violations is perhaps one of the biggest fine collectors in the history of Jersey City.

Current fines on this property—which is in the process of being dismantled—total more than $3.5 million and the tab is still running, city officials say.

In 2002, this building was slapped with a nearly $11 million fine because bricks on the facade showed the potential to fall and strike pedestrians, according to city records. City officials said two weeks ago they couldn't locate this file, so therefore couldn't say when or if these violations were addressed.

 All three properties are owned by limited liability companies controlled by the Tawil family, New York City-based real estate investors who began scooping up properties on the Square with an ex-partner in the late 1980s.

The Tawils also own 1-7 Journal Square, which includes Twin Donuts and a 99-cent store. On the other side of the block, they are in the process of buying 88 Sip Ave. (Square News) and the parking lot in front of the Hudson County Community College entrance; they are currently leasing those properties from NJ Transit.

In short, they own every parcel on this critical block of Journal Square except the buildings that house McDonald's, Song's Hallmark, Wendy's and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

For nearly two decades—and over the course of several mayoral administrations—the Tawils have presided over the deterioration of this prime real estate, while at the same time collecting top dollar for their commercial rentals.

The decay of 8-11 Journal Square (the hotel), 17-23 Journal Square at Sip Avenue, and 10 Tube Concourse next to the PATH station is to the point that both the Tawils and city officials now agree they are beyond repair and must be torn down.

The Tawils have since notified all their Journal Square tenants they must abandon their premises no later than Oct. 28 so the buildings can be razed.

Several times in the past the Tawils floated plans to develop this block. Each time, for various reasons, their plans fell through.

And even as their attorney prepares to go to court to address the staggering amount of fines his client has been assessed, the Tawils - because they own 80 percent of the block - are being considered as potential developers for the site, city officials said.

The logic eludes Louis Jurado, a lifelong Jersey City resident.

"They just drained these properties dry," Jurado said. The city "should put a lien and take away their properties. You get a ticket, they suspend your license. They should take their licenses too."

Ralph Tawil Jr. and Hal Sutton, principals in various Tawil-run partnerships, didn't return several phone calls for comment. Ralph Tawil Sr., Tawil Jr.'s grandfather, started the business.

Why city officials have allowed such a key block in the city to fall into such disrepair seems to boil down to a couple of reasons. The first, according to City Council president and former acting Mayor L. Harvey Smith, is the city's fear of extended litigation.

"They (the Tawils) have a lot of money," Smith observed when asked why the city hasn't seized their holdings through eminent domain. "We'll be hung up in condemnation court for years. With them, it either ends up in court or there's been the threat of going to court."

In a pre-election debate in April, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said he was philosophically opposed to taking the Tawil Journal Square property by eminent domain to turn it over to another private owner.

Two weeks ago Healy said he's not ruling anything out.

"The buildings have been an eyesore for 20 years," Healy said. "They are now a roadblock for any development of Journal Square.

"These buildings must be razed, and they (the Tawils) are going to have to do that," he added. "Either they (the Tawils) will develop something or they will transfer that property to developers who will do just that."

Therefore, it's a Catch-22: Because the city can't afford to take them over, they're going to remain in their dilapidated state until the Tawils do something about it; but because they're in such bad shape, they're apparently not hurrying to do so.

"That parcel is extremely valuable," said Glen Gabert, president of Hudson County Community College, which has poured millions into Journal Square, renovating existing buildings as well as putting up the new Culinary Arts Institute on Sip Avenue.

"The cost of buying it, tearing it down, cleaning it up is tremendously expensive. And what's going to go there has to generate profits."

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Sides settle payment dispute Square demolition continues

The two sides of a contract dispute that brought a demolition job on Journal Square to a halt two weeks ago say they've patched up their differences and work should be completed this week.

The job entails the interior demolition of 17-23 Journal Square at the corner of Sip Avenue and a complete takedown of 10 Tube Concourse, located next door to the PATH Transportation Center.

Getting paid is no longer an issue, said Michael Ambrosio, owner of M&A Demolition in Secaucus, who yanked his crew off the job two weeks ago, claiming he was owed more than $50,000 from MMG Design Inc., the primary demolition contractor on the job.

Steve Martino, an attorney representing Ambrosio, said the owner of MMG Design made a scheduled $35,000 payment recently and will pay the $35,000 balance when the job is finished. The subcontract agreement is worth $210,000, he said.

Marie Grasso, owner of MMG Design, maintains she was never in arrears with the subcontractor.

Paperwork to complete the job has been submitted to the city's Buildings Department, Martino said.

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Unlike Square properties, DKNY building across the river sparkles

In Jersey City, the Tawil family is best known for its violation-riddled properties on Journal Square, including the crumbling Hotel on the Square and a three-story commercial property at the corner of Sip Avenue that had to be hastily evacuated in November because of numerous fire and building code violations.

But what a difference a river makes.

Just across the Hudson, at 240 W. 40th St. in Manhattan, it's hard to believe it's the same landlord.

The 13-floor commercial property, sitting in the heart of New York's garment district, serves as the corporate headquarters for DKNY International, the women's wear conglomerate founded by designer Donna Karan.

A security guard greets visitors in the lobby. "DKNY" is emblazoned on a huge golden door at the rear of the ground floor. The floors are polished to a high buff.

The Tawils keep their offices on the third floor. A receptionist sits behind a counter. A modernistic glass and wood partition is behind her. The chairs are practical, but comfortable.

Last year, the owners began work to modify the alarm system on the second and ninth floors, according to city records. In 1990, they upgraded the sprinkler system on four floors.

And earlier this year, a Tawil company filed a permit with the New York City Department of Buildings to erect a heavy-duty sidewalk shed in front of the building to upgrade the facade of the building.

In contrast, three Tawil properties on Journal Square are emblazoned with big orange "Xs," signaling they're too dangerous even for firefighters to enter.

The Tawils refused to comment for this and other stories and asked a reporter who visited their Manhattan office to leave.

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UP TO THE TAWILS, FOR NOW
Mayor quotes family as promising housing, retail stores, parking

The redevelopment of the heart of Journal Square hinges on an unlikely savior: a landlord who has run up millions in dollars in fines over the Hotel on the Square and other dilapidated properties.

But Ralph Tawil Jr. and his family - New York City real estate investors who control about 80 percent of the block adjacent to the Journal Square Transportation Center - say they believe they can breathe new life into the center of the city.

The Tawils didn't return phone calls seeking comment for this article, but Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said he met several weeks ago with Ralph Tawil Jr., who runs the family business, to discuss redevelopment plans for the site.

Reluctant to seize the property through eminent domain, Healy said he is taking the Tawils at their word - that they want to build a mixed-used development that's primarily residential, with retail stores and parking.

But this plan sounds eerily familiar to anyone who has monitored redevelopment proposals for the Square. In fact, the Tawils have been party to most of them.

In partnership with local developer Joseph Panepinto Sr., Ralph Tawil Sr. and his brother Saul Tawil began to amass properties on the Square in the late 1980s. Their stated goal: to build a $100 million office and retail complex.
But by 1990, the partnership was in shambles, with the Tawils suing Panepinto, charging him with reneging on a deal to include them as owners of a parking lot behind the Square.

The court squabble ended with the Tawils buying out Panepinto - who has since played a role in converting the old State Theater site into a mostly market-rate apartment building. But in the process, the effort to redevelop the Hotel on the Square block fell by the wayside.

Then in 1997, the office tower plan was resurrected - slightly revised to accommodate a gymnasium, conference center and library that Hudson County Community College hoped to build.

"We are looking at financing the entire project privately, ourselves," Ralph Tawil Sr. said at the time. "We're going to do this and help change the face of Journal Square."

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City should help Square shape up

It's the decaying heart at the center of the city.

Journal Square, once great and still full of potential, has been left to rot. Much of the block between the PATH Transportation Center and Sip Avenue is either fenced off, being torn down or just plain decrepit.

The savior for this black eye? The very people who have let it fall into its current state. City officials say the Tawil family, which controls 80 percent of the decaying block, may be tapped to redevelop the area, which has long been the subject of grand plans and then broken promises.

Why has the city not collected the millions of dollars in fines the Tawil companies already owe? Why has the city, so eager to use its power of eminent domain elsewhere, been so reluctant to get involved? Why allow the Tawils to potentially profit from a set of buildings that, under their stewardship, have had such a negative impact on the surrounding area.

The pedestrian plaza that includes the fountain, the never-used kiosk and the Columbus statue has become a distinctly unpleasant place - especially at night.

City Council President L. Harvey Smith said that the Tawil family is so wealthy the city is reluctant to get into a court battle with them but that doesn't really stand up - the city has had many legal battles with many wealthy people.

The power of eminent domain should be used sparingly - more sparingly than it is used, in fact. But after all the fines, all the dashed plans, all years of its slow slide into disrepair, this block on Journal Square seems a perfect candidate.

The city should move to condemn the properties that have all the outstanding fines. After that, it should hold a design competition - a genuine design competition, not a give-away to the most politically connected developer - to determine what the best use of this area should be.

There have been various proposals over the years, including an office tower. It is premature to make pronouncements about what the block should look like exactly. Any number of possibilities could work.

With the PATH and buses, the Loew's Jersey Theater, Hudson County Community College and a brand-new market rate residential building all nearby, there should be no shortage of developers willing to invest in this block.

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DEMOLISHING AMERICAN DREAM
Shop owners stand to lose everything when Square buildings come down

Many are recent immigrants, having come to the United States with an entrepreneurial spirit and a faith that hard work and sacrifice would be rewarded.

Like so many generations of previous Jersey City immigrants, they staked everything on a family business, investing their life savings to open small shops selling sandwiches or household necessities.

They said they expected to struggle through some hard times, but they never imagined this: Landlords who would allow the properties to sink into such poor condition that it now makes more sense to knock them down rather than make repairs.

And, due to a clause in their leases they say they never focused on until now, their landlords can evict them without compensation.

With most facing an October deadline to vacate their stores, many of these tenants say they are staring at financial devastation.

"I'm totally ruined," said Gou Kim, owner of the Twin Donut near the PATH transportation center. "I've been in shock. I went to the hospital. I felt paralyzed."

But Kim - who raised nearly $250,000 to put herself in the donut business - and 10 other commercial tenants on her block are fighting back.

They've hired an attorney to seek compensation for their businesses and relocation assistance from their landlords - in each case, a separate corporate entity controlled by the Tawil family, New York City-based real estate investors who own 80 percent of the properties of that block.

The tenants' attorney, David Lipari of Jersey City, alleges the Tawils acted in bad faith by signing leases even as they presumably knew they intended to demolish the buildings.

For example, Kim signed a one-year, $5,000-per-month lease in December; just one month later, a follow-up city inspection report ordered the Tawils to either rehabilitate or demolish three other properties on the same block.

Phone calls to the Tawils seeking comment for this article were not returned.

