The Trenton Times published the following article on September 4, 2013. To read the full article, click here.

Tax program meant to boost Trenton business district falls short, merchants say

By Alyssa Mease/The Times of Trenton 
on September 04, 2013 at 6:30 AM, updated September 04, 2013 at 6:33 AM

TRENTON — Empty storefronts line South Broad Street, once a bustling main road and the center of a prominent city business district.

“This used to be a spot where homeowners could come and buy things for their homes on Saturdays,” said Robby Kushner, owner of Budny Fuel Oil on the 800 block of South Broad.

Kushner’s parents, Levy and Myrna, opened their store in 1966, a time when the area was filled with lumber stores, florists and childrens’ boutiques, and residents in Chambersburg didn’t lock their doors, he recalled.

Over the years businesses left downtown for the suburbs and the city economy shrank. Thirty years ago, the state created the Urban Enterprise Zone tax-incentive program and development fund in an effort to revive struggling urban commercial districts like South Broad. Trenton’s zone was established in 1985 and Budny signed on in 1996, said Michelle Papp, the company’s secretary.

But despite some initial improvements tied to the construction of the county arena on Hamilton Avenue, progress has stalled over the last decade. In 2011 Gov. Chris Christie called for an end to the UEZ program and seized its accumulated funds, leaving cities scraping for money to make streetscape improvements and aid development.

Contact Alyssa Mease at amease@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5673.