Adios White Castle/ Hello Autozone
Stopped in at White Castle on Mtn Ave yesterday and was told they are closing the doors before Christmas.
jerseycash5
happycamper Not bad location just bad food . Should just say if you are looking to spend the evening in the b-room stop here.
Jdem 
Lunch lady Taco Bell.... are they coming back to that area? my wife and kids love taco bell. I find it alright as a snack food but wouldnt want to try and fill up on it.
aguy I'm really disappointed...I must admit I do like White Castle and that one in particular had pretty fresh burgers compared to others I've been to.
positive Gosh, that's a real shame. Where on Mountain Ave. are we going to get burgers now? All we have left is McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, Applebees, Friendly's,
Dairy Queen,...
eperot White Castle, Stone Cold......... such a shame. Places just can't make it. Guess there are a lot of reasons.
skippy botheredbyuu - You did read someone said Stone Cold was not out of business and only selling another store's equipment, right?
GC Well honestly they have big time competition, so many fast food places all in one area. But that's how it has always been.
Now that burger king came out with the grilled onion burger on the dollar menu....BTW which tastes somewhat like a overgrown white castle burger!!!!
Darrin 
Reggie Voter GC - no, lol! Just saw the post that said they were closing. I think the snow is getting to me. HAHA! Glad they are not closing.
Sandy 
Calico696 Both are the same....they all lead to the same thing
......(=))
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........) )~=:' ( ) ) brooooot.......
..... _|,| .....'-,,,,,-
White castle is DEFINITELY worse than Taco Bell.
While both may be terrible for you, at least Taco Bell actually tastes good. Gotta' love all that additional lard and MSG. White Castle tastes like they went to Shoprite, bought the WC frozen boxes, and microwaved them. Blerg.
JeffersonRepub 
Christine Our fast food row has to hold the record for the most failed franchises ever.
Taco Bell
Pizza Hut
White Castle
Boston Market
Anyone else?
Maybe it's our great local pizza and Italian.
mistergoogle How can you go wrong with chicken soft tacos at Taco Bell. Nothing unhealthy about that. It's all the other stuff that's bad for you.
This made for some amusing reading:
http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/foodfacts/BeefQuality/BeefIngredientFAQ
iPhone-imal ianimal - Everyone thought that Sonic would do great in P'burg. What happened there?
+1 for 5 guys - you see fatburger at the mall was replaced by a very similar business?
regarding sonic, on this forum someone reported the owner wasn't paying the rent... and alluded to the possibility that it was shady somehow... in other words, it didn't go out of business from not having enough business, but from poor business/money management skills. Just rumor tho.
Patrick O A "drive-in" business model is apparently not ideal for fast food restaurants in this part of the country. Personally, I don't like eating in my car and I REALLY don't like anyone ELSE eating in my car.
Aww my husband will miss White Castle.
5 Guys would be good. I would love a Jimmy Johns too.
Smilingbecs Fatburger/Smashburger/5Guys - all slight variations on the same theme. I just call them all "YA7DB". Yet Another 7 Dollar Burger. Add their $3 fries and $2 drinks and it's Yet Another 12 Dollar Meal. It might be better than a $6 Value Meal, but you begin to understand why Applebees et al exist. You can get a full sit down meal for that.
iPhone-imal - When all your kids are old enough and you have 30 seconds to get them from one event to the next yet none of you have eaten in the last 7 hours, you'll be in and out of that drive-through like all the rest. ;-)
mistergoogle - H-town fast food row doesn't even come close to a record holder. Up in Stroudsburg just one single location has been through Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Arthur Treachers, Popeyes, Boston Market, Jack In The Box, KFC, and Roy Rogers. Add in the others that failed and it's twice as bad as here.
A 5 Guys burger with fries IS a sit-down meal, lol. Certainly better and fresher than anything you get at Applebee's. And there's no way in hell you're going to eat it on the go, unless you have a spare tyvek suit in your car. Plus you get free peanuts in the shell as an appetizer. I've never eaten there with anyone who didn't feel that they'd gotten their money's worth.
"And there's no way in hell you're going to eat it on the go, unless you have a spare tyvek suit in your car."
TRU DAT!!! LOL
Taco Bell is ok, I'll eat it once in awhile.
Sonic would be better....
Five Guys would really piss of my vascular system...!!!! (and taste O SO GOOD)
I grew up near the WC in Orange and compared to that one the one on 57 sucked. Taco Bell is crap too. One of those fresh burger places would be awesome. 5guys seasoned fries are great.
