Center City closer to reality

Sunday, February 13, 2005

[Note: this article was published in the opinion section]

After many false starts, Paterson's City Center project appears to be a reality. On Thursday, the city, Parking Authority and developers came to an agreement. The developers, Center City Partners, handed Mayor Jose "Joey" Torres a check for $1.1 million, which will be deposited in a guarantee fund. Torres said, "I believe in 120 days the shovel will hit the ground." It cannot come a day too soon.

Center City, more than five acres of prime real estate in the heart of Paterson, has been a euphemism for a massive parking lot for decades. City administrations have come and gone and with them proposals for the site. The development plan agreed to on Thursday may not be the sexiest offer imagined for Paterson, but it promises to bring a mix of commercial and retail businesses to the core of the city. It also will return movie theaters to Paterson.

Torres said there once were a dozen movie theaters in Paterson; there were two on the Center City site. The Center City plan calls for the construction of a 10-screen multiplex. Community Theaters has signed a letter of intent to build the theaters, which will seat nearly 2,000 people.

There have been legitimate concerns about the project. Less than a month ago, it seemed possible that the deal would unravel. Now the city, Parking Authority and developers have found consensus on the size of the project, the amount of parking and what kind of tenants will be suitable.

Torres boasts that the project is a boon for taxpayers. The city will pay for the self-standing parking garage, but there are no tax abatements.

"Once it is built out, (the city) could end up with $1.9 million a year in ratables," Torres said. The mayor is adamant that the anchor tenants be suitable to the site. That means no supermarkets, 99-cent stores, gun stores or massage parlors.

Paterson needs a broad mix of national retail chains in Center City. It needs more, secure parking. It needs movie theaters.

The Center City project could be a lightning rod for the renewal of Paterson's core. Torres envisions a residential component to the project: market-value condominiums. Apartment owners in Center City would stabilize the neighborhood at night. They also would drive more businesses into the city.

Paterson has a history of grand plans that do not materialize. It took 20 years to get this far. The mayor and council should be applauded. Torres said the project should be completed in three years. Patersonians will settle for a groundbreaking in four months.

Reproduced with permission of North Jersey Media Group