What is the point of input if you nobody wants the Walgreens to begin with? Short of telling them to build something else seems like a waste of time.

If I can make it, I will attend. I am opposed to this nonsense.

How many more sources of medication do we need in this town? Iam surprised we dont' have a pharmacy in a bank or visa versa. I cannot beleive we cannot come up with a better plan for this business district

Please forgive my bluntness, but honestly: this is absolutely preposterous. How many chain pharmacies does Cedar Lane, or Teaneck for that matter, really need? We need a variety of businesses to restore interest and verve to this district. Have you gone to the CVS on Cedar Lane at the intersection of Queen Anne Road? It's almost empty. One wonders if Walgreens has done its due diligence to determine if they will generate the business volume to support the investment. It would be wonderful if another diner could open where Louie's used to be, or a grocery store, a gift store (I miss Eco Galleria!) -- something, anything other than yet another unnecessary, sterile pharmacy Can we say "bo-riiiinnnng"?

Let's see. Would I rather have three empty stores or another pharmacy that might bring people to Cedar Lane and support other businesses?

Uh, another pharmacy? Put in some parking and a Starbucks already. Geeze

This town is not consumer friendly with shopping or with parking. It is going down the tubes.

How about a public meeting sponsored by the Township which will, no doubt, have to issue variances and give approval for this project. Wouldn't it be appropriate to hear from the community and from the Cedar Lane merchants before a decision is made?

The only reason Walgreen's wants public input now is so that its attorney's can prepare a defense before the council meets.
We don't want another bank, nail salon or drug store.

""We think we have an excellent application that will revitalize Cedar Lane," said Victor Herlinsky, an attorney representing the project. "

What did the original Walgreens contribute? Did its loss contribute to Cedar Lane's apparent demise?

This is ridiculous.

On one hand WAlgreens or any chain like this is very bad for Teaneck but on the other hand-- what are the other REALISTIC options?? nothing. Everyone says "we want Starbucks" but its not happening. Nice retailers dont want to come to Teaneck. Why?? There has been no effort by Teaneck council or groups to attract nicer shops so we are stuck with drug stores.

Yes, this is CRZY! The last Walgreens FAILED. I thought they were talking about a WALMART . Why is our Town letting this meeting take place? it doesn't make sense we love our CVS's ;-) I want to know what happen to that nice lady going door to door on my block collecting signature for a healthy caf'e on rt 4 teanec...I assume she wasn't a developer huh! Never heard anything more...if anyone have an update please post it...

how about a fruit market??? like the one in hackensack with cheap meat and fruit.. teaneck goes to hackensack for it.. i shop in hackensack for my food ..fruit and meat... teaneck stop and shop too expensive so is path mark in bergenfield.

I was shopping at Judaica House and talking to the owner, who many of you know is a truly savvy businesswoman. She told me that CVS' lease has not been renewed, and stated. as someone else does in these comments, that it's better to have pharmacies and nail salons than empty stores. Teaneck needs to hire a knowledgeable urban planner (maybe from Pratt in Brooklyn) and a smart business developer to begin the transformation of Cedar Lane. But more importantly, we need to become a town that makes landlords, business owners and businesses feel welcome, supported and helped in building their enterprises.

I was just repeating what I was told by the owner of Judaica House. It seemed to make sense. Only way a Walgreens could succeed would be if CVS were not where it is. But i certainly have no inside info Councilmember Stern is the Council liaison to the CLMG (at least he was). Perhaps he can fill us in on what's happening.

How in hell do we need another pharmacy? really!! This is absurd!

People pls keep Cedar diversified How many pharmacies do we need?

I do not have issues with cvs.. But do we need another ?

Walgreens is too.. Way too much. Pls!!

Is the msg everyone in Teaneck needs a pharmacy by themselves? Just wondering?

