Business View Civil Municipal June 2023

162 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 6 Iron Culture, a state-of-the-art gym that underwent a $3 million building rehab. Another area experiencing both residential and commercial growth is Bergenline Avenue, which is adjacent to Braddock Park, the township equivalent to Central Park. “It’s a big county park, located inside North Bergen, with 167 acres of lush greenery, athletic facilities, and a 16-acre lake for fishing and boating,” Schwartz shares.“Along the west side of that runs Bergenline Avenue.” He notes that the southern section of Bergenline Ave is heavily commercial, while the area alongside Braddock Park is undergoing both residential and commercial development in various stages. Tonnelle Avenue, a state road on the west side of North Bergen, is also bustling with commercial activity. This area has been home to big box stores since the 1990s, providing all the popular options including Target, Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, and BJ’s Wholesale Club. Since 2020, the community has welcomed Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, Wawa, Chipotle, Skechers, Jersey Mike’s, and Five and Below, exemplifying the tremendous growth in this thriving commercial district. To support the ongoing development and manage existing challenges in the township, North Bergen continues to invest in infrastructure, taking advantage of grant opportunities where possible. “Recently, we applied for, and were awarded, a congressional grant to improve infrastructure on Tonnelle Avenue, where we have some areas that need sewer infrastructure improvements,” acknowledges Castro. “Hurricane Ida really made an impact and brought some challenges to the municipality. So, we’re working to improve certain areas. We’ve got Tonnelle Avenue, Hudson Avenue, and Broadway, where we’ve got some sewer infrastructure improvements presently underway. We also have West Side Avenue, one of our heavily trafficked roads, where we received some state funding as well. They are mobilizing, as we speak, to improve infrastructure in that area because that’s an area that can experience issues when we have heavy rains.”