Three properties on the Square owned by the Tawils - the nearly demolished 10 Tube Concourse next to the PATH station; the mostly vacant Hotel on the Square, at 8-11 Journal Square; and 17-23 Journal Square at the corner of Sip Avenue - have racked up millions of dollars in fines from city building and fire inspectors, city records show.

Given the choice to rehabilitate or fix these properties, the Tawils elected to knock them down.

But they intend to demolish not just these eyesores, but all their holdings on this block, which include 1-7 Journal Square near the transportation center and two properties - a commercial building at 88 Sip Ave. and the parking lot in front of the Hudson County Community College entrance - which they lease from NJ Transit but are in the process of buying.

The plan uproots every commercial tenant on the block except Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's, McDonald's and Song's Hallmark - which occupy the only buildings on the block not owned or leased by the Tawils.

In the case of Subway owners Praful and Chetan Pandya, a father and son, their lease only calls for a three-month notification, which means they must be out of their 8-11 Journal Square location by July 27.

The Pandyas raised $150,000 three years ago to start the business. They pay $4,311 monthly rent, they said. Now these Jersey City residents face the prospect of losing their investment and their source of income.
"I feel we have been cheated," said Praful Pandya. "Everybody's savings have gone down the drain."

Mike Patel, a Jersey City resident, owns the 99-cents and fruit and vegetable stores at 1-7 Journal Square, paying $13,000 to rent the space from the Tawils. He and his wife log 15-hour days at the stores to support themselves and pay college tuition for their two daughters.

In November, the Fire Department ordered his business closed until he paid $4,000 to install a fire exit door, Patel said. The Tawils refused to pay for it, he said, so his only choice was to pay for it himself in order to reopen his business.

The store's ceiling leaks like a sieve, he said, echoing a complaint of several fellow Tawil tenants.

But it was better than nothing, which is what he'll have after he's evicted.

"I put my whole life savings into this business," Patel said. "I put in $350,000 cash, plus I borrowed money for the 99-cents store. I don't have anything else."

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Limited partnerships: Safety net for large companies

Madison Acquisitions. Oxford Acquisitions. Adams Acquisition.

For every lot the Tawil family owns on Journal Square there is a different limited partnership - a mini-company representing the conglomerate behind it.

Such partnerships, though, are not unusual, according to Robert Ross, a Livingston certified public accountant who graduated from Snyder High School and St. Peter's College.

The leaders of a partnership may have different partners for each project.

"If something goes wrong and they have to declare bankruptcy," he said, "it's just that limited partnership that declares bankruptcy, and the rest of the empire is safe."

In addition, limited partners are allowed various tax breaks, he said. For example, they can write off as a tax loss the total investment of the group during the fundraising stage for the project and when a building is sold, the partnership allows them to limit the capital gains taxes they pay.

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TAWIL THE SQUARE'S ROOT OF DISREPAIR?
Family has racked up millions in fine for decaying structures,
but may hold key to revitalization of neighborhood

It's perhaps one of the most incongruous scenes in Jersey City.

Surrounded by globe lights and a kiosk, the fountain in the middle of Journal Square spews water 12 feet into the air, pumping feverishly to effectuate a gurgling calm.

But hovering right behind the fountain is the five-story, mostly vacant Hotel on the Square building, looking like a defeated boxer with his teeth knocked out.

Charles Sciangula, a Journal Square resident since 1969, feels "downhearted" when he walks past the eyesore.
"You invest 30 years in an area and you expect it to change for the better, but this looks worse," he said.
And the view doesn't improve as one moves to the outer extremes of this block.

Next to the PATH transportation center stands what's left of an old bargain store. Earlier this year, its roof collapsed and the owner decided to rip the building down rather than repair it.

At the other end of the block, at Sip Avenue, a three-story commercial building that had to be hastily evacuated in November due to numerous building and fire code violations is perhaps one of the biggest fine collectors in the history of Jersey City.

Current fines on this property - which is in the process of being dismantled - total more than $3.5 million and the tab is still running, city officials say.

In 2002, this building was slapped with a nearly $11 million fine because bricks on the facade showed the potential to fall and strike pedestrians, according to city records. City officials said last week they couldn't locate this file, so couldn't say when or if these violations were addressed.

All three properties are owned by limited liability companies controlled by the Tawil family, New York City-based real estate investors who began scooping up properties on the Square with an ex-partner in the late 1980s.

The Tawils also own 1-7 Journal Square, which includes Twin Donuts and a 99- cent store. On the other side of the block, they are in the process of buying 88 Sip Ave. (Square News) and the parking lot in front of the Hudson County Community College entrance; they are currently leasing those properties from NJ Transit.

In short, they own every parcel on this critical block of Journal Square except the buildings that house McDonald's, Song's Hallmark, Wendy's and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

For nearly two decades - and over the course several mayoral administrations - the Tawils have presided over the deterioration of this prime real estate, while at the same time collecting top dollar for their commercial rentals.

The decay of 8-11 Journal Square (the hotel), 17-23 Journal Square at Sip Avenue and officials now agree they are beyond repair and must be torn down.

The Tawils have since notified all their Journal Square tenants they must abandon their premises no later than Oct. 28 so the buildings can be razed.

Several times in the past the Tawils floated plans to develop this block. Each time, for various reasons, their plans fell through.

And even as their attorney prepares to go to court to address the staggering amount of fines his client has been assessed, the Tawils - because they own 80 percent of the block - are being considered as potential developers for the site, city officials said.

The logic eludes Louis Jurado, a lifelong Jersey City resident.

"They just drained these properties dry," Jurado said. The city "should put a lien and take away their properties. You get a ticket, they suspend your license. They should take their licenses too."

Ralph Tawil Jr. and Hal Sutton, principals in various Tawil-run partnerships, didn't return several phone calls for comment. Ralph Tawil Sr., Tawil Jr.'s grandfather, started the business.

Why city officials have allowed such a key block in the city to fall into such disrepair seems to boil down to a couple reasons. The first, according to City Council president and former acting Mayor L. Harvey Smith, is the city's fear of extended litigation.

"They (the Tawils) have a lot of money," Smith observed when asked why the city hasn't seized their holdings through eminent domain. "We'll be hung up in condemnation court for years. With them, it either ends up in court or there's been the threat of going to court."

Glen Gabert, president of Hudson County Community College, sees market economics as the main barrier to the development of this block.

"That parcel is extremely valuable," Gabert said. "The cost of buying it, tearing it down, cleaning it up is tremendously expensive. And what's going to go there has to generate profits."

In a debate in April, prior to his election in May, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said he was philosophically opposed to taking the Tawil Journal Square property by eminent domain to turn it over to another private owner.
Last week Healy said he's not ruling anything out.

"The buildings have been an eyesore for 20 years," Healy said. "They are now a roadblock for any development of Journal Square.

"These buildings must be razed, and they (the Tawils) are going to have to do that," he added. "Either they (the Tawils) will develop something or they will transfer that property to developers who will do just that."

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2 Square demolitions halted by contractors' money dispute

A dispute between a contractor and a subcontractor threatens to halt demolition work on two of several dilapidated Journal Square properties slated to be taken down.

Michael Ambrosio, the owner of M&A Demolition in Secaucus, said last week he's yanking his crew from 17-23 Journal Square, at the corner of Sip Avenue, and 10 Tube Concourse, a one-story building next to the PATH Transportation Center, because the prime contractor owes him more than $50,000.

In addition, an engineering firm working for the buildings' owners hasn't filed the necessary plans with the city's Buildings Department to proceed with the job, he said.

The buildings are mostly gutted. But Ambrosio claims he cannot pull steel beams, take down the parapets (part of the facade the extends beyond the roof line), or remove the billboards at 17-23 Journal Square until the city's Building's Department approves written plans.

Marie Grasso, owner of MMG Designs of Staten Island - the prime demolition contractor - said Michael Ambrosio has no standing in the matter and doesn't know what he's talking about.

Grasso said that her agreement is with Anthony Ambrosio - Michael's brother - who runs Backhoe Services Inc. in Bayonne. Grasso said she's paid Anthony Ambrosio all the money he's owed.

Anthony Ambrosio couldn't be reached for comment; Michael Ambrosio said Grasso's contract is with both his firm and his brother's firm.

In regard to the unfiled paperwork, Grasso said "I don't know what they want me to do for them. Anthony has to help out and fill out his paperwork," Grasso said. "He (Anthony Ambrosio) will be completely terminated from the job site if he can't do what he's contracted to do."

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Square demolition is back on track

The two sides of a contract dispute that brought a demolition job on Journal Square to a halt three days ago say they've patched up their differences and work should be completed next week.

The job entails the interior demolition of 17-23 Journal Square at the corner of Sip Avenue and a complete takedown of 10 Tube Concourse, located next door to the PATH Transportation Center.

Getting paid is no longer an issue, said Michael Ambrosio, owner of M&A Demolition in Secaucus, who yanked his crew off the job on Wednesday, claiming he was owed more than $50,000 from MMG Design Inc., the primary demolition contractor on the job.

Steve Martino, an attorney representing Ambrosio, said the owner of MMG Design made a scheduled $35,000 payment Thursday and will pay the $35,000 balance when the job is finished. The subcontract agreement is worth $210,000, he said.

Marie Grasso, owner of MMG Design, maintains she was never in arrears with the subcontractor.

Paperwork to complete the job has been submitted to the city's Buildings Department, Martino said.

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2 Square demolitions halted by contractors' money dispute

A dispute between a contractor and a subcontractor threatens to halt demolition work on two of several dilapidated Journal Square properties slated to be taken down.

Michael Ambrosio, the owner of M&A Demolition in Secaucus, said yesterday he's yanking his crew from 17-23 Journal Square, at the corner of Sip Avenue, and 10 Tube Concourse, a one-story building next to the PATH Transportation Center, because the prime contractor owes him more than $50,000.

In addition, an engineering firm working for the buildings' owners hasn't filed the necessary plans with the city's Buildings Department to proceed with the job, he said.

"As of today we're stopping because we can't afford to run a business like this," he said.

The buildings are mostly gutted. But Ambrosio claims he cannot pull steel beams, take down the parapets (part of the facade the extends beyond the roof line), or remove the billboards at 17-23 Journal Square until the city's Building's Department approves written plans.

Marie Grasso, owner of MMG Designs of Staten Island—the prime demolition contractor—said Michael Ambrosio has no standing in the matter and doesn't know what he's talking about.

Grasso said that her agreement is with Anthony Ambrosio—Michael's brother—who runs Backhoe Services Inc. in Bayonne. Grasso said she's paid Anthony Ambrosio all the money he's owed.

Anthony Ambrosio couldn't be reached for comment; Michael Ambrosio said Grasso's contract is with both his firm and his brother's firm.

In regard to the unfiled paperwork, Grasso said Anthony Ambrosio is trying to get out of work she's paying him to do.

"I don't know what they want me to do for them. Anthony has to help out and fill out his paperwork," Grasso said. "He (Anthony Ambrosio) will be completely terminated from the job site if he can't do what he's contracted to do."

