2026-09-23 - Municipal Council

00:00Good evening everyone. We are on the

00:01record. Today is Wednesday,

00:04the 23rd day of September in the year

00:072026. This is a regular meeting of the

00:10Jersey City Municipal Council. We had a

00:12scheduled 6 p.m. start. The clock on my

00:14cell phone is showing 6:04 p.m. May we

00:18have a roll call for the commencement of

00:20this meeting? Council person Brooks,

00:23>> present.

00:24>> Council person Zupa,

00:25>> present.

00:26>> Council person Efos,

00:27>> present. Council person Little present.

00:31>> Council person Gilmore.

00:34Council person Singh.

00:37Council person Griffin.

00:41>> Not here yet.

00:42>> No.

00:43>> Council person Labaro.

00:46And council president Ridley.

00:48>> Here.

00:50>> We have eight council members in

00:52attendance at 6:04 p.m. Can we kindly

00:55rise for a moment of silence, please?

01:09Take the D.

01:16>> Luis Himenez.

01:50I'm going to record Council Person

01:52Griffin present at 6:05

01:57p.m. So, we now have all nine council

01:59members present at 60:05.

02:02Thank you very much. On behalf of

02:04Council President Ridley and the members

02:05of the municipal council in the

02:07coordinance with New Jersey Public Laws

02:08of 1975, chapter 231, the open public

02:12meetings act, also known as the Sunshine

02:14Law. Adequate notice of this meeting has

02:16been provided by the posting on the

02:18bulletin board of the first floor of

02:19city hall, the annual notice, which is

02:21the schedule of meetings and caucuses of

02:24the municipal council for the calendar

02:25year 2026 and filed in the office of the

02:28city clerk on Tuesday, November 25th,

02:302025. In addition, at its time of its

02:33preparation, the agenda of this meeting

02:34was similarly disseminated on Tuesday,

02:37September 15, 2026 at 10:45 a.m. to the

02:41mayor, municipal council, business

02:43administrator, corporation council, the

02:45local newspapers, and posted on the

02:47city's website so I can certify as to

02:49our total compliance with the Sunshine

02:52Law.

02:54Okay. Before we move on to our regular

02:57order of business, council members, we

03:00have two late items that were added to

03:03the agenda which need your consideration

03:06and vote. And those items are 10.35,

03:11resolution 26-614.

03:14It's a resolution reappointing Daryl G.

03:16Laval as a member of the Jersey City

03:18Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and

03:2110.36, City Resolution 26-615,

03:25a resolution of the Municipal Council of

03:27Jersey City, adopting reasons for an

03:30amendment to the Powerhouse Arts

03:31District Redevelopment Plan,

03:32specifically the site at 127 Morgan

03:36Street, that it is not consistent with

03:38the planning board recommendation.

03:40Council members, I need a motion to add

03:42items 10.35 and 36 to the agenda. May I

03:46have a motion?

03:46>> Motion.

03:50>> Motion was made by council person

03:52Gilmore, seconded by council person

03:54Griffin.

03:58>> On the motion to add items 10.35 and 36

04:01to the agenda. Council person Brooks.

04:06Council person Zupa.

04:07>> I.

04:08>> Council person Ephro.

04:09>> I.

04:10>> Council person Little.

04:11>> I.

04:12>> Council person Gilmore.

04:13>> I. Council Person Sing, Council Person

04:17Griffin.

04:21>> Hi,

04:23>> Council Person Lavaro.

04:29>> He stepped away. Sean,

04:31>> I don't got eyes in the back of my head.

04:32Council President Ridley,

04:34>> he stepped away.

04:36>> Okay.

04:38Motion carries.

04:4070 with council members Lavaro and

04:43Council President Ridley absent.

04:47All right, on to our first reading

04:49ordinances. If I can just read them into

04:51the record.

04:53Item 3.1, city ordinance 26-079,

04:58is an ordinance of the municipal council

05:00of the city of Jersey City adopting an

05:03amendment to the powerhouse arts

05:04district redevelopment plan. Item 3.2,

05:072. City Ordinance 26-080

05:11is an ordinance to amend Chapter 304,

05:13Taxation of the Jersey City's Municipal

05:16Code, Article 3, excuse me, 5-year tax

05:20exemption to modify tax abatement

05:23requirements for certain properties.

05:25Council members are going to be taking a

05:26vote on introduction on items 3.1 and

05:303.2.

05:31>> Sean,

05:32>> yes. Before the vote, I just want to

05:34flag for the council that following

05:36caucus at the request of the tax

05:38assessor, I made some very light changes

05:41to item 3.2 after the colloquy with the

05:45council about her options in terms of

05:48enforcing the new owner occupancy

05:50requirement. She requested that I give

05:52her the authority to require annual

05:54certifications from any properties that

05:57are claiming that exemption. So you will

05:59see that edit reflected in the language

06:01that is currently published through IC

06:03compass. So I just want to flag that for

06:05you. Nothing further is needed on your

06:06end. Just your votes.

06:08>> Thank you so much. Cooperation council

06:12I have I have a question for uh BA Choy

06:15before you take the vote.

06:17Um some residents expressed concerns

06:19that what we're seeing is is having uh

06:22developers

06:24uh knock down, tear down, build new, and

06:27then sell. and then that the the new

06:29buyers are are reaping the benefit of a

06:31tax abatement. Are we seeing that? Is

06:33that an issue that the administration is

06:34taking into consideration?

06:42>> So I um I am

06:46not prepared to speak about the the data

06:49behind that comment, but I'm happy to

06:51take it back offline, speak with the tax

06:53assessor and anybody else about that

06:55issue.

06:57Well, I guess um a better question to

07:00Councilman Zuper's point is at what

07:04juncture

07:06at what juncture will we be enter or

07:08will the assessor be entertaining

07:10abatement? It's at the beginning phases

07:14because if it's at the beginning phases

07:16then by default it's not owner occupied

07:19because a developer is building it. and

07:21what what's the grace period for when

07:24they can apply?

07:28>> Um, I will let the tax assessor speak to

07:31it because it's her um subject matter

07:34expertise there, but I'm again happy to

07:36prioritize this. I know this is the

07:38first reading of this ordinance, so

07:40there's opportunities for her to provide

07:42that information.

07:43>> Sarah, is there any timeline that

07:45requires us to pass this ordinance

07:47between now and next council meeting?

07:50>> Yes. I don't know the exact statutory

07:52deadlines, but my understanding from the

07:54tax assessor is that she needs to meet

07:56an October deadline to consider

07:58applications that have been submitted.

08:00This is a first reading ordinance, so if

08:03you pass it tonight, we can continue the

08:05conversation, get you the information

08:06you're looking for, and that can

08:07potentially inform your vote on second

08:09reading.

08:10>> Yeah, I'm just concerned about some of

08:11the the things that were raised from the

08:13community, and I mean, this is an

08:15important

08:17um policy goal, right? and and and

08:21how we look at abatements overall,

08:22especially with the taxation

08:24difficulties we we're having. So, I'm

08:25not I'm not sure I have enough

08:26information to vote on, but I'll I'll

08:28address that my vote. I

08:30>> I'll just say, too, I appreciate the

08:31administration and law department

08:33working together to make some amendments

08:36last minute, but I still have a number

08:38of outstanding concerns. I'd like bit

08:40more time um I'd like a bit more time to

08:43work on this with with my colleagues and

08:44the administration. Um the good question

08:48Councilman Zupa. This is the first I'm

08:49hearing of the the kind of tight

08:50timeline. So I I really would like to um

08:54yeah just work with the assessor and and

08:56law um more on this.

