You never actually used the word protected before that, but I think we’re on the same page at this point. People mention building bike lanes all the time, but don’t seem to think they need to be protected.

I agree with you, but there are basically no protected bike lanes in this city (except the lanes in North Newark, basically RIP). Until there are...

I'm not putting my life in danger over a terms of service violation, so... I don't know if you've seen a car and scooter collision, but that's way less pretty.

To be fair, it's a lot of drivers. But no one's safety should ever be placed above someone else's, especially not when we're talking about supporting something that's also destroying the environment and health, etc.

People leaving sports games in this town appear to think they don't have to follow traffic laws at all. That's absolutely a group we should not be catering to.

As I understand it, that NJIT park is rather temporary. Colleges love putting up buildings; they will get to it.

I’ve got no particular love for Rutgers, or NJIT, but these buildings were all over the place, not just on the Rutgers or NJIT campuses, and they aren’t now.

I personally think saying “the property owner is definitely going to pay taxes 30 years from now,” is a different statement. Also, less likely to be true, because it’s pretty likely to be sold meantime.

I don’t know that I oppose stuff like this being built at all if it’s going to have a long term abatement like that, but it certainly has a negative impact on the city to have to provide services to thousands (over the last 10 years at least) more people with no income to pay for it.

I guess there’s a good chance they would pay sales tax to somebody, but you would be surprised at the number of people that I’ve known around here who basically live their lives in New York City or Jersey City, and just live here (usually pretty temporarily). I remember one guy overheard in the barbershop saying he lived there for two years and this was the first time he was getting his haircut in Newark, because he just went back to Jersey City for everything. Had never even been far enough down Ferry Street to know what church the barber was talking about by Wilson.

What makes you say that the landlord will pay property tax? That has not been the case historically.

I’d be curious to know the breakdowns of who gets around how down here in these luxury buildings. Willing to bet it’s almost entirely car, with the exception of places you can get you on the PATH.

“The people who will live in this project will pay taxes in Newark, and probably will not drive.”

The first one is not a given, and the second one does not come even close to the historical reality. I live in a building with no parking provided. My neighbors drive, except to New York City, or take ridesharing, which is no different. I even drive now, because of the pandemic, but that wasn’t true before, and won’t be after.

Not even government cars, giant government, SUVs.

Agreed, I really find it weird the amount of personal investment people seem to have in this project. I’m not sure what’s driving it. I can think of lots of things that I would go to a public hearing over, and actually have, like razing historic construction to replace it with parking, but this one has me scratching my head.

Not exactly the same thing, but the exemption from rent control for new residential construction for 35 years is part of the law here.

I personally told you that well before you made that comment. So fair enough to owning up to a mistake, but in general, if something doesn’t make sense, it’s good to know that you have the right story.

If this were a project with significant affordable housing, I would agree that it’s important to build. I don’t believe that it is, from memory, and I’m having difficulty finding anything that says anything one way or the other right now. I’m still not sure I would agree that it’s important to build where existing buildings are, given the number of giant parking lots downtown.

I use sidewalks for both walking and scootering. Haven’t really seen it be a problem. Ideally, there would be a safe place to ride them. That is not the sidewalk, but since there isn’t…

I’ve never come even close to being hit by a scooter.

If you don’t understand how saying “this is a historic building,” and then showing a different building that doesn’t fit the description of the one mentioned to be at issue isn’t a dishonest argument, I don’t know what to tell you.

“There is a historic building we think should be saved. — “The largest part of the footprint isn’t historic.” — “OK…?”

17 years of experience living downtown within a couple of minutes’ walk from this spot would seem to be a fine way, however.

Many new buildings have gone in recently. You might think that housing supply would bring down rents, but I was recently threatened with my largest rent increase ever living in this building, and rents in the immediate area was the excuse given.

It’s also alarming how few older townhomes are left in this city.

Cars are king, pretty much anywhere, and the leadership of the city rides around in them, and parks illegally all over the place, breaks traffic laws, etc. I’m generally supportive, but that is a bad look, and I think it extends to all sorts of transportation policy here.

The story in this town seems to be that you only use transit until you manage to get a car.

That building absolutely does not give me “hundreds of homes” vibes, and there’s a big parking lot right across the street.

That does not look like in 1899 townhouse to me.

I ride my bike sometimes... on the sidewalk. I'm not getting killed in one of those bike lanes.

The one on University is my favorite. The speed bump doesn't extend into it, which I guess makes sense, so cars swerve into it to avoid the speed bump.

Yes and no. Many of the streetcar lines entered the subway at various points so they missed the downtown traffic.

What's your point, though?

Any day of the week at night you can see people doing 50-ish down Broad Street. No effort to change it at all. Hell, there are people who fly down Commerce Court.

Seems to me like there are enough giant parking lots in this city to avoid tearing down historic buildings to put things up.

Thank you for using the word "beta" in that fashion so we know not to take you seriously.

There's an 1899 townhouse that would have to be demolished. I'm not totally clear where it can be in that group -- I assume on Broad Street.

It was created to serve people that might have otherwise driven on the Pulaski Skyway while the work was going on.

Even if it is drugs, I kind of feel like, so what? I buy drugs with some of my money.

I'm not sure why you think that people who aren't respected themselves should have any particular respect for public spaces. People are far more important than public spaces.

I'm blaming someone doing something wrong: you. You have opinions like this, you make arguments like this, and I suspect you vote like this. You are part of the problem. Moving people on from a 7-Eleven does not solve any of these problems, it just makes sure you don't have to see them.

I graduated from high school in 2000, bro. I'm not sure what kind of "kid" that makes me.