A fresh fruit market with meat would be ideal. Someone needs to bring competion to stop and shop. How about a patthmark that gives our community diversity

Don't we have two CVS' on Cedar Lane? We have other pharmacies too, independent ones. We have a CVS on Queen Anne Road. We have a Walgreens on Teaneck Rd, correct? We have a Rite Aid too, I think, on Queen Anne. Again, diversity. We need retail diversity. We need a vibrant mix of bizzes on Cedar Lane. I'm sick and tired of chain drug stores. We don't need any more nail salons. Lord knows, we don't need any more banks! We need a place to buy groceries at a reasonable price. An artisan crafts/gifts store would be lovely. A clothing store. A diner/coffee shop. A restaurant of any kind. There are so many things that could go into these empty spaces that could add vibrancy to the district. I'm just so disappointed with how Teaneck leadership deals with these issues. Cedar Lane is being divested of its character. It's going to become a dull place -- it's already well on its way. I don't even want to get into what's going to happen to the theater. I will say that one bright spot is the opening of the art space dedicated to Phoebe Snow. I hope the town will support this Blast Cafe replacement...

It seems like they might want to consider moving back to their original location. I cannot imagine the small market lasting there much longer. Plenty of parking and they can built a drive up right alongside the building. No brainer.

I had been given a phone number and I called the vice president of real estate at CVS Corporate, and was absolutely assured that the CVS there is NOT moving (he owes me a dinner if it's not true), and that rumors about the demise of that whole strip are false.

And - will the Board of Adjustment hearing be publicized as much as this one has been? And will input at either hearing make any difference?

Thanks Judy. Wish we would get monthly reports from the Cedar Lane Management Group (CLMG).

I hate the idea of Walgreens like everyone else but what are the other realistic choices?? keeping it an empty store? we are stuck... nice retailers/businesses are not interested in Teaneck

Come on - let's have a little optimism! It's time for a Renaissance on Cedar Lane. Ya' gotta' believe!

Dear Zizi, Far from always suggesting we spend money, I am interested in investing our tax money in things that have a good chance of bringing in revenue. Right now we have a big fat budget, with $3.5m renovation for the Old Police Building (which most residents think is outrageous), the $2.2m for the Votee fields has ballooned to $4.5m (despite the Green acres/DEP contract, for bells and whistles (there will be generators for the lights on the field -- none yet for Rodda center or Municipal building). The Council is spending lots and lots of mour tax money on things that will benefit a very limited number of residents ----- and spending no money on the things that would bring productive growth and development to teaneck. BTW go on line and look up chuka Vista CA and the Innovative mayors Project, and read about how several towns and cities across the country are investing in restoration of their old main street movie theaters as triggers for main street redevelopment. It's working, and there's some grant money available. Anyway -- you might let council know you'd like our taxes invested wisely and for the benefit of the majority of Teaneck residents.

And enjoy our 4% tax increase with little benefit to you or me, unless we plan to spend our stormy nights huddled under the soccer field lights!! Also -- BTW -- Teaneck armory has space and equipment to serve as a full emergency shelter for Teaneck residents (I have spoken to the armory Commander as have several other people). But it requires a town official to make the request. Neither Councilmembers or Manager will do so. So pay your tax increase and then go out and buy a home generator!! Cheers!

Yes, the Council should get meeting reports from the CLMG. Our Cedar Lane Streetscape seems to be deteriorating. It is only 8 years old. Trees are missing. Plantings look shabby most of the time. The sidewalks are cracked and dirty before their time. And the bus bumpouts make buses into moveable lane roadblocks.

Regarding choices for the former Louie's, how about a Panera Bread or a French restaurant? We should offer the Streetscape as a Food Court with outdoor dining when the weather (and the Council) allows. Look how many dining choices we already have. There are Kosher and non-Kosher places, all in close proximity!

Again, I mention having a Teaneck only circulating bus to travel thru Teaneck between all our shopping/business areas. Let ALL our business districts benefit! Judy, Barbara, others, don't you think that would interest teens (and their parents), plus others who prefer not to drive?
Maybe it could start on an "experimental" basis? How about it Council? We have the buses.

