Anderson St. Station

[Hawaiitiki]

It's not clear whose paying for this according to that article. Hackensack or New Jersey Transit? Eitherway, this is going to be peanuts on either institution's balance sheet. Using Essex Street as a comparison would be unfair because Essex Street is currently a much more spartan "park n ride" type station with about a 400 meter radius of nothing pretty, unless you realllly like McDonalds. Anderson Street, however, is located in a bustling neighborhood that would benefit from the character that a quiant train station would bring.

In and around Essex Street, I believe, has the potential to become an extremely successful transit oriented development.The current vacant open space, frequent rail service, and relatively short train ride to the urban core(Hob/NYC) give credence to a bright future at Essex, but thats for another thread. I'm just saying Essex Street will have its time, but putting a station house in the middle of a parking lot isn't going to expedite that process. But cheers to NJT and Hackensack for this Anderson Street project. Many of Transit's stations could use some of these relatively low cost makeovers.

[swapcatsr]

The City of Hackensack kept after NJTransit to rebuild the Anderson Street Station. I heard that NJTransit will pay but Hackensack will review and approve the plan. Please see the article below which discusses moving both the Anderson and Essex Street stations. If Hackensack restarts the jitney bus loop there are hundreds of commuters on Prospect/Summit/Overlook who may prefer to jump on the jitney to the train instead of sitting on the NJT bus in the bus lane for 1 hour plus to get into midtown during rush hour. Mixed use development surrounding the station(s) will increase ridership.

Admin Note: post edited to provide only brief, fair-use quote.

NORTHJERSEY.COM

Student-planners take on Hackensack city design

Sunday April 1, 2012, 9:46 AM

BY COLLEEN DISKIN

STAFF WRITER

The Record

HACKENSACK - Bring back jitney buses, relocate the city's two train stations, add a bike path along Passaic Street and connect it to a greenway along the Hackensack River.

Ideas flowed freely Saturday as a group of college-student planners got together with longtime residents, business owners and city officials to create a new vision for redeveloping the city, one that builds on its most underused and underappreciated assets - its transit stations.

"It's not planners sitting in an office designing," said Roger Smith, an adjunct professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, in explaining why he brought his 12 student-planners to the workshop at the Hackensack Civic Center. "It's reaching out to the people who know the community. They are the ones who have enormous insight into the functioning of a community."

The students - through a grant program - have been asked to design a plan to revitalize the neighborhoods around the two NJ Transit stations on Essex and Anderson streets, respectively, and the River Street bus terminal.

First, the students outlined their idea to create three of what they called "transit-oriented development districts" in the city, similar to ones already thriving in Morristown, New Brunswick and Rahway. Then they asked the roughly 25 people in attendance to gather round one of three tables, where maps of those three parts of towns were laid out. Planners listened and shaded in the block-by-block maps as those who know the city best pointed out every empty lot, shuttered store, unlit sidewalk and hard-to-navigate street.

Email: [email protected]

[Hawaiitiki]

I'd love to see a map/drawing of Hackensack's proposed development. I think Hackensack has a lot of potential and I'd love to see some of these ideas come to fruition. However, I don't really know about the idea of moving the existing stations. I think you're kind of limited on where you could relocate/centralize either Anderson or Essex Street stations. I think developing the existing PVL stations is the best bet at this point. Without having to acquire any ROW, NJT can double track the PVL through Hackensack linking the Teterboro and North Hackensack Sidings. Build a parking deck in the current Essex Street lot and build a parking deck/mixed use complex in the decrepit Rite Aid parking lot next to Anderson to make up for lost parking from double tracking.

Short of moving the ROW of the entire PVL, there is little that the PVL can do to spur development on Downtown Main Street(which is ~800meters away from the PVL). The supposedly "done deal going to happen" 5 years ago lower Susquehanna "DMU, Light Rail, Who Knows" service will be the only rail line with the ability to truly serve downtown foot traffic en masse. And even that, wheres that going to get people Paterson?! The south of Hawthorne NYSW service wont do jack squat for development without some sort of direct inner core connection.

[swapcatsr]

Map attached.

NORTHJERSEY.COM

Student-planners take on Hackensack city design

SUNDAY APRIL 1, 2012, 9:46 AM
BY COLLEEN DISKIN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

HACKENSACK - Bring back jitney buses, relocate the city's two train stations, add a bike path along Passaic Street and connect it to a greenway along the Hackensack River.

Ideas flowed freely Saturday as a group of college-student planners got together with longtime residents, business owners and city officials to create a new vision for redeveloping the city, one that builds on its most underused and underappreciated assets - its transit stations.

"It's not planners sitting in an office designing," said Roger Smith, an adjunct professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, in explaining why he brought his 12 student-planners to the workshop at the Hackensack Civic Center. "It's reaching out to the people who know the community. They are the ones who have enormous insight into the functioning of a community."

The students - through a grant program - have been asked to design a plan to revitalize the neighborhoods around the two NJ Transit stations on Essex and Anderson streets, respectively, and the River Street bus terminal.

SITE ADMIN NOTE: Edited to provide only a brief, fair-use quote per our copyright guidelines

[swapcatsr]

This is the part of the newspaper article that I wanted to add in response to the previous post:

"For the Essex Street neighborhood, the biggest suggested change was moving the station from its relatively isolated location a few blocks over to Atlantic Street and Railroad Avenue, where it could better serve employees of Hackensack University Medical Center, and perhaps ease the hospital's parking crunch.