08:59>> Certainly just because the tax assessor

09:01isn't here to speak for herself. I'll

09:03just remind you all that you do have the

09:05option of introducing it and then using

09:07either the second reading as an

09:09opportunity to decide you need more time

09:11to work on this. and also nothing would

09:13preclude the council from passing this

09:15ordinance and then adding further

09:17requirement additions beyond that.

09:20>> Thank you councilman. I feel the same.

09:22We need more information and it is not

09:24really clear at this point. So

09:32the question here is

09:34because this is an ordinance that

09:36requires two readings. Do you feel

09:39comfortable with the reading, the first

09:41reading

09:43moving forward and then between the

09:44first reading and the second reading

09:46supplying all the information that that

09:48is needed? Um

09:51>> yeah, I think the issue is two weeks is

09:53not enough to to vote on policy for tax

09:55payments for the city. Uh, and this is

09:59>> and I will

10:01>> I'll just say for for myself at least

10:03the conversations I've had with

10:04constituents who have concerns um those

10:07would lead to some sub substantive

10:09changes that I know would bring this

10:11back to a necessary introduction or

10:13reintroduction anyway. Um so that that's

10:16at least my position.

10:17>> Okay. Um

10:20yeah, I think we we need to take a look

10:22at what that October 1st deadline really

10:24is. Um, it may be referring to back to

10:27the existing language in the law without

10:29any changes if we were to meet that

10:31deadline. Um,

10:33>> I mean, I guess I mean we can we can

10:37vote for introduction.

10:39Um, and then if we're not satisfied with

10:42the feedback it and we could just you

10:45you could push it we could just table it

10:48until we address it or whatever. Um, but

10:51in light of there being a potential

10:53timeline if we just I guess vote to

10:57introduce it. Um, but just full

11:00transparency, I'm not in in favor of it

11:04as is written um as the ordinance is

11:08written because it it doesn't clearly

11:10spells out Council Person uh Zuper's

11:14concern as it relates to that timeline

11:18of transfer and things like that. And

11:20that is a that is a very serious concern

11:24um that I know a lot of residents and

11:26council members have. Um but in light of

11:29it being a timeline and we don't know

11:31the exact nature of the timeline or

11:34anything like that, but we do know that

11:35there is a timeline. Um but I mean

11:39ultimately we have the ultimate

11:40authority to table it or vote it down or

11:44whatever. Um but in light of the

11:46timeline, I think we could um introduce

11:51it uh just to see.

11:53>> Well, let let me ask this a question if

11:55the administration has an answer. Uh why

11:58are we getting this ordinance if there's

12:00a twoe or an October timeline? It's it's

12:03September 23rd.

12:09>> It's a little bit of a delay when you

12:10turn it on and off. Is it green?

12:16To be clear, Councilman, I don't know if

12:17it is October one off the top of my

12:20head. I'm happy to try to get in touch

12:21with the assessor here. I will just

12:24remind the council and I'm happy to work

12:25with you all and the assessor on any

12:27changes that you would like to see to

12:29this that there is a sunset provision in

12:32the existing ordinance. And so this law

12:34has sunset. The city cannot grant any

12:37abatements in 2020 unless it adopts an

12:40ordinance like this. And it needs to do

12:42so for the assessor's purposes. prior to

12:44her timelines for issuing those

12:46abatements. So, the status quo will not

12:49continue unless council elects to pass

12:52some version of this ordinance.

12:57>> In my case, it will

13:00>> it has sunset already.

13:01>> Hold on.

13:03>> Sorry. What's the sunset date for the

13:065-year?

13:10My understanding is that it is built

13:12into 2026 and so no abatements can be

13:15granted for this calendar year unless

13:18action is taken to reactivate the prior

13:21ordinance.

13:24>> So 20 2026

13:27there there have been no abatement no

13:28five-year abatements to date or I'm not

13:31>> that's correct not yet

13:34>> is I'm sorry if you were talking about

13:36it I was pulling myself together here.

13:39Um, are five-year abatements, do they

13:42have to apply precon pre-onstruction?

13:46>> I am not the tax assessor. I am not the

13:48expert in this area. I'm sure she would

13:50be happy to come to next caucus again

13:52and answer these questions. So, I think

13:55um

13:56since it is up for first reading, I I

14:00would assume our options are we are

14:02either going to vote it up or down. Um

14:05if people are not comfortable with I

14:07guess moving forward with it now um then

14:11it would need to be withdrawn but the

14:13council can vote up or down whether to

14:16have this version introduced or not.

14:22So if the administration's not willing

14:25to withdraw, I would have to take the

14:27vote on items 3.1 and 3.2

14:33>> given the timeline. And I mean, we we're

14:36happy to work with the council to edit

14:38the ordinance and allow this twoe time

14:41frame to provide as much information as

14:44needed. So, we don't see a reason to

14:46withdraw right now. Um,

14:50okay. Let's call for the vote.

14:53>> It's the timeline. Never mind.

14:59>> Are we ready?

15:00>> Yes.

15:02>> Okay. Council members taking a vote on

15:04items 3.1 and 3.2. Council person

15:07Brooks.

15:09>> Um for 3.1 I vote I for introduction and

15:133.2 I vote no.

15:18>> Council person Zupa

15:20>> I on 3.1. No on 3.2.

15:24>> Council person Eros I on 3.1. I just

15:28want to say that I've um had some talks

15:31with uh Wordy, Councilwoman Littleles,

15:33who I appreciate your leadership on

15:35this. Um I to the arts community, I know

15:37there's a lot of discussion around uh

15:40public benefits um going to arts

15:42organizations uh and that intersects

15:45with some of the um the piece of this

15:47redevelopment plan. Um I I want to get

15:50this right and I I'm hopeful that in the

15:52next few weeks we we can get something

15:54right. um in addition to what's going on

15:57in this redevelopment plan which I think

15:58is overall positive um really positive

16:01step. So I I will vote I for

16:03introduction on 3.1 as and with a

16:06commitment to continue to work with arts

16:08organizations um JCAC and others uh on

16:12on this and um with with WD as well. Um

16:16on 3.2 too, although no. And just as we

16:19were talking about, um I I know that I

16:21want to offer um and take time to offer

16:23substantive changes that would bring

16:26this back to square one. Anyway, um we

16:28have a lot of tight timelines that we

16:30get from the administration. I I

16:32appreciate that you all are working

16:33really hard on a lot of your own tight

16:35timelines. Um but I think this is one

16:37where we can have some more time to do

16:39our due diligence and and make sure we

16:41get this right, too.

16:43Council

16:46Person Little.

16:47>> Um on 3.1, I'm going to vote I. Um just

16:51for the record, um this is a this is an

16:55amendment to a redevelopment plan that

16:58um would allow for a project to be built

17:02where there is currently a parking lot.

17:03Um this would be in the Powerhouse Arts

17:05District. Um the current redevelopment

17:08plan calls for 12 stories at 10%

17:11affordable housing and no other

17:12community give backs. Uh this amendment

17:15is calling for um there's two options.

17:19So the developer could either choose to

17:21build 20 stories with a 15% affordable

17:26housing which is what their current

17:27design shows. So that option would

17:30result in no delays for the project.

17:32Option two, um, should they choose to

17:34take it would be, um, 27 stories with

17:3920% affordable housing. Um, so both

17:41those options are available in this

17:43amended redevelopment plan. Um, there is

17:46a there's a paired resolution

17:51explaining why we added that second

17:53option. Um,

17:55and the community benefits are a

17:59nonprofit arts space that must go to a

18:01501c3 arts nonprofit based in Jersey

18:04City leased for a dollar a year. That

18:08arts organization is not written into

18:11the amendment for the redevelopment

18:13plan. It is um supposed to be an open

18:16RFP process and um we are in

18:19conversations with the Jersey City Arts

18:21Council to hopefully get their

18:23involvement um in writing that RFP and

18:26working with the developer to write that

18:27RFP. Um the other community benefits are

18:32going to be um street safety

18:34improvements at the intersection of

18:36Morgan and Warren Streets. Uh so that is

18:39just just for the record, those are the

18:41amendments to the redevelopment plan.

