The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • X30

X-30 THE RECORD HERALD NEWS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2006 NORTH JERSEY BUSINESS RETAIL Secaucus station underused? Give it time, backers say What could make the expansion even more successful, Zupan said, would be more transit villages, like the one planned at the site of the old Curtiss-Wright factory in Wood-Ridge. Transit villages are compact, mixed-use developments that include housing and are located within a half-mile of a train station. Ease of pedestrian travel is the hallmark of these developments. They are touted by the state Department of Transportation as a component of the Smart Growth initiative because they reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. "It's a double victory because it gets more riders without building more parking spaces," Zupan said of transit villages.

The Wood-Ridge project calls for 223 single-family homes, 166 town houses, 129 rental apartments, 142 condominiums, 77 units of senior housing, 70,000 square feet of retail and a commuter train station with 250 parking spaces. But transit villages can be controversial, with existing residents fearing an adverse impact on their home values or opposing redevelopment. "They're very labor intensive," Zupan said. "You have to hold the hands of the locals and convince them it's the right thing." E-mail: priesnorthjersey.com By ALLISON PRIES STAFF WRITER The Secaucus Transfer train station was expected to transform mass transit in North Jersey by shaving precious minutes from commuters' trips. Two years after Secaucus went online, the scorecard on that expectation is mixed.

Daily use of the $450 million station is increasing. But many of the thousands of parking spots NJ Transit added at stations along the lines that feed Secaucus remain empty. Transit experts say to give it time. "We build for the future," said NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel. "We wouldn't want it to be at its capacity at the end of the first or second or even fifth year." NJ Transit said in 2002 that it would need 4,500 new parking spaces for train riders by 2005 and 6,000 by 2010 because of increased ridership created by the Secaucus Transfer station's 2003 opening.

All told, more than 3,000 spaces were provided: 1,500 at the Montclair State University station, 1,251 at a new Ramsey station along Route 17, 253 in Garfield and 235 in Clifton. A year and a half after its opening, about 400 cars park in Ramsey each day; three car dealerships lease about 660 of the un used spaces. Montclair State is also well under capacity, with about 1,000 cars parked there on school days and about 300 at other times. Additional parking recently created in Montvale and Allendale often goes unused as well. Doug Bowen, president of the New Jersey Association of Rail Passengers, urges patience.

Of the meager use of the Ramsey Route 17 station, he said: "Transit has built a structure that has room for growth. Let's give it a chance." At the same time, Secaucus is being used by more and more passengers. Ridership increased more than 45 percent from 2004 to 2005 and typically exceeds 10,000 people per day, Stessel said. "We're at the point now where we're setting records on a routine basis," he said. Back in 2003, NJ Transit officials said 7,500 daily riders were expected within the first six months of the station opening and 16,500 by 2010.

Now, though, when asked how current figures stack up to projections, Stessel said the company does not issue forecasts. Jeffrey Zupan, a senior fellow for transportation at the Regional Plan Association, says projections can be misleading. Rail projects are built with an eye to the distant future as far out as 100 years from now. Zupan acknowledges a soft spot for the Secaucus Transfer station. From 1980 to 1990 he was the director of planning at NJ Transit, responsible for initiatives that would be pursued when money became available including the Secaucus station.

After the transfer station opened, "there was all this press about ridership not being as good as they hoped," Zupan said. "I was concerned about the project being conceived negatively." NJ Transit was very conservative in its estimates for time needed to transfer from one train to another, leading potential riders to think a stop in Secaucus wouldn't save them much time. Those estimates have since been modified but, Zupan said, the agency could still be a little more liberal in its figures. Ridership takes time to build, Zupan said. "It takes word of mouth.

Habits change, people live and work in different places than before," he added. Still, some people believe the Secaucus project was a flop. "It was built in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Albert Cafiero, chief emeritus of the Transit Committee of Bergen County. In theory, the Secaucus station gives riders access to other New Jersey destinations without first having to go to New York. But the reality can fall short of that; for ex ample, some rail lines run only one way during commuting hours.

Some transit experts cite that fact as an example of how NJ Transit is too focused on travel into Manhattan. "What the transfer station lacks is intrastate connectability," Bowen said. "A person from Ridgewood can now get to Trenton or Red Bank. It's easier, but it's not easy." Of Bergen County's total workforce, only 14.4 percent commute into Manhattan, according to the 2000 census. "Jerseyans are the ones paying the taxes.

Shouldn't the Secaucus Transfer station be serving New Jersey needs?" Bowen asked. Others say it's not realistic to focus too much effort on destinations other than New York. "Manhattan is certainly one place in the region where a majority of people are going to be using mass transit," said Zupan, of the Regional Plan Association. "That's one of the few places where transit works well." It wouldn't be a wise use of resources to perfect commuting to the wide variety of suburbs to which the balance travel. In fact, he said, it would weaken the system.

"Mass transit needs a mass. A large number of people going to and from the same place at the same time," he added. The world's best sellers The top 10 global retailers, according to the rankings released in January by international consulting firm Deloitte. How New Jersey retailers rank on a global scale Five New Jersey-based retailers are included in Deloitte 's 2006 ranking of the top 250 global retailers. Three of the retailers Bed Bath Beyond, Burlington Coat Factory and Linens 'n Things have moved up significantly on the list, while Toys Us and Pathmark have slipped lower.

