If you want to live upstairs from one of the chi-chi chains headed to Montclair, it's gonna cost you a lot more. Last October, the going price for starter condos at the Siena was around $300,000, according to this story in the New York Times.

So imagine our surprise when we discovered it's now going to cost around $400,000 to get your foot in the door. That factoid was buried inside last Sunday’s Star Ledger Real Estate section, (not online) in a story about home buying habits:

Located on the site of the former Hahne's department store at the corner of Church and South Park Streets, the seven story building houses 40,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. Home prices range from the $400,000s to one million plus.

March 4, 2006 in Growing pains | Permalink | Comments (10)

That milestone we've been hinting at has arrived -- the half million mark. Sometime during the last 24 hours, Baristanet had its 500,000th visit to the site. We're at 501,127 as of this morning and glad to celebrate today with you. If you're a first time visitor, let us know. If you're a first time poster, long time lurker, we want to hear from you, too. And if you want to, uh, tell us about your first time (finding Baristanet that is), we'd love to get nostalgic with you.

The bad news is we've been experiencing problems with our ad server. Due to an influx of killer spam that attacked the server, wreaking havoc for other sites including ours, our right front page ad column (as many tipsters have let us know) has plotzed or blobbed. To our advertisers, we expect the problem to be remedied today and we extend our huge apologies and a promise to make it up to you in our own special way.

October 18, 2005 in Growing pains | Permalink | Comments (16)

It's a safe bet these folks aren't serving any construction workers lemonade. This photo comes from Garrett Morrison, with the following information:

That's Dora and Dorian Morozov's house. It is a three family. Unfortunately all three families that live there are home a lot during the day. They don't look very well rested or as happy as before the construction started. It will be like that for a while as construction unfolds over the next few years (Orange Road Deck, Crescent Deck,; Hahne's/Sienna, Grabowsky Renovation, Gibbs, Salvation Army, Plofker Hotel, etc.). Some trees that acted as a buffer were cut down because the town gave the builder permission to construct on the property line. They even cut back the Morozov's trees to make room for the drill. They are drilling down 20-25 feet for underground parking.

According to one of the construction officials I spoke with, 130+ workers will be arriving when the project hits high gear. I've been asking different Montclair officials if they know where they will park. No answers yet. Businesses are going to freak when 130 pickup trucks fill all the prime spaces near Church Street from 6:30 until 4 p.m.

June 17, 2005 in Growing pains | Permalink | Comments (5)

Now you don't. And now you do again. We had server problems this morning with TypePad, which hosts our site. Sorry for any inconvenience.

March 15, 2005 in Growing pains | Permalink | Comments (0)

With all the talk about construction of a new Montclair public elementary school building, LEEDS and other issues, another area school quietly acquired this historic property, the W.I. Lincoln Adams House, circa 1907.

Montclair Co-op School purchased 32 Llewellyn Road for $1,800,000 (originally listed at $1,300,000). The Georgian revival mansion, designed by architect Frank Wallis, has, among other historic details, a pipe organ. An architectural rendering of the school's plans for this additional location, was on view at the school. Plans detail renovating the existing mansion and adding at least one out building. The school, which currently has one class per grade K-8, is looking to expand to two classes.

January 31, 2005 in Growing pains | Permalink | Comments (21)

Glen Ridge High School may be having a problem with its lockers, but Bloomfield High School looks like a war zone. And with it being just two weeks from the opening of school, no wonder there are rumors that the building may not be ready for prime time.

Not to worry, says Pasquale Orsini, the school's principal. "We are opening up on time." For the next two weeks, SWAT teams of janitors will be cleaning out the inside of the building. "We are working our tails off and our anticipation is that we'll be opening school on time and clean," Orsini told Barista in a telephone interview this week.

Naturally, there'll be a little inconvenience, as well as, ahem, noise. Sidewalks are closed on the Belleville Ave. side of the building, and many of the old entrances to the building are closed. That includes the gym entrance, which was used by 90 percent of the students.

As for noise, well, "You're going to be under construction," Orsini admits. But except for one elevator shaft, all of that construction will be outside and the school's three-foot walls should buffer the sound, he says.

Ground broke on the $58 million construction project, which will add 170,000 square feet to the school, in March.

Freshman orientation will be Sept. 1 for parents and Sept. 2 for students.

August 25, 2004 in Growing pains | Permalink | Comments (1)

This weekend, you can only find Barista at http://baristanet.typepad.com. But very shortly we'll be back at baristanet.typepad.com where we belong.

Enjoy watching Barista of Bloomfield Ave. come together. Things are sketchy now, but help us color inside the lines. Tell us what your book club's reading, send us tips about what's going on around town or ask us about setting up a display ad. Ads are free before July 4.

May 23, 2004 in Growing pains | Permalink | Comments (4)