Rivervale NJ, I have been on the front lines fighting for the legislature to do its job and provide a legislative solution to recent Court opinions on affordable housing in the State. Even the NJ Supreme Court agrees that the legislature should do something, anything, on this issue.
As a result of recent court opinions, I drafted bills to stop the costly litigations currently taking place in every municipality so that all interested parties, including the NJ League of Municipalities, the Executive Director of the NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the Executive Director of Fair Share Housing, professional planners and members of the legislature can sit together and develop a better way to ensure affordability in this State for all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender. The current plan to have over 280,000 new affordable units or 1.5 million additional total units in a state that is already the most densely populated with a population growth rate of less than 0.3 percent, along with being one of the States that most people are fleeing, is irrational at best.
My bills have received support from Democratic mayors and councils, Republican mayors and councils and communities that are split between political parties. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue, this is one of the most important issues affecting every community in the State and if we, as legislators refuse to address it, we do not deserve to be legislators.
Unfortunately, many times elected officials are unwilling to step up to the plate to address the more difficult issues for fear of the backlash. It is exceptionally unfortunate that in today’s political climate, the immediate “go to” for those who disagree on an issue is to insinuate the other person is a racist or a bigot or a whole host of other items. Today I found myself just in that place. As a result of my trying to bring all parties to the table to properly address an incredibly complicated and difficult topic, the head of the Bergen County NAACP, provided a letter to the Bergen Record today accusing me of “fear mongering”, “trying to advance my political profile” and alleging that I am affirmatively trying to keep minorities out of our communities. Anyone who knows me knows how totally off base his letter is with respect to how I operate or what I believe. I have reached out to the State NAACP President to request a sit down to openly discuss this issue. If we want our State to succeed we better start having the tough conversations now, while we still can. Wanting to figure out a better way to govern this State is a quality we want in everyone who represents us.
Please call your Mayors and your legislators and ask them to protect our State from ridiculous affordable housing court mandates (which may result in over 1.5 MILLION new units of housing in NJ) by supporting A-4666 and A-4667 to stop the Court actions and study the issue while we still can. If you don’t see your town below ask your elected officials why they aren’t fighting for your community.
Here is a current list of towns that have passed resolutions in support of my legislation to provide relief to our communities in the fight against the threat of over 1.5 MILLION new units of housing in NJ. If you don’t see your town on here ASK WHY. Many of our NJ residents are unaware that their communities will be forced to DOUBLE their housing population in just the next 9 years, destroying all existing housing prices.
Closter
Demarest
Dumont
Emerson
Franklin Lakes
Harrington Park
Haworth
Hillsdale
Mahwah
Montvale
Norwood
Old Tappan
Park Ridge
River Vale
Upper Saddle River
Westwood
Woodcliff Lake
Bloomingdale
Wanaque
Wayne
Saddle Brook
Fair Lawn
Oradell
Rochelle Park
Hackensack
Lincoln Park
Guy and Julie will be available afterward for…discussion!
This in-person meeting will provide a platform for discussion of often-divisive political issues that matter most to each of us. Their discussion will include insight as to how Guy and Julie work to remain civil while navigating emotionally charged exchanges.
Join us to benefit worthy causes and help reconnect our country, one community at a time.
Proceeds will benefit Family Promise, Helping Hands for the Homeless and the Borough of Montvale
Guy Benson is a Ridgewood High School graduate. He is the Political Editor of Townhall.com, a Fox News Contributor, and co-author of the book End of Discussion. In 2015, Forbes magazine named Guy to its ’30 under 30′ law & policy roster. Guy is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism
Julie Roginsky is a Democratic Partystrategist and Fox News contributor. Roginsky founded Comprehensive Communications Group, which has worked on behalf of Fortune 500 corporations, elected officials and non-profit organizations. Senators Cory Booker and Frank Lautenberg have been among the firm’s clients. Julie hails from New Jersey, having attended high school in Princeton. She is a graduate of Boston University with a BA in political science and an MA in Russian economics.
