Jersey City council adopts limited affordable housing plan for Journal Square, with reservations
The Jersey City City Council begrudgingly adopted a limited affordable housing ordinance for Journal Square, even legislators, local leaders and residents voiced their concerns about it.
The amending ordinance to Journal Square’s redevelopment plan that would have required developers for new projects throughout the ward with at least 30 units to set aside 10% or 15% as affordable (depending on census tracts) was altered to affect just 47% of the ward.
None of the nearly two dozen speakers called for the ordinance to be rejected, but many asked the council to take more time and add other parts of Journal Square.
Journal Square Community Association President Tom Zuppa and resident Katie Brennan said only 10% of the affected area will benefit, since most of it has already been developed. Zuppa called for other parts of the Journal Square to be included.
The ordinance would only affect areas near the Journal Square Transportation Center, including parts of Kennedy Boulevard and Pavonia, Sip and Summit avenues (known as zones 1 and 3). Journal Square is separated into 10 zones
“We don’t need to go to back to the drawing board,” Zuppa said. “It is an easy fix to protect one to two-family homes by putting a square footage restriction.”
“Zones 1 and 3 are almost completely developed,” said Brennan, who lives in a single-family home in Zone 8. “If we don’t expand this to all zones we are failing the community.”