Montvale-based does not appear in the ranking, despite sales of over $10 billion, because it is included with the German supermarket chain Tengelmann, which ranks 25th in the world for sales. Ranking in sales Company Location 2004 2003 Toys US Wayne 58th 52nd Bed Bath Beyond Union 122nd 130th Pathmark Carteret 55th 143rd Burlington Coat Factory Burlington 1 90th 202nd Linens 'n Things Clifton 221st 238th Source: Deloitte, Global Powers of Retailing, 2006 Rank Company Country Type of stores 2004 sales 1. Wal-Mart U.S. Discount, warehouse club $285.2 billion 2. Carrefour France Discount, supermarket $89.5 billion 3.

Home Depot U.S. Home improvement $73 billion 4. Metro AG Germany Supermarket, general retail $69.7 billion 5. Tesco United Kingdom Supermarket, convenience $62.5 billion 6. Kroger U.S.

Supermarket $56.4 billion 7. Costco U.S. Warehouse club $47.1 billion 8. Target U.S. Discount $45.6 billion 9.

Koninklijke Ahold Netherlands Supermarket $44.7 billion 10. Aldi Germany Discount, supermarket $42.9 billion Source: Deloitte, Global Powers of Retailing, 2006 THE RECORD It's only $550 By HEATHER BURKE BLOOMBERG NEWS In Manhattan, where three out of four families don't have a car, the remaining 25 percent now pay as much for parking as many people in other parts of the U.S. spend on rent. Central Parking, the world's largest parking-lot owner, raised rates at its garage on Second Avenue and East 65th Street to $350 a month from $325 in October, says Hector Chevalier, a regional vice president. Keeping a car at Time Warner Center across from Central Park runs about $550 to $600 a month.

One-bedroom rentals are available for $500 to $600 in a nice place in his apartment. The number of licensed parking facilities in Manhattan slipped 6 percent to 1,217 in August from 1,299 in November 2004, says Sandy Hornick, director of strategic planning at the Department of City Planning. Building permits issued in the borough more than doubled to an estimated 8,460 last year, from 4,555 in 2004, according to city and U.S. Census Bureau data. "Lots are closing," says Vincent Petraro, executive director of the Metropolitan Parking Association, a trade group representing about 800 lots and garages in New York City.

"Many of them are being replaced by luxury buildings, so the market Manhattan rates are going up." Manhattan, New York's commercial, financial and entertainment center, is the nation's priciest urban neighborhood. The average price of apartments sold during last year's fourth quarter was $1.19 million, according to a report this month by appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and brokerage Prudential Douglas Elliman. The average price for a one-bedroom unit: $694,601. Garages below 70th Street on the West Side run $250 to $350 a month plus 1838 percent tax, Petraro says.

Above 70th Street, rates rise to at least $350 a month plus tax. On the East Side, rates run $250 to $295 a month below 70th Street, and $295 to $400 above 70th Street, he says. Whatever's in your forecast, U.S. best sellers The top 10 U.S. retailers, based on 2004 sales: RankCompany Sales 1 Wal-Mart $285 billion 2.

Home Depot $73 billion 3. Kroger $56.4 billion 4. Costco $47.1 billion 5. Target $45.6 billion 6. Albertsons $39.8 billion 7.

Walgreen $37.5 billion 8. Lowe's $36.4 billion 9. Sears $36 billion 10. Safeway $35.8 billion Source: Deloitte, Global Powers of Retailing, 2006 for your car Most Manhattan residents manage without a car, relying on subways, buses and taxis to get around and renting a vehicle when they need to for a weekend getaway. Those who say they must have a car sometimes find bargain parking by heading to Harlem.

Even there, rates are going up. The monthly fee at MTP Parking's garage on 129th Street rose 20 percent last year to $212 a month from $176, including tax. Under New York City law, there's no requirement that Manhattan developers provide parking for new residential or commercial construction south of 96th Street on the East Side and 110th Street on the West Side, Hornick says. offers. 1 Sizes from 2'x3' up to 12'xl8' plus runners rounds 1 Appraisal Hand-Wash Cleaning Available 1 Best Quality We Accept Repair Restoration We Buy Antique Oriental Rugs We Carry a Large Selection of Antique Persian Rugs Handwoven Wool Silk Rugs (20 1) 576-9111 1-7 41 On Your Heating Cooling Bills WHAT YOUR HOME WILL LOOK LIKE WITH NEW WINDOWS BEFORE SPENDING THE MONEY.

to $600 to rent Greensboro, N.C.; Austin, Texas; Cincinnati; and Oklahoma City, according to Internet site Rent.net. Space is at a premium in Manhattan, home to about 1.56 million people, as outdoor lots and garages are converted into housing and new construction eats up what little land is available. Residents who choose to pay the added cash to keep their cars nearby consider it a necessity. "There's really nothing you can do about it because you need a parking spot," says James Awad, who manages $1.4 billion at Awad Asset Management in New York. He says he pays almost $500 a month to garage his Lexus sport utility vehicle on East 79th Street, two blocks from you covered! FRIENDLY SERVICE Local Small Businesses provide the friendly atmosphere the big boys cannot.

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