KKDL 
lynn oh god... my hometown in OH has a BBWW....."B'Dubs"... AWFUL. Just another Ruby's/Applebees/etc.... only worse.
When I lived in California for a short period of time, I found a great burger place called In-N-Out Burgers.They were huge and amazing! It's a pretty big chain over there.
I'd definitely love a Quaker Steak & Lube - aka "The Lube". Food's good and the auto decor makes it awesome to hang out there!
Phil D. "The Kentucky fried chicken is always empty. How does that stay open?
By charging $30 per bucket.
Mark Mc. No food place in Hackettstown is going to go out of business :o) When they do it's due to bad management or help. And the fact that there are many other places means nothing because in business the more places around is for some reason just better for business all around for everyone.
Roger "A 5 Guys burger with fries IS a sit-down meal, lol."
For me it's a sit-down, eat up, hose off, stand-up, go home, pass out, and skip dinner meal :>)
I love it but probably only once or twice a year. Afraid I might not come back from the fat coma.
Five Guys is excellent. A winner for sure.
25 Burgers is essentially the same concept, excellent burgers at a fair price and yummy as hell. Their spicy curly fries are banging! They are a fairly new NJ chain.
http://25burgers.com/
Greg Wouldn't it be nice if some kind of non-chain, salad-serving place opened up? I think we have enough places to buy unhealthy food on our Fast Food Row.
Rebecka 
5catmom Oh, seafood. Now we're talking. Didn't even think of that. I do appreciate the fresh fish they have at Shop Rite, but we don't have a seafood restaurant nearby. (But then, I think we are dreaming, 5catmom!)
That is a great idea, Rebecka. A place called "The Salad Bar" for instance could be fun. It could offer a crazy large salad bar with all sorts of great fresh items as well as an assortment of prepared salads and such.There are so many interesting and healthy foods including all the various juicing options as well. I'm not suggesting a vegetarian or vegan menu, simply healthy options.
Phil, a QS&L is in the works in Pohatcong at the Super Walmart Plaza (old Laneco). Should open sometime in 2014
A little off topic, since it's not fast food...but has anyone tried The Loving Hut in Ledgewood? I'm not Vegan, but I went there twice and I have to say the food is really good.
I like the salad bar idea check this place out Sweet Tomatoes...Florida is loaded with them.I've eaten there a few times and was well satisfied.
dam I agree, a salad place is an excellent idea! I think there was or is a place called Salad Works in Ledgewood....not sure if it's still there.
I've eaten a few times at the Loving Hut,I'm not a vegan either but I liked it something different and healthy ...the wifey not to crazy about it ! Lolll..
carbs83 ......(=))
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........) )~=:' ( ) ) .......brooooot.......
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positive - Been to Loving Hut multiple times, it's very good. And even healthier for you.
Personally, I like the salad bar place idea...
Anyhow-I imagine we'll see a Chick-fil-A here sooner than later...or at least in the trade zone...I'm not a fast food person, but they have one awesome chicken sandwich! ; ]
info. 
alpha1beta A Slim Jim from Wawa tastes better than a Slim Jim from QC? Because if your going deeper than that into the food offerings at a convenience store, you've got bigger issues (-;
But seriously, I've had breakfast sandwiches both places and I prefer QC's by a large margin. Wawa has slightly better coffee but neither is worth getting out of the car for. No convenience store makes deli sandwiches worth a damn and while I've never tried grill offerings at one, I'm sure their burgers and steak sandwiches aren't worth a damn either.
I just like the tater bowls - and I agree on coffee and sammitches. I guess your right - we are over populated in the convenience store market. Red lobster would be good - legal seafood would be better but I dont know if the area would support it.
Jonathan Stone I was the last one to get food there ever at that location. We pulled in and the mgr said they were closed forever, gave him the pouty lip... got my food. Still feeling ill. lol.
YumPretzels! There is a reason Castle has been around for so long, people love it. I have trouble understanding their failure here, there is plenty of population passing by there every day as evidenced by all the other fast food joints nearby. Regardless of what your favorite is, Taco Bell, Castle, Wendys, etc. its all slop.
roywhite I think the reason it closed is because there isnt enough bars in the area....it's drunk gross food
Nosila "Our fast food row has to hold the record for most failed franchises ever."
