What's new and Coming Soon to Maplewood?

I heard there may be a lobster place coming soon to the Sprout location.  

And a pub coming to Verjus.

Any ETA on these?  What else is happening out there?  It feels like we're close to returning to some sense of normalcy.

The BK Lobster is hiring.

BK Lobster Maplewood careers complete history | JobSearcher

I thought I heard Kuhn Thai was going to become a lobster restaurant as well.

I think the short hills is going to be Joe's crab shack

What's in the old Lorena's space? Is it still empty?

yahooyahoo said:

What's in the old Lorena's space? Is it still empty?

 Still empty.  There's a For Sale sign in the window.

jamie said:

I heard there may be a lobster place coming soon to the Sprout location.  

And a pub coming to Verjus.

Any ETA on these?  What else is happening out there?  It feels like we're close to returning to some sense of normalcy.

 Tell me more about this pub...

ridski said:

 Tell me more about this pub...

 My guess? $8 pints, $15 specialty cocktails and a $19 burger.

all I know is I saw someone **** on FB that the Verjus building is going to be torn down and replaced by an apartment building.  It must be true if it was on FB.

ridski said:

 Tell me more about this pub...

 From what I heard they are knocking down the building, building a 3 story building with residential on the top two floors and a pub on the first floor with the entrance on Springfield Avenue. I heard that 3 or 4 months ago so plans may have changed.

What about the apothecary on Springfield and Yale??? Our first legal "joint"

Oh okay. So that's the plan, but they haven't actually got anyone to do it yet. No pub.

mrincredible said:

 My guess? $8 pints, $15 specialty cocktails and a $19 burger.

 So... Cheaper than Pickett's then?

J/K Pickett's is $8 pints, $13 specialty cocktails and a $20 burger. But somehow their pizzas are cheaper than Village Trattoria.

mrincredible said:

ridski said:

 Tell me more about this pub...

 My guess? $8 pints, $15 specialty cocktails and a $19 burger.

"And a whole lot of crazy crap on the walls."

chalmers said:

mrincredible said:

ridski said:

 Tell me more about this pub...

 My guess? $8 pints, $15 specialty cocktails and a $19 burger.

"And a whole lot of crazy crap on the walls."

 O'Reilly's!

ridski said:

jamie said:

I heard there may be a lobster place coming soon to the Sprout location.  

And a pub coming to Verjus.

Any ETA on these?  What else is happening out there?  It feels like we're close to returning to some sense of normalcy.

 Tell me more about this pub...

 Maybe they'll have neat nachos?  

dave said:

ridski said:

jamie said:

I heard there may be a lobster place coming soon to the Sprout location.  

And a pub coming to Verjus.

Any ETA on these?  What else is happening out there?  It feels like we're close to returning to some sense of normalcy.

 Tell me more about this pub...

 Maybe they'll have neat nachos?  

 we can only hope

A while ago I saw a sign for a new taco place in the old Strawberry Fields frozen yogurt space on Maplewood Ave.. Anyone know if that's still happening? 

HudsonBlue said:

A while ago I saw a sign for a new taco place in the old Strawberry Fields frozen yogurt space on Maplewood Ave.. Anyone know if that's still happening? 

Yes, it has actually reopened with completely new decor and the name Scratch Tacos. However, they're a week or two from actually serving the taco menu. You can get the Strawberry Fields frozen yogurt/toppings now. 

ml1 said:

all I know is I saw someone **** on FB that the Verjus building is going to be torn down and replaced by an apartment building.  It must be true if it was on FB.

 I read that it would have an eatery (pub?) on the ground floor, presumably with the same liquor license that Verjus had?

chalmers said:

"And a whole lot of crazy crap on the walls."

--- anyone remember the bar in Millburn? It was the place before Charlie Browns took over. Crazy **** on the wall. including a carnival spanning wheel game.  

sac said:

ml1 said:

all I know is I saw someone **** on FB that the Verjus building is going to be torn down and replaced by an apartment building.  It must be true if it was on FB.

 I read that it would have an eatery (pub?) on the ground floor, presumably with the same liquor license that Verjus had?

I think it's against the law in Maplewood to build anything but a generic apartment building with mixed used space on the first floor.

yahooyahoo said:

I think it's against the law in Maplewood to build anything but a generic apartment building with mixed used space on the first floor.

 I was figuring about that.... and it occurred to me, the town hall ain't been used since Covid. Why not remodel it into a mansion like the one on Prospect that sold for over a million and sell it. Its clear we can do without the town hall. Selling it, we get income and don't have to pay for maintenance and heating the place.

We can set up a hot dog stand on the front lawn to provide for the mixed use space.

yahooyahoo said:

I think it's against the law in Maplewood to build anything but a generic apartment building with mixed used space on the first floor.

It seems that way, right?

Frankly, though, it's what's profitable and most appropriate for all the property that's recently being redeveloped. There's a demand for housing stock, so apartment buildings are good. And would you want to live in a first floor apartment on Springfield Ave? Makes more sense to put retail in that space.