Art, Many of us have been suggesting shuttles buses for years. Also -- valet parking stands. we've got huge amounts of parking on American Legion Drive, but no one wants to walk from those lots to Cedar Lane (though they'll shlep mules in a mall!). So llets try free valet parking ( yes it will cost us something), but first we need stores worth shopping at!!!!

Sorry, that's "miles in a mall"

Actually - mules might be quaint! Me - I'd prefer red trolley cars (no tracks). . . Seriously - would be a good idea, as would sprucing up the store fronts and signs. Some wonderful things have been done on Teaneck Road near the Board of Ed. building, and in the Plaza area. What does it take? Nice chatting with you, folks - I'm signing off!

Once again there is talk about spending money on trolleys and shuttle buses.... we know most people avoid shoping at cedar lane..... that is why businesses go belly up......

It is time to take the big brother out of the business decisions and let the businesses who want to invest invest......

The trolleys or the hsuttle buses are nothing more than a pipe dream..... most people don't want to shop at cedar lane.... that is the reality... and no one can bring the well to the thristy...... thristy has to come to the well........ rivers run into ocean and not otherwise...... unless it is on public dime......

zizi, the cost of a trolley can be shared by the merchants in Teaneck.

I was on Cedar lane today at 12 noon. Parking lots were wide open. Parking doesnt matter if theres no where people want to shop... trolleys are nice but will also be empty without proper development.

@Barbara, try to remember this little mnemonic; k before l and I before u. :)

About the bus: Use one of the existing Teaneck buses when it is available. They are kept at the Rodda Center. If the service proves popular, investigate further. Let all the shopping districts cooperate.
Carol C: There hasn't been any mention of the CLMG by the Council in open session in months/years that I have heard.
Regarding the trees, I fear the recent storm damage may have "sapped" the DPW's staff or equipment to take care of the missing tree situation. Remember, our DPW lacks a garage to repair its trucks. (Every Teaneck taxpayer should be aware of that.) In my opinion, the plantings are not attractive looking most days and most seasons. We need slow growth, hardy, low maintenance shrubs. Nothing fancy.
And we still lack our Streetscape Bus Shelters, another Council/Manager issue.

A Walgreen pharmacy+ failed already near the Louie site and as a stockholder I wonder at their bad choice--and again?! All the involvement and smarts of the respondents to this controversy make me proud of Teaneck residents and wish they were on the Council and Boards.

I fully support the Marcia's "wish" that more of our residents would apply for statuatiry and advisory boards. We certainly have residents with the knowledge and skills to form an econonomic development/citizens community planning advisory board. Council needs to be pushed hard to involve residents and tell us what's going on. Plerase go to council meetings, ask questions, apply for existing boards, press for new citizens boards. It sounded at the last Council meeting that things are being discussed behind scenes about development (that's illegal -- should be done in open meetings). One thing I do know from discussions with certain council members is that there will consideration of bringing in developers by offering ten-year tax breaks/rebates. We as residents must know about these discussions and be active participants in discussion and decision-making!!

Parking has nothing to do with it. People park in lots all over Ridgewood, then walk to their desired destination. If people want to go to some place they will walk, we definitely do not need a trolley.

Teaneck needs to be desired by people of all ages. As people have suggested Starbucks and Panera would be great fits. It will bring a diverse crowd to an area, and allow for an increase in foot traffic. Maybe someone would renovate the movie theater if they saw progress. Unfortunately this town feels they need to spend money to find out what to do. They should listen to their citizens, but most importantly use common sense.

The owner of Louie's Charcoal Pit needs to sue as this developer is trying to shut down his business.

Walgreens is from Illinois and keep in mind, Illinois has brought a lot of havoc to our world...Jon Corzine (NJ); obama (USA) and now [ANOTHER] Walgreens (Teaneck).

Let's not continue to be dumb.

I heard Louie's restaurat chef may go out on his own and reopen literally across the street in the CVS complex Let's hope he does and let's all make sure we support him and make it happen for them.