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THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Demolition project under way with gutting of two buildings

Ceiling tiles. Old files. Even a plastic plant could be seen being tossed from a window at 17-23 Journal Square as interior demolition work continued yesterday on two eyesore properties that bookend a main block in Journal Square.

Both buildings - 10 Tube Concourse, next to the Transportation Center, and 17-23 Journal Square, at the corner of Sip Avenue - will be a reduced to rubble in the next several weeks, said Anthony Ambrosio, the contractor in the charge of the demolition.

"We're doing the interior demolition right now," said Ambrosio, owner of Backhoe Services, based in Bayonne. "Then we will take off the parapets and billboards (at 17-23 Journal Square)."

These two buildings, along with the mostly vacant Hotel on the Square at 8-11 Journal Square, are owned by limited partnership companies run by the Tawil family, New York City-based real estate investors who own 80 percent of this block.

These three properties have racked up building and fire code fines totaling at least $11 million, according to city records.

Confronted with bringing their properties up to code or knocking them down, the Tawils elected to demolish them, city officials and an attorney representing the Tawils have said.

The massive demolition job will ultimately encompass all of the Tawil holdings, which includes every building on the block adjacent to the Journal Square Transportation Center except the properties that house Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's, Song's Hallmark and McDonald's.

Beyond the interior demolition work, Ambrosio said his next priority is taking down the parapets and billboards at 17-23 Journal Square. The parapets are the part of the brick facade that extend above the roof line, he said. City inspectors have said the parapets and billboards at 17-23 Journal Square and at the hotel are in danger of falling.
Ambrosio confirmed the presence of asbestos at both 17-23 Journal Square and the hotel. His company will contract out the removal of this known carcinogen, he said.

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Square demolition jobs are showing progress

The long-awaited demolition of two buildings in Journal Square - 10 Tube Concourse and 17-23 Journal Square - moved forward yesterday as workers dismantled the interiors of the buildings by hand.

Demolition of 10 Tube Concourse, the former site of the Jersey Bargain Center, began last week. By yesterday afternoon, the building's front first-floor walls had been torn down and sunlight streamed into the building. The merchandise bins and counters that once crowded the floor had been removed and the wall the building shares with the adjoining building was stripped down to the brick.

Daily Tortillas Grill, which abuts 10 Tube Concourse, was shuttered yesterday, though the businesses on the other side of the restaurant remained open.

Workers also began demolishing the interior of 17-23 Journal Square, at the corner of Sip Avenue, by hand yesterday, said Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski, who represents the area.

The dismantling of the billboards and parapets atop the Hotel on the Square building and 17-23 Journal Square is also proceeding, Lipski said. Yesterday, the billboards were stripped to their iron frames, but no visible progress had been made on the rickety brick parapets.

City officials had planned to begin demolition of the two buildings last week, but halted work on 17-23 Journal Square and slowed work on 10 Tube Concourse because of concerns for the safety of pedestrians and adjacent businesses.

Three eyesore properties on the block - 10 Tube Concourse, 17-23 Journal Square, and 1-7 Journal Square - are all owned by limited partnerships controlled by the Tawil family, New York City-based real estate investors who own 80 percent of the block off the PATH transportation center.

Having racked up millions of dollars in fines for building and fire code violations, the city gave the owners the option of either repairing the buildings or ripping them down. The Tawils elected to tear them down, plus other properties they own on the block, city officials said.

Ultimately, the massive demolition is to include every property on the block except the three buildings housing Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's, Song's Hallmark and McDonald's - the only properties not owned by the Tawils.

Lipski, who has in the past predicted the buildings' imminent demise, declined to give an exact date for their razing. But he declared himself "very optimistic" that it will happen "in the very near future."

"Let's put it this way," he said yesterday. "It's in progress."

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Journal Square on the move: Concourse demolished, State Square building opened

Journal Square is making a lot of noise again.

And it's not only because demolition work started last week on a building near the Journal Square PATH station.

The Square was once the main shopping and entertainment center of the city, with venues such as the Canton Chinese Restaurant, the State Theatre, the Five Corners Bakery, Liss Drugstore, and the still-existing Loew's Theater.

Most are now gone from this area that, according to the old-timers, starts from Academy Street and runs to Newark Avenue.

But new buildings are going up and being restored, as others are knocked down. Projects include:

* The recent completion of the State Square building on Kennedy Blvd., which will welcome 130 tenants in June.
* Thanks to new funding, the restoration on the historic Apple Tree House.
* Demolition of old buildings, to be replaced with new ones near the Journal Square Transportation Center.
Pat O' Melia, host of the radio show Hudson County's Talking who grew up in the Journal Square area, sees these actions as a sign of changes for the better.

"They could only be good. They'll bring new people to the Square, a first step in the ongoing renaissance," said O'Melia last week.

Knock down to build up

Last week, demolition crews hired by the New York-based Tawil family, which has owned several properties in Journal Square near the transportation center since the mid-1980s, started tearing down the building with the address of 10 Tube Concourse, formerly the site of the Jersey Bargain Center discount store.

The address refers to the alleyway that commuters walk down when they are coming from the buses in the terminals or the trains in the subway below that comprise most of the center.

The Tawils own not only the 10 Tube Concourse building, but also the Hotel on the Square at 8-11 Journal Square and 17-23 Journal Square located near Sip Avenue, both of which will also be demolished in the next five to six weeks. The only buildings there not owned by the Tawils are 13-16 Journal Square.

Marie Grasso, the owner of MMG Demolition in Staten Island, one of three companies retained by the Tawils for the pending demolition, said on Monday that first there will be a cleanup of the empty store, followed by interior demolition. Grasso said that they have to proceed cautiously since businesses located next to the 10 Tube Concourse, such as a Mexican restaurant and a donut shop with the addresses of 1-7 Journal Square, will continue to operate.

There is also a parking lot behind the building that will continue to do business.

"We have to be sensitive to the people who are still working in the area. They need to still earn a paycheck." said Grasso. "Working from the inside out prevents more damage from occurring."

There is a fear expressed by the city's acting construction official, Ray Meyer, that if demolition is not done properly, there is the strong possibility of other buildings collapsing in a domino effect. Grasso said that after the exterior demolition work on 10 Tube Concourse is completed, the parapet walls of 8-11 Journal Square and 17-23 Journal Square that have shown damage will be taken down, eventually followed by demolition of 17-23 Journal Square.

For now, there is an orange steel barrier put up about 100 feet from the 10 Tube Concourse building to limit the amount of traffic that traverses the concourse area as a shortcut to the bus terminals and the PATH station.

This work being done will be the culmination of six months of negotiating with the Tawil family to get them to start remedying the poor structural conditions of the buildings. It was in November that the Journal Square properties in question were found to have building violations including falling concrete, cracks in the facade of one of the buildings, electrical problems, and even homeless people residing on floors of another building.

Since then, the city has fined the Tawil family $11 million as an attempt to prompt them to start demolishing their buildings.

As for the future of the demolished sites, there is speculation that the Tawils will be allowed to build new structures. But a source who has been in on private talks with the mayor and Tawils believes that another developer will be brought in to start developing on the sites.

A State of things to come

On May 4, local officials and developers gathered for the opening of the new State Square building.

The 12-story building located on Kennedy Boulevard at the site of the old State Theater in Journal Square contains 130 rental residences, including 100 market-rate apartments and 30 affordable housing apartments; 15,000 square feet of retail space, and an eight-story parking garage for 395 cars.

At a cost of $31 million, the building is the product of a collaboration of Jersey City-based Panepinto Properties, the Alpert Group of Fort Lee, Hoboken-based Applied Housing, Harwood Properties of Jersey City, and former U.S. Congressman Frank Guarini that started 19 months of construction in August 2003. The principals of the project were at the ceremony.

One of those principals, David Barry of Applied Housing, gushed about State Square and its impact on Journal Square.

"Journal Square has a ton of potential and it just really needed a shot in the arm, and I think this building will give it that shot," said Barry. "There's been very little new development on Journal Square in the past 20 to 30 years. But it's got a great retail presence, great transportation links. We feel great about the building; we think it's a beautiful building, we think this is what Journal Square needs, and it will spur further revitalization of the Square."

Joseph Panepinto, president of Panepinto Properties, told of how he was approached by Lowell Harwood of Harwood Properties in 1998 with a contract to purchase the old State Theatre property. Panepinto also talked about the difficulties of getting this project started.

"This is a true public-private partnership. This project is a very, very busy project, very difficult to finance and very difficult to get investors," said Panepinto.

Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski, who represents the Journal Square area, also spoke about State Square presence at a time when the 10 Tube Concourse building in Journal Square near the PATH Station will soon be undergoing a transformation.

"You see a property that's been abandoned for over 20 years. This morning, I was just out with the contractors who represent the owners to draw up permits to demolish one of the buildings," said Lipski, "and part of the reason they are doing that is because of the risk that this group is willing to take and get this project started."

George Cahn, spokesman for the project, said that the apartments will start being occupied by June 1 and leases will be signed for the retail space in next two months.

©The Hudson Reporter 2005

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Square eyesore still standing; Safety concerns delay 10 Tube Concourse demolition

It ain't rubble yet.

Last week, Ward C City Councilman Steve Lipski confidently predicted that by last night a dilapidated building next to the Journal Square Transportation Center would be a pile of bricks.

Yesterday, city building officials halted the planned demolition of 10 Tube Concourse, as well as the removal of parapets and billboards from the Hotel on the Square building (8-11 Journal Square) and a corner property at Sip Avenue (17-23 Journal Square) because of safety concerns for pedestrians and adjacent businesses.

"There are tenants right next to it," Lipski said, explaining the delayed demolition at 10 Tube Concourse. "An engineer deemed the building could buckle out and create a domino effect. Rather than be hasty we erred on the side of caution."

A Port Authority tunnel under the building will likely further slow the pace of demolition, said Marie Grasso, owner of MMG Demolition in Staten Island, the demolition contractor. Because of the tunnel, the crew won't be able to use heavy equipment, like a crane, on the site, she said.

Yesterday, the former site of the Jersey Bargain Center stood empty, the front door's glass shattered by firefighters. Drifts of rat feces lay on the floors and a neon orange sign advised visitors of the store's "no refunds, no exchanges" policy.

The three eyesore properties are all owned by limited partnerships controlled by the Tawil family, New York City-based real estate investors who own 80 percent of the Journal Square block next to the transportation center.

Having racked up millions of dollars in fines for building and fire code violations, the city gave the owners the option to either repair their buildings or rip them down. The Tawils elected to tear them down, plus their other properties on the block, city officials said.

Ultimately, the massive takedown would include every property on the block except the three buildings housing the Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's, Song's Hallmark and the McDonald's - the only properties not owned by the Tawils.

