Jersey City Councilmen James Solomon and Frank Gilmore are pushing a “local preference” ordinance that would give city residents priority for affordable housing.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The ordinance, up for first reading at tomorrow night’s council meeting, noted that as an “urban aide municipality,” Jersey City has some flexibility as it relates to state affordable housing rules.
Therefore, the Ward E and Ward F representatives, respectively, want to mandate developers to give Jersey City residents priority when applying for locally created and funded affordable housing units – which is currently the case in Hoboken and Newark.
“Our city is facing a severe affordability crisis, forcing too many of our residents from their homes and the communities they love,” Solomon said in a statement.
“This ordinance will ensure that residents of our city will be the first to benefit from affordable units created by our local policies and laws. In order to maintain stable, vibrant communities, we must prioritize our own residents.”
A declared candidate for mayor, Solomon also thanked two of his 2025 opponents, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2) and former Board of Education President Mussab Ali.
“I want to thank Commissioner O’Dea and Mr. Ali for taking initiative and calling for action on this important issue,” he noted.
Currently, the city uses a regional preference based on a state-created region that includes Hudson, Bergen, Sussex, and Passaic counties, without any special consideration for Jersey City residents.
The ordinance will also not affect affordable units created through state or federal programs.
“The implementation of the ‘Local Preference’ ordinance is a meaningful and necessary step in ensuring that Jersey City residents are given priority for the affordable housing they deserve. For far too long, the people who have built and sustained this community have been overlooked in their own city when it comes to securing affordable housing,” emphasized Gilmore.
“Addressing this imbalance has been one of my core commitments since taking office, and co-sponsoring this legislation is deeply personal to me. It represents a significant step forward not just for the Ward F community, but for Jersey City as a whole, in creating fairer and more inclusive opportunities for all our residents.”
The two councilmen anticipate that second reading of the ordinance will not take place until the October 30th council meeting.
That’s right. These major corporations is coming in here and not offering Jersey city residents anything. If these builders are from out of town why we have to go threw a lottery. The outside
people whose not from here, they the ones should have to go threw that process. Then these major corporations which are slum lords and from what here half of them jews not a racist but from living in Jersey city all my life they are the worse landlords their is. At the end of the day it’s unaffordable.
Excellent. Keep Pressing Forward
Cladell Randolph
I m resident of JC Garfield Ave & Wilkinson Ave there has been more than 20 accidents occurred on this corner, chk ur precinct 2 c reports of these incidents we need a TRAFFIC LIGHT to avoid a death happening plz help😲😲
I just got an apartment after a year of being homeless and sleeping in a chair. Why hasn’t anyone thought of using all of these abandoned warehouse buildings all around Jersey City as shelters. There isn’t enough shelters but thousands of homeless people sleeping in doorways of businesses.