18:43Um, so I vote I on 3.1. Um, and I I also

18:48want to add that I worked um with I I

18:51also worked with Councilwoman Singh and

18:53we also worked with the community and we

18:54did hold a community meeting on this and

18:57Councilman Solomon when he he was in the

18:59ward e ward e seat also held community

19:02meetings. Um, and based on community

19:05feedback, we have also written in that

19:07the nonprofit art space will provide a

19:09certain number of community hours per

19:12week. Um, so it won't only be uh, you

19:16know, it won't only be for, you know,

19:19people um, paying to go to that art

19:22space. It will also be there will be

19:23also be open and free programming every

19:25week. Um, and that was based on

19:28community feedback.

19:30>> So Ion 3.1 3.2 uh, I would not feel

19:35comfortable voting for this without

19:37substantive changes. Um I would like to

19:40work with the administration and work

19:41with my colleagues uh to you know work

19:46on those amendments but you know since

19:48they would be substantive in nature uh

19:51they would bring us back to um to square

19:55one anyway. So I I don't see a need to

19:57introduce this as written. So I vote no

19:59on 3.2.

20:02>> Council person Gilmore.

20:04>> Um I vote I for introduction. Um, thank

20:08thank you to Council Person Little for,

20:11you know, figuring out and all the other

20:14colleagues for figuring out how can we

20:16get to the 20% threshold. Um, I think

20:2020% should be the the minimum for all

20:23projects in Jersey City. We've been

20:26witnessing like crazy development and we

20:29haven't necessarily seen homegrown

20:31individuals have opportunity to access

20:34those spaces. So, I think 20% should be

20:36the it's bare minimum. Um, and 3.2, I'll

20:42vote I for for introduction. Uh, because

20:46I mean, I just feel like ultimately we

20:47have the power to uh vote it up, vote it

20:51down, table it or whatever. So, I vote I

20:53for introduction.

20:54>> Council person Singh,

20:57>> I feel really excited about this uh

20:59project 3 uh one. Uh we h I have been

21:04involved in this project for almost a

21:06year. I had couple of community meeting

21:09with council women. Um and couple of

21:13things community wanted uh was uh having

21:17hours in the community room and I'm

21:19happy to say that there'll be multiple

21:22hours 3 to five hours two hours on the

21:24weekend. Uh around winter there's

21:26nothing much to do. there are not enough

21:28indoor recreation places in uh downtown.

21:32So this will give uh a young families

21:36indoor place to plan some activities. I

21:39also want to say thank you to deputy

21:41mayor Pudar for lastm minute suggestion

21:44making some good suggestion where uh I

21:47think we are in a good position so I

21:49vote I for it. 3.2 I do not feel

21:53comfortable. I think there are certain

21:55questions that are not I don't feel

21:59comfortable voting for this. So I vote

22:01no for that. Thank you.

22:07>> So I on 3.1 no on 3.2.

22:10>> Yes.

22:10>> Thank you. Council person Griffith.

22:12>> Uh I for introduction.

22:17>> Council person Lavaro.

22:19>> Yeah. On 3.1. Um I just want to thank

22:21the councilman. uh both council women uh

22:24Little and Singh um for their work and

22:26Councilman Griffin I know um you and I

22:28also were talking to them and appreciate

22:31uh that we got to the 20% and as

22:33Councilman Gilmore said 20% um is the

22:36minimum and I just want to put that out

22:38there to to the community and to the

22:41development world that's what we

22:42promised on the campaign and I'm glad

22:45that we're able to keep that promise

22:46here with this amendment and and I thank

22:48the the council woman for for making it

22:50happen. So um I also want to you know

22:54developers often get a bad bad name. So

22:56I want to thank the developer for coming

22:58to the table to talk about that as well.

23:01Um and their willingness and openness at

23:02the the um the 11th hour to be able to

23:06do that and thank uh the folks involved

23:08including the uh former councilman

23:10Kamraj Ramshall um Chico to those who

23:14know him uh for his uh input there as

23:18well. Um, so I vote I on 3.1 and I vote

23:23uh no on 3.2.

23:27>> Council President Ridley.

23:32>> Sorry, trying to get my mic together.

23:34Um, I vote I for introduction for all.

23:39>> Okay. Item 3.1 is introduced 90

23:483.2

23:51is defeated on introduction

23:5536

23:57council members Gilmore Griffin and

23:59council president voting for the

24:02affirmative.

24:10Okay,

24:13before we get on to our second reading

24:14ordinances, I believe we want to defer

24:19to

24:21two items, two resolutions on the

24:24agenda.

24:27First one

24:32being, I'm sorry, 10.5,

24:35city resolution 26-584.

24:39May I have a motion to defer to item

24:4110.5, resolution 26,584?

24:45Motion made by council person Gilmore.

24:48May I have a second?

24:48>> Second.

24:49>> Second by council person Griffin.

24:53On a motion to defer to item 10.5, city

24:56resolution 26584.

24:58Council person Brooks.

25:00>> Hi.

25:01>> Council person Zupa.

25:02>> Hi.

25:03>> Council person Ephro.

25:05>> Hi.

25:05>> Council person Little.

25:06>> Hi. Council person Gilmore I.

25:09>> Council person Singh

25:11>> I.

25:11>> Council person Griffin

25:13>> I.

25:14>> Council Person Labaro

25:15>> I.

25:16>> And Council President Ridley

25:17>> I.

25:18>> Motion carries 90 to defer to item 10.5

25:23city resolution 26-584.

25:28Does a council member have the

25:30resolution to read into the record?

25:32>> I I have it. Sean.

25:33>> Thank you so much. Council person Zuper.

25:35I'll turn it over to you. Yeah,

25:37obviously we saw the uh terrible

25:39flooding going on in Nepal due to global

25:42warming and economic environmental

25:44changes as I said when we did the candle

25:46light vigil outside uh just downstairs

25:49outside our steps here. Uh our city has

25:51to come together in good times and in

25:53bad and this is one of the good times

25:55where we honor September as Nepal

25:58Heritage Month here in Jersey City. I'm

26:00proud to be a co-sponsor of this

26:02resolution with Councilman Lavaro, who

26:04I'll ask to read uh the other half of

26:06this resolution if you don't mind. All

26:08right.

26:08>> Okay.

26:09>> Uh whereas the NEP Nepali community of

26:11Jersey City has become a vibrant and

26:13growing part of this multicultural

26:15landscape and has made meaningful

26:16contributions to the city through

26:17entrepreneurship, professional service,

26:20education, healthc care, social

26:21services, arts and culture, community

26:24leadership, civic engagement,

26:25volunteerism and advocacy. And whereas

26:28Nepali Americans and Nepali speaking

26:29residents have enriched Jersey City by

26:31sharing Nepal's language, music, dance,

26:34cuisine, traditional dress, festivals,

26:37spiritual traditions, community values,

26:39and commitment to family and service

26:41while building bridges among cultures

26:43and generations. And whereas the month

26:45of September holds special historical

26:47and cultural significance for the people

26:49of Nepal and the global Nepali diaspora,

26:52making it an appropriate month for

26:53Jersey City to recognize and celebrate

26:55Nepali heritage. And whereas Nepali

26:58Nepal constitution day is nationally

27:00observed on September 20th to

27:02commemorate the promulgation of the

27:04Constitution of Nepal in 2015, an

27:06important milestone in Nepal's modern

27:08democratic and constitutional history.