Several weeks ago, the roof caved in at 10 Tube Concourse and building officials fear that bricks from the parapet and the billboards atop the hotel and the Sip Avenue building could fall. The parapet is the part of the facade that extends beyond the roof.

There is a concern that when 10 Concourse Tube is taken down, it could affect the building next to it, said Ray Meyer, the city's acting construction official.

An engineer working for the Tawils has to present a plan in the next day or two for pulling down 10 Tube Concourse without affecting the Daily Tortillas Grill, Mr. Gusto Express and other businesses located at 1-7 Journal Square, Meyer said. An interior demolition of the property started yesterday.

Also, the engineer has to present plans to protect pedestrians and erect scaffolding regarding the work at the hotel and the Sip Avenue building, he said. The billboard frames have to be cut with a welding iron, he said.

"We are trying to do a surgical demolition," Meyer said. "The preparation work for the demo of 10 Tube Concourse (and the removal of billboards and parapets) should happen this week."

To minimize disruption on the Square the work will be done off-hours, said Jersey City Police Lt. Robert Curry.

Journal staff writer Molly Bloom contributed to this report. Ken Thorbourne can be reached at kthorbou@jjournal.com.

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Knock buildings down, then talk

A building from that infamous eyesore block in Jersey City's Journal Square is expected to be torn down today. The only question is whether it will really happen? True, it is only a small edifice at 10 Tube Concourse, a shuttered one-story structure near the PATH transportation center, but should it fall, it could be the start of a trend.

On this day, workmen are expected to take down billboards and parapets on top of the five-story Hotel on the Square property (8-11 Journal Square) and 17-23 Journal Square, a three-story building at the corner of Sip Avenue. The anticipation by neighboring merchants and residents can be cut with a knife. After more than a decade of dealing with the wretched block, it is hard to believe that a part of its destruction is near.

City officials say more buildings are expected to come down and by the time it is over, just three properties on the block - the ones housing Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's and McDonald's restaurants and a card store - will be left standing. Officials said the demolition would represent the most tangible step toward redevelopment of the Square.

Most of the block is owned by the Tawil family. They have managed to get hit with nearly $11 million in fines for doing little about their blighted structures. Given the option of renovating them or tearing the buildings down, they appear to have decided to demolish them - at least one building for now.

The property owners also face a trio of lawsuits from tenants forced from buildings because of unsafe conditions. It is possible that they will face additional lawsuits in the future. It has not dissuaded the Tawils from wanting to be part of the area's resurrection.

According to city officials, the Tawils have proposed a mixed-use development for the site. It is proposed that the deteriorating buildings be replaced with primarily residential, parking, and retail. The propertyowners want to be designated as the developer.

There were similar proposals made by the Tawils to past administrations. They even considered partnerships with other developers. All this fell apart and the administrations have changed.

Mayor Jerramiah Healy faces the task of deciding whether to reward the Tawils for accumulating a huge amount of fines. It will be interesting to see who gets the upper hand in these negotiations. One would think the city is the catbird seat and should be able pick its developer.

Perhaps it would be best to wait and see just how many, if any, buildings do get razed.

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1 Square building to be pile of bricks by Monday

In the next few days, one dilapidated structure on a key block in Journal Square will be demolished and hazards will be removed from two other buildings, a city official said.

These are first steps in a plan to demolish most of the structures on the block next to the PATH Transportation Center, city officials said.

Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski, who represents the Journal Square area, said 10 Tube Concourse - a shuttered one-story building next to the transportation center - will be reduced to rubble no later than Monday.

In addition, billboards and parapets atop the five-story Hotel on the Square property (8-11 Journal Square) and 17-23 Journal Square, a three-story building at the corner of Sip Avenue, will be taken down by Monday night, he said.

The parapet is the portion of the facade that extends beyond the roof line.

All three buildings are owned by limited partnerships controlled by the Tawil family, New York City real estate investors who started scooping up Journal Square properties in the late 1980s.

The Tawils will pay for and carry out the demolition, Lipski said. The Tawils own every property on this block of Journal Square except the buildings that house Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's, Song's Hallmark, and McDonald's.

These three Tawil properties - the hotel, 17-23 Journal Square and 10 Tube Concourse - have been classified as "blights" by city building inspectors and have racked up more than $11 million in fines, city officials said. Given the option to fix them or knock them down, the Tawils have chosen to demolish them, city officials said.

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Tawils being sued by 3 Square tenants

Jersey City officials aren't the only ones trying to haul into court the owners of several eyesore properties on Journal Square.

Three commercial tenants who were hastily evacuated from 17-23 Journal Square in November are suing the landlord for not maintaining the building according to the terms of their lease agreements.

The building is owned by Adams Acquisition L.P., one of several limited partnership companies run by the Tawil family, New York City-based real estate investors who own 80 percent of the properties on the Square, including the mostly vacant Hotel on the Square.

On Tuesday, a bench warrant was issued for the Tawils' building manager - Samuel Stark - because he didn't appear in court to answer for building and fire code violations related to 17-23 Journal Square.

The three tenants - Usha Parekh, a convenience store owner, and Ibrahim Geyad and Adel Shenouda, owners of Souvlaki Inc. - filed their lawsuit against the Tawil-run company in Hudson County Superior Court on Feb. 22, according to court papers.

The tenants charge they lost their businesses as a direct result of the "defendant's failure to inspect, maintain, and repair" 17-23 Journal Square, but the court filing stopped short of putting a price tag on the damages the tenants are seeking.

David P. Lipari, the attorney representing the commercial tenants, characterized the lawsuit as "David vs. Goliath . three small working business owners of Jersey City against an out-of-state real estate magnate."

David J. Panitz, the attorney for the Tawils, said his clients "are reviewing all the facts set forth in the complaint and will be defending the matter." Previously he's said the Tawils plan to raze the building.

Last November, 10 commercial tenants were hastily rushed out of 17-23 Journal Square in light of several building and fire code violations. The city gave the owners a deadline of Feb. 25 to either make the repairs or demolish the building.

When the owners requested an extension on Feb. 15, city officials said they would consider it if the owners met several demands. The owners were asked to put in writing their intention to demolish the building, provide a demolition plan, and take immediate action to take down rear walls and loose material adjacent to another Tawil Journal Square property, 10 Concourse East.

The owners never responded and were then called to court on Tuesday, city spokesman Stan Eason said. A representative of the company failed to show, but Panitz claims neither property manager Sam Stark, nor the Tawils, knew about Tuesday's court date.

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14 businesses doomed 3 restaurants to survive

The long-awaited transformation of Journal Square is about to begin.

A massive demolition job is planned for Journal Square, city officials revealed yesterday. When it's over, just three properties on the block just south of the Journal Square Transportation Center - the ones housing Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's and McDonald's restaurants - will be left standing.

A start date for the demolition work has yet to be scheduled, city officials said yesterday, but Ray Meyer, the city's acting construction official, said the work was "imminent" due to the deteriorated conditions of the hotel and the corner building.

By the end of this week, affected commercial tenants will receive a letter from the city ordering them to evacuate the properties, he said.

Demolition plans include ripping down the mostly vacant Hotel on the Square - a crumbling symbol of the city's many failed attempts to redevelop the Square - and all the properties between the hotel and the PATH station, Meyer said.

That would wipe out 14 businesses, including Twin Donuts and 3 Guys from Italy pizzeria.

Also slated to be knocked down is 17-23 Journal Square, at the corner of Sip Avenue, and an adjacent building, 88 Sip Ave.

All the properties slated for demolition are owned by limited liability companies run by the New York-based Tawil family, who began to amass properties on the Square in the late 1980s.

During a tour of the properties yesterday with the owner's demolition contractor, Meyer pointed out cracks in the exterior walls of both properties.

The cracks could give, causing the parapets and the billboards perched on top of both properties to plummet to the ground, he said. "That's five stories," Meyer noted.

The demolition would represent the most tangible step the city has taken to redevelop the Square, and that has at least one city official hopeful about the future.

"I am extremely proud of the efforts of the officials in the city," said City Councilman Steve Lipski, whose ward includes Journal Square. "I believe the owners of these properties also look forward to taking these properties down.

"We look forward to the demolition and the redevelopment of the property in the not too distant future," Lipski said, noting city officials now await a development plan from the Tawils.

But if current conditions of the Tawils' Journal Square properties are any indication, redevelopment could take a while.

Pointing to the Hotel on the Square (8-11 Journal Square), Meyer said the walls are cracked, roof damaged, and the chimney is moving in different directions. The courtyard behind the hotel has "several structural deficiencies," he said.

Most of the buildings slated for demolition share an adjoining wall. Knocking down one building will affect the other.

"It's dominoes," said Michael Ambrosio, the demolition subcontractor for the Tawils.

Yet, the demolition contractors plan to leave untouched three buildings not owned by the Tawils. Marie Grasso, owner of MMG Demolition in Staten Island, the prime demolition contractor, said those buildings will only have to close one day during the demolition work.

For the other properties slated to be ripped down, Grasso said a fence extending roughly 10 feet onto the sidewalk would have to be erected.

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Commercial tenants fuming over the plans near Hotel on the Square

Commercial tenants in the properties surrounding the Hotel on the Square were left fuming by the news that city officials plan to level that building and several others.

"It is very hard to find a new location," said Mike Patel, owner of the 99 cents store at 1-7 Journal Square, who was told by city officials he has to go. "I need like four months. They (city officials) are talking about two weeks."

Chetan Pandya, owner of the Subway sandwich shop at 8-10 Journal Square, couldn't believe what was happening.

"It's horrible," said Pandya, whose business employs five people. "We've been complaining to the landlord so many times. Nothing got better. Every day it got worse."

Pandya and Patel blamed the Tawil family, the buildings' owners, for their woes. If the Tawils had maintained their properties, they wouldn't have to leave their prime locations, they said.

And the commercial tenants said they've been paying a pretty penny to stay there. Patel, for example, signed a 10-year lease a year ago, and has been paying a limited liability company owned by the Tawils $8,000 a month in rent - not including utilities.

Pandya signed a 20-year lease two years ago and pays $5,000 a month in rent, he said.

City officials said they are taking the Tawils to court on Tuesday for not fixing building violations identified last November. The court could release the Tawils from their lease agreement, said David Donnelly, a spokesman for Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

"He (the Tawils) has collected millions of dollars in rent from all these people," said V. Rao, owner of Square News at 88 Sip Ave., adding that he pays a Tawil company $3,450 in rent every month. "If he (the Tawils) had maintained things, it would not come to this."

Commercial tenants affected by the planned demolition include: Daily Tortillas Grill, Mr. Gusto Express, 3 Guys from Italy, Twin Donuts, 99 cents & Up, Checks Cashed, Hunan Garden, Subway, Buy-to-Buy (a hair and wig supply store), Bibi's Fashion, HT Wireless and Square News.

The owners of two other stores - a supermarket and a jewelry store - said their businesses have no names.

Ken Thorbourne can be reached at kthorbou@jjournal.com.