A similar relocation was suggested for the Anderson Street station, where the building burned down in 2009 and is slated to be rebuilt.
In their current locations, both stations are used by only a few hundred riders a day.

Building more residential units closer to the two stations would likely boost ridership and, by extension, create more customers and opportunities for stores, restaurants and service-related businesses, planners suggested."

[ryanov]

God help us if we have to physically move a train station 0.3 miles to get people to use it vs. letting people walk 0.3 miles. That is literally the walking distance between Essex St. and Atlantic St.

[Steve F45]

This is the part of the newspaper article that I wanted to add in response to the previous post:

"For the Essex Street neighborhood, the biggest suggested change was moving the station from its relatively isolated location a few blocks over to Atlantic Street and Railroad Avenue, where it could better serve employees of Hackensack University Medical Center, and perhaps ease the hospital's parking crunch.

A similar relocation was suggested for the Anderson Street station, where the building burned down in 2009 and is slated to be rebuilt.
In their current locations, both stations are used by only a few hundred riders a day.

Building more residential units closer to the two stations would likely boost ridership and, by extension, create more customers and opportunities for stores, restaurants and service-related businesses, planners suggested."

a few hundred riders a day each is alot in my mind. The essex street station is always full. And to move it makes no sense and does not even mean HUMC employee's would even use it. Where would you move it? There is already a huge parking deck at atlantic and railroad and residential housing. Most of the HUMC employee's probably all live in the general area and taking the train is probably not an option to them. If anything build a better Essex street station with high level platforms a real station building and a parking deck to accommodate an increase in usage and offer parking for HUMC employee's using one of there shuttle buses from the station to the hospital.

[swapcatsr]

1871/1136 The train has left the station. Hope they decide the location of the Anderson Street Station before building commences. Bidding ends at 2 pm on September 6th (see attached).

[n01jd1]

Umm, what makes a station building less necessary now than it was then?

Anderson Street hasnt had an agent for eons, there wasnt even a waiting room. Part of the building was a business, The Green Caboose Thrift Shop that was run by HUMC. The other part of the building was used by NJT maintainers of some sort. So essentially, Anderson Street passengers have only had a telephone, TVM's and maybe a bench for amenities for quite some time. Now at least they have a bus shelter...or at least they did right after the fire. There is no need to build a new station building of any kind. They would be better off using the spot for a couple of parking spots. Perhaps the bar next to the station would be interested in that. I am sure they can use more parking for their business.

[ryanov]

That's not what I asked. The original comment was "The station building is totaly not needed to run a commuter station in this day and age."

What makes it any less necessary to have a station building in "this day and age?" TVM's?

[n01jd1]

That's not what I asked. The original comment was "The station building is totaly not needed to run a commuter station in this day and age."

What makes it any less necessary to have a station building in "this day and age?" TVM's?

The fact that there isnt an agent and there is no mail and express traffic to warrant the construction of a building. Thats what station buildings were built for, a place for a station agent to do his job and to handle mail and express traffic back in the day. Without an agent and without the mail and express, The only purpose a station building MIGHT serve is as a waiting room and a bathroom, but since there isnt an agent to keep an eye on things, thats more trouble than its worth. Its simpler to put in a TVM and a bus shelter. Less chance of vandalism and property loss to NJT as well.

[swapcatsr]

1997 There has been some more talk at the City Council level about restarting the jitney bus. If that comes to pass then there will be more commuters standing around waiting for the train. The Anderson Street bus shelter and TVM provides minimal protection from the elements and smells like... I just gagged.

Each morning there are hundreds of commuters standing on Prospect and Summit Avenues waiting for the NJT bus to New York. They can jump on the jitney with no worries about parking. I don't park my car at Essex Street as it is unsecured and in a bit of a questionable neighborhood - lots of other commuters like me with fancy smancy cars living on my block.

Finally, a nice coffee shop would do well at Anderson and it would be manned so perhaps a deterrent to vandals and other evil doers. Lets not forget the City of Hackensack's plan to redevelop the areas around the train stops. A quaint little train station in charming new neighborhood.

[ryanov]

Essex Street? Questionable neighborhood? To whom?

[swapcatsr]

2077 No offense intended. My friend's cousin had his face cut with a knife by some random guy when he got off the train at Essex Street. I am the receipient of catcalls and have been propositioned right up in my face by a group of men a number of times. I do have to dodge and weave around drunk and/or drug adled guys standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Once the Sanzari medical office building is completed there may be more activity in the area but I wouldn't consider the area safe until the Essex Street redevelopment is done bringing night and day activity to the area.

Recently I drove down to the Essex Street on the weekend to buy a train pass and standing right next to me in the semi enclosed train shelter was what appeared to be a homeless man visibly shaking. If I am concerned at times for my physical safety I am not going to leave my convertible top car down there unattended all day long. Additonally the flooding that sometimes occurs in that low lying area isn't great for walking nevermind low to the ground cars parked in the lot. So for these reasons, questionable.

[n01jd1]

Essex Street? Questionable neighborhood? To whom?

ANYWHERE in Hackensack is a questionable neighborhood!! Anyone from North Jersey knows that!!