Besides our CVS there are private pharmacies in town and it is cruel to allow a walgreens to open here. Cedar Lane can and should be a upper-middle class shopping district reflecting the rich diversity of our town.

Could we leave state and national politics out of it (since we are certainly not in agreement on that) and stick to what we appear to agree on, i.e., the rebirth of Cedar Lane with the kinds of stores that we need. . .

Hope to "see" you guys at the meeting tonight!

If residents like watching live drama then Teaneck Council meetings are the best show in town. The forces of good and evil, pride and prejudice, labor and management, left and right are all at play here. High drama is reserved for the "Good and Welfare" section, and some of the presentations are quite funny if you think about it. The plans for the former police station for instance, were hilarious. Insults and one-liners fly across the room but it is all in good fun. The only problem is that is it too repetitive. After a year or so you know by sight who will say what.

I got off work too late to attend. Did anyone attend?

Judy....no. We can't leave out state and national politics. Freedom of speech. But if a non democrat bashes corzine or obama that is not OK. Teaneck has gone too left wing. That is part of the problem. To quote (and modify with a local flavor) Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider, "This USED TO BE a hell of a good town."

@DMAB6395 We won't lose J&J. It is well established and it provides SERVICE. It's a real pharmacy not a dept store that happens to sell drugs.

For 99% of the people.... all they need from a drug store are drugs...... I have 100% positive experiences with CVS...... They even gave me extra pills when my prescription ran out until I got mine refilled....
In business... if you can not compete you should become part of history...... simple....

Where was everyone at last night's meeting?? Hope this dialogue takes place when there is a Board of Adjustment hearing!

well, i was at last nights meeting.

keep in mind that the owner of Louis' wants out. he is old and sick. keep in mind that doug and tim at the service station have the right to make their own decisions about what to do with their business. it is not our job to tell people what to do with their businesses.
we have lots of empty store fronts on cedar lane. and spare me the need for visually pleasing stores. there is an incredibly unattractive 99 cent store dead center in the strip. and it seems to be successful. rather sad that that can be used as a indicator of success.

yes, it would be WONDERFUL to have a divers array of interesting shops, stores, and places to eat. yes, it would be wonderful to have a theater. But no one is offering to put those kinds of businesses in right now.

I still hope that Walgreen will not take over those empty spaces, not with CVS right on the next block and independent pharmacies within a hop-skip-jump. This just defies common sense. It will further homogenize and "borify" our business district. I won't shop there - it's not even that I dislike Walgreen; there just won't really be a need for me to use them. On the other hand, I am heartened by the knowledge that a cafe/art space named after Phoebe Snow is going to open. A new jewelry store has or is opening. There are, in fact, some interesting businesses still on Cedar Lane. But still, too many empty storefronts too. I would welcome a Panera Bread, even a Starbucks. I would love a cute new restaurant or diner, or a market of some kind. Anything but a 1.chain drug store; 2. nail/hair salon; 3. bank. And we probably also don't need any more dry cleaners either.

I've been thinking about this and if they want to bring in a "big chain" then how about a 7-11, or a Wawa(they have gas pumps there already some of the newer ones have gas pumps) with or without them. Or a Dollar Tree, the nearest one is in Lodi and a pain to get to. They are the best of the dollar stores and they do bring a lot of people in the area. Or a Pay Less, Mandee's or Anne Sez? Or a international food market like the one in Maywood. They have a deli, huge cheese selections, foods already prepared like Chicken Marsala, Cabbage Rolls etc. they can do Kosher & Non Kosher foods. they have regular food store items and they also have a fruit & vegetable section. And a wine/beer section. Oh and they have pre made pies like Shepherd's pie, Chicken pot pies etc and dessert pies. We go to the one in Maywood all the time. It would be awesome to have one one block away. They could put in a fast food place like Wendy's also if they are going to get rid of Larry's Sunoco. There are so many possibilities if they would just get over putting a CVS there. If they put in one of these places I'm sure it will bring in lots of people shopping and who knows maybe more chain stores (smaller) or even more small businesses back to Cedar Lane. Or how about a Ace hardware store?