For more information please contact: Jeannehopejohnson@gmail.com/201-851-3262
ANOTHER Gottheimer Image Manipulation; Independent Mayor Can No Longer Stay Silent
November 5,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In spite of the fact that Josh Gottheimer’s campaign is under fire with the New Jersey Attorney General and the US Attorney for forging government documents, Gottheimer has been caught ONCE AGAIN manipulating images in an attempt to mislead Fifth District voters.
Friday afternoon, Gottheimer posted an image on Facebook that appeared to suggest Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali was supporting his campaign efforts. But in reality, Mayor Ghassali wasn’t posing with Gottheimer in an effort to support his campaign. Ghassali and Gottheimer were pictured together at an event for His Eminence Mor Dionysius John Kawak.
Ghassali was livid at this manipulation, and as a result, felt he could no longer stay silent on his views on this election. He not only endorsed Congressman Garrett – Ghassali campaigned with Garrett in MontvaleSaturday afternoon.
“As a politically independent mayor, I resent any attempt to misrepresent my appearance at a public event as somehow an endorsement of Josh Gottheimer,” said Ghassali. “ I’ve known Scott Garrett for many years and he’s an honest and trustworthy public servant. I know and share his conservative principles and support his reelection to Congress in the 5th Congressional District.”
Gottheimer is a liar who has repeatedly shown – this week alone! – that he can’t be trusted to tell Fifth District voters the truth.
Below is the manipulated image that appeared on Gottheimer’s facebook page on Friday afternoon:
Below is the original image:
Earlier this week, it was discovered that the Gottheimer campaign had violated both state and federal laws including 18 U.S.C. 1001 (false or fraudulent statement or document within the jurisdiction of the legislative branch of the Government of the United States), 18 U.S.C. 912 (impersonating any department or agency of the U.S.), §2C:21-1 (forgery) and §2C:21-4 (falsifying or tampering with records).
New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino and U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman have been alerted to Gottheimer’s illegal actions.
Gottheimer’s campaign admitted his forgery to the Star-Ledger: “An official with the Gottheimer campaign confirmed that it had produced the ad and manipulated the image.”
They are having committees to study why people over 55 are leaving. Shiela Brogan is on the committee. The survey showed that moving is a financial decision. She needs to pay attention.
Complete agreement with all of the above. Taxes are out of control. And as for the moving truck option, don’t think for a minute that Ridgewood taxes will make the town and your home desirable to young families. Nice towns with lower taxes and higher rated schools surround us. Pay for your own pre-K and Ridgewood teachers need to get a grip on reality when it comes to their demands.
Driving out seniors is not going to help the school population or tax base. Add-ons like this may be the last straw for many who already get nothing from approximately 2/3 of their enormous property tax bite. Tired of hearing that good schools help property values, etc. The fact is that this school system has been going down the tubes for years and the world at large is finally starting to realize it. Throwing more millions at it won’t help. Eliminate half the jobs at the Ed Center and resolve the teachers’ contract dispute before coming to taxpayers for more and more.
As for property values: People will just look at other towns – Allendale, Wyckoff, HoHoKus Upper Saddle River, Ramsey, Montvale, Woodcliff Lake all have lower taxes and comparable if not better schools. Yes, Ridgewood may have a certain status and reputation in its favor but times are different now. The town has changed and more changes are could be on their way. BOE needs to keep a strong position that considers taxpayers. Our teachers are already higher paid than most and pre-school should be the parents’ responsibility.
Schools used to be top class in the entire country 25 years ago. Now it’s all on fumes of past reputation. Current teachers care more about their health benefits than they do about our students, which is sad.
Residents of Ridgewood , for the past 4 years I’ve proposed an amendment to our State’s constitution to end the patently unfair school funding formula. Under a new school funding plan which follows my proposal, the average home in Ramsey would see a reduction in property taxes of $2,411 per year. Call your Mayor, Council and Board of Education. Tell them to support the Fairness Formula! We can’t afford not to.
Join The Movement
The Fairness Formula: Equal Funding for Every Child, Our Path to Lower Property Taxes
Join Governor Christie’s Fairness Formula solution to New Jersey’s two most pressing crises that are hurting all New Jerseyans: the failure of urban education and property taxes. The Governor’s monumental Fairness Formula will provide equal education funding for every pupil throughout the state, valuing every child equally.