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Lights out, Hudson says to businesses

Most Hudson County residents support Jersey City's recently implemented business curfew, a new Jersey Journal/New Jersey City University poll shows.

The curfew, which police began enforcing on March 26, requires businesses in 12 targeted areas in the Bergen-Lafayette, Heights and Journal Square areas to be closed between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. or face fines up to $1,250 and the possibility of up to 90 days in jail.

However, the law does not affect bars, restaurants or other businesses where liquor is sold.

On the books since 1987, the curfew was revived in the wake of a spate of shootings at the Crown Fried Chicken restaurant at Communipaw Avenue and Crescent Street. As of yesterday, four citations have been issued to businesses violating the curfew thus far, police said.

More than half of those surveyed said curfews were an "effective tool in fighting crime." But 33.1 percent said curfews were not effective tools and 11.7 percent said they did not know.

"We really didn't think we'd have that kind of support for it," said Fran Moran of NJCU's Political Science Department, the poll's supervisor along with Bruce Chadwick of the English Department.

Because the poll surveyed people throughout the county, responses reflect the views of non- Jersey City residents as well.

The results also reflect respondents' views on curfews in general, rather than on Jersey City's business curfew, the poll's supervisors said.

Support for curfews was strong across all demographic groups, "even among groups that would seem to be unlikely supporters of such a measure," Moran and Chadwick said in a written analysis of the results.

For example, 64.2 percent of men and 54.7 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds said they supported the use of curfews as effective crime-fighting tools.

Hudson County residents tend to believe that any reduction in crime due to the curfew outweighs any economic loss to area businesses, the poll shows. Some 47.6 percent of respondents said the potential drop in crime was worth the potential economic loss. Another 32.5 percent said the trade-off was not worth it, and 18.4 percent said they didn't know.

Most respondents also said they wouldn't mind if their local corner grocery store started closing earlier. The poll found 71.8 percent of respondents approved of a curfew in their neighborhoods. This general support for a curfew was widespread among all demographic groups, "including some surprising ones," Chadwick and Moran said.

The poll found 67.9 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds would like a curfew in their neighborhoods, as would 75 percent of those earning less than $30,000 annually. And 87 percent of African-Americans and 75.4 percent of Latinos also wouldn't mind if the lights went off a little earlier on their blocks.

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Commercial tenants fuming over the plans

Commercial tenants in the properties surrounding the Hotel on the Square were left fuming by the news that city officials plan to level that building and several others.

"It is very hard to find a new location," said Mike Patel, owner of the 99 cents store at 1-7 Journal Square, who was told by city officials he has to go. "I need like four months. They (city officials) are talking about two weeks."

Chetan Pandya, owner of the Subway sandwich shop at 8-10 Journal Square, couldn't believe what was happening.

"It's horrible," said Pandya, whose business employs five people. "We've been complaining to the landlord so many times. Nothing got better. Every day it got worse."

Pandya and Patel blamed the Tawil family, the buildings' owners, for their woes. If the Tawils had maintained their properties, they wouldn't have to leave their prime locations, they said.

And the commercial tenants said they've been paying a pretty penny to stay there. Patel, for example, signed a 10-year lease a year ago, and has been paying a limited liability company owned by the Tawils $8,000 a month in rent - not including utilities.

Pandya signed a 20-year lease two years ago and pays $5,000 a month in rent, he said.

City officials are taking the Tawils to court on April 26 for not fixing building violations identified last November.

"He (the Tawils) has collected millions of dollars in rent from all these people," said V. Rao, owner of Square News at 88 Sip Ave., adding that he pays a Tawil company $3,450 in rent every month. "If he (the Tawils) had maintained things, it would not come to this."

Commercial tenants affected by the planned demolition include: Daily Tortillas Grill, Mr. Gusto Express, 3 Guys from Italy, Twin Donuts, 99 cents & Up, Checks Cashed, Hunan Garden, Subway, Buy-to-Buy (a hair and wig supply store), Bibi's Fashion, HT Wireless, and Square News.

The owners of two other stores - a supermarket and a jewelry store - said their businesses have no names.

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Journal Square store opens again after three-month closure

A Sip Avenue store on Journal Square in Jersey City opened its doors last Tuesday for the first time since city officials closed it down, along with a number of other shops, more than three months ago when the building 22 Journal Square was found to be unsafe.

As it turns out, the building that houses the store, Square News, is separate from the one that was condemned.

"In November, everything happened so fast and they thought this was the same as that," said the owner, who identified himself as V. Rao of North Bergen.

"The landlord is the same, but this is 88 Sip and the other building, 22 Journal Square, is the one that has the problems."

Rao said his lawyer had been working with city officials to get Square News reopened since it was shut along with the other stores when cracks were discovered in the facade of 22 Journal Square, leading to fears of a collapse.

Rao estimated he has lost $35,000 since his store was shuttered.

NJ Transit recently said it would sell 88 Sip Ave., the 34,000-square-foot building that houses Square News, to Renaissance Center Urban Renewal Associates.

The company is owned by members of the Tawil family, New York City real estate developers who also own the deteriorating Hotel on the Square at 8-11 Journal Square and 17-23 Journal Square, at the corner of Sip and Bergen avenues.

That corner building, which is three stories, was hastily evacuated on Nov. 18 after building inspectors found it unfit for occupancy. It has remained vacant and is slated for demolition within the next two months.

The one-story 88 Sip Ave. is an adjacent but separate building and is safe for occupancy, said Fire Capt. Andrew Johnson. If 17-23 Journal Square is demolished, it will not directly affect 88 Sip Ave., Johnson said.

But with the Tawil family planning to buy the Square News building - which it now leases from NJ Transit - Rao wonders what its fate will be. He currently has a 10-year lease with the Tawil family.

Rao, a native of India, signed the 10-year lease for the space nine months ago. After just over four months, his business was closed with the others.

He pays $3,450 a month in rent, he said. As a prerequisite to reopen, the city had Rao put a scaffolding on his store's roof at an initial cost of $3,500 and monthly rent of $150, to protect it should anything fall from the taller building.

He said his store took in about $1,200 on a busy day. He said he took in about $17 last Tuesday.

He's had to throw away all the perishables in the store and is now having it restocked and is working to get the phone line hooked up so his lottery machine can operate.

"Nothing in my place has a problem, but still I am closed 31/2 months and today I still don't know the reason," Rao said. "Of course I will file a suit, but I don't know who to go after. That is for my lawyer to determine."

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On gloomy block, one store reopens

A Sip Avenue store has managed to reopen its doors and is restocking its shelves. City officials closed it down, along with a number of other shops, more than three months ago when the building 22 Journal Square was determined to be unsafe. The reason the Square News store has been allowed to open again is that it is in an adjacent but separate building from the one that was condemned.

Store owner V. Rao said he is in 88 Sip Ave., a building owned by NJ Transit. The state transportation agency plans to sell the 34,000-square-foot building that houses Square News to Renaissance Center Urban Renewal Associates. The buyer is owned by the Tawil family, New York City real estate developers who also own the deteriorating Hotel on the Square at 8-11 Journal Square and 17-23 Journal Square, at the corner of Sip and Bergen avenues.

Being aware that there is some movement in that corner of the Square that has been blocked off to the public makes one appreciate the high energy that the students of Hudson County Community College bring to the entire area. The college students are constantly on the move to and from classes or they just visit Square stores and eateries. The people who go to President Glen Gabert's college are the ones who bring life to a part of the city that needs rebirth.

The college is expanding, and its new Culinary Arts Institute and Conference Center on Newkirk Street will bring more activity to the area, as have the renovated administration building on Sip Avenue and the Fine Arts studios.

No one wants to see a person's business go under, but the building that the Square News occupies is not in the same category as the ones revived by the HCCC. Under the Tawil family, the future for 88 Sip Ave. and the rest of the dilapidated block that has the former Hotel on the Square as its landmark is a question mark, and doesn't appear hopeful. It's too bad that the far larger property currently sucks much life out of the area once called the Heart of Jersey City.

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Square store is allowed to reopen

A Sip Avenue store on Journal Square in Jersey City opened its doors yesterday for the first time since city officials closed it down, along with a number of other shops, more than three months ago when the building 22 Journal Square was found to be unsafe.

As it turns out, the building that houses the store, Square News, is separate from the one that was condemned.

"In November, everything happened so fast and they thought this was the same as that," said the owner, who identified himself as V. Rao of North Bergen.

"The landlord is the same, but this is 88 Sip and the other building, 22 Journal Square, is the one that has the problems."

Rao said his lawyer had been working with city officials to get Square News reopened since it was shut along with the other stores when cracks were discovered in the facade of 22 Journal Square, leading to fears of a collapse. Rao estimated he has lost $35,000 since his store was shuttered.

NJ Transit recently said it would sell 88 Sip Ave., the 34,000-square-foot building that houses Square News, to Renaissance Center Urban Renewal Associates.

The company is owned by members of the Tawil family, New York City real estate developers who also own the deteriorating Hotel on the Square at 8-11 Journal Square and 17-23 Journal Square, at the corner of Sip and Bergen avenues.

That corner building, which is three stories, was hastily evacuated on Nov. 18 after building inspectors found it unfit for occupancy. It has remained vacant and is slated for demolition within the next two months.

The one-story 88 Sip Ave. is an adjacent but separate building and is safe for occupancy, said Fire Capt. Andrew Johnson. If 17-23 Journal Square is demolished, it will not directly affect 88 Sip Ave., Johnson said.

But with the Tawil family planning to buy the Square News building - which it now leases from NJ Transit - Rao wonders what its fate will be. He currently has a 10-year lease with the Tawil family.

Rao, a native of India, moved to the United States 19 years ago and worked for a recruiting firm until he purchased the business Square News and signed a 10-year lease for the space, nine months ago. After just over four months, his business was closed with the others.

He pays $3,450 a month in rent, he said. As a prerequisite to reopen, the city had Rao put a scaffolding on his store's roof at an initial cost of $3,500 and monthly rent of $150, to protect it should anything fall from the taller building.

He said his store took in about $1,200 on a busy day. He said he took in about $17 yesterday.

The city gave him a permit to have his electricity turned back on and the switch was thrown by Public Service Electric and Gas on Friday.

He's had to throw away all the perishables in the store and is now having it restocked and is working to get the phone line hooked up so his lottery machine can operate.

"Nothing in my place has a problem, but still I am closed 31/2 months and today I still don't know the reason," Rao said. "Of course I will file a suit, but I don't know who to go after. That is for my lawyer to determine."

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Doesn't NJ Transit know the buyer?

Friday, February 25, 2005
Journal staff writer

NJ Transit is preparing to sell a 34,000-square-foot piece of property at 88 Sip Ave., south of the PATH station, to Renaissance Center Urban Renewal Associates for $3.5 million. The land is two separate parcels with two buildings housing a clothing store and a convenience store. There is also a parking lot for about 110 cars.