I would give anything to a have a place like the one in Maywood -- it's such a wonderful place, even if some of the prices are not as competitive as I would like. An international food market with an array of delicacies and staples would be a shot in the arm for Teaneck. Why can't we get something like that here? Why not? In fact, that's precisely what we need. How cool would that be? I would spend beaucoup dollars there, I absolutely would.

I agree with the sentiment that this project is a terrible idea for teaneck, cedar lane and the current business people already there.
Another pharmacy chain ? This is the worse possible idea as we have that already present all over cedar lane.

the plan for development is terrible, i pray the town does not give the variances to build it. we need to fight these wealthy corporate interests who want to rape our town
for their benefit and not ours,

how do we get the town council to stop this ASAP ?

Boycott Walgreens: They get a 46million dollar tax break to create jobs in Illinois while at the same time outsourcing 200+ high end IT/Networking jobs from Mt. Prospect, Deerfield and Lincolnshire to India Company (TCS Tata Consulting Services). Illinois should revoke the tax break and Illinois consumers should exercise some responsibility and Boycott this company into the ground where they are driving their employees!

Walgreen's will build on what are currently 3 store fronts. Wonderful, on the corner of Elm & Ugly.

We need another pharmacy like a hole in the head. There was already a Walgreens where the Bravo is a few years ago. Doesn't anyone remember? It was terrible, dusty, poorly lit, old stock and it went out of business, Teaneck does NOT need another PAHRMACY!
There was already a Mandee’s in the CVS complex that failed. Lots of businesses try to make a go of it in Teaneck. The Fast Food places that wanted to move in on Teaneck road and Cedar Lane got chased away. The corner there is ripe for a fast food business, but Teaneck's too good for a big fast food chain and afraid that the teenagers might congregate there and pose a problem. So great! There are McDonald's in Hackensack and Bergenfield that don't seem to pose problems PLUS they are places that teens can find employment.
SO, back to Cedar Lane and the revolving failing businesses that come and go… I say that corner at the Sunoco station allows for a drive-in area so, bring in a Mc Donald's and get something that the families will be drawn to. Take a risk with the big boys and become a little opportunistic. The stores that are being mentioned above have been there before and failed. The formula is wrong. A large fast food restaurant can afford the rent; hire teenagers and older people; and bring in a cross section of teens and families and experience success and create energy and vibrancy in town that Cedar Lane needs!

PHARMACY Please correct!

We need another pharmacy like a hole in the head. There was already a Walgreens where the Bravo is a few years ago. Doesn't anyone remember? It was terrible, dusty, poorly lit, old stock and it went out of business, Teaneck does NOT need another PHARMACY!
There was already a Mandee’s in the CVS complex that failed. Lots of businesses try to make a go of it in Teaneck. The fast food places that wanted to move in on Teaneck Road and State Street got chased away. The corner there is still empty and ripe for a fast food business, but Teaneck's too good for a big fast food chain and afraid that the teenagers might congregate there and pose a problem. So great! There are McDonald's in Hackensack and Bergenfield that don't seem to pose problems PLUS they are places that teens can find employment.
SO, back to Cedar Lane and the revolving failing businesses that come and go… I say that corner at the Sunoco station allows for a drive-in area so, bring in a Mc Donald's and get something that the families will be drawn to. Take a risk with the big boys and become a little opportunistic. The stores that are being mentioned above have been there before and failed. The formula is wrong. A large fast food restaurant can afford the rent; hire teenagers and older people; bring in a cross section of teens and families and experience success and create energy and vibrancy in town that Cedar Lane needs!

i heard that the walgreens application is being heard tonight at the teaneck library AT 7pm..

We should go and get as many friends/neighbors to attend and protest to the board of adjustment against this terrible plan for cedar lane.
i for one want NO VARIANCES given.