The Personal Injury Attorney in Hackensack, NJ, You Can Trust

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HACKENSACK — Development of the landmark Sears building on Main Street is moving forward, with a redevelopment plan approved by the City Council after years of litigation over the property.

Under the plan, the original 93-year-old art deco building and its 105-foot iconic tower would be preserved and incorporated into a six-story, mixed-use building.

The shuttered department store has been vacant since 2020, and the site has been eyed for redevelopment for years but has been stuck in limbo amid a lengthy legal dispute between the city and the property owners.

Transform Holdco LLC, the company that acquired Sears Holdings' assets in 2019, a year after the legacy retailer went bankrupt, filed a suit in 2022 challenging Hackensack’s plan that called for the preservation of the building’s façade and tower.

The company claimed Hackensack had "downzoned" the site and limited what it could do with the property.

The parties came to an agreement in January 2023 that seemed to clear the way for development at the site, but Arcolo Hackensack LLC, and several other related limited liability corporations that owned the building sued in September 2024 claiming the settlement with Transform, which holds a long-term lease on the building and owns the surrounding property, was agreed to without their consent.

The city council in March 2024 then voted to move to condemn the property, which officials said had become derelict with boarded over and blacked out windows and was used for illegal parking and dumping.

Russo Development, the developer behind the nearby Print House complex on River Street, acknowledged it is the developer of the site but could not be reached for additional comment.

Under the redevelopment plan, a mixed-use building of up to 325 units and a minimum 12,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor will be allowed at the site.

The original building and the tower at the corner of Main and Anderson streets will remain and will be flanked by the new development on the sides of the property facing River Street and Main Street.

The structures that were later additions to the original Sears Roebuck and Co. that opened in Hackensack in 1932 will be demolished.

The plan calls for the existing historic façade to be preserved. The first floor of the Sears building will be used for retail. The large street-facing windows, which were once a part of the original storefront before they were walled off to pedestrian traffic, will be restored.

“On the outside, they’re going to bring back the windows and doorways,” said Albert Dib, the city’s director of redevelopment. “All that had been bricked over or enclosed will be brought back to its original glory and will interact with the Main Street side.”

The tower currently houses the building’s mechanical and ventilation systems, and it is unclear how it will be used as part of the new development, Dib said.

A more detailed plan will eventually come before the city Planning Board for approval.

The Sears building is one of several historic structures the city has pushed to preserve rather than replace amid a wave of development that has transformed Hackensack’s downtown in recent years.

A 140-year-old former Masonic temple on State Street was reinvented as the Hackensack Performing Arts Center, a live entertainment venue that hosts concerts, plays and other performances. A 10-story former bank on Main Street was converted into an apartment building with a ground-floor restaurant.

The city’s downtown redevelopment plan calls for the preservation of landmark buildings, “where you have historic structures that lend themselves to adaptive reuse,” Dib said.

“One of the goals is to preserve a sense of place when you can,” he said. “In the case of Sears, this building is part of the fabric of the downtown and should be preserved as it can be, while still satisfying the goals of the downtown redevelopment plan, and retail and housing needs.”

HACKENSACK — A slate of challengers running for council is pushing the city to allow early voting in the May election, arguing it will increase voter turnout and engagement.

Hackensack Unites, a slate of five candidates challenging Mayor John Labrosse’s team in the election, wrote a letter to the council urging members to vote to request the option from the Bergen County Clerk for three days of early voting. But so far, city officials have not acted on the request.

City officials declined to comment on the issue, but a spokesperson for the incumbents’ campaign said they may discuss it at Tuesday’s council meeting.

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The Hackensack Unites candidates — Caseen Gaines, Agatha Toomey, Roberto Diaz, Philip Carroll and Sonya Clark-Collins — last week delivered more than 400 petitions to the city clerk to secure a spot on the ballot.