75% of all New Jersey districts would get more state aid than they do today. The biggest driver of New Jersey’s nation-high property taxes is the ineffective and unfair state school funding formula. The Fairness Formula will not only be equal for students it may also provide hundreds or even thousands of dollars in annual property tax savings for New Jerseyans in most communities. Join the movement today to being your path to lower property taxes.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT: It’s time for your voices to be heard. It’s time for the people to take back control of this issue and apply common sense to it. Sign up to join the movement and begin your path to lower property taxes.
For every resident of Bergen County, this is the MOST IMPORTANT issue that directly impacts your property taxes. Bergen County residents on average contribute the MOST money to the State of New Jersey and receive the least school aid in the State. Under the Governor’s proposal, the average school district in Bergen County would see an increase in school aid from the State of over 1000%. Every representative from Bergen County who cares about his or her residents needs to support this proposal. Real numbers of increased aid would be:
PATERSON, N.J. (AP) — When Kevin Eleby started commuting by train to New York City in 2001, the station in downtown Paterson was nearly empty. Every morning he climbed the stairs to the platform to wait alongside three other riders.
Nearly a decade passed. A few new people started showing up. Then a few more. A few weeks ago, when his train rushed into the station at 7:39 a.m., Eleby was surrounded by a crowd of 45 people.
“This place was deserted. Now you come up here and it’s full. Look at all these people!” said Eleby, 48, a Paterson resident who works in information technology for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. “It’s a big change,” he told The Record (https://bit.ly/1V8CxLm).
It’s a change that’s taking place across New Jersey and in some of the nation’s largest metropolitan regions. During the housing boom of the early 2000s, New Jersey’s population grew by 2.8 percent, but car-dependent suburbs saw their populations grow by 4.1 percent, according to a study by Tim Evans, research director at New Jersey Future, which advocates for transit-oriented development.
Meanwhile, neighborhoods within a half-mile of a transit station barely grew at all.
Then came the 2008 recession — and a major shift in population and commuting patterns.
Statewide, population growth slowed, dropping to 1.5 percent from 2008 through 2014, the latest year for which data is available. Car-oriented suburbs grew at roughly the same rate.
But during the same period, transit-oriented neighborhoods saw their population surge. Since the recession, they have accounted for 38.3 percent of the population growth in New Jersey, Evans found.
“It’s really dramatic, actually, how little these transit places were growing before 2008 and now they’re growing really quickly,” Evans said. “And the outlying counties that were the locus of sprawl are now losing population.
In Bergen and Passaic counties, many older suburbs grew up along train lines, and many newer ones are dependent on cars. That means the change in population patterns is not as stark here as elsewhere around the state, Evans said.
Yet the pattern holds. Most car-based municipalities in North Jersey continued to grow after 2008, but at a slower pace than before the recession, Evans said. Places like Montvale, Cresskill, Upper Saddle River in Bergen County; Wanaque in Passaic County; and Pompton Plains in Morris County all saw their growth rates stagnate.
But many transit-oriented neighborhoods grew. In Bergen County, Fair Lawn, Lyndhurst, Garfield, Ridgewood and Glen Rock all went from losing population before the recession to gaining population since 2008.
Montvale NJ, Rep. Scott Garret addressed students at Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale about the role of Congress and the importance of financial literacy.
Garrett also toured some New Jersey Businesses in Bergen County were “precision” is the name of the game at Glebar Company a manufacturer of industrial equipment in Ramsey. Less precise, however, are the mountains of rules and regulations passed down from Washington, D.C. that bludgeon businesses here at home and depress hiring in New Jersey.
Garrett also stopped by Nova Electric in Bergenfield to discuss their business and the concerns many Americans are having about the state of the economy.
Then a trip to Wallkill Valley High School ‘Stuff the Bus’ full of food to help restock the shelves at the Sussex County food pantry. Local initiative always seems more effective the big government one size fits all programs .
