Business View Magazine | July 2019

255 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JULY 2019 BLOOMF I ELD TOWNSHI P , NEW JERSEY is more reliable - complete coverage in and out of buildings. This is significant for the safety of our police and firefighters.” The Township Council is very transparent; agendas and reports are all online in an open records portal attached to the Township website, making it easy for anyone to gather information. Building permits will soon be completely online, as well, so Bloomfield residents can check their status. Bloomfield is also proud to have the first health department in New Jersey with a nationwide accreditation for excellence. “And Public Works has been phenomenal,” says Watkins. “It’s gratifying to see, when we have a snowstorm – which is always the big event here in the Northeast – people say, ‘We know when we’re in Bloomfield because the streets are clear!’” Bloomfield has kept taxes down, and actually received Moody’s AA rating, last year. When going out for financing, an improved credit rating means substantial savings. “We just refinanced old debt and saved over two million dollars,” adds Watkins. “That shows financial stability, which Moody’s has pointed out. Our tax base is relatively stable, but, again, a lot of it’s residential. We hope to keep it that way - a good, strong, residential-based community. We’re only 12 miles west of New York City on the Garden State Parkway. Route 3 is just a mile or two north, and leads into the Lincoln Tunnel. Obviously, we’ve benefited from the high NYC cost of living. You can buy or rent something here, much cheaper. People have told me, ‘Look, I can move to Bloomfield and it takes me just the same amount of time to commute as it did from Brooklyn.’” A long-time partner of the township, the Bloomfield Center Alliance (BCA) manages the downtown area which is referred to as Bloomfield Center. Given the concentration of commercial properties and proximity to both a major highway and a train station, Bloomfield Center was designated as a special improvement district in 2001. The BCA works to promote and market the 3 8 9 BROAD ST, BLOOMF I ELD, AL 0 7 0 0 3 5A CENTRAL AVE , CALDWELL , N J 0 7 0 0 6 P r o f e s s i o n a l R e a l E s t a t e S e r v i c e s WWW. HAWLEYREALESTATEHOMES . COM HAWLEY REAL ESTATE : 9 7 3  7 4 3  5 4 5 2 HOUSE OF HAWLEY REALTY: 9 7 3  5 2 1  6 1 3 4 HAWLEY REAL ESTATE HOUSE OF HAWLEY REALTY Mi c h ae l Ha w l e y Broker of Record for Hawley Real Estate Mi c h e l l e Ha w l e y Ts ay Broker of Record for House of Hawley Realty