This is the latest story in an ongoing series about the Ferren Mall redevelopment project.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - For neighboring business owners, it sometimes seems like the Ferren Mall and parking deck is nothing more than a structure crumbling into ruins.

But, as demolition crews reduce the decades-old building to rubble, the site draws ever closer to a rebirth. In the near future—exactly when is unknown—the land between Albany, Paterson, Spring and Kirkpatrick streets will likely host high-rise buildings filled with corporate offices, research space, apartments, restaurants and retail.

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Officials with the New Brunswick Development Corporation, which is marketing the property on behalf of the parking authority, have said the project will be a boon for the city and its shops.

In the meantime, nearby businesses are grappling with the uncertainty of what’s to come and the reality of the present. For some, the redevelopment project across from the train station is a beacon of hope, while others fear its consequences.

“It’s terrible for business,” said Allen McGriff, who owns Onyx Hair Design Studio, 53 Paterson St. “Customers come in and they can’t find parking. They call you and they leave.”

New parking decks, like the 1,200-spot garage inside the nearby Wellness Plaza, have opened downtown in recent years. On-street, metered parking also remains available, if tight.

Nonetheless, the Ferren parking deck is no more—and that’s where many of McGriff’s customers parked over the 16 years he has cut hair in downtown New Brunswick. He said parking was “always tight” and has progressively gotten tougher.





People who continue to patronize Onyx sometimes park farther away than they’d like, he said. That’s especially difficult for customers who are senior citizens.

For now, there’s little that McGriff can do, as he’s locked into the lease for his basement-level storefront.

“Wait it out?” he asked. “We have no choice but to try to wait it out.”

Attorney John Sinuk has run his practice out of an office at 71 Paterson St. for 25 years, just steps from the barber shop.

Like McGriff, Sinuk knows the city is interested in buying the buildings on that stretch of Paterson. A redevelopment plan that was ultimately tabled by the New Brunswick City Council this summer targeted them for purchase, although the government cannot take them by force.

As of now, the fates of those buildings and their tenants are up in the air.

Sinuk doesn’t want to relocate. His current office puts him in close proximity to the courthouse. But he said he will have to move eventually.

“I’ve already started looking at buildings on Livingston Avenue when I thought they were going to be taking our building sooner,” Sinuk said. “I’ll be prepared ahead of time.”

Even so, Sinuk is excited for the Ferren redevelopment project. He enjoys watching the demolition of the defunct parking deck from his window.

New Brunswick’s growth over the past decade has improved the city, Sinuk said, and he believes a rejuvenated transit village could further that progress.

That’s the great hope of other local business owners.

Prior to the start of demolition this fall, the Ferren Mall looked like a dark, creepy place, Carla Simoes, owner of Carlee’s Portuguese BBQ on Church Street, said. There’s no telling how many NJ Transit riders that sight might have pushed toward Easton Avenue and away from downtown, she said.

Once the site is cleared in the spring, Simoes said, she hopes more people will venture toward her side of town. Throw in a completed development project and the prospect of hundreds or even thousands of office workers and researchers, and she could end up selling plenty of charcoal-cooked barbecue.

“I think it’s going to help us here,” she added. “This street’s going to have more—and I’m hoping for this—people passing by.”

For now, the demolition itself doesn’t affect businesses badly. Outside of a few office workers who were not permitted to speak on the record, no one complained of the thuds that sometimes stem from the Ferren property.

“Sometimes there’s a loud noise, but it’s OK,” said Ron Biton, owner of the restaurant Veganized, 9 Spring St. “Very shortly, it’s going to be down. I think the payoff is well worth a little inconvenience, which I don’t even feel.”