27:10and I'll turn it over to councilman

27:11Lavaro for the for the rest here

27:13starting on October 1st. Whereas

27:16September also coincides with an

27:18important period in Nepal's

27:21the next one sorry whereas festivals

27:25and how far back

27:29whereas on October 1st 2025 the city of

27:32Jersey City formally recognized Dashane

27:35and Thihar through an official city

27:37proclamation honoring two of Nepal's

27:40most important cultural festivals and

27:42celebrating the heritage and

27:43contributions of Jerseyy's Nepali

27:45community. Whereas the city of Jersey

27:47City has also recognized Dr. Bishnu Maya

27:49Parar, a member of the Jersey City

27:52women's advisory board for her

27:54pioneering community leadership and role

27:56in building bridges between the city of

27:58Jersey City and the Nepali community and

28:01advancing significant civic and cultural

28:04milestones. And whereas these

28:05achievements reflect Jersey City's

28:07commitment not merely to diversity and

28:09population, but to meaningful inclusion,

28:12representation, cultural preservation,

28:15civic participation, and mutual respect

28:17among the many communities that call

28:18Jersey City home. And whereas

28:21establishing Nepal Heritage Month will

28:23provide an annual opportunity to

28:25recognize the history, culture,

28:27traditions, achievements, resilience,

28:29and contributions of the Nepali people,

28:32educate the broader public about Nepal

28:35and Nepali American heritage, encourage

28:37intergenerational cultural preservation,

28:40and strengthen relationships among

28:41Jersey City's diverse communities. And

28:43whereas Nepal Heritage Month will

28:45further encourage schools, community

28:47organizations, cultural institutions,

28:49businesses, public agencies, and

28:51residents to participate in educational,

28:54artistic, cultural, civic, and community

28:56programs celebrating Nepal and the

28:58Nepali diaspora. And whereas recognizing

29:00Nepal Heritage Month is consistent with

29:03Jersey City's long-standing commitment

29:04to celebrating the immigrant communities

29:06whose talents, traditions, labor,

29:09leadership, and aspirations have helped

29:11make Jersey City one of America's most

29:13dynamic and diverse cities. Now,

29:15therefore, be it resolved by the

29:17municipal council of the city of Jersey

29:19City that the month of September each

29:21year is hereby recognized and designated

29:24as Nepal Heritage Month in the city of

29:26Jersey City.

29:38All right.

29:41So, we're going to be taking a vote on

29:44resolution 26-584.

29:46Council person Brooks,

29:48>> I vote I.

29:50>> Council Person Zupa,

29:52>> I.

29:53>> Council person Efos,

29:54>> I. Thank you, Councilman Lavaro and and

29:56Zuba for bringing this forward. Proud

29:58that the Heights has a um poly

30:01community, Nepalese community of our

30:03own. And um was really proud to get to

30:05give uh the pioneer business award to

30:08Namaste Momo Cottage on on the

30:10boulevard. I'm going to have to get that

30:11before September and going to get get

30:13some more Momo from there. Obviously,

30:15beyond owning businesses and beyond food

30:17culture, there's so much else to

30:19Nepalese culture in Jersey City. So,

30:21thank you. Congratulations.

30:24Council Person Little,

30:26>> I proudly vote I. I am happy to

30:29recognize the Nepalese community here in

30:32Jersey City. And you know, as Councilman

30:35Gazuba said, it's important to stand

30:37together both in good times and in bad.

30:39Uh we recognize it's been incredibly

30:42difficult um time right now. Nepal

30:45contributes so little to the climate

30:47crisis yet is on the front lines of um

30:52of the devastation caused by the climate

30:54crisis. And so we we stand in solidarity

30:57with you and we we hold in our hearts

30:59the the those who have passed and those

31:02who are missing. And um I know many

31:05organizations, many people here in

31:07Jersey City are actively fundraising for

31:09disaster relief. Um so I want to thank

31:12you and recognize you for your efforts

31:13as well.

31:16>> Council person Gilmore.

31:17>> Hi. Council person Singh.

31:20>> Namaskar to my Nepali friends and we

31:24celebrate your culture. Uh you know it

31:27is a hard time uh for Nepali community.

31:31So we all pray for Nepal and uh anyone

31:35who can donate uh please make donation.

31:38Um they really need every single

31:41donation. You can give it send it to

31:44Nepal. Um I also want to say that the

31:47Nepal has the highest peak on earth

31:50Mount Everest. So if you know Mount

31:53Everest, you know Nepal and uh Nepali

31:56community is very active in Jersey City.

31:59They have been uh giving back to the

32:01community. They have been organizing

32:03their culture events. So thank you for

32:06being part of the beautiful diverse

32:07Jersey City. Namaskar.

32:14>> I vote tai.

32:17>> Council person Griffin. First off, I

32:19would like to give my thoughts and

32:21prayers uh to those who were affected uh

32:25by the devastation. Uh, and two, uh, I

32:29just want to say, um, I think this the

32:34>> I think, uh, what Councilman Zupa and

32:37Councilman Lavaro put forward is great.

32:40Um, they just forgot to bring the

32:42samosas.

32:44Uh, other than that, I will vote I,

32:48>> Council Person Labaro.

32:50>> I'll just uh, thank Councilman Zupa. I'm

32:53glad to co-sponsor this with you. Um and

32:55I want to thank the um community leaders

32:57Bishnu uh Parar and her husband for

33:01their advocacy and um particularly

33:03during these difficult and trying times

33:05for for Nepal. And I know um as we stood

33:08outside city hall for the candlelight

33:10vigil uh that uh uh families are

33:13impacted by the the devastating loss of

33:16life and and we pray and and whatever

33:19support we can provide. Um but as

33:21Councilman Zupa said, we through the

33:23difficult times and the good times um we

33:26want to be able to celebrate that the

33:27good times um and be there for you

33:29during the difficult times. And so um I

33:32hope this uh resolution um we'll be able

33:34to celebrate every year but also to

33:36energize the relationship between um

33:39Jersey City and uh Nepal with our sister

33:43city agreement to be able to bring that

33:45to life uh moving forward and look

33:47forward to uh continued work with the

33:50Nepali community. Uh I proudly vote I

33:54>> council president Ridley.

33:58I vote I happy to celebrate um Nepal

34:02Heritage Month here in Jersey City.

34:06City resol

34:10city resolution 26-584

34:13is approved unanimously 90.

34:30All right.

34:32And one more resolution we're going to

34:34be deferring to is item 10.6,

34:40city resolution 26-585.

34:44So, council members, may I have a motion

34:45to defer to item 10.6, city resolution

34:4826-585?

34:52>> Motion.

34:53>> Motion made by council person Lavaro.

34:55May I have a second?

34:56>> Second.

34:57>> Second by council person Griffin. on the

35:00motion to to defer to item 10.6, city

35:04resolution 26-585.

35:07>> Sean, I think we're actually not

35:08deferring to this. Are we maybe supposed

35:10to be deferring to 26-586 instead?

35:16>> 7.

35:17>> Yeah.

35:18>> Yes.

35:20>> I apologize.

35:22>> I withdraw my second.

35:25>> Is actually your motion. Withdraw your

35:27motion.

35:30It was the wrong motion I called for. So

35:33that's my bad.

35:36>> So it's to defer to item 10.7,

35:40city resolution 26-58

35:45>> six.

35:46>> Six. Thank you.

35:48>> Motion.

35:49Second.

35:51>> I didn't think you were going to change

35:52the motions. Okay.

