No Parking

Monday's Town Council meeting opened with a presentation by the developers for the north eastern segment of Bloomfield's Downtown redevelopment projects. Located at the corner of Broad and Franklin streets, it extends the boundary of Bloomfield College by adding 234 dormitory units on top of a ground floor of retail storefronts.

No one from the neighborhood was present to comment on the issue, but several have made their feelings known on public forums in the past two days. The most articulate critic so far goes by the nickname of hrhppg. She began posting on Baristanet and extended her objections on the NJO Bloomfield forum. We've collected several of her comments here:

The town council has approved Bloomfield College to build 234 dorm suites with a total of 21 parking spaces because of those students "most are not expected to own cars." Suites usually hold 4 students so we are talking over 900 students in that one building. I live in that area and parking is already a nightmare when - and only when - school is in session. I am shocked at the ignorance of the town council on this issue.

How does this help our ratables if the college is exempt from taxes? How does this do anything but hurt the current residents, businesses and congestion of the area. I have no kids and spend money in the center everyday and I'm now looking to move after 20 years in the area over this mess. 

Now what about the addition of a few hundred cars parking on the street in that area ? To assume college kids won't have cars is ridiculous and even if it is a small percent - a small percent of 900 students is too much. And there is nothing the school could do to stop them as they would be parking on public streets. For a town building rental units screwing over the current tenants is bad business. And even people who commute into the city for work a large percentage will have a car for other purposes. 

This town council is either short sighted or getting some kind of payoff to make such stupid decisions. And for the records calling BC a college is like putting lipstick on a pig and calling it a debutant. I've taken classes there and the math department is a joke - to it's own math professors. The woman running that department can't do basic algebra, I know I've been in her class and still have the study guides she provided with their incorrect answers

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