JANUARY 9, 2016 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016, 1:21 AM
BY PETER J. SAMPSON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
With his conviction for conspiracy and embezzlement reinstated by an appeals court, a former North Jersey labor leader is facing a possible prison term when he is sentenced later this month for plotting to siphon funds from an electricians union in a scheme to pad the salary of his future wife.
Following a trial in federal court in Newark, a jury in November 2013 found Richard “Buzzy” Dressel guilty on two of eight counts: conspiracy to embezzle union funds and embezzlement from Local 164 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Paramus.
Five months later, U.S. District Judge William J. Martini granted a defense motion for acquittal, ruling the government had not presented sufficient evidence for conviction.
The office of U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman challenged the judge’s decision, and a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia reversed Martini and reinstated the conviction in August.
As a result, Dressel, 66, of Montvale, who as business manager held the local’s top position for 14 years, is facing up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the two counts when he is sentenced by Martini on Jan. 21.
Before his indictment in 2012, Dressel had served on the boards of the Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation, Bergen Community College and the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. He had been a member of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, and he was a major force in Democratic Party politics, raising funds and using the rank and file to get out the vote.
Dressel has steadfastly maintained he committed no crime.
EILEEN AND TED WAGNER TO BE HONORED AT WEST BERGEN’S NOVEMBER 9TH FALL NIGHT OF FINE DINING
October 5,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, On Monday evening, November 9th, the area’s finest restaurants and caterers will join together at the Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes for the 23rd Annual …A Fall Night of Fine Dining. On this special occasion, West Bergen is honored to present its prestigious Distinguished Service Award to outstanding community leaders, Eileen and Ted Wagner of Ridgewood.
In announcing the Wagner’s selection, Thomas H. Bruinooge, Esq., President of West Bergen’s Board of Trustees said, “I am so pleased that Eileen and Ted have been selected as the honorees. They are special individuals who give freely of themselves to benefit others. Their dedication is emblematic of the spirit of commitment to West Bergen that has enabled the Agency to serve others for over 50 years.” Their partnership with West Bergen began several years ago when Eileen became a Member of West Bergen’s Foundation Board. Over the years, Eileen and Ted have been active and dedicated West Bergen supporters. They have hosted numerous events at their home and have held leadership roles with many of the Agency’s events and programs.
Please visit afallnight.com for reservations and complete information. Tickets are $175 per person and are tax deductible. Seating is limited.
Participating restaurants include Biggie’s Clam Bar, Hoboken, Ramsey and Carlstadt; Blue Moon Mexican Café, Wyckoff; Esty Street, Park Ridge; Fiona’s Ristorante, Midland Park; Food Evolution, Montvale; Francesco’s Restaurant, Woodland Park; Indian Trail Club, Franklin Lakes; Mémoire, Ridgewood; NOVO Mediterranean Fare, Ridgewood; Paul & Jimmy’s Ristorante, New York, NY; The Plum & The Pear, Wyckoff; Restaurant L, Allendale; Roots Steakhouse, Ridgewood; Rosario’s Trattoria, Midland Park; Village Green Restaurant, Ridgewood and The Village Grille, Waldwick. Dessert selections will be presented by Ben & Jerry’s, Ridgewood; Carousel Cakes, Ridgewood and Nanuet, NY; Creative Chocolates, Woodland Park; Kilwins, Ridgewood and La Vie en Rose Bakery Café, Waldwick.
At the event, each restaurant will serve individual portions of their most innovative entrée, enabling attendees to experience a variety of cuisines. Chuck Russo, owner of Carlo Russo’s Wine and Spirit World in Ho-Ho-Kus, will select a variety of wines for the occasion. Music for dancing will be provided by Modern Jazz Quartet, which will perform classic standards and Broadway favorites by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and others.
Sponsoring this year’s event is Boiling Springs Savings Bank. Reservations for …A Fall Night of Fine Dining can be made on the new website, www.afallnight.com or by contacting Carol Cohen, Director of Development, at West Bergen Mental Healthcare, (201) 444-3550.