35:57So now the motion was made by council

36:00person Gilmore,

36:02seconded by council person Lavaro.

36:10On the motion to defer to item 10.7,

36:12city resolution 26-586.

36:15Council person Brooks.

36:17>> I.

36:18>> Council person Zupa.

36:19>> Hi.

36:20>> Council person Ephro.

36:21>> Hi.

36:22>> Council person Little.

36:24>> Hi.

36:25>> Council person Gilmore.

36:26>> Hi. Council person Singh,

36:28>> I.

36:29>> Council person Griffin,

36:30>> hi.

36:31>> Council person Laboro,

36:32>> I. And council president Ridley,

36:34>> I.

36:35>> Motion carries 90 to defer to item 10.7,

36:39city resolution 26-586.

36:43Does a council member have the

36:45resolution to read into the record?

36:47>> Yes, it's me again, Sean.

36:48>> Okay, I'll put it over to you, council

36:50person.

36:51>> This one is both special and kind of

36:52incredible. uh a parent reached out that

36:55their child uh had completed Jersey

36:58City's libraries a thousand books before

37:00kindergarten program at the age of 17

37:02months just highlighting the importance

37:04of youth literacy of our libraries and

37:08the need to get five corners open up as

37:10soon as humanly possible. It's a

37:12resolution honoring pron praapati for

37:14completing the thousand books before

37:16kindergarten program at 17 months old.

37:18Whereas uh proncho praapati a young

37:21Jersey city resident achieved an

37:22exceptional early literacy milestone by

37:25completing the Jersey City Free Public

37:26Libraries 10,00 kindergarten program on

37:29May 18th, 2026 at only 17 months of age.

37:32And whereas the thousand books before

37:34kindergarten program encourages parents

37:36and caregivers to read regularly with

37:38young children, helping them develop the

37:40vocabulary, comprehension, and

37:41foundational skills needed for future

37:43academic success. And whereas the Jersey

37:46City Free Public Library officially

37:47verified Poncho's completion of the

37:49program and the Marian Branch Library

37:51recognized his accomplishment with a

37:53certificate of achievement. And whereas

37:55with the encouragement and and

37:56involvement of his family, books have

37:58become a central part of Proncho's daily

38:00routine, including puppet books, sound

38:02books, touch and feel books, picture

38:04books, and other interactive learning

38:07materials. And whereas occurring to his

38:09family, Pranchel independently turns

38:10pages, follows prompts, identifies

38:13characters and objects, and recognizes

38:15more than 50 words and objects across

38:17various books and educational materials.

38:19And whereas Pranchel's remarkable

38:20enthusiasm demonstrates extraordinary

38:23curiosity, reading engagement at an

38:25early age, and serves as an inspiring

38:27example of the benefits of introducing

38:29children to books from infancy.

38:31And whereas his achievement also

38:33highlights the essential role of

38:34families and public libraries in

38:36promoting early childhood literacy and

38:39cultivating lifelong learners throughout

38:40the Jersey City community. Now therefore

38:42be it resolved that the municipal

38:44council of the city of Jersey City

38:45hereby recognizes and congratulates

38:47Prashel Prajapati for completing the

38:4910,000 books before kindergarten program

38:51at only 17 months old. And be it further

38:54resolved that the council commends his

38:56family for nurturing his love of reading

38:57and extends his best wishes for his

38:59continued growth, learning and success.

39:04>> Hey council council,

39:06>> I just have a question for point of

39:08information. Um the thousand book that's

39:11the name of the program or is that's the

39:13feat accomplished?

39:14>> Both.

39:15>> That's both. It's it's a program offered

39:17by our library verified by the Marian

39:20branch and uh

39:22is an opportunity

39:24that that this young man met.

39:28>> Young man.

39:29>> Where is Where is he?

39:31>> Where is he at? At home reading.

39:35>> Oh, he's home reading. I want

39:39>> call for the vote. You got to take the

39:41vote. Council,

39:42>> I was looking forward to meeting our

39:43little our little young reader. I I

39:45don't see him here today.

39:46>> Before we lose control of the meeting,

39:48let's take a vote on the resolution.

39:50>> Resolution 26-586.

39:52Council person Brooks.

39:55>> Congratulations. I don't think I've

39:57finished one book this year. I vote I.

40:01>> Council Person Zupa,

40:02>> we can all do a little more reading and

40:04educating ourselves. I vote I.

40:07>> Council person Efos.

40:08>> I tell my students that if Pronul can do

40:10a thousand books before 17 months, then

40:13surely we can do a couple chapters a

40:14week. Um I vote I. Congratulations

40:17Prunchull and his family.

40:19>> Council person Little

40:21>> I and especially congratulations to the

40:23parents, but congratulations to everyone

40:26involved.

40:28>> Council person Gilmore,

40:30>> I am in like this is crazy. This is an

40:33I'm in utter shock. Um, huge

40:36congratulations to that young man, his

40:39parents, his grandparents, his

40:41greatgrandparents.

40:43Um, it took me 10 years to read a

40:46thousand books and that's crazy. I'm so

40:49happy for him. Um, I vote I twice. Sean,

40:54>> unfortunately, it can only count one.

40:56Council person sing. Um if I get email

41:00with thousand words I take breaks. I

41:02can't read even thousand email thousand

41:05words in an email. P uh I'm not sure if

41:08you're allowed to watch YouTube. So you

41:10can you might not be watching this uh

41:13meeting because you'll be reading uh but

41:16congratulations to the parents and um

41:19you know this is unbelievable. We are

41:21proud of you Push. Thank you. I vote I.

41:27>> Council person Griffin.

41:29>> Uh, congratulations uh to the young man

41:31who uh accomplished his feat. I vote I

41:34as well.

41:36>> Council person Lavaro.

41:38>> I'll echo everything that they've been

41:40said. I congratulations to Prunchel and

41:42his uh parents. I vote I

41:46>> and Council President Ridley.

41:49>> Congratulations. Um, you have impressed

41:52us and made us all proud. Uh, I vote I.

41:57>> City resolution 26-586

41:59is approved unanimously. 90.

42:02Congratulations.

42:05>> Um, are we taking um before are we

42:08taking a picture before? I don't think

42:14>> the um but for the first

42:17>> No, it's

42:19>> the first people.

42:20>> No.

42:21>> Oh, okay.

42:24>> Listen, pay attention. Protown. Are we

42:26good?

42:28>> Yeah. The question was whether we're

42:29taking a picture with the Nepali

42:31community. Who is here?

42:35>> Is that what we're doing?

42:40I think they

42:40>> I was deferring to the uh councilman,

42:43but yes, come on. It looks like Aan is

42:45getting them ready.

42:46>> Do you want to come up for a photo in

42:47the front with the with the community?

42:49Okay,

42:50>> so they're going to take a quick

42:51picture.

42:52Let's make it quick.

43:01There is no kid.

43:16>> Thank you so much.

43:25>> Yeah. Thank you so much.

43:40Let me hold Yeah, let me hold the flag.

44:09Thank you.

44:14>> Thank you so much. Thank you.

44:18>> Thanks.

44:35You know what was going on?

44:37>> Yo, how come you ain't got shoes on,

44:39bro? Why you got sneakers on?

44:40>> All right, we still got a lot of

44:42business to handle. So, we're going to

44:43go back to our regular order of

44:46business. Going on to our first second

44:49reading ordinance.

44:51Item 4.1, city ordinance 26-040,

44:56is an ordinance of the city of Jersey

44:58City and the county of Hudson, New

45:00Jersey, approving the contribution of a

45:02portion of annual service charges paid

45:04to the city of Jersey City pursuant to

45:06the financial agreements entered into by

45:09the city of Jersey City into the city's

45:12education infrastructure capital

45:14account. This is a public hearing on

45:16this ordinance. Any member of the public

45:18wishing to be heard? One second, Sean.