They will face Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Kathy Canestrino, Lance Powell, Marlene Somerville and Richard Garcia in the city council election on May 13. The city votes for five members of the council at large in a nonpartisan election held every four years.

“Across New Jersey, access to the ballot box has expanded with early voting available in municipal races held in November,” said Jason DeAlessi, the campaign manager for the Hackensack Unites ticket. “Hackensack Unites wants even more voters to have a say in electing a new council. That can be accomplished by expanding access to the ballot box.”

In their letter to the council, the candidates warned that failing to request early voting would "be a direct effort to disenfranchise Hackensack voters, since early voting is automatically available" to voters throughout the state who participate in partisan municipal elections.

The state first allowed early voting in November 2021 under a bill signed earlier that year. The option has proven very popular with voters, with a record of nearly 1.2 million voters casting machine ballots early, ahead of last Election Day.

On Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy expanded early voting further, signing a bill to extend the early in-person voting period in New Jersey primaries to six days, beginning with the primary in June.

As part of the 2021 bill, the state Legislature also made three days of early voting available in May municipal elections, upon request from the municipality, at no cost to local taxpayers, DeAlessi said.

In the last Hackensack Council election in 2021, fewer than 3,500 voters cast a ballot, and in 2017 just over 4,000 voters went to the polls. There are about 28,755 registered voters living in the city of just under 46,000 residents.

“If that pattern continues, less than 16% of voters will have a say in this year’s election,” DeAlessi said. “We’re committed to fighting for democracy by expanding access to the polls through the implementation of early voting for the first time in city history at no cost to Hackensack taxpayers.”

HACKENSACK, NJ - The excitement and enthusiasm surrounding the 2025 high school softball program is real, and the Comets are scheduled to begin the regular season with a home game versus Mahwah on Saturday, March 29.

“I would like to see each player grow individually and get better each day," Hackensack head coach Brian Hooper said. “We have a lot of new starters, so it is about growing each day and competing.’’

Among the key returning varsity tested student athletes for the Comets are Amerie Amparo (senior, utility player), Gabby Tavares (senior, outfielder), Briana Darling (junior, short stop) and Janae Neal (junior, catcher).

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“Amerie can play any position and constantly puts the team first, she is a four-year varsity starter and her experience and leadership will be a huge asset to the team," Hooper said. “Briana, she is one of the best players in the county, she batted over .500 last season, has over 100 career stolen bases already, and she is truly a dynamic player for us. Janae started all last season as catcher. That experience combined with her powerful bat will help guide us through the season."

Promising newcomers for Hackensack this year include Hailey Anderson (junior, pitcher and outfielder), Giada Oates (sophomore, third base), Chelsea Pemberton (sophomore, pitcher and outfielder) and Isabella King (sophomore, outfielder.

“Giada is a talented young player. Her throws are effortless and accurate from third to first,’’ Hooper said. “Chelsea is talented at multiple positions and will be leaned on to fill multiple positions for the team. Hailey is going to be pitching and playing some outfield for us and be looked upon to help us win games from the circle. Isabella is a tremendous athlete. Through her athleticism she will be leaned on to help spark our offense.’’

Leadership could be a key component in favor of the Comets this spring.

“I will be looking towards our captains Gabby Tavares and Amerie Amparo to help lead,’’ Hooper said. “They are both passionate about the sport and give it their all every day. Through their actions, it sets an example of how to approach practice each day, and through their leadership, how to be a good teammate.

“Additionally, Briana Darling and Janae Neal, both juniors through their play and competitiveness on the field will set an example for the younger players and continue to shape the culture of the program.’’

Hackensack tallied 12 hard-earned wins in 2024 and they advanced to the NJSIAA North 1 Group 4 Sectional Tournament.

This season, the Comets compete in the Big North Conference Freedom Division along with Paramus, Northern Highlands, Ramapo and Ridgewood.

“We play in the most competitive division in the Big North Conference,’’ Hooper said. “We look to compete as best we can as we rebuild this season.’’

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