West Bergen is a non-profit organization providing a wide range of psychiatric and counseling services for all age groups with various levels of need. West Bergen is committed to meeting the psychological needs of each of its clients with sensitivity and responsive, innovative services of the highest quality. West Bergen strives to improve the quality of life in Bergen County and beyond – one life at a time. For further information on West Bergen and the services it provides please call (201) 444-3550.
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A&P has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a move that could spell the end of the 156-year-old grocery chain.
The nearly 300-store chain, confirming The Post’s exclusive report last week that such news was imminent, made the filing late Sunday in Bankruptcy Court in New York.
A&P, which also owns the Waldbaums, Food Emporium and Pathmark stores, listed assets and liabilities of more than $1 billion.
It was the second trip to bankruptcy court in less than five years for the Montvale, NJ-based company, which has been outflanked by lower cost chains like Wal-Mart stealing business at one end and higher-priced chains like Whole Foods taking away customers at the other.
The company, which employs 34,000 people, according to its website, has secured $100 million in debtor-in-possession financing from Fortress Credit Corp, according to court documents.
The parent, with its stores stretched across the Northeast, has already struck preliminary agreements to sell or shutter about half of its nearly 300 locations, insiders said. Prospective acquirers aren’t likely to operate many locations under their previous banners, they said.
NEWTON, NJ – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) announced the winners of the 2015 Congressional Art Competition. This year’s top honor went to Norwood resident and Academy of the Holy Angels student Na Young Lee for her piece, “Crammed.” This year’s competition featured 95 student entries and was hosted at Sussex County Community College in Newton. Meagan Khoury and Sherry Fitzgerald, both of Sussex County Community College, judged the competition. The winners were announced at a ceremony on Saturday, May 16th.
“Congratulations to the winners and participants of the 2015 Congressional Art Competition,” said Garrett. “I am amazed at the quality of work produced by these students. Each student should be very proud of their efforts, and I want to thank their parents and teachers for encouraging and cultivating such exceptional talent.”
The Congressional Art Competition is an annual event held in congressional districts across the country. The first place winner from each congressional district will have his or her artwork displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol alongside winning artwork from other high school students across the country. The second, third, and fourth place winners will have their submissions displayed in Congressman Garrett’s Glen Rock, Newton, and Washington, D.C. offices. Click here for more information about the nation-wide contest.
Below is a complete list of this year’s winners and participants. Names without a corresponding link were unable to attend the May 16th ceremony.
2015 Congressional Art Competition Winners
1st Place
Student: Na Young Lee
Title: “Crammed”
School: Academy of the Holy Angels
Residence: Norwood
2nd Place
Student: Cindy Lee
Title: “Bakekujira the Ghost Whale”
School: Northern Valley Regional High School – Old Tappan
Residence: Norwood
3rd Place
Student: Haley Fletcher
Title: “Covetous”
School: Lakeland Regional High School
Residence: Ringwood
4th Place
Student: Yubin Lee
Title: “Bounded”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: Haworth
5th Place
Student: Alessandra Ferrari-Wong
Title: “Investigation”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: Westwood
6th Place
Student: Laura David
Title: “Looking Ahead”
School: Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Hamburg
7th Place
Student: Kara Kovach
Title: “Hot and Beardy”
School: Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Franklin
8th Place
Student: Anna Kristofick
Title: “True Colors”
School: Indian Hills High School
Residence: Wyckoff
Honorable Mentions
Student: Hannah Kim
Title: “Yin and Yang”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Upper Saddle River
Student: Melanie Rosenblatt
Title: “Zoe”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Upper Saddle River
Student: Julia Grace Shea
Title: “Indecisive”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Ho-Ho-Kus
Student: Nico Tolinkski
Title: “Mutilation”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Allendale
Student: Anna Allen
Title: “Emotion in Full Color”
School: Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Stockholm
Student: Nicole Spangenburg
Title: “Dead End”
School: Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Hamburg
All Participants
Student: Na Young Lee*
Title: “Crammed”
School: Academy of the Holy Angels
Residence: Norwood
Student: Lydia Chen
Title: “The Road”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: New Milford
Student: Haine Cho
Title: “Parent”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: Northvale
APRIL 26, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2015, 4:24
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
In Montvale, land is being cleared for a new town house development near the New York State line. In Wood-Ridge, new town houses are rising on an old industrial site. And 150 new town houses are under construction in Allendale.