45:21One second, Miss Bolster. Can we uh

45:23please quiet down and be respectful of

45:26the speakers? Thank you.

45:29>> Okay, Ivon Ber,

45:31>> I'm sorry. Go ahead.

45:38Go ahead.

45:39>> Ivon Balsa, I read this ordinance and

45:42I'm going to call it a scam and I'll

45:44tell you why. Right in front of me, I

45:46have something called the Department of

45:48Community Affairs and it's on the front

45:51of it is William Vicaro and on the back

45:54of it, the second page, it has all the

45:57bonding debt for those board of ed that

46:00we pay for. So, what this is doing is

46:03you're taking money that you, you know,

46:05you're going to have for tax abatements

46:07and we're going to put it inside for

46:09infrastructure, which means fixing up

46:11the schools. We do that already. we do

46:14it. And right now we we have had a bond

46:17deadness of $55 million.

46:20And this is from

46:23uh December 2025. So basically, we're

46:26already doing this because by law, the

46:30uh the school debt has always been on

46:33the miserable portion of the budget.

46:35What you're trying to do is say, "Hey,

46:37we're going to give abatements and we're

46:39going to rationalize it because the

46:41schools are are cut out, but we're going

46:43to put money for the infrastructure,

46:45which we already paid for

46:48because we already have a $55 million

46:51debt already that we are responsible for

46:54for the schools. So, infrastructure

46:56means the same thing as bond debt. Let's

46:59get it. It's it's a scam. You guys are

47:02lying to the public. You're not lying to

47:03me cuz I know the difference. But you're

47:05lying to the public and it's wrong. This

47:08is ir rationalization. So you could

47:10constantly push through more tax

47:12abatements which are not ratables. Tax

47:15abatements are a real problem around the

47:18throats of taxpayers who saw their

47:21school taxes go up 70% who saw their

47:25school cities 15%

47:28and the county uh 14%. You just want to

47:32push and push and push more stuff so you

47:35can have more people in the city that

47:37are not affected by taxes

47:40so you can campaign to them and stay in

47:42office because if if you're not affected

47:44by taxes, you're not going to come down

47:46here and scream. That's all you want.

47:48You don't care about the people that

47:50paid their taxes and go into tax lean.

47:52You care about rent control who are

47:55exempt for tax increases and affordable

47:58housing which is totally exempt from tax

48:00increases and push all that on to the

48:03small homeowner. That's what you care

48:05about. There's no tax abatements are a

48:08scam.

48:10That's what they are. They really are a

48:11scam. And it's not just my word. I'm

48:14going to read some stuff from Trenton

48:18uh which talks about how Jersey City

48:21lose so much money and it's not from me.

48:23It's from a third party who studies uh

48:26misable debt. We lose a lot of money. So

48:29this is it. You can ask uh your business

48:33administrator for a copy of the money we

48:35already pay. Only thing you're doing is

48:37transferring and pretending you're doing

48:40something new. You're not. It's a scam.

48:44This is still a public hearing on city

48:46ordinance 26-040.

48:48Any member of the public still wish to

48:50be heard, please come up to the podium

48:51and state your name for the record.

48:53>> Motion. Oh,

48:56>> all right. 2680 I mean 26080. Correct?

48:59>> No. No. 2640.

49:03>> Okay.

49:05>> Are you speaking on it?

49:06>> Right. Yes. Correct. So, this is sharing

49:07funds with the schools, right? Thank

49:10you. I just want to say thank you for

49:11looking out for our children. I'm sorry.

49:12You got to state your name.

49:13>> My name is Erikica Walker.

49:16>> We know I know I know you, but for our

49:18court reporter, Erica.

49:19>> Yes. Erikica Walker. Though I am a chief

49:21of staff at Councilman Gilmore's office,

49:22I'm speaking on my own behalf and as a

49:24mother. Uh thank you for thinking of the

49:26kids and not leaving them out. Um I wish

49:29there were someone from the board of

49:30education here to say thank you. Um and

49:32I hope that we can build a better

49:34relationship than years past with the

49:36board of education. Thank you.

49:43a public hearing

49:46>> your name for the record

49:49with Washington.

49:51>> Thank you.

49:51>> And we got to do better explaining stuff

49:55to our community about tax abatement

49:59because the wrong concept is going out

50:04about it. I did affordable projects in

50:08this city 30 years ago with tax

50:12abatement for affordable housing. Some

50:15of the people been in these houses for

50:1820 years

50:20and

50:22they can't afford to live nowhere else.

50:24We not breaking this stuff down where

50:27people are understanding it. Like Ivonne

50:30said, it's confusing where the money

50:34going.

50:35and how it's being broke now because it

50:38does help building where people could

50:42live.

50:43The web building been finished 20ome

50:46years the Fred Martin a few more of

50:48these projects that I was involved with

50:52and people are living there that can't

50:54afford to live nowhere else in Jersey

50:56City

50:58because of the tax abatement.

51:02So be careful how we do things and how

51:06we break it down and how we explain it

51:09to the community

51:12because

51:13it's so confusing

51:17about tax abatements. I used to go to

51:19Trenton

51:21then to Washington about tax abatement

51:2430 40 years ago. I'm 78 years old. I've

51:28been doing this stuff a long time and

51:30make sure my people

51:33in this city

51:35have somewhere to live. Like when they

51:38built Newport, I keep telling you

51:40people, there's five floors in there

51:43that's taxed baby that can't change.

51:47I know one girl been there 40 years

51:49since they built it.

51:52There's people that benefit,

51:56but you got to break it down in the

51:59right way where it's understandable.

52:02That's where all this confusion. We need

52:04jobs. Look at all these people in here.

52:06They need jobs. Tax help them to people

52:09to build homes in here so they can have

52:12jobs.

52:13We not looking at these things in the

52:17right perspective.

52:20We're not getting educated about what

52:22we're doing, how we're doing it, and how

52:25it affects people that been here in

52:28Jersey City that can't even afford to

52:30live here no more.

52:33Do you get what I'm saying?

52:36You need to regroup and break this down.

52:39Thank you.

52:45This is still a public hearing on city

52:47ordinance 26-040.

52:49Any member of the public still wish to

52:51be heard, please come up to the podium

52:53and state your name for the record.

52:55>> Motion.

52:56>> Motion to close the public hearing was

52:58made by Council Person Gilmore on city

53:01ordinance 26-040.

53:04>> Second.

53:05>> Can I ask for it? May I have a second?

53:09>> Second.

53:11Second made by council person Labaro

53:13because if I if I don't hear you, I'm

53:15not going to know who said it. On the

53:18motion to close the public hearing on

53:19city ordinance 26, there 040. Council

53:22person Brooks.

53:23>> Hi.

53:24>> Council person Zupa.

53:25>> Hi.

53:26>> Council person Ephro.

53:27>> Hi.

53:28>> Council person Little.

53:29>> Hi.

53:30>> Council person Gilmore.

53:33>> Hi.

53:34>> Council person Singh.

53:35>> Hi.

53:37>> Council person Griffin.

53:42Hi,

53:46>> Council Person Lavaro.

53:49>> Closing the public hearing, right?

53:50>> Yeah.

53:51>> I,

53:53>> Council President Ridley,

53:54>> I

53:56>> motion carries 90 to close the public

53:58hearing on city ordinance 26-040

54:02for final consideration and adoption of

54:04city ordinance 26-040.

54:07Council Person Brooks.