The problem is that the principals buying the property are members of the Tawil family, New York City real estate developers who also own the block where the shuttered former Hotel on the Square is the prominent landmark. The buildings in question are 8-11 and 17-23 Journal Square. Businesses were hastily evacuated on Nov. 18 after building inspectors found it unfit for occupancy - a facade was separating from one structure. It has remained vacant and is slated for demolition - someday.

City administration after city administration has promised to tackle this hideous Journal Square problem. It has all been lip service. With this in mind, some of the responses to the proposed sale have been ridiculous.

Councilman Steve Lipski, who represents Journal Square, declined to comment, saying he first wanted to discuss the plans with the Tawil family. One can only assume the councilman was practicing a stand-up comedy routine.

Jack Beirne, director of the city Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce, said the sale adds value to the site and could make redevelopment there more likely. The betting is that this nation will colonize Mars before any redevelopment occurs on the Tawil properties.

At least Donald Smartt, the executive director of the Journal Square Restoration Corporation, makes some sense when he notes that public ownership of that piece of land has been a stumbling block in the overall development of the square. Unfortunately, the proposed new owners may prove to be a bigger hurdle than NJ Transit.

Only Councilman E. Junior Maldonado, chairman of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, made any sense by stating the obvious. Maldonado said he could not see how it's a good thing since the Tawils have not done anything with the property they already own.

What is the lesson here? NJ Transit built the white elephant called the Journal Square Transportation Center, a complex that many blame for helping to kill the vitality of the area. Now with this building sale, it is obvious NJ Transit is not a friend of Jersey City.

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Square buildings in shambles, and owner eyes more

NJ Transit to sell lot, 2 buildings for $3.5M
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
By Maria Zingaro Conte
Journal staff writer

NJ Transit is preparing to sell property it owns in Journal Square in Jersey City to the same landlords who have been cited for countless building and fire code violations in other buildings in the area.

According to Dan Stessel, a spokesman for NJ Transit, the state agency is selling a 34,000-square-foot piece of property at 88 Sip Ave., behind the PATH station, to Renaissance Center Urban Renewal Associates. The company's principals are members of the Tawil family, New York City real estate developers who also own the deteriorating Hotel on the Square at 8-11 Journal Square and the building at 17-23 Journal Square.

That structure was hastily evacuated on Nov. 18 after building inspectors found it unfit for occupancy. It has remained vacant ever since and is slated for demolition within the next two months.

According to Stessel, NJ Transit's board of trustees voted in September to give George Warrington, the agency's executive director, the authority to finalize the sale with RCURA, which currently leases the property.

The land, comprised of two separate parcels, contains two buildings, which house a clothing store and a convenience store. There is also a parking lot with space enough for 110 cars.

The property will be sold for $3.5 million, Stessel said.

"It is currently leased to RCURA and so we've opted to sell the property seeing we don't anticipate it will serve a purpose for NJ Transit in the future and to further Jersey City's redevelopment plan," he said.

Harold Sutton, the person named by NJ Transit as the contact for RCURA, did not return telephone calls seeking comment on the sale. Sutton works for Centurion Realty, the same property management company that handles the Tawils' other buildings in Journal Square.

City officials from the last three administrations have been pushing for the redevelopment of Journal Square, and have often criticized the Tawils for the poor conditions of their buildings.

Questioned for his opinion of increasing the Tawils' holdings in the area, Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski, who represents Journal Square, declined to comment, saying he first wanted to discuss the plans with them.

"I would like to meet with the (new) owners of the property to find out what their intentions are, with specific times and dates, and lock that in and, if movement isn't done, look at whatever options the city has," he said.

Jack Beirne, director of the city Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce, said the sale would increase the options for the property and could make redevelopment there more likely.

"It only adds value to the site," he said.

Similarly, Donald Smartt, the executive director of the Journal Square Restoration Corporation, said he viewed the sale as a positive step.

"The acquisition of this property by a private sector entity is a small, significant step forward in the eventual development of the overall property," he said. "The public ownership of that piece of land has been a stumbling block in the overall development of the square. That stumbling block has now been removed."

But Councilman E. Junior Maldonado, who is also the chairman of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, was less pleased at the prospect of the sale.

"Personally, I can't see how it's a good thing," he said. "These individuals haven't done anything with the property they already own. Certainly we'd like to see that property, along with the properties they already own, go into a more competent developer's hands."

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Demolition deadline extended 2 months

17-23 Journal Square to be gone by April's end
Monday, February 21, 2005
By Ken Thorbourne
Journal staff writer

The owners of a dilapidated building on Journal Square in Jersey City that was hastily evacuated last November after city inspectors found numerous building and fire code violations will now have until April 25 to tear down the battered structure. The original deadline was Feb. 25.

The multi-story building is located at 17-23 Journal Square, at the corner of Sip Avenue. Building Inspector Ed Ciolko said the property owners were given the 60-day extension because they've taken action to begin the demolition process.

Ciolko emphasized that the city gave the building owners the choice of correcting the violations or ripping down the structure, but it is was the owners' decision to demolish the building.

The owners of the building, also own 1-7 Journal Square and the mostly vacant 8-11 Journal Square, commonly known as Hotel on the Square.

All the buildings - which collectively represent all but three lots on the east side of Journal Square between the PATH train station and Sip Avenue - are owned by limited liability corporations traceable to the Tawil family, real estate developers with offices in Manhattan.

Removal or renovation of these structures is seen by city officials as key to the rejuvenation of Journal Square, which in its heyday, was a hub of activity with three functioning theaters, several department stores and first-class restaurants.

Earlier this week, city officials received a $100,000 state grant to help plan commercial and economic revitalization in the immediate area, based on the fact Journal Square is also a PATH train stop and is next to a bus depot.

The latest inspection report, issued Jan. 28, threatened the owners of the deteriorating building at 17-23 Journal Square with fines of $500 per week until the buildings were compliant with city codes. Ciolko said he didn't foresee the city collecting this money since the owners picked up the paperwork last week to get the ball rolling on the demolition job.

On the Jan. 28 report, Ciolko, wrote the structures were "attractive nuisances (representing) a substantial fire hazard and they blight the neighborhood."

Roughly 10 businesses were displaced because of the deterioration of 17-23 Journal Square.

Journal Square properties owned by the Tawils have been cited for violations before.

An inspection report on Sept. 27, 2002 levied a nearly $11 million fine on the owners for "masonry parapets" and "certain portions of the brick facade" at 17-23 Journal Square "posing a hazard to street and pedestrian traffic around the building." The report ordered the owners to erect a "sidewalk shed" around the perimeter of the building to protect the public.

Ciolko couldn't recall if the Tawils ever paid the fine. He said the existing sidewalk shed around 17-23 Journal Square was erected in response to the violations found last November.

Companies owned by the Tawils purchased 1-7 Journal Square for $3 million in Dec. 1986, 8-11 Journal Square in Sept. 1987 for $2 million, and 17-23 Journal Square for $2.3 million in April 1988, according to city records.

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'Square' Pegs

Amid area's decay, officials envision revitalization of Jersey City
Friday, February 18, 2005

The scenes represented opposite sides of Journal Square. Ironically, they were played out just a short walk apart.

Smiling broadly, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy stood at the top of the escalators leading to the PATH station at Journal Square on Tuesday, accepting a cardboard replica of a $100,000 check from state officials to help plan the future of the transportation hub and once-storied Square.

Healy spoke about a revitalized Loew's Jersey Theater just across Kennedy Boulevard, referred to the old State Theater building now being redeveloped and set to re-open in the fall as a 130-unit mostly market-rate rental complex.

But just down the block, a less reassuring reality was playing out.

Michael D'Angelo and a crew of helpers were removing boxes of unsold supermarket goods from a dark and cold corner deli, one of 10 businesses shuttered in November when city inspectors deemed 22 Journal Square unsafe because of numerous code violations.

"Nobody cares," shouted D'Angelo, a friend of the owner, as he dragged another crate of unsold goods toward the door. "They just come here and shut us down. Boom. The landlord didn't even talk to them."

The deterioration of 22 Journal Square and the cracks discovered in another long-standing Journal Square eyesore, the Hotel-on-the-Square, didn't happen overnight.

Their slow but steady demise - along with the recent closure of Canton's Chinese restaurant on Bergen Avenue, one of the last white-tablecloth restaurants in the area - is emblematic of the decline of the Square itself.

A major cultural and retail hub in the 1940s and 1950s, the square is now a tarnished image of its former self, given over to panhandlers and pushers by night.

"The first thing is cleanliness and beautification," said Naty Caballero, a 25-year Jersey City resident and frequent PATH train rider, when asked how she would improve the square. "Soon as it gets dark, it's scary walking around here."

But city officials and advocates for the Square paint a different picture. They argue the glass is half full and the seeds for a revival are in place.

Middle-class singles, couples and families, perhaps shut out of the booming Hoboken housing market, are flocking to the Journal Square area, they said.

And there are tangible improvements: More than 200 city employees will soon be working at One Journal Square Plaza, the preservation of more than 100 jobs at the ADP building at Two Journal Square Plaza and the ongoing presence of Hudson County Community College, including its new culinary arts center under construction on Newkirk Street.

And planning for the Hotel-on-the-Square properties and 22 Journal Square is ongoing.

These properties are owned by limited liability corporations traceable to the Tawil family, based in New York City, officials said. Plans are in motion to raze 22 Journal Square.

The city remains open to negotiating a deal with the Tawil family to redevelop their property, said Steve Lipski, the area's councilman.

The city also has the option to seize them under eminent domain, but Lipski said he favors first negotiating with the Tawils, and, he said, Healy is reluctant to use eminent domain.

"We'd have to pay for the highest and best use of that property which would be millions and millions of dollars," said David Donnelly, special assistant to the mayor. "The mayor believes that would be unfair to the taxpayers of Jersey City."

Even if it's somewhat costly, Donald Smartt, director of the Journal Square Restoration Corporation, a private entity supported by local businesses, believes it's time to bring in a new developer.

"There have been probably four administrations since the current property owners have become the current property owners and each administration is tempted to have the same conversation (with the Tawils)," Smartt said. "What is problematic is the property owner's failure to address . the impact of this vacant, unmaintained, unattractive property in the midst of our central business district."

Phone calls to a representative of the Tawil family were not returned.

Lipski sees the mix of uses contemplated for the Square area as a key to success.

"It is a balanced approach: city employees, education, parking facilities, the residential units," he said. "It's not just all abated, private, market-rate units."

The reactivated Loew's Theater is seen as another catalyst for a rejuvenated Journal Square.

To this point, the Friends of the Loew's, the group spearheading the theater's comeback, have invested roughly $2.5 million for restoration and solicited $1.4 million worth of volunteer labor, said Colin Egan, director of the 76-year-old theater, which closed in 1986 and re-opened in 2001.

"What we haven't looked at is what to do with the Square proper," Egan said. "How do we get restaurants? What kind of retail do we want? We just haven't looked at this in a long-term way."