Bel Air Road in Baltimore has had all the above plus Gino's, Roy Rogers, Burger Chef, Hardee's, Chicken Delight ... I'm sure there are more if I think hard enough, they've had them all.
Andy Loigu One thing that I loved in Aberdeen, MD was the Hardees. They char-grilled the burgers. But that Hardees is gone now.
I wouldn't mind a Chick-fil-a or something a little different like a Nandos. Nandos had the best chicken I've ever had. I also wouldn't mind a home style diner with real comfort food from scratch, the kind you see on triple D
Sirya Speaking of Hardees they're coming to NJ:
http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2013/10/hardees_expanding_to_nj_other.html
Vic 
D-ManPV 
Hardees, disgusting. Chick-fil-a. grosser yet. They might open up a Disgusting Quikburger.
Tracy Every time I see the name Carl's Jr., I remember the time I was violently ill in their single stall bathroom in California when I was a teenager.
Blackcat 
jaemae Bojangles...I laughed every time I saw one of those on the way to S. Carolina with a friend. On the way home from Florida with my family last year, we at it because it was next to our motel and we had the dog. It was actually better than expected.
Cici's is atrocious. We live in NJ where real pizza places abound...Cici's makes Dominos and Pizza Hut look like pizza straight from Italy.
skippy, Bobby's is good, but Emeril's Burger place is better.
There's a Cici's by the Wegmans on 248 in Nazareth if anyone is brave enough to try it, lol. I think the nearest Golden Corral is at the Lehigh Valley Mall in Allentown.
Cici's in East Stroudsburg is closer than the Nazareth one. Don't expect it to be any better though. Some cousins insisted on it once and I ended up paying to *not* eat.
I think the location is bad, not really what is there. Anything past the light at Mamas on that side of the street makes it impossible to come back towards town on Mt. Ave because of traffic, making it a long trip to get back. Boston Market, Taco Bell, now White Castle gone. I suspect Friendlys is ok because they are very kid friendly
eapos There was a salad bar type restaurant in Ledgewood for a while called Saladworks, but they are out of business now. I would love to see a good Seafood restaurant go in, not a Fast Food Chain Red Lobster. A real seafood place, perhaps something like Denville Seafood or like Fred's in Dover used to be where you could by fresh seafood, but the other half is a restaurant.
JrzyGirl88 
Linda Bender 
KarenM 
anon1 I live In Mansfield,went to White Castle once-not bad but very slow service and for the money can get double at Burger King.Would welcome back Taco Bell.Another place to eat Golden Skillet-never see any cars there and they close real early.
Pete What about a Crackle Barrel?? I have never been disappointed and they sell some interesting things while you wait.
Isabella 
blondie781 Would love to see either a Saladworks or Zoup. We go to both of them up in the Lehigh Valley area when shopping. I really liked Zoup,
Bessie How about a Sweet Tomatoes.....I've been to them in Florida many times.I'll be ripe back....see ya next thyme is their motto !
Lala1313 
Robert H 
lily pad They should just put Taco Bell back in that location again. When it was there it was always busy - I never understood why they closed it.
Wendy Bite your tongue, Robert! If that happened, my MIL and Grand MIL would be here every week. It's bad enough they drag us to Bethlehem when they visit.
I doubt if the area could support both an IHOP and a Waffle House. Not enough people, they would both likely fail if forced to compete against one another.
H-town Mama Waffle House has no locations anywhere in NJ. Chances are they want to complete their plans for PA first, particularly since they have nothing in the Philadelphia area first. After that, it wouldn't be a leap to figure a first step, if they even have interest, would be more like Cherry Hill.
Putting a failed place back in the same spot I wouldn't suggest. Part of that issue isn't so much Taco Bell as it is the Taco Bell/KFC/Pizza Hut "Yum" conglomerate. Order tacos from KFC.
Chick-FIL-A is more interesting. They do have sites already in NJ and may be looking to expand. Given the current areas, a more populated area like Bedminster might be more attractive. Parsippany too even though that might be closer to existing sites. Another chain that might have interest depending on how well the current locations are doing - Cluck U. East Stroudsburg and Randolph have them now. If they do well, Hackettstown is in between. But then again, something like a Mt Olive ITC place could be more attractive since people here would go there.
Never underestimate the population's ability to support cheap, nasty restaurants. I went to that Waffle House in PA once and that was enough. It gives dives a bad name.
emaxxman GC, I thought there was a Waffle House down near AC in Little Egg or something. But still...if so it's the only in Jersey.