54:09>> Um, if you don't like the direction of

54:12the school board, early voting starts

54:14October 24th. Um, as more pilots go

54:18forward, um, I appreciate that the

54:21administration has brought this forward

54:22to make sure that our schools do get

54:24funding. Um, and with that, I vote I.

54:29Council person Zupa,

54:31>> I give credit to the administration for

54:32rectifying a a pass wrong and not

54:35ensuring that the schools are being

54:36properly funded. We we'll talk more

54:38about pilots shortly, but uh I vote I to

54:42ensure that the schools are properly

54:43taken care of when we do reach financial

54:46agreements on important projects.

54:48>> Council person Efos,

54:53>> I will eye on this. Um just appreciate

54:56the administration putting this forward

54:59um alongside this first set of

55:01considerations for a pilot um for

55:04development. Um echoing my colleagues,

55:07it's not just about the the BOE's

55:09operational costs, but it's the cost to

55:12do infrastructural repairs that are

55:14desperately desperately needed in many

55:16of our schools. Um, so I will vote eye

55:19on this to make sure that that

55:21infrastructure is getting contributed

55:22to.

55:25>> Council person Little.

55:28>> Now, just to echo what my colleague

55:29said, I hear from constituents every day

55:31that are concerned that the school

55:34facilities we have are in disrepair. In

55:36some neighborhoods, we do not have

55:39enough classrooms. Um, and you know, I

55:44think this is a first step. It's not the

55:46last step. There's a lot more to do um

55:49for our school facilities. But I vote I

55:53>> council person Gilmore

55:54>> I for education

55:58>> I

55:59>> council person sing.

56:00>> Thank you administration for this and I

56:03vote I

56:04>> council person Griffin.

56:06>> So the grammar school uh that I went to

56:10uh 40 some odd years ago um when I was

56:12in there they didn't have air

56:14conditioning. you go there today, they

56:16don't have air conditioning. Um, so I

56:18think this is an important step moving

56:20forward um in assisting

56:23uh fixing up our schools and also um

56:27using monies uh from pilots to do so. I

56:30vote I

56:32council person Lavaro.

56:35So, I'm going to have a little bit of a

56:36different take than my colleagues on

56:38this ordinance, which is um uh first um

56:42I think it's a good first step. And I

56:45know Councilman Little said that as

56:47well, but um uh you know, for background

56:51for the public, right? So, the previous

56:53administration said that they would do

56:5510% as well and and it never got

56:58allocated um to the Jersey City public

57:00schools. Um, and so this will do some I

57:04believe and and uh if the administration

57:07can just correct me if I'm wrong, but um

57:09we'll retroactively

57:12allocate to um more recent pilots uh 10%

57:16of those those revenues. Um

57:20did

57:23>> correct?

57:23>> That's correct. Okay. So I'm I'm glad

57:26we're rectifying that. I'll say that.

57:28So, um,

57:31I don't want to sugarcoat it. So, a tax

57:33abatement, um, which we have on the

57:35agenda tonight, is, uh, definitely going

57:37to generate a lot more revenue for the

57:39city of Jersey City, and we need that

57:41during a fiscal crisis as well and

57:42moving forward, um, as we have a loan to

57:45pay back over the next 15 years. Um, but

57:48but the schools are are also uh do

57:52currently get zero and now they'll get

57:5310%. Um the reality is by our own

57:58estimates there are going to be about 67

58:00students um that will come out of these

58:04developments that uh for the next

58:06project we're going to be talking about

58:07shortly uh at Canal Crossing for example

58:10and um uh that would come to a cost for

58:13the Jersey City public schools based on

58:15again our own city estimates $12,05 per

58:19student for a total annual uh cost of um

58:23$81 $1,934

58:26uh annually for those 67 students. And

58:29so 10% will get us in year one $190,000.

58:33That leaves us with a gap. Um for the

58:35leaves the Jersey City public schools

58:36with a gap um that's real and so I don't

58:38want to like sugarcoat over that. Um

58:43and uh but this is the first step and

58:46and I've talked in the past about

58:48amending this um ordinance and the 10%

58:50and looking at a number certainly can't

58:53we gave away half the the tax abatement.

58:55It would not be beneficial for the city

58:58uh for the pilot revenue but um we can

59:00figure out another number and a

59:02percentage that maybe uh increases over

59:05time particularly as the the pilot

59:08revenue increases over time as well. um

59:10and do some sort of additional analysis

59:12around that. Um so as I said there's a

59:15good first step. So I will be voting I

59:17um to move this forward because 10% is

59:19better than zero for sure and uh um and

59:23look to work for toward with the

59:25administration um as well as with our

59:26Jersey City public schools to come up

59:29with a a number that uh will hopefully

59:32um better fund our schools in future

59:35years for future abatements. I vote I.

59:39>> Council President Ridley

59:42>> I.

59:44>> City Ordinance 26 there 040 is adopted

59:48unanimously 90.

59:52>> Before I read the next second reading

59:56ordinance into the record, just a little

59:58housekeeping. So there's a lot of new

1:00:00faces in here. Um, so what I ask, even

1:00:04with the faces that are always in here,

1:00:07when I call for a public hearing, I need

1:00:09you to come up to the podium, state your

1:00:11name for the record, and spell it slowly

1:00:15for my court reporter and for me. With

1:00:19that being said, item 4.2, 2. City

1:00:22Ordinance 26-045

1:00:24is an ordinance of the city of Jersey

1:00:26City, County of Hudson, New Jersey,

1:00:28granting a tax exemption with respect to

1:00:31certain property identified as block

1:00:3421501.01,

1:00:37lot 1,

1:00:39850 870 Garfield Avenue, and authorizing

1:00:42the execution of a financial agreement

1:00:44with Garfield Phase 1A, Urban Renewal

1:00:48LLC. This is a public hearing on this

1:00:51ordinance. Any member of the public

1:00:53wishing to be heard, please come up to

1:00:55the podium, state, and spell your name

1:00:59for the record. And I won't start the

1:01:01clock until you're done spelling.

1:01:06Ivon Balsa. First, I want to thank uh

1:01:08the WD councilman for answering that

1:01:10question from the developer that we

1:01:14actually get more kids in affordable

1:01:16housing to the public school than we do

1:01:18for market rate housing. So, we're going

1:01:20to have to build more schools. And

1:01:22believe me, that 10% is not going to

1:01:23cover it. It's going to come from my tax

1:01:25dollars. But this is what I was talking

1:01:27about. It's called Trenton Makes News.

1:01:30And this is what they did for Jersey

1:01:32City. There are 10 cities with tax

1:01:34abatements that are heavily Jersey City

1:01:36is number three. But this is what it

1:01:38says only about Jersey City. The biggest

1:01:41loser in pilots appeared to be Jersey

1:01:44City, which admits it could have

1:01:47collected more than $68 million and

1:01:50additional revenue had the property

1:01:53owners pay normal taxes on their

1:01:56buildings. Let me say that again. The

1:01:58biggest loser in pilot payments appear

1:02:01to be Jersey City, which admits it would

1:02:04have collected more than $68 million in

1:02:07additional revenue had property owners

1:02:10pay the normal taxes on their building.

1:02:12This was published February 29th, 2024.

1:02:17Not by me, by a third party in Triton

1:02:20who discuss tax abatements. So it's not

1:02:23Ivon Bolster. We're losing money. You're

1:02:26putting people in tax lean so other

1:02:28people don't have cheap housing. It's

1:02:30evil. Absolutely evil. I've known many

1:02:33people that lost their housing in Jersey

1:02:35City. YOU TALK ABOUT THERE IS NO SUCH

1:02:37THING AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING if you can't

1:02:40pay the taxes. It's being transferred to

1:02:42somebody else and IT'S WRONG. IT IS

1:02:45theft with a with a pen. You're stealing

1:02:48people's homes with a pen instead of

1:02:50with a knife or a gun. But it's death.