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Square site's future cloudy

Businesses clear out, but no demolition plan
Monday, January 24, 2005
By Jeff Theodore
Journal staff writer

The status of 22 Journal Square , a building deemed unsafe and on the brink of collapsing a few months ago because of several building and fire code violations, remains unclear.

A letter mailed by Centurion Realty, the New York City company that manages the building, ordered tenants to remove all possessions from the structure by last Wednesday. Adams Acquisition LLC, also based in New York City , owns the property.

The letter also mentioned that engineers for the Adams company had determined that the building should be demolished.

However, while Adams officials have sought information from city officials about engineer and demolition permits, they haven't filed anything in writing, city spokesman Stan H. Eason said Friday.

"The company is not mandated to tear the building down," Eason said. "They could undergo a rehabilitation of it. But you've got to figure that it would be more costly to rebuild."

Samuel Stark, an assistant property manager with Centurion, which manages the building, couldn't be reached for comment on Friday.

Donald Smartt, executive director of the Journal Square Restoration Corporation, said Friday that he has received reports from his staff of surveyors and engineers being spotted at the site.

"But I really don't have a clue of what that indicates," Smartt said. "All I know is that something is going to happen. It's up to the owner to choose the timing for it."

An engineering report produced for Centurion on Nov. 18 last year detailed the unstable condition of the building, noting that the structure's facade was particularly perilous.

"Stability is a major concern due to the severity of the displacement in the brick”, according to the report. Smartt has said he thinks demolishing the building would provide a spark for the Journal Square area and make room for possible new development.

Jeff Theodore can be reached at jtheodor@jjournal.com.

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Tenants at Square site must vacate

No. 22 to be razed no word yet on hotel
Monday, January 10, 2005
By Maria Zingaro Conte
Journal staff writer

The displaced tenants of 22 Journal Square were notified last week that the building they were forced to hastily evacuate nearly two months ago is slated for demolition and must be cleaned out in the next 10 days.

On Nov. 16, city building officials ordered a hurried evacuation of 22 Journal Square , deeming it unsafe because of numerous building and fire code violations. The move meant the ten businesses there had toshutter immediately.

The building has been unoccupied ever since, several of its shops seemingly frozen in time with goods still lined up neatly on the shelves and sodas still in their refrigerator cases. But the condition of the structure has deteriorated, with several upper-story windows broken and uncovered, exposing the interior to the elements.

The news that 22 Journal Square must be emptied out came to the tenants late last week via a letter dated Dec. 29 and sent by Centurion Realty, the New York City company which manages the building. Adams Acquisition LLC, also based in New York City , owns the property.

"It has been determined by our engineer that the building should be demolished," the letter said. "As of the date of this letter, your lease with Adams Acquisition . is hereby terminated and as such, you are to remove all possessions from your units immediately. Possessions that are not removed by Jan. 19, 2005 will be considered abandoned and removed by the building's contractors."

Ivona Tukendorf, an agent with Associated Business Center insurance agency, a former 22 Journal Square tenant, said her company had already moved out of the building.

"We already have moved because we already heard word that they were going to bring down the building," she said adding that the move had come just after her company renovated some of its offices in the structure. "Of course we were upset."

The letter to the tenants is signed by Samuel Stark, an assistant property manager with Centurion. Stark did not return telephone calls seeking comment on the reasons for the demolition or on the future of the property.

However, an engineering report produced for Centurion on Nov. 18 detailed the unstable condition of the building, noting that the structure's facade was particularly perilous.

"Stability is a major concern due to the severity of the displacement in the brick," the report said.

The report also called for the building's parapet to be removed, although that work was never done.

Jersey City spokeswoman Maria Pignataro said the decision to raze the building was made because the cost of repairing the parapet and other parts of the structure exceeded the building's total value.

"As far as plans for the future, they don't have any yet but whatever they do would have to conform to the Journal Square Redevelopment Plan," Pignataro said.

Questioned over Mayor Jerramiah Healy's position on the demolition, Pignataro said the mayor was eager to see Journal Square redeveloped and was looking forward to hearing more about the future plans for the site.

No date for the demolition has been set yet, she said, adding that city building officials must still issue a demolition permit before the work can proceed.

There is also still no word on the fate of another now-infamous Journal Square building: the Hotel on the Square building at 8 Journal Square , which is owned by Madison Acquisitions, a company at the same address as Adams Acquisitions.

The same day 22 Journal Square was closed, the Hotel on the Square was also emptied after large cracks running through the building were found. Although since then, the tenants of that building have been allowed to return to the premises, concerns over the condition of the structure have persisted and city officials and others have called for the redevelopment of the entire area.

Donald Smartt, the executive director of the Journal Square Restoration Corporation, said the pending demolition of 22 Journal Square could be the first step towards that redevelopment.

"Should the building be slated for demolition either by private action or as a result of public action, everyone I've talked with, business owners, property owners, board members, consumers, commuters all view the removal of not only 22 but all of the properties (on that block) collectively known as the Hotel on the Square properties, as in the best interests of the future of the square as it would make way for vitally needed and essential new development," he said.

Maria Zingaro Conte covers Jersey City . She can be reached at mzconte@jjournal.com.

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Crack in 'Hotel' now wider, Jersey City told

Fears mount over dilapidated building
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
By Maria Zingaro Conte
Journal staff writer

Concern over the safety of the dilapidated Hotel on the Square building in Journal Square in Jersey City is mounting after a tenant noticed that a large crack in the structure's masonry had widened.

Meanwhile, a parking lot adjacent to Hotel on the Square is expected to reopen Thursday after being closed for nearly two weeks while workers removed the steel girders above it.

On Nov. 16, city building inspectors forced an evacuation of the Hotel on the Square—located at 8 Journal Square—after discovering cracks running through the building.

Since then, engineers found the structure safe for occupancy and the businesses on the first floor were allowed to reopen. The upper floors of the five-story building have not been occupied for several years.

But Donald Smartt, the executive director of the Journal Square Restoration Corporation, the organization which oversees the area's business district, said yesterday he notified city officials that the crack may be widening. He was alerted to the situation by one of the tenants in the building.

"I received a call on Friday from the owner of McDonald's indicating that he was of the belief that the crack along the parapet was widening and he expressed concern over the safety of his customers and his employees," Smartt said. "I sent my operations supervisor to take pictures of what he had concerns about, and then I shared that with both the property manager and the city inspectors, and at this point I haven't heard anything about that."

McDonald's owner, Darren Lentini, denied any knowledge of the situation and representatives from Centurion Realty, the company that manages the Hotel on the Square, could not be reached for comment yesterday afternoon.

The city's acting construction code official, Ray Meyer, said yesterday that he reached out to Centurion but had not heard back as of last night.

"I've been made aware that there is a change in condition of the building," said Meyer, who added that he planned to have inspectors there as early as today.

A Nov. 23 inspection report, prepared by Consulting Engineers Collaborative of Kenilworth, confirmed that the building's parapet was damaged and needed to be removed.

The report also recommended the removal of the billboard on the roof of the building because it placed additional stress on the already weakened parapet masonry. The billboard was taken down about two weeks ago, but the parapet remains intact.

On the same day that inspectors closed the Hotel on the Square, they also evacuated neighboring 22 Journal Square after finding numerous building and fire code violations. That building remains empty.

For several days before the building closures, workers had been removing a steel roofing structure over the parking lot next door to 22 Journal Square , which is owned by NJ Transit and leased to Central Parking. At the time, city inspectors theorized that the removal of one of the girders supporting that roof might have caused the building facade to weaken.

However, building officials have since concluded that the demolition process at the parking lot would not pose any danger to the lot's adjoining structures and work there resumed on Dec. 4.

Today, most of the roof structure has been removed. A person answering the telephone at Central Parking Corporation's Newark office said the lot was expected to reopen on Thursday.

Maria Zingaro Conte covers Jersey City . She can be reached at mzconte@jjournal.com.

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Journal Square business gloom

Decaying buildings a factor in long decline new pain in closings
Thursday, December 04, 2004
By Maria Zingaro Conte
Journal staff writer

While Hudson County big box and shopping mall retailers may be optimistic over their prospects for turning holiday season profits, the outlook among business owners in problem-plagued Journal Square in Jersey City is not as bright, according to the results of a recent survey.

The survey, conducted Nov. 23 and 24 by the Journal Square Restoration Corporation, which oversees the business district, came just one week after city inspectors closed down three buildings in Journal Square because they were deemed unsafe.

According to Journal Square Restoration Corporation Administrator Donald Smartt, the survey found that merchants in the area estimated holiday sales would be either flat or down 7 to 10 percent from last year.

The questionnaire was given to Journal Square retailers who participated in this year's sidewalk sales program. Most merchants also reported that current sales, customer spending and in-store traffic overall had not changed or were down slightly from the previous year, Smartt said.

The results are just the latest piece of bleak news for Journal Square businesses.

Last week, in the wake of the building closures, engineers from Consulting Engineers Collaborative in Kenilworth were brought in to inspect one of the vacated buildings, the Hotel on the Square. The engineers found that the structure's chimney and parapet needed to be repaired, according to a report issued Nov. 23.

The report also calls for a more detailed engineering study to be done as soon as possible.

The engineering firm, hired by Centurion Realty, the company that manages all of the closed buildings, also recommended that the billboard atop the five-story Hotel on the Square be removed because of the strain it placed on the structure. The sign was taken down Saturday.

Along with Hotel on the Square, the report assessed the two-story building adjacent to it, at 10 Tube Concourse, which was also closed by the city, and found that the structure's wooden roof was falling in and would have to be replaced.

Representatives from Centurion Realty did not return telephone calls seeking comment on the findings.

Although the businesses on the first floor of the Hotel on the Square building were allowed to reopen—the upper stories have been vacant for years—the businesses in 10 Tube Concourse and at 22 Journal Square, on the corner of Sip and Bergen avenues, were not so lucky. Those buildings have been closed to all occupants since Nov. 16.

Several of the remaining merchants in Journal Square blame the poor condition of the evacuated buildings and other nearby structures for the recent decline in business.

"The haunted house has got to go," said Sunflower Deli owner Chris Chang, referring to the Hotel on the Square. "Get rid of those buildings and build new ones, strip malls."

Chang said he would welcome any new development in the area to draw more people in and bolster his sagging profits.

Mike and Terry Randolph, who were out shopping on Journal Square yesterday, both said they had noticed a decline in the number of people shopping in the area recently.

"The 99 cent store closed and that really hurt," Mike said, referring to one of the shops in 10 Tube Concourse.

"All this closing up, it gives you a very morbid feeling," Terry added. "The neighborhood is dying."

Smartt said while the building closures themselves probably have had very little effect on business in the Square, the condition of the buildings had significantly hurt commerce in Journal Square in recent years.

"The condition of the Journal Square properties, the hotel and the surrounding half-block, is clearly detrimental to the long-term viability and health of all of the commercial properties," he said. "No healthy business district can suffer the lack of investment that is clearly seen in these properties."

