What's Happening in Palisades Park

It is the middle of September in the GWB corridor, and the fall calendar is fully in motion. Fort Lee Restaurant Week is in its second week, Karol G plays MetLife Stadium tonight and tomorrow, and Palisades Park's fall recreation classes are starting up. On transit, NJ Transit has detoured Route 166 buses around road work in Leonia while the Port Jervis Line's bus substitution continues. Here is this week's verified roundup, with last week's items archived below.

Coming Up

Each item below was checked against event listings on this run. Later this month and into October:

• Colonial Superstition & Magic program Thursday, September 24 at State Line Lookout in the Palisades Interstate Park.
• Chuseok lands Friday, September 25, with the Korean harvest holiday window running September 24-26, traditionally a busy weekend for Broad Avenue's Korean businesses.
• 27th Annual Leonia Oktoberfest Saturday, September 26, 3:00 to 10:00 PM, hosted by the Rotary Club of the Palisades.
• Corn Harvest Moon Saturday and Sunday, September 26-27 at State Line Lookout, Palisades Interstate Park.
• Palisades Half Marathon and 6K Trail Run Sunday, September 27, 9:00 AM at Fort Lee Historic Park, proceeds to the Palisades Parks Conservancy, registration open on RunSignup.
• 5th Annual Street Festival Saturday, October 3, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM at 275 Broad Avenue, free entry with vendors, food, live music, face painting, a bounce house, and carnival games.
• Revolutionary Seeds living-history program Saturday, October 3 at Fort Lee Historic Park.
• Artisan Market Saturday, October 10 at Hudson Lights, presented by the Fort Lee BDA.
• Fall O Ween Saturday, October 24 in Fort Lee, a family event from the Fort Lee BDA.
• Borough recreation runs on: the fall tennis camp continues Wednesdays through October 14, and the fall basketball camp for ages 6 to 9 runs Tuesdays, September 22 through November 17.
• Lawn Games at Ross Dock continue on Saturdays in September at the Ross Dock Picnic Area in the Palisades Interstate Park, just outside Fort Lee.

Broad Avenue Dining Scene

Cafe Ssum & Karaoke remains open at 450 Broad Avenue with private karaoke rooms and daily hours to 2:00 AM. The Local Girl's Bergen County fall openings roundup, published September 14, lists it as open, and its own site is live at cafessum.com.

Crazy Pocha has joined the after-dark corridor at 42 Broad Avenue (second floor) as a late-night pocha-style bar; the opening was announced in March and the spot has been operating since late August. The Ridgeco Properties August walk-the-strip dispatch makes the same point: Broad Avenue is no longer just Korean BBQ and grocery stores, and the bakery-and-pocha density keeps growing.

Dipped 'n' Smashed, the Hoboken smash-burger and Nashville hot chicken restaurant, is coming soon to 187 Main Street in Fort Lee at Hudson Lights, its second location, per the same fall roundup.

Earlier 2026 openings remain on the corridor: Lee & Bai's bun shop at 442 Broad Avenue (late May) and D'avant Bakery at 449 Broad Avenue Ste 1 for Korean-style pastries and chilled desserts.

On the closure side, Bleu on Broad (330 Broad Avenue) is now flagged closed on Yelp with its listing updated in August 2026, joining You Chun (133 Broad Avenue), Y (18 Broad Avenue), and Picnic Cafe (202 Broad Avenue) flagged in September updates. Earlier closings still on the record: Crown Restaurant & Lounge (243 Broad Avenue), Mandarin Restaurant (110 Broad Avenue), Golden Eagle Diner (239 Broad Avenue), and Pho32 Shabu Shabu (225 Broad Avenue). Restaurant Week from September 14-27 should keep the dining district busy through the month.

Borough Programs

Free evening meter parking (free after 6:00 PM Monday through Saturday) continues through September 30 after a successful trial, and all active resident permits now renew through the My Palisades Park portal without a trip to Borough Hall. Fall recreation is live: the tennis camp began September 16, the yoga series starts September 19, the basketball camp starts September 22, and the 5th Annual Street Festival follows on October 3.

Transit Update

Restoring the George. The northbound Center Avenue bridge over the GWB approach in Fort Lee remains under long-term closure. The right lane and sidewalk on that bridge have been closed since January 12, 2026, and the phase announced in early August extends those closures through at least December 2026 while adding closure of the ramp from northbound I-95 to Center Avenue and the ramp from Center Avenue to the southbound bridge. Work is staged to keep two travel lanes open, with posted detours for drivers and pedestrians. The replacement of the original south sidewalk is targeting completion by the end of 2026.

NJ Transit. Buses continue to replace trains on the Port Jervis Line for infrastructure work, with connections at Ramsey/Route 17; the substitution began Sunday, September 13. New this week: Route 166 buses are on detour between Route 4 and Grand Avenue in Leonia due to road work, running via Route 4, Grand Avenue, Fort Lee Road, and Broad Avenue on the way to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Route 165 shows no advisory, so Bergen Boulevard service remains dependable, with the 166 detour adding a few minutes through Leonia.

Light rail. The Northern Branch Corridor extension, which would add stations, remains in environmental review with no construction timeline confirmed.

Market Snapshot

Verified September 5, 2026 Bergen + Essex County Market Pulse readings remain the latest county figures, with the refreshed mortgage reading:

The September 5 pulse puts the Bergen County condo and townhome median at about $540,000 with 40 days on market and inventory up about 25% from a year ago at roughly 3.5 months of supply. That is the segment a buyer looking at a unit like 201 12th St APT 19 is seeing, and it remains the part of the county market where buyers have the most options. Single-family buyers see a county median just under $950,000 with about 26 days on market and inventory near 1,120 homes, or roughly 2.6 months of supply.

Mortgage: Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, issued September 10, put the 30-year fixed average at 6.76 percent for the week of September 14, up from 6.71 percent the prior week and 6.35 percent a year earlier. Daily quotes move every day, so buyers should check current quotes and lock thoughtfully. On the broader market, FRED put Bergen County's median listing price at $796,500 in July, and first full September county totals will publish after month-end.

Development Watch

Daewoo E&C. Daewoo Engineering and Construction and the Tamares Group are the joint venture behind the roughly $291 million, 18-story, 540-unit apartment complex with ground-floor retail and parking planned for 121-131 West Ruby Avenue and 20-40 Fairview Street, with the land closing expected this past July. Construction is targeted for 2028-2031 with completion expected in 2031; no newer status update has been published.

The Grandline. The 510-unit mixed-use at 21 Grand Avenue received site-plan approval earlier this year. The borough has also introduced a new accessory dwelling unit ordinance amid its affordable housing push, another signal of the residential investment the town is drawing.

In the News This Week

The week's story front is a busy one: Karol G's two-night stand at MetLife, the Summer Sounds finale on Friday, Restaurant Week at its midpoint, and the borough's fall recreation lineup getting underway. On the business side, Bleu on Broad joins the corridor's closure list while Crazy Pocha's late-night rooms settle in and Dipped 'n' Smashed prepares to open at Hudson Lights in Fort Lee. On transit, the Route 166 detour in Leonia is the notable change for Bergen Boulevard riders, and the mortgage average ticked up to 6.76 percent.