This is not new in town, either. My first apartment in town was above a store on Maplewood Ave. There are many older buildings in Maplewood with same configuration. 

ml1 said:

all I know is I saw someone **** on FB that the Verjus building is going to be torn down and replaced by an apartment building.  It must be true if it was on FB.

 The new owner was on one of the township committee meetings when the license was being transferred and mentioned what the plan was. Doesn't look like anything has happened yet. 

mrincredible said:

yahooyahoo said:

I think it's against the law in Maplewood to build anything but a generic apartment building with mixed used space on the first floor.

It seems that way, right?

Frankly, though, it's what's profitable and most appropriate for all the property that's recently being redeveloped. There's a demand for housing stock, so apartment buildings are good. And would you want to live in a first floor apartment on Springfield Ave? Makes more sense to put retail in that space.

This is not new in town, either. My first apartment in town was above a store on Maplewood Ave. There are many older buildings in Maplewood with same configuration. 

True, these are probably the most profitable structures to build but are they the right ones to build?  I'm not sure.  There are several empty/abandoned lots along the Springfield Avenue corridor.  Maybe the Town could use some of the Open Space Trust Fund to buy one of these lots for a small pocket park.

yahooyahoo said:

True, these are probably the most profitable structures to build but are they the right ones to build?  I'm not sure.  There are several empty/abandoned lots along the Springfield Avenue corridor.  Maybe the Town could use some of the Open Space Trust Fund to buy one of these lots for a small pocket park.

I like the idea of pocket parks, but I'm not sure where one would best serve the community. Maplecrest Park is there and the green space around the Hilton Branch library.

If they're going to build something on the Verjus site it would be great if they could do kind of a split restaurant. Maybe a burger and beer joint on one side with some kid-friendly menu items (you know, lighter beers like Rolling Rock), and a higher-end dining experience on the other side with your specialty cocktails and truffle fries and neat nachos. 

There are hundreds of families within walking distance of that spot who could be a loyal customer base if the price is right.

I also wonder if they'll plan in some kind of outdoor dining space. This pandemic may be under control by the time they open, but memories are long and pandemics have a way of surprising us.

yahooyahoo said:

True, these are probably the most profitable structures to build but are they the right ones to build?  I'm not sure.  There are several empty/abandoned lots along the Springfield Avenue corridor.  Maybe the Town could use some of the Open Space Trust Fund to buy one of these lots for a small pocket park.

 Building results in ratables which bring in tax dollars.  (Yes, I know accompanying infrastructure and municipal services needs can outweigh any tax dollars realized by the development; but, the TC does not seem to factor that into the decision when approving new development.)  Vest pocket parks cost money which the town does not seem to have at the present time.  The plan was to develop Yale Corner as a pocket park.  Then the grant money needed to develop the park did not materialize.  The result is a paved over vacant lot which is used for the farmers market and COVID testing, staying unused the rest of the time.  

Personally, I support mid-rise housing-over-retail on Springfield Ave, and hope that the whole Maplewood run fills in, with all those empty lots getting small apartment buildings (and folks, these are small apartment buildings) with storefronts.

For what it's worth, this is my neighborhood.  I can see Walgreens from where I sit right now.  So this is a YIMBY issue for me.

When we moved here 30 years ago, Springfield Ave was a dying strip of too-small car dealers and empty storefronts.  Restaurants, except Gary's, would come and go every two years in some slots.  Now Springfield is becoming a viable urban byway, with a self-supporting ecosystem of desirable small businesses such as the bike shops, Gage and Tolner, clothing stores, and General Store Cooperative; services like yoga studios, 1978 Art Center, and salons; and over a dozen restaurants.

These businesses are supported in part by an increase in adult population housed in what they clearly find to be attractive apartments that appear to offend some MOL poster's bougie taste.  In the meantime, they replace eyesores like defunct used car lots and the Verjus building with a consistent streetscape of 3 and 4 story useful buildings.  Don't get me wrong, I loved Verjus, at least what was inside, but the building?  You really care about the building?  Are we going to start a preservation movement for the Sherwin Williams store next?

The average house in Maplewood is $655,000!!  The market has priced everyone except upper middle class folk right out of town.  The diversity we prized, that many of us moved here for, is fast dissolving.  Teachers and town employees cannot afford to live here.  We are compelled by court order to provide more affordable housing, and we are compelled by ethics as well.  These apartments make it possible for retirees and people just starting out to live here as well as providing a level of economic diversity.  Buildings like this are necessary and proper, and I say keep them coming.

yahooyahoo said:

sac said:

ml1 said:

all I know is I saw someone **** on FB that the Verjus building is going to be torn down and replaced by an apartment building.  It must be true if it was on FB.

 I read that it would have an eatery (pub?) on the ground floor, presumably with the same liquor license that Verjus had?

I think it's against the law in Maplewood to build anything but a generic apartment building with mixed used space on the first floor.

 I suspect that it is the most profitable approach, within the guidelines of our local zoning and other restrictions.