As the economy and housing market continue to recover in New Jersey and nationwide, these and other projects suggest a renewed interest in the attached, two-story homes. The construction of town houses and other for-sale homes still lags behind the much healthier pace of rental construction in the state, as tough lending standards and memories of the housing crash weigh on many households.
But builders see town houses as a more affordable alternative to single-family homes. Town houses also are more suited than detached homes to the type of development that is dominating North Jersey. Instead of the sprawling, single-family subdivisions of an earlier era, builders now are focusing on so-called infill construction, in walkable, transit-friendly areas closer to New York City.
Prosecutor: Montvale businessman made “tens of millions” in fraud
APRIL 16, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015, 1:21 AM
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
* Faces up to life in prison and $134.5M in fines for a scheme that bilked the federal government
“April 15, tax day, is a fitting date for Mr. Furando to accept responsibility for his crimes, which defrauded U.S. taxpayers of tens of millions of dollars.”
JOSH J. MINKER, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA
A Montvale businessman earned tens of millions of dollars as part of one of the largest frauds in Indiana history, prosecutors said on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud and other charges.
Joseph Furando, 49, and two companies he owned, Cima Green LLC and the Caravan Trading Co., both in Park Ridge at the time of the crimes, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Indiana to participation in a scheme that prosecutors said fraudulently sold more than 35 million gallons of fuel that cost $145.5 million.
No date was set for Furando’s sentencing.
The pleas, following a guilty plea in August by a Ridgewood businesswoman who worked for Furando, Evelyn Katirina Pattison, also known as Katirina Tracy, leave three Indiana-based defendants to face trial in the case beginning on May 11 in Indianapolis.
“April 15, tax day, is a fitting date for Mr. Furando to accept responsibility for his crimes, which defrauded U.S. taxpayers of tens of millions of dollars that Congress appropriated for energy independence and a cleaner environment for all of us,” said Josh J. Minker, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
Furando, who described the scheme to colleagues as “alchemy,” abused a federal program that offered companies a tax break for using environmentally friendly biodiesel, which contains recycled oil, prosecutors said.
Although the program awarded only one tax credit for each gallon used, Furando and his companies bought biodiesel that had already earned the tax credit and sold it to an Indiana company, E-biofuels, as newly produced fuel, prosecutors said.
E-biofuels then sold the fuel and claimed a new tax credit, selling the fuel at an inflated market price because it had the credit attached, prosecutors said.
The scheme realized “huge per gallon profits” for all the conspirators, sometimes more than $12,000 a truckload, prosecutors said.
Northern Bergen office vacancies skyrocket as companies flee New Jersey’s Anti Business Climate
MARCH 29, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY LINDA MOSS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
* Shifting preferences are likely to alter the look of many now-empty large corporate campuses
Northern Bergen County, once a magnet for corporations, has lost some of its luster as a number of companies leave the area, sending its office vacancy rate soaring to nearly 40 percent, according to one real estate firm.
In the first quarter so far, the northern corridor of the county, including towns like Montvale and Park Ridge, had 2.25 million square feet of its total 5.8 million square feet of office space unoccupied, according to JLL, a real estate firm with offices in East Rutherford.
That translates to a 39 percent vacancy rate in the quarter, up 70 percent from the year-ago period’s 23 percent, JLL reported.
The Hertz Corp.’s former headquarters in Park Ridge, a 226,000-square-foot property, is on the block after the auto-rental giant’s relocation to Estero, Fla. And Pearson Education’s exit a few months ago from its leafy campus in Upper Saddle River added 475,000 square feet of vacant office space.
“You’ve got almost a million square feet just in Montvale,” said JLL Managing Director Tom Reilly.
Vacancy rates could rise even higher when Mercedes-Benz USA moves its U.S. headquarters from Montvale, where it has three buildings, to Atlanta over the next couple of years. That relocation, announced in January, would add as much as 310,300 square feet of vacant space in the region.
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