I would love a chick fil a. If you've never had it, you're missing out. The south's fast food is way higher quality than the burger kings subways and mcdonalds that are all over the north. It's obviously still fast food, but just like a chipotle, I'm willing to spend an extra dollar to get a much better meal.
Penningslandscaping 
bigbear You can drive to Phillipsburg for a Chick-fil-a. I don't think we need to repeat places that we already have nearby. We need something new and fresh but I don't know what that is. It is like having a Wal-Mart, Kohl's, Target in each area. Boring and unappealing after the first few weeks. Just my opinion though.
justwondering @justwondering I just love Chick-fil-a, but I agree. I would like some more privately owned places in the area, that's the only way you'll get variety. Most chain restaurant food is disgusting anyway.
Al A. @ Al A. - I had the pleasure to try an In-N-Out Burger a few months ago during a business trip to California. All I can say is .... OMG!! It was the juiciest, most beautiful, freshest, tastiest burger I've ever had in my entire life. The bun tasted like it was fresh baked out of the oven, the lettuce was actually green (instead of yellow or white), the tomatoes were red and juicy, .... and the burger itself tasted like the grilled hamburgers my folks used to make in our backyard when I was a kid. Real beef, no fat or grizzle, full of flavor.
Dang ...... I'm drooling all over my keyboard ....... :-)
Robert Durana I am sorry but I hate chick-fil-a, they have no selection. We need a good sea food place, thats what we are missing
@ AL A. - I'm from Arizona so I used to go there all of the time. They are a West Coast company and the furthest restaurant east is Texas. My husband thinks Five Guys out here is better than In N Out, but I have yet to try them.
azgirl69 Another In-N-Out fan here. From So Cal and would love a taste of home here. They are only in CA and AZ, and have no plans to expand, so while that is a nice thought, it wont ever happen. I suggest a Qdoba or Chipotle. I would like another "fast food" but something that has healthier options. The one in Rockaway is always packed.
Natalie In-N-Out Burger has locations not only in Nevada and Utah in addition to CA and AZ, but also as far east as Dallas, TX. I doubt we'll see one in Jersey in my lifetime, but they have branched out quite a bit in the last decade or so.
I think we definitly need to have some healthier dine out options here in town as well as a whole foods or a trader joes, more and more people are looking for places to eat and buy food without GMO's or processed foods.
Iluvsnow, I agree. However many naysayers on here will contest that we in hickville are too poor to support a big fansy pants store like Whole Foods. All one has to do is look at the shelves in ShopRite to see more and more organic items being added - people here are buying it and want it.
I think a Trader joe's or Whole foods will do well here - we are few miles from Morris Cty and Hunterdon - i think Htown is a great central location.
htownnewbie Best burger hands down is Zinburger and wine bar, A little pricey, but excellent food and service.
sam I agree with you Natalie and htownnewbie. They'd be surprised, with the quantity that these stores have, items can be cheaper than shop-rite!
SusanE Sonic? Nahh, they didn't make it right on busy Rt 22 in Lopatcong/Phillipsburg no way they would survive in Hackettstown.
Not crazy about Sonic..a healthy Vegan/Vegetarian or Seafood place would be nice. We need something different..other than burgers, tacos, fried chicken and pizza.
Lobo Went to LT Burger in Sag Harbor. Seroiusly the best burger I EVER ate! There's one in Bryant Park too. I highly recommend!!
Lady Jayne I would love to see a Harmon's put there. Using the Bed Bath and Beyond 20% coupon there is great. I just dislike driving to Newton and Ledgewood to do so.
Snoopy 
emily1 Speaking of Jimmy John's. Yayyyy got a Jimmy John's going in by me near work in Roseland NJ. An alternative to traditional fast food. They came in at #5 in the Top 10 Franchises for 2014:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500/index.html
The local details:
http://www.westessexnow.com/community-announcements/jimmy-johns-gourmet-sandwiches-opening-soon-at-eagle-rock-commons-in-roseland
Vic, is that where Muscle Maker Grill was? By the Starbucks? I work in Roseland now too.
Yes, although I never ate there I hear they are moving into that old Muscle Maker location. Corner of Eisenhower Parkway and Eagle Rock Ave. I work not too far away in West Caldwell down Passaic Ave.
