Heller Lawsuit Rejected by Courts -- Last Hurdle to Redevelopment

An Essex County Superior Court judge today rejected the lawsuit filed by New Jersey developer Cary Heller. The judge ruled in favor of Bloomfield and gave a green light for the long-delayed Bloomfield Center development project to begin in ernest.

Developer Cary Heller had filed a civil complaint in state Superior Court in Newark in August of last year. He insists he wants to see downtown revitalized but opposes the existing plan passed by the Planning Board.   Heller, whose development company is based in South Orange, owns property in the redevelopment zone and has his own ideas for developing the area.  He has hired traffic engineers to present an alternate plan (right), which would create a round-about at the intersection of Farrand, Washington and Lackawanna.

The mayor and other township officials have characterized the lawsuit as frivolous by Heller who was not selected for other segments of the redevelopment plan. He still could appeal the ruling, but he may not be more aware of his rapidly declining public image. Most residents and shop owners have also been exasperated by the continual legal delays.
Just yesterday,  one frustrated Bloomfielder  issued the following call to action on the NJO Bloomfield forum:

It's time to turn the pitch forks away from each other and go after these b*st*rds. Letters to the editor, letters to legislators, letters to the board of health, pickets in front of their businesses and homes (especially their homes so their neighbors can see them for what they are.) Our terminally inept municipal government can't seem to get a handle on it so it's really up to the people of Bloomfield to send a very strong message to the bully slum lords.

The owner of Anthony's Cheesecake celebrated his shop's 1st anniversary with his own call to action on The Bloomfield Patch:

Join our FB page @ Anthonys Cheesecake and I will post info on how we can all band together if we need to. If Mr Heller does appeal, we will need all the support we can get. We have already started a letter writing campaign in the case of an appeal. We have many, many supporters and any help we get will help to ensure Bloomfield Centers Redevelopment. Spread the word --power in numbers.