In a letter to the editor, Jersey City mayoral candidate Jim McGreevey details why the Holland Gardens plans, a part of the local housing authority, raises questions for residents.
Dear Jersey City Housing Authority Executive Director Stephen Cea,
As you are well aware, as part of the proposed redevelopment of Holland Gardens, Jersey City has authorized complete demolition and the construction of over 300 market-rate units in addition to the replacement of the 192 public housing units and the addition of 74 affordable units for seniors.
Jersey City selected WinnCompanies to pursue the redevelopment.
If followed through, the result is that Holland Gardens’ residents will need to relocate until the replacement units are completed.
The Jersey City Housing Authority has suggested that it will assist the existing residents to relocate, with the expectation that those residents will be able to return to the redeveloped property.
Based on publicly available documents, the following questions arise as to the adequacy of the steps that the Housing Authority is taking to facilitate Holland Gardens residents’ relocation and to ensure their return once the redevelopment is complete.
● The Jersey City Housing Authority’s website for “The Future of Holland Gardens” states that relocation of Holland Gardens residents “is not anticipated to begin until early 2024 at the soonest.”
●Does the Housing Authority have a more precise timeline for when it expects relocation to begin and how long the relocation process will take to complete?
What notices have the Housing Authority sent to Holland Gardens residents regarding the timing of relocation, their rights, and eligibility for relocation assistance and payments? When were these notices sent?
● The Jersey City Housing Authority’s website for “The Future of Holland Gardens” states that residents “should not leave their unit until receiving a written ‘Notice of Relocation Eligibility’ and meeting with their assigned Relocation Counselor at least one time.”
How many “Notice of Relocation Eligibility” has the Housing Authority sent out? How many households have “Relocation Counselors” met with?
● What resources are “Relocation Counselors” offering?
● How many households have “Relocation Counselors” helped relocate?
● What steps are the Jersey City Housing Authority taking to ensure that each household in Holland Gardens is provided with comparable housing in Jersey City?
● What will the Housing Authority do if certain Holland Gardens residents are unable to locate alternative housing by the relocation deadline?
● What steps are the Jersey City Housing Authority taking to minimize the disruption caused by multiple relocations on the children of Holland Gardens?
● Is the Housing Authority coordinating with the School District?
● What steps are the Jersey City Housing Authority taking to ensure that seniors and those with disabilities are provided with accessible housing during the redevelopment process?
● Is the Jersey City Housing Authority offering Holland Gardens residents financial assistance with moving and transportation costs as well as packing and unpacking services?
● The October 2019 resolution from the Jersey City Housing Authority Board of Commissioners states that the Housing Authority would be required to “hold quarterly meetings with residents at the Holland Gardens site or other accessible site that are accessible to residents who are limited-English proficient or otherwise disabled, and such meetings will be ‘live-streamed’ and become part of the ongoing public record of community engagement.”
● How many quarterly meetings has the Housing Authority held since October 2019?
● When was the last quarterly meeting held?
● How are the meetings advertised to residents?
● What is the average attendance at the meetings?
● The same resolution states that relocated residents will be entitled to a lease in the redeveloped property, provided that there is no “good cause” for revoking this right of return.
● Will these new leases be substantially different from the original leases? o If so, what changes will be made to the new leases and how will they affect the ability of tenants to abide by their terms?
● How will the Jersey City Housing Authority keep Holland Gardens residents informed about the progress of the redevelopment after they have relocated?
● Will the Housing Authority send updates by mail or email? Will the updates be in multiple languages? Will the Housing Authority contact residents by phone?
● Will the Jersey City Housing Authority commit to speaking with each Holland Gardens Head of Household to confirm if they seek to return before leasing the replacement units to others?
● Is the Jersey City Housing Authority committing to placing all of the existing tenants in the newly developed property? Are the individuals receiving a comparable amount of space, and will their rental prices be identical to their existing rent costs?
Your time and thoughtfulness in reviewing these questions would be most appreciated. I look forward to your response.
huh? does Stephen Cea work at the HCV? why is HCV promoting McG’s stunts?
not to mention, it’s really sad that the ‘gotcha’ here eventually leads to Holland gardens residents remaining in bad conditions.
I wasa senior citizen living in Holland Gardens and was told I could move out on my own and still be able to return, so in Oct of 2023 I moved to 500Manila Ave, jersey city, I was told Winn Company would help me relocate they helped me with a moving truck which was great but I had to pay my own rent and security deposit, I was told that Winn would pay the security deposit but they never answered my calls or got back in touch with me before September 25,2023 and I had to pay rent and give security by September 29,2023,Thank God I had the money for the move, they didn’t help me pack my belongings, I didn’t get the help until another senior moved in to the building in March of 2024,there is more to talk about but I would rather say face to face with theses liers,thank you Pamela Robinson-Ross
The only question Jim McGreevey should be asking is “Why do I accept all my donations from law firms, special interests and real estate developers and then act as though my goal is to help the people of Holland Gardens?” People can see through fake smiles. Seek your political relevance elsewhere and stop using Jersey City for it.
Doesn’t Mr McGreevey live in a historic mansion in Plainfield NJ with his partner ?
How can he be running to be a mayor of a City he doesn’t live in
McGreevey is right. Once these people are out, they won’t be coming back. It happened at the Montgomery projects years ago once they started converting the old Medical Center to expensive condos and apartments. They don’t want low-income people around their new fancy digs.