I am wondering the same. Saw a dumpster out and it looks like it is being gutted. Any word on what could be moving in?
Metsman 
John C 
townie14 
Booster90 
1988LJ We went to Sonic a bit this summer with all of the tournaments at Diamond Nation - fairly horrible food. The hamburgers inside DN were better.
Reggie,
What do you expect from fast food places.
Do you know about the use of ractopamine in cattle and pigs.
(banned in Europe, China & Russia to date)
Do not like Sonic, but I'd love to have a Loving Hut in town..eventhough I'm not even vegan nor a vegetarian. That says a lot on how good their food is.
Why doesn't someone just call the Town Construction office and ask them? If the new owner isn't making any changes to the site and the restaurant use isn't changing, chances are that he wouldn't have needed Planning Board or ZBA approval. But, if they're gutting the place, he'd certainly need demo and construction permits.
Call? Actual action? No rumor and innuendo?
Sacrilege.
The Olive Garden was confirmed years ago. ;-)
Well GC, since you are going to be snarky (not like that isn't new) I called. The owners are just gutting it - no plans to make it into anything else at this time.
How exactly is it rumor to say facts like there is a dumpster present and workers inside the building then ask if anyway is aware as to the scope of it?
Heard yesterday from a very reliable out-of-state source that is currently under witness protection (so I can't reveal their name) that the inside is being gutted and will be converted to the often requested M&M-World amusement park.
positive - I'm a diehard meat eater and the meal that I had at the Loving Hut was fantastic. It was the wonton soup or something like that. It was easily one of the best soups that I've ever had. It had flavor and tons of veggies in addition to the wontons. I would happily order it again.
They opened a Sonic out in P'burg and then it closed. I'm not sure if it was even open a whole year.
It was open a little over two years, Calico. A Starbucks just opened up in that location a couple months ago.
The Sonic in Totowa has few customers the times I've driven by. That's an area you have to beat business off with a stick so it's not a good sign.
As for all the rest - would hope to see much better than any chain. If anything, would prefer not even to see a restaurant.
Is Sonic the one where they bring the food to your car and you eat in your car? If so, that's a pain and I can see why they struggle. Nostalgia is overrated.
joyful 
CraftBeerBob 
brown bear2 Soooo there was a Pizza Hut n Taco bell there once. Now they both are back in town. Cant wait till The Castle comes back. Roxburys too far.
Rat burgers ruuule!
How about Golden Coral? They advertise on TV all the time, but I've never seen one.
Also would love to have a real good BBQ place. I can taste the ribs now!
USAfirst If you've never seen a Golden Coral, hope you never do. Production line bad food all slopped together in cattle pen troughs. 'Coral' is unfortunately an all too accurate name.
Smokehouse did alright out Route 46, a more central location might do even better. A non-chain quality BBQ pit is a lot better idea than many of the others floated. While it's not for me, there also seems to be a bunch of interest in a good seafood place. Hopefully non-chain and with at least a few alternatives a non-pescatoran can survive on. ;-)
Either that, or it'll be a doctors office for a new psychiatric practice moving it. It does seem Hackettstown has quite the need in that field.
The Man 
Old Gent http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=kimbaco01
A Cole Kimball quote that mentioned White Castle made it onto a national website ...
dsl102927 Affordable housing is an "inherently beneficial use"... use variances can't be denied. At least that's what the lawyers tell me...
Painkiller You know, we need another place to get a burger. Between McDonald's, BK, Wendy's, Friendly's, Leo's, or even Dairy Queen in a pinch, I feel like my options are severely limited.
@GC: I've heard about Little Tokyo but have yet to try it. I like Fujiyama but can be a little too $.
mansfield mama GC "Can't, wrong zoning"
LOL, yeah right, because that has stopped them in the past........other projects in town just change zoning to fit the developers needs.....I bought my house next to a light manufacturing zoned property, now I have a CVS, and the possibility of 66 town homes, and 42 apartments, along with other comercial coming in......zoning means nothing.
RichieRich25 Darrin - Your idea of the magnitude of what changes is both self centered and naive. That area was both light mfg and residential before not to mention the zoning was changed before any development plans were made.
Patrick O - Little Tokyo is mostly Korean Fusion together with the sushi which is different from Fujiyama. That's why I mention it so you may not need to have another place at all.
self centered and naive hu? Sorry, was actually just stating a fact that the town changed the zoning to fit the developer's needs, and secondly there still is no formal development plans....so I am not sure what you are talking about
It was really just a response to you stating that a site was not zoned for something else, point was that the town has changed zoning in the past.
dsl102927-
Sorry, the last thing this town needs is more dangerous neighborhoods. I'm not saying we have very many, but we want to go upwards instead of downwards in our median income.
