In an editorial, Jersey City Ward A council candidate Pam Johnson explains why the city need minority developers at the table going forward to shape the city.
Let’s be clear: Jersey City is not hurting for developers. Every month, new projects rise
from the ground luxury towers, townhouses, retail spaces, signaling growth that is hard
to ignore.
But as a lifelong resident of Ward A, I must ask: growth for whom? Are we building a city that reflects all of us, or are we repeating the same cycles of exclusion that have left Black and Brown communities watching from the sidelines?
For decades, we have seen promises made about “opportunity” and “community” benefit, only to watch outside interests reap the rewards, while our neighborhoods deal with the
consequences.
Jersey City does not lack development ideas, ambition, or even capital.
What we lack and what City Hall has failed to address head-on is the intentional
inclusion of minority developers in these projects, especially when city-owned land is at
stake.
When city officials talk about diversity in development, too often the conversation stops
at jobs: who gets hired for construction, who gets a contract for landscaping?
If we want real change, we need enforced policies that incentivize developers to partner with equity-based minority developers right here, right now, on city-owned land. This is not
about handouts or favors; it is about correcting a historic imbalance.
When you bring minority developers to the table as full partners, you create generational wealth, not just paychecks. You give our young people role models and pathways.
You ensure that the vision for Ward A’s future includes the voices and values of those who have built and sustained these neighborhoods.
Too many times, we see deals struck behind closed doors, with the same developers
cycling through the corridors of power. We need transparency, and we need policies that
hold everyone accountable not just for hiring, but for sharing real ownership.
That is how we change the narrative. Incentives should go to those who are willing to share
equity, to bring in Black and Brown developers as genuine partners, not afterthoughts.
This is how we build not just buildings but community power.
As your candidate for Ward A City Council, I am calling for a comprehensive Minority
Developer Equity Partnership Policy that requires any developers seeking to build on
city-owned land to include equity-based minority developer partners.
Not just consultants, not just subcontractors, but stakeholders. The city must also make
resources available to help minority developers access capital, navigate city processes,
and scale up so they are truly prepared to lead.
If Jersey City wants to be the most diverse city in America, it is time our development reflects that diversity not just in who gets a job, but in who holds the keys to generational wealth.
It is one thing to talk about inclusion. It is another to build it into the foundation of
everything we do. Let us build a Jersey City where equity is not just a slogan, but a
reality, starting right here in Ward A.
