Former Gov. Jim McGreevey is taking a deeper dive into his affordable housing plans for Jersey City if he is elected mayor in the non-partisan November 4th election.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Citing a December report from the Regional Plan Association, McGreevey says that market Jersey City rents have gone up 50 percent since 2015 and 39 percent of all households are rent burdened, which means they pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent.
In October, McGreevey committed to building at least 1,000 units of workforce/affordable housing and 500 new housing units for seniors (though the logistics of the plan were called into question).
“As Mayor, I would pursue all available and proposed Federal and State funding sources for affordable housing projects, including Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and funding from New Jersey’s Economic Development Authority,” he said today.
“To maximize the benefits of these funds, Jersey City should seriously consider how larger affordable housing projects could be built on City, County, and State-owned properties as well as currently underutilized parcels.”
He further stated that he has been “impressed” by efforts such as the Nehemiah project in East Brooklyn, which has encouraged him to seek partnerships with affordable housing builders, faith groups, and labor.
Furthermore, the former Woodbridge mayor, state assemblyman, and state senator commits to 20 percent affordable housing for any project that receives a long-term abatement or payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT).
McGreevey also indicates that he plans on establishing a Tenants’ Bill of Rights to codify protections for local renters.
“Both the City and landlords have an obligation to ensure that tenants are protected. Among the different pillars, I will establish a dedicated team of lawyers who would be available to help tenants leverage existing protections to their benefit,” he added.
“I would work to strengthen the City’s rent control protections by placing more units under rent control, reducing the maximum allowable rent increase, and professionalizing and strengthening the rent-leveling board. I would also push for State legislation to ensure that new buildings are no longer exempt from rent stabilization, and I would also push to ban algorithmic rent-increase formulas, which is a form of price fixing.”
Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2) has discussed his affordability plans recently, while Ward E Councilman James Solomon was a key backer of the right-to-counsel effort that was approved in June 2023. They are both also running for mayor.
McGreevey, who is also running in a field with Council President Joyce Watterman and former Board of Education President Mussab Ali, concluded that housing will be a top priority if elected.
“Every member of our community deserves a safe, decent, and affordable place to call home. Growth should work for all of us—including seniors, workers, and working families. This would be one of my main goals as Mayor of Jersey City because I want my home city to be a city where the American dream can be achieved by all.”
1000 new units will not do a dent. Jim is not capable to even admit how many illegal dwelling there are in JC.
So after the fed refuses to open its pocketbook and the state does likewise, then what?
Trump and Co. are going to trash the economy, increasing the need for affordable housing, while slashing benefits to the neediest.
Developers and builders will be flocking to CA where private sector and insurance money will fund rebuilding..
This “elaboration” needs a lot more elaborating because right now it looks like a standard election promise that we’ve heard every four years.
Anybody know many units he built as governor?
Affordable housing will always lag behind as long as developers allowed to rig the market with no limits. Normal housing is being pushed out by mass new luxury developments. This is money laundering, as there is no such market to absorb these thousands of $5000 dwellings. It can only crash, when time is ripe.