More dangerous neighborhoods? LOL... There's nothing scarier than the "mean streets" of Hackettstown.
iPhone-imal - Oh try to deny you don't check for "a certain type of clientele" every time you frequent Red Lobster. "We all know" what those people are like...
That is not the first time that poster has cast aspersions on areas of town inhabited or frequented by anyone not white, upper middle class, or dressed to their liking as dangerous. I have lived here for over 15 years and yes there have been changes, but none I consider dangerous.
MK MK-
I hate when people try and and shame someone else for wanting safety in their town, I somehow doubt you're out at Sunrise Dairy on Main Street talking to the men who loiter outside, hanging around some scarier trailers in Mansfield, Oxford and Washington or walking around in the cheaper apartment complexes located around town.
Please, instead of being "holier-than-thou", accept that there are some people who it's best not to be around.
Unlike you I have been to the Sunrise Dairy and the men there are only looking to work and survive. I have talked to them at times about odd jobs I cannot do or need help with. They are nice, polite, and no danger to anyone. Not "holier than thou" at all. I just will not condemn any class of people because I don't like the way they look. I have been poor and lived in lower class apartment complexes and I don't think the ones around here are any different. Most people living there are just trying to do better. Is there a criminal element, maybe, but it is not the majority of people living there. You are free to associate with anyone you want and avoid anyone you want. I object to the inference that there is a blatant danger to anyone in your family.
I did not take IPhone-imal comment seriously. I think he is joking about the Mean Streets of Hackettstown.
+1 MK. Agree 100%.
All one has to do is read the Hackettstown PD updates to see who is getting arrested. Traffic warrants, drunks harming only themselves, the occasional disturbing the peace or fight, and lone junkies. How rarely do you see an arrest report for a violent crime such as assualt or robbery?
Hackettstown has crime but this ain't Camden folks.
GC - I used to cook at Red Lobster. Say something bad about the RL again and I'll gut you with a claw before you even know what happened! Or even worse, I'll make you eat FISH!!!! LOL.
May I ask about the proposed new housing on the site where the CVS is being built?? Is it low income housing that is planned? Or fear of low income housing which is fueling this thread?
Clarioncall Clarioncall - It's fear of it and is not planned. The developer has been on record multiple times about paying a fee instead of doing low income. In addition, another project out on Bilby Road has been on record as where the town is approving the low income requirements imposed by the state. The developer on Bilby is going to pick up from some past requirements including the Bergen Tool project.
GC - Thanks so much for the information. As I've said before, we recently arrived in H'town and are learning about the community little by little. This forum is a fabulous way to understand the various issues of the community. It is also fascinating gleaning a bit about the personalities and viewpoints of the "regulars" on the forum. Thanks for sharing.
MK-it's great the men you talked to were honest folk, but let's be serious-if someone can not get a proper job and needs to get off-the-books day work to make ends meet (or at least try to), clearly they're desperate. I think it's not a stretch to say that one day, one of them could commit a crime to get some cash, either for paying for basic needs or drugs and alcohol.
GC: Do you happen to know of the name of the project on Bilby Road? Is that in H'town proper, or outskirts??
Clarioncall - "Princess Towers". It's where you currently see all of the bull dozers. That's before the train tracks so it's in Hackettstown proper. If it wasn't within the town, it would not be something that could satisfy needs from the other projects.
Out of curiosity, does anyone know what the property across the street from the old White Castle was/is? It is a big abandoned lot, and I can see that there are access points along the road and what appear to be lights from a parking lot. New to the town sorta (last 5 years) and not sure what was there before it became overgrown. This is an honest question, no, Im not calling the town to ask.
Natalie, that was a failed strip mall. I think it stood as a shell for 15 years or so before finally being torn down not that long ago.
Aquarius Natalie - That site never really got built. Building was started on a strip mall that had the foundation and some girders up but that was all. I believe they ran out of money. It sat there in that condition for quite a lot of years until recently they got them to tear the unfinished construction down. Now, it's been sold to a company planning "Lions Gate" for 55+.
If you want more info from HL, just do a Forum Search at the top of the page on Lions Gate.
