This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Former Auto Body Site Needs New Business

Patch readers comments and ideas sought for vacant stores and buildings in the township.


Just 50 yards from the Welcome to Verona sign at the intersection of Bloomfield and Pompton avenues, sits an old auto body shop that has been vacant for several years.

The 8,112-square-foot building with four bays, is located in the jug-handle from Bloomfield Avenue at 15 Pompton Ave., and is in a prime location for any business to move in.

A new business would be able to take advantage of all commuter traffic from both Bloomfield and Pompton avenues, across the street from Famous Ray's Pizza, an Exxon Station and a Subway.

Find out what's happening in Verona-Cedar Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In the past few years though, there have been no signs of any business leasing or buying the property, although Inner City Tire of Elizabeth, the company that owns the property, was unavailable for comment.

So this is where the Verona and Cedar Grove communities come in. The concept behind this column is we’ll present a vacant building and ask you to tell us what you think would be the best use of the vacant space.

Find out what's happening in Verona-Cedar Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here's the fun part: Forget what zone it’s in. Ignore setback regulations, as well as dump lot coverage rules and all the other zoning jargon that puts most people to sleep.

Our bottom line: If you had your way, what would you like to see there? What would be the best use of the space for the community?

To make this work, this can’t be a one-sided conversation. We want to hear from you in our comments section. And, please, let us know if there’s a vacant space/building you know of as well we can feature in a future column. 

Send emails about vacant buildings or stores to Essex County Associate Regional Editor Jack Durschlag at jack.durschlag@patch.com.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?