What's Happening in Palisades Park

It is back-to-school week in Palisades Park. The public schools opened for the new year. Mayor Kim's September newsletter leads with traffic safety. The borough extended free evening meter parking through the end of the month. A new karaoke cafe opened on Broad Avenue. GWB work continues. Here is what happened this week and what comes next.

Coming Up: Verified Fall Events

• Ed Sheeran LOOP Tour plays MetLife Stadium this weekend, with a second night listed for Saturday in some venue calendars.
• 9/11 Remembrance Friday evening at Bergen Boulevard and East Central Boulevard, listed on the borough's events page.
• Mobile document shredding Saturday morning at Lindbergh Elementary School.
• Fort Lee Artisan Market Saturday afternoon at Hudson Lights Park.
• Fort Lee Restaurant Week runs for two weeks starting mid September, with prix-fixe menus across the dining district.
• Summer Sounds at the Commons Friday evening at Fort Lee Commons Park.
• MetLife Stadium hosts BIGBANG World Tour, Giants vs. Cowboys, Karol G, and Jets vs. Packers on September dates, and AC/DC later in the month.
• Palisades Half Marathon Sunday in late September at Fort Lee Historic Park, registration open on Run Sign Up, and proceeds benefit the Palisades Parks Conservancy.
• 5th Annual Street Festival Saturday in early October at 275 Broad Ave with vendors, food, and activities, free entry.
• Halloween Parade Friday in late October at Lindbergh School Cafeteria, per the borough's fall recreation calendar.

Broad Avenue Dining Scene

Cafe Ssum & Karaoke opened on Broad Avenue in mid August, adding a karaoke cafe concept to the corridor. Local food media covered the opening earlier this month.

Other recent openings include Lee & Bai's buns shop and a late-night eatery, each opened earlier in the year on the strip and continuing to draw diners.

On the closure side, Yelp marks Crown Restaurant and Mandarin Restaurant as closed, continuing the corridor's steady turnover. Established anchors keep drawing diners while new concepts cycle in, and the Fort Lee Restaurant Week window should keep the area busy.

Borough Programs

Besides the meter extension, and the new permit portal, the borough's fall calendar is posted. The 5th Annual Street Festival lands in early October, and the Halloween Parade is listed for late October at the school cafeteria. The 9/11 Remembrance on Friday brings the community to Bergen Boulevard in the evening.

Mobile document shredding runs Saturday morning at the elementary school, for residents to dispose of sensitive papers. The September newsletter strings it together: back to school, traffic safety, and the new parking programs.

Transit Update

GWB Restoring the George. The right lane and sidewalk on the Center Avenue overpass in Fort Lee remain closed since mid August, with detours running through December. The full bridge program is more than halfway complete, with over ninety five percent of the suspender rope work done, and the rebuilt south sidewalk expected by the end of the year.

NJ Transit. No new advisories affected Bergen County commuters this week, so riders should check njtransit.com after the long weekend for updated timetables. Bus Routes 165 and 166 continue to run from Bergen Boulevard to the bridge station.

Light rail. The Northern Branch Corridor extension, which would add stations in the borough, remains in environmental review with no construction timeline confirmed. Bus service along Bergen Boulevard stays the strongest daily commute option for now.

Market Snapshot

Bergen County's housing market is holding steady as the school year starts. Verified numbers, latest readings:

Mortgage rates have moved back up from the summer low. As of the start of the month, surveys put the 30 year fixed average in the high sixes, so buyers comparing budgets should lock rates thoughtfully, and current quotes should be checked daily.

For the condo segment directly relevant to a buyer looking at a unit like 201 12th St APT 19: Bergen County's townhouse and condo median sold price landed near six hundred thousand dollars, with roughly forty days on market on the latest weekly pulse reading. Active listings countywide topped two thousand, so condo inventory is wider than it has been in years.

Development Watch

Daewoo Engineering and Construction finalized its investment decision this summer, for roughly two hundred ninety million dollars worth of new apartments with parking and retail on West Ruby Avenue. The project remains in its earliest stages:the joint venture has closed, and groundbreaking is targeted for a few years out.

Separately, the Grandline, a two tower mixed use development of about five hundred units on Grand Avenue, secured site plan approval earlier this year, with no timeline confirmed. Both signals the long term residential investment this corridor town is attracting.

In the News This Week

The main local stories this week:the return to school, the extended evening parking, and the new online permit portal. The fall event calendar, and the MetLife fall lineup, also keep the area busy.

Items from earlier updates that have now passed include the Bruno Mars shows, the Giants preseason game, the NJ Transit schedule change that took effect, the overnight bridge closures, and final summer yoga, and related July storm and hearing items.