Did auto zone get approved for this site. I see a construction sign is out front on the property now.
Darwin Two auto parts stores in town now? Time to pass an ordinance to prevent more from investing in town.
emaxxman
NAPA is on Willow Grove, just down the hill from the 5 points, but sadly the Deb's Auto Warehouse that was just off Main (Rt. 46) seems to have closed and they only have their Landing, NJ store now. That was a great place that stocked a good number of parts and had great prices. I guess Autozone will try to take up the slack, but I'm not a big fan of their store arrangement when they get more than 2 customers in the place, at least at the Ledgewood store. They can only look up parts at most of their terminals, then you go over with them to the cash register terminal to pay.
If you're still in line at the "lookup terminal" it gets a bit annoying when they start helping other customers that start to line up at the cash register terminal while they're checking out the guy that was right in front of you. I've left before and gone to other places because of that. They should have a dedicated cashier or allow all terminals to be "register terminals" like their competition does.
Besides, don't they have to have a drugstore to auto parts ratio calculated in the Master Plan somewhere - or maybe it's a Quick Chek to parts places ratio... .
It makes me laugh when people complain about the town decisions after the fact....where were you and your coments during the public planning board meetings? Thats the time to be heard, here, you are just wasting your time.
Uh, I think you guys missed the point. It was a joke. Like we should really ban businesses from investing in town. Everyone bitches about too many nail salons, pharmacies, and ethnic restaurants investing in our town. Having choices is not what the good people of the Republic of Hackettstown want.
"Where can we shoehorn in a Pep Boys now for the trifecta?? " Now that's funny.
emaxxman Funny indeed. Too bad R&S isn't still in business or we could hope for that , but then I don't think there's a name for a quad-fecta lol. (Yes, I definitely got the joke you were trying to make).
I'm sort of up in the air about how many & which types of businesses should be in any one town. It's good to have a healthy balance of offerings that encourages competition where the better businesses stay in business and lower-quality or those too high-priced for the market are pushed out. Choices are good, as long as the local economy, visitors and/or passers-thru can support them.
That's where the local town administration, planning board and Master Plan all come in. If they don't reflect the will of the people, then the people should vote them out and elect those who do seem to reflect that will. Of course the onus is on the people of the community who are or may be affected by projects to attend the official meeting and let their will be known. Enough public outcry about an egregious matter can force an investor into another, neighboring community who may be seeking that kind of investment in their community and that doesn't mind the extra traffic and feel the tax revenue would help the community, as well as whatever service(s) may be offered.
Again it's up to the people and Planning board, etc. to examine the plans and ask the hard questions such as "What about access from this street? It looks as though entrance and egress are too close to the traffic light and will cause traffic tieups and/or accidents. It should be redesigned for better 'flow'." All stages of the operation should be done for the most efficient construction and minimal effects on the local residents and the town inspector should keep on top of the quality of the work, which as in Darrin's case "in his hood" the TI has kept on top of proper construction (re: sidewalks), but apparently there wasn't anything in the plan to help protect the locals from the abuses that seem to have gone on there which Darrin's been documenting on here.
With the amount of traffic at the coming Autozone site, it would have possibly have been a smarter thing to have engineered in a "service road" years ago that connects Shelley and Rt 57 and goes behind those businesses on that block, since making a left turn out of those lots is at times tantamount to suicide. You could allow right turns only out of the businesses, but those wanting to make a left would follow the road and exit out onto Shelley and the traffic light adjusted accordingly when there is more traffic on Shelley. Just my opinion there and we all know what opinions are like, LOL!
I remember hearing quite a while ago that "other" section of the mall that never got fully built next to Applebee's wasn't finished at least at first because the EPA (or their local equivalent) waited to do some "environmental" survey of the land and pretty much found a 'puddle', or species of frog or some 'delicate ecosystem' in the back close to the river and declared it wetlands and shut down the project, maybe the land owner fighting the town or environmental outfit cost them too much money and they just gave up. The same kind of thing is stopping them from re-building the old Lackawanna Cutoff across Brooklyn Road in Stanhope. Someone keeps ordering these studies and stalling the project. Half the rails are there through the area they just stop short of crossing the road and the right-of-way lies dormant. It's kind of sad they have to stifle progress with these frankly unnecessary studies - especially since the land was always a railway
George M Greg - thats because they know if has to built quickly before there is a dedicated Hackettstown forum to try and stop it. ;)
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