The Journal Square Community Association is urging the Jersey City Council to approve the new Journal Square Redevelopment Plan after modifications were drafted by the city Planning Department.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The JSQCA is strongly opposed to any effort to delay consideration of these measures. We urge the city council to turn down the councilman’s request,” JSQCA President Fitzgerard Restituyo said in a statement.
The key change would subject developments on lots with land areas of 9,000 square feet or more in four additional zones to the mandatory affordable housing provisions of an ordinance passed by the City Council last fall.
As it stands today, only projects within Zones 1 and 3 of are subject to the provisions. The new proposal would add Districts 4, 4A, 7 and 8 (Bergen Square) to the covered area.
The proposed modifications were drafted by the City Planning Department in response to City Council passage of a “study” resolution initiated by Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano, who represents Journal Square.
On Friday, he introduced a resolution to delay any consideration of the proposed amendments for 90 days, which would also further delay consideration by the planning board until after the 90-day time period has expired, according to the JSQCA.
The second reading of the ordinance in question has already been tabled for tomorrow’s council meeting, according to a copy of their agenda. A copy of the resolution they mentioned was not present o the current version of the agenda.
Restituyo asserted that there have been two community meetings on the amendments at which residents expressed strong support for them and the JSQCA organized one of them
The community association leader also pointed out that the planning board is currently scheduled to vote on the proposal at its May 6th meeting, giving the governing body ample time to consider the amendments.
The amendments, which also include new off-street parking rules (with Mandatory Affordable Housing provisions) and support construction of the Loew’s Theater Art Walk, were originally to be discussed by the Planning Board on March 24th.
However, the city Planning Department has made changes in the originally proposed amendments to reflect comments at the community meetings.
“This is a measured response to the city council debate on affordable housing, where nearly every Council member called for further expansion of this coverage,” addd JSQCA Vice President Chris Lamm, who also chairs the JSQCA Construction and Planning Committee.
“The proposal strongly protects single-family and 1-4 multi-family properties, which generally occupy land areas of 5,000 square feet or less.”
Reached by phone, Boggiano said the JSQCA is misrepresenting what has happened to date.
“The reason it is being delayed is we had about 150 people meet at the Ward C meeting and every single person was against it,” he claimed,
“That association has been so pro development for those big buildings and never said a word about affordable housing until recently, I got the 10 percent affordable housing ordinance plan passed. For the people of Jersey City, nobody wants developers wrecking one- to four-family buildings in our neighborhoods.”
The Jersey City Planning Board approved a 10 percent affordable housing proposal in Journal Square back in June and the JSCQA opposed the changes proposed by Boggiano a month later – which the council approved with further amendments in September.
