and enhance Highland Park’s small-town appeal. “The way you get more people going into businesses is you give them a place to go to bed, right next to the place they want to go to dinner,” he explains.“Our businesses are going to expand and grow, and we’ll see new offerings when there’s a new set of folks living right downtown.” ATTRACTING BUSINESSES Highland Park’s efforts to boost its downtown are already yielding results, demonstrated by the recently opened Super Fresh grocery store. Economic Development Director Teri Jover explains, “That’s a really good example of the ‘all hands on deck’ approach we’re taking to our revitalization. When we learned that the former tenant was leaving, we jumped in. We created a redevelopment plan to incentivize the creation of a grocery store, and they put millions of dollars into that store that’s now open. That’s the type of approach we’re taking throughout the downtown area.” The community has also welcomed a wave of new restaurants and businesses. Long-time favorite Highland Pizza was recently reinvented and opened as DeeDee Pizza, while kosher restaurant Giddys has quickly become a local hotspot. Additionally, Greek market Ellinikon Agora, one of the community’s first redevelopment projects, showcases how thoughtful design can help to create enduring community spaces. 147 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 01 HIGHLAND PARK, NJ
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