The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA) special meeting scheduled for this morning that would’ve had the board of commissioners vote on a $40 million bridge loan for the Centre Pompidou project has been postponed due to a lack of quorum.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Today’s meeting was attended by Vice Chair Denise Ridley, also the Ward A councilwoman, as well as Commissioners Victor Negron and Doug Carlucci on before the session was called off (the board has seven members).
Ridley, who is seeking re-election on Ward E Councilman James Solomon’s slate, told HCV that she will be voting no if the measure ever comes to a vote.
“We were not able to reach a quorum for this morning’s JCRA meeting. I do not see the need to move forward with the presented resolution; therefore, my intent was to vote no,” she stated.
“While the original intent of the Pompidou may have been well intended, voting on any additional funds without a clear plan and financial outlook for the entire project would be irresponsible.”
Prior to the meeting’s scheduled start time, which was 11 a.m., two mayoral candidates came out blasting the situation and urging the JCRA board to vote the resolution down.
“Rushing a massive bridge-loan for the Pompidou at an 11am ‘special’ meeting, one month before voters choose a new mayor, fails the transparency test,” former Board of Education President Mussab Ali said in a statement.
“The state already pulled its Pompidou funding and there’s still no binding NJEDA commitment on the table, yet City agencies are being asked to backstop tens of millions anyway. This should be negotiated in daylight by the next mayor and the next administration in Trenton, with clear guarantees and protections for Jersey City taxpayers.”
Solomon, who voted against the 30-year tax abatement for the KRE Group at 808 Pavonia Ave. just over a year ago (it passed 6-3), also did not mince words today.
“In 2024, the city government gave away $150 million in tax abatements for the Pompidou boondoggle over my objections. Now they’re seeking another hundred million dollars, this time in loans and state tax credits,” he began in his own statement.
“What the hell are we doing? The city doesn’t even have the money to keep itself from balancing the budget on the backs of homeowners and working families. We have no credible plan to fund the Pompidou once it’s built. Absolutely not. The JCRA should vote no on approving this ridiculous loan.”
Ali and Solomon have both said they would abandon the project if elected mayor, as has former Gov. Jim McGreevey.
“Since the February 23, 2024, editorial, I have been steadfast in my opposition to the Pompidou project, making clear that it is not a priority for Jersey City,” he said this morning.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor, First Lady Tammy Murphy, and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop unveiled the first iteration of the Centre Pompidou project during a virtual press conference in June 2021.
At the time, the cultural institution was set to open at the Pathside building, located at 25 Journal Square, at a to be determined date in 2024.
Less than three weeks later, the New Jersey Legislature approved a $46.4 billion budget that came with a $24 million allocation for the Pompidou, about a week after the city council approved a memorandum of understanding for the endeavor.
Few updates came about in the next few years, outside of eight city officials traveling to Paris to meet with the French partners about the details of the initiative in February 2023.
However, in April 2024, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority warned the city that they may revoke funding if the plan did not come with a better financial approach before pulling the plug about two months later.
Remaining steadfast that this only happened because he endorsed U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-3) for U.S. Senate over Tammy Murphy, Mayor Steven Fulop rolled out a second iteration of the plan at 808 Pavonia Ave. via an editorial to HCV in September 2024.
The following month, Gov. Phil Murphy told HCV that “we still love” Pompidou project, but the state can’t commit to “an unending, significant loss that is forever and always.”
The JCRA resolution that was expected to be considered today also mentioned that the Pompidou will seek a $75 million Cultural Arts Facilities Expansion Program (CAFE) tax credit from the NJEDA for “construction, fit out, and development” of the project.
The special meeting has not yet been rescheduled as of this writing.
