RIDGE ROAD A GHOST TOWN WITH PRONTI IN CHARGE!
The once vibrant business district has been decimated by Pronti with apartments, apartments and more apartments while property taxes spike to record levels!
NORTH ARLINGTON – There are roughly 13 empty storefronts along Ridge Road in North Arlington, as the business district is being replaced with the rapid construction of more and more apartment dwellings indicating the complete urbanization of this once proud, suburban community.
As of last month, reports indicated that as many as thirteen empty storefronts were identified after Mr. Pasta closed June 20th and the former MELRAYS furniture space remains the biggest vacancy!
An earlier April 16th count identified these vacant/dormant locations:
- Ricks american and foreign auto parts
- Favetta Optical (it moved elsewhere on Ridge Road)
- Emidio Shoe Repair
- Care RX
- Project 584
- NJ-HITT
plus, other locations not listed here
There are also currently marketed vacant retail spaces that corroborate a substantial vacancy problem, including 155-157 Ridge Road, 576-584 Ridge Road, and the enormous 45-55 Ridge Road property formerly known as MELRAYS, the latter a 41,544-square-foot vacant retail building now for sale.
With a current estimate of 13 vacant storefronts, the important caveat here is that the number can change as businesses close/open and that some vacancies are entire buildings rather than individual storefronts.
What’s particularly interesting politically speaking is that the borough itself acknowledged vacant storefronts as a Ridge Road problem in its 2023 redevelopment announcement, saying that creating a more vibrant business corridor was intended to address the problem.
But that doesn’t seem to be the case at all.
Where are the results?
“The business district is on economic life support because Dan Pronti has decided to urbanize North Arlington with hundreds of apartment dwellings and property taxes are still on the rise. This exodus from a small and suburban community to an urbanized small city Is the wrong direction and everyone knows it except Dan,” offered mayoral candidate John Balwierczak, a lifelong resident.
“The change is stark, disturbing and obvious. The man from Bayonne is turning North Arlington into Belleville. We are the gateway to Bergen County, not Newark,” offered Balwierczak. 
A vacant storefront is not the same thing as an entire vacant building, or a space merely advertised for lease. For example, 45–55 Ridge Road (MELRAYS) is one enormous vacant building, not 10 or 20 separate storefronts.
The vacancy issue is particularly interesting because the borough’s own redevelopment plan specifically identifies revitalizing Ridge Road’s commercial corridor and addressing vacant storefronts as a redevelopment objective.
Again, where are the results and what is the plan?
In 2023, Pronti said redevelopment was intended to create a more vibrant business corridor and specifically cited vacant storefronts as something redevelopment was supposed to address.
It has not happened.
And North Arlington taxpayers are the victims of this poor economic planning as homeowners receive their new tax bills this week.
“When Pronti promoted redevelopment as a way to revitalize Ridge Road and reduce vacant storefronts, why are there still roughly a dozen or so vacant or dormant commercial spaces along the Ridge Road corridor in 2026—including the 41,500-square-foot MELRAYS property? Dan has had three years to figure it out. How much more time does he require? It’s time for a real change at the top,” observed Balwierczak.
“All Republicans all of the time may work for Dan, but it does not bode well for North Arlington. It’s time for a healthy mix of Democrats and Republicans and end this monopoly of broken policies and one individual running the community into the ground. It’s not healthy and the prognosis is obvious to everyone except Pronti.”
“Redevelopment has become a rapid and massive overdevelopment of apartments with more to come. The Ridge Road we loved, endorsed, shopped and patronized is gone forever thanks to Dan Pronti.”
MEET THE NEXT MAYOR:
Contact John Balwierczak by email or phone. He’ll be happy to speak with you about the issues you really want to talk about.(201) 655-8497 or [email protected]