Yoon Kim, who has owned Song's Hallmark in Journal Square for last 17 years, said he had mixed feelings about whether the vacant buildings should be razed or simply repaired. His greeting card and gift store sits between two of the closed structures and could also fall prey to the wrecking ball, depending on what is developed there.

"That would be the best thing for Jersey City , but as a merchant, for me it's vice versa," he said. "For me, to repair the buildings (would be best)."

Kim is among those who believe the shuttered buildings are deterring customers from coming to his shop because they give people the impression that all the stores along the east side of the Square are closed.

But on the opposite side of the square, Abraham Sedhom, owner of Way In Jewelry, reported that business was down there as well.

Sedhom's nephew, Sam Sedhom, who was in the shop visiting, said he recently moved his jewelry store out of Jersey City because business had been so bad. He blamed his uncle's business troubles on the parking shortage in Journal Square .

"People come to shop for 10 minutes and they wind up paying a $50 parking ticket," he said.

Joanne Van Dorn, president of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, agreed that insufficient parking is a deterrent.

"It's a similar problem in all of the shopping areas," she said. "Parking is always their biggest problem and that prevents people from coming out at night to shop there."

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To remove Square building's parapet

Also, parking lot work will send scores of drivers elsewhere
Friday, December 03, 2004
By Maria Zingaro Conte
Journal staff writer

This weekend, workers will remove the parapet from the deteriorating building at 22 Journal Square in Jersey City in what could be the first step in the demolition of the entire structure.

In recent days, several sources have confirmed that the owners of the vacated structure have brought in contractors to estimate the cost of razing the building.

But according to acting Jersey City Construction Official Ray Mayer, demolition is still a long way off.

"I heard that they brought contractors in to demolish it, but it's not a definite yet," Mayer said.

Before anything can happen, the property owner, Adams Acquisition Company, based in New York City , must first obtain a demolition permit from the city. The city also would have to determine the stability of the remaining structure, Mayer said.

In the meantime, the building's parapet will be removed.

Asked what he wants to see happen at 22 Journal Square, Mayor Jerramiah Healy said he would support any future development of the property that would bring more ratables, investment and jobs, but noted that such a project would not necessarily entail demolition of the structure.

"I don't own the building. They can do what they want with it," he said. "Whatever they do they will have to be in conformity with our zoning ordinances."

On Nov. 16, city building officials uncovered numerous building and fire code violations at 22 Journal Square and closed the building, forcing all of the businesses there to close.

Officials were alerted by a Jersey City Incinerator Authority worker who saw a piece of the building's facade fall.

The nearby Hotel on the Square building, at 8 Journal Square , was also closed after inspectors discovered structural cracks running through that building.

Since then, engineers hired by the property owners recommended that the parapet and the masonry between the roof and upper-story windows at 22 Journal Square be removed.

According to a Nov. 18 engineering report, prepared by Engineers Plus of Hasbrouck Heights, the parapet was unstable because of severe cracking. The report also said that once the parapet is removed, the building's steel structure should be inspected.

For several days before the building closures, workers had been removing a steel roofing structure over the parking lot next door to 22 Journal Square , which is owned by NJ Transit and leased to Central Parking. At the time, city inspectors theorized that the removal of one of the girders supporting that roof may have caused the building facade to weaken.

Yesterday, workers from the parking company were handing out flyers to customers to inform them the lot will be closed for a week beginning today because repairs are again proceeding.

Mayer confirmed that the last of the girder structure would be removed, but said the process would not pose any danger to the adjoining structure, since it was only a section of plaster and lathe that had crumbled away before, not a structural element.

But just in case some debris does fall, bridges have been installed over the sidewalks surrounding the building, Mayer noted.

Representatives from Central Parking did not return telephone calls yesterday. Jersey City Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski, who represents Journal Square , said he was happy that at least some action was being taken in the area.

"I think that when people see that things are moving in the direction of addressing its unsightliness and unsoundness, then people will start to say 'Hey, at least the ball is starting to move and something will happen.'"

But to Nader Wahba, the owner of the Associated Business Center insurance agency, which was displaced when 22 Journal Square was closed, the situation still seems bleak.

"The last thing that happened yesterday was I went upstairs to find some items and I found the door broken, the door to my office and that of my neighbor," he said.

For Wahba, the past two weeks have been a scramble to relocate his office.

"I am planning to move this Saturday," he said, adding that he would be seeking reimbursement from his landlord for the November rent he paid.

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Building woes may rejuvenate Square

Thursday, December 02, 2004
By Michaelangelo Conte and Maria Zingaro Conte
Journal staff writers

The shops at 22 Journal Square remained closed due to numerous fire and building code violations this week. City workers found large horizontal cracks running through the masonry above the fifth-story windows at the rear of the Hotel on the Square, as well as on the side of the building at the same level, Jersey City Acting Construction Official Raymond Mayer said.

"The structural cracks up there indicate a possible failure," said Mayer, standing in the parking lot behind the hotel building, which has been closed for more than a decade. "We asked the owner to have his engineer figure out what is going on and provide an assessment as to its remediation - removal, shoring up or demolition."

The crisis on the Square began Nov. 16 when city officials found about 20 violations at 22 Journal Square , a building on the corner of Sip and Bergen avenues housing several businesses. They also found threatening cracks in the masonry at the top of the building's front wall.

Those discoveries led to inspections in adjoining buildings along Sip and Bergen avenues, and their subsequent closure due to fire code violations. Most of those stores have reopened, but 22 Journal Square has been locked down and will remain closed until the owner corrects all fire and building code violations, officials said.

The violations may finally mean the end to Hotel on the Square, long criticized by Journal Square residents and workers as an eyesore, said former Mayor Gerald McCann, special projects manager for the Jersey City Incinerator Authority.

"These violations may foster redevelopment of the area," McCann said. "I think the solution is the redevelopment of the area and demolition of the buildings, regardless if redevelopment is done by the county, city or privately. I think the solution has to be demolition."

Jersey City officials are waiting for the engineering report that will determine the fate of the Hotel on the Square building, which was shuttered two weeks ago for building code violations, but Mayor Jerramiah Healy said he hopes the deteriorating structure will ultimately be demolished.

"Everyone wants to do something about the Hotel on the Square," said Healy. "That's an eyesore. It's holding up progress in Journal Square ."

The sidewalks around 22 Journal Square were closed Nov. 16, and although crews worked overnight to erect heavy-duty scaffolding around the building, portions of the sidewalk remained closed pending a report determining if the scaffolding is strong enough to provide protection to pedestrians should masonry fall, officials said.

Questioned over his hopes for the site and over talk of moving Hudson County Community College to the site, the mayor was unequivocal.

"I certainly don't want another school there, which does not bring any ratables to Jersey City ," he said. "We need ratables and jobs for Jersey City ."

Representatives from Centurian Realty, the company which manages the buildings, could not be reached for comment last Monday.

Engineers hired by the building owner, Adams Acquisition L.L.P., of West 40th Street in Manhattan, were compiling a report on the condition of the building's cracked facade, said Steven McGill, coordinator of the Jersey City Office of Emergency Management.

Once complete, the engineering report will be turned over to the city Building Department for use in determining if the sidewalks can reopen, and also to decide how the bowed and cracked parapet bordering the three-story-high roof can be made safe, McGill said.

Owners of the six shops in the building's first floor and three offices in its third floor won't be allowed to reopen until the parapet is rendered safe and about 20 fire code violations inside the building are addressed, McGill said.

City officials said representatives of the 22 Journal Square ownership group didn't arrive until the morning of Nov. 18 to look at the site.

When they arrived, city officials told them they could be arrested if a good faith effort to deal with the violations wasn't made within 24 hours. That night, the owner had a scaffold construction crew working on the Square.

The Hotel on the Square building is owned by Oxford Acquisition, at the same West 40th Street address as the 22 Journal Square owner.

But the 99 cent store on the Square will remain closed because it has no secondary exit, and Jersey Bargain Center is shuttered because its roof is in danger of collapse, officials said.

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Building violations close businesses

Thursday, November 25, 2004
By Michaelangelo Conte
Journal staff writer

Nine Journal Square businesses were locked up and a section of sidewalk remained off limits this week because some 20 fire and building code violations remained uncorrected in a building at the corner of Sip and Bergen avenues, officials said.

Last Thursday morning, the operators of six shops on the first floor of 22 Journal Square and two on the building's third-floor were given time to take what they wanted from their stores before city officials shut them down, officials said.

"Our goal is to get them up and operating as soon as possible, but it's based on the owner doing what he has to do," said Jersey City Fire Department Prevention Specialist Matthew M. Barrett.

"In order to get them open, they have to put up a scaffold to make the street safe, and they have to abate the electrical problems and bring the building up to code."

Samuel Stark, assistant property manager for Centureon Realty LLC Construction, promised a construction crew would begin constructing a protective scaffold over the sidewalk, Barrett said, and last Thursday night workers could be seen putting it up. The scaffold will allow the busy sidewalk around it to reopen, Barrett said.

"The shop owners felt they have been there a long time, have been complaining to the owner a long time, and nothing has been done," Barrett said. "City officials tried to explain that they were working for their safety."

Last Thursday night, the water, electricity and gas service to the building had been turned off, the shops closed and the doors had been boarded up, Barrett said. Temporary guard rails channeled pedestrian traffic away from the building and out of danger of being hit by any falling masonry from the cracked and bulging parapet.

Since last Tuesday, city officials have demanded that the building owner, Adams Acquisition L.L.P., of West 40th Street in Manhattan , make necessary repairs to the building, Barrett said.

As of last Wednesday, Barrett said, city officials had tried to contact representatives of the owner by phone 16 times and of the five times they got through, they were told someone would arrive at the building within half an hour.

It was not until 10 a.m. last Thursday that representatives of the building owner arrived at the site and city officials notified them they could be arrested if they did not show a sign of good faith that they would make the required repairs within 24 hours.

Last Tuesday, threatening cracks in the facade and numerous fire code violations were found in the three-story building and inspectors also found fire code violations in adjacent businesses running along Bergen Avenue to the PATH Transportation Center .

Officials shut down all the businesses, but many of those along Bergen reopened the next day and by last Thursday, all but the Hunan Gardens Restaurant had remediated the violations and were open for business, Barrett said.

The McDonald's that is adjacent to 22 Journal Square put up a protective scaffold over its doorway by noon last Thursday.

A dangerous masonry condition also exists on the rear wall of the Hotel-on-the-Square building, which is owned by Oxford Acquisition, at the same West 40th Street address as the 22 Journal Square owner, Barrett said.

Inspectors took a look at a few other Journal Square businesses last Thursday and said there is a chance they would have to close a few of them due to rat problems and other violations, Barrett said. When inspectors entered 22 Journal Square last Tuesday they found six homeless people inside, Barrett said.

Representatives of Centureon Realty could not be reached for comment last week.

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