1:02:53But it's not just that.

1:02:56We are we are looking at 50 million $50

1:03:00million shortfall next year. And these

1:03:02are not ratables. These are contracts.

1:03:04And contracts is something like the

1:03:06water department. When the county

1:03:08strikes the budget, it's always the

1:03:09county's job to do that. They ignore

1:03:11they see tax property as invisible

1:03:14properties and they don't add it to the

1:03:16ratable base. So my taxes are higher

1:03:20because I'm subsidizing a tax evated

1:03:22property.

1:03:24That's wrong.

1:03:26And all the other towns they listed,

1:03:28they have North Triton, Jersey City,

1:03:30Patterson, Violent, Elizabeth, Bome,

1:03:33East Orange, Hoboken, and New Brunswick.

1:03:36The only one that lost money from the

1:03:38state is Jersey City because we have a

1:03:41higher uh population with wealth. But

1:03:44we're the ones that say so they get our

1:03:46tax baits but they're not being

1:03:48penalized by the state. So that's 17% by

1:03:51the count by the the board of ed that

1:03:54that hurts and you're responsible for

1:03:56the 17%. Because they're not eratable.

1:04:00All this new stuff is nothing but a

1:04:02burden on everyone else's back and it's

1:04:04your responsibility. You're stealing

1:04:06people homes because you want to have

1:04:09cheap housing for other people. That's

1:04:12what it's all about.

1:04:21If you can just bring the mic up towards

1:04:23you and just state and spell your name

1:04:25for the record for me, sir.

1:04:26>> Bernard Shivers. V E R N A R D. Shivers.

1:04:32S H I V E R S.

1:04:36Thank you, sir.

1:04:39>> Good evening, council.

1:04:41I'mma flip this around a little bit. So

1:04:462004,

1:04:48I came from college. You know, that's

1:04:51what we tell our kids. I came from

1:04:53college and uh

1:04:55phase

1:04:57put me in the union. They never forget

1:05:00that

1:05:02325 wherever you at

1:05:072004.

1:05:09So, I went to work for the union and I'm

1:05:11working hard and I'm see I'm always

1:05:13>> bring the mic right up to your neck.

1:05:15>> I'm a thinker. So, I'm thinking

1:05:19he did that for me.

1:05:22That's what I want to do for other

1:05:24people, right?

1:05:26So, I left the union and I started my

1:05:30own company and I was trying to build

1:05:32lives. And that's what I do. I try to

1:05:35help those that people overlook. The

1:05:38ones that don't get a seat in the room,

1:05:42right? Because all small companies,

1:05:45people always seem to step on them.

1:05:50I'm not a company you going to step on.

1:05:53You're not going to overlook me. And

1:05:55I'mma protect those that can't protect

1:05:57their self. So to make a long story

1:05:59short,

1:06:01I'mma just go to Brandy Wine. Brandy

1:06:03Wine came here and they gave me a realm

1:06:06to bring people into the union

1:06:12and give people opportunity

1:06:15to take care of their families.

1:06:20Now

1:06:22Godfield

1:06:25is doing the same thing that you can't

1:06:28even count how many people did that.

1:06:29They opening the doors for people like

1:06:31me. Everybody forget the small people.

1:06:35You can't forget us. Some abatements are

1:06:38necessary.

1:06:41Some things are necessary for the people

1:06:44you serve.

1:06:46So sometimes you can't go by the

1:06:48numbers. You got to go by what it's

1:06:51going to represent.

1:06:53It's given opportunities.

1:06:55So they gave me I'm working there now.

1:06:57I'm helping them now. They are great and

1:07:01they want me to help other people to

1:07:03come in and and and create their own

1:07:06wave.

1:07:07Who does that?

1:07:10And now crossing is the way they are

1:07:13helping us now. We have to vote for

1:07:16that. Not just for me, not just for you,

1:07:20for the people out there that need us.

1:07:23We got to protect them. Cuz if we don't,

1:07:26nobody will. Guys, it's our duty as

1:07:30human beings to protect each other.

1:07:33Everybody's arguing about the money,

1:07:35arguing about this. Let's argue about

1:07:37what it represents and that's life.

1:07:40Thank you,

1:07:49>> Bruce Holston.

1:07:51E R U

1:07:53L. How are you, Sean?

1:07:55>> All right, buddy. How are you?

1:07:56>> Good.

1:07:57I hope tonight you don't pass this

1:08:00abatement. I hope you pass it

1:08:02unanimously. And I'm going to tell you

1:08:04why.

1:08:06We often talking about projects that

1:08:08bring equity. This one brings equity,

1:08:12but also brings reparations back to the

1:08:15southside community.

1:08:17This city hall failed us.

1:08:22Failed us for decades. One of the most

1:08:25obvious times was the Martin Luther King

1:08:27Drive project.

1:08:29Where's the Thomas Jackson Estates?

1:08:32Do you know that? Does anybody know what

1:08:34that was?

1:08:37I didn't think so.

1:08:38>> Oh, yeah. The last time you had a

1:08:41project of this scale on the south side

1:08:46was 1977.

1:08:48The Salem Lafayette buildings

1:08:53got a chance to do something

1:08:55transformational,

1:08:58legendary,

1:08:59legacy.

1:09:02You know the assignment

1:09:06they a man of color is going to build it

1:09:10for our community. Thank you.

1:09:17Could

1:09:19you state and spell your name for the

1:09:21record?

1:09:21>> Eddie Diaz. E D I E D I A Z.

1:09:27Um,

1:09:28>> good evening, city council. My name is

1:09:30Eddie Diaz. I am a resident of Jerry

1:09:32City, a member of local

1:09:35three laborers, and I'm here to support

1:09:37a canal crossing project. This is a

1:09:40tough time to live in Jerry City. The

1:09:42budget problems in taxes increases

1:09:45working people like me. Those were hard

1:09:47choices, but you made them because they

1:09:49were what's best for the future of the

1:09:51city. And now more than ever, we need

1:09:54you all to step up, make hard choices

1:09:57people

1:09:59benefits the people of Jur City, and

1:10:01invest in a brighter future. And that's

1:10:04exactly what this project is, an

1:10:06investment in the real hardworking

1:10:07people of Jur City. What do I mean by

1:10:10that? I'm talking about 102 new

1:10:12affordable.

1:10:16>> Oh, hold on, hold on,

1:10:17>> hold on second.

1:10:39You can continue, Mr. Diaz.

1:10:41>> What do I mean by that? I'm talking

1:10:43about 102 new affordable homes. I'm

1:10:46talking about space for local businesses

1:10:48to set up shop. And last but not least,

1:10:51I'm talking about union construction

1:10:52jobs. Because when people have access to

1:10:55good paying jobs and affordable housing,

1:10:57they can make it through the tough times

1:10:59more easily.

1:11:01Affordability isn't just about taxes.

1:11:04It's also about creating good

1:11:05opportunities for the people so they can

1:11:07take care of themselves. This project

1:11:09does that. And doing that makes it part

1:11:12of the affordability solution, not the

1:11:14problem. Thank you.

1:11:25If you just bring the mic up towards you

1:11:28and then just state your name and spell

1:11:29it for the record.

1:11:30>> My name is Armani Torres. A R M A N I T

1:11:34O R.

1:11:35>> I'm sorry, a little slow.

1:11:37>> All right.

1:11:37>> M A R M A R

1:11:40>> A R

1:11:42>> A R M

1:11:43>> A N I T O R R E S.

1:11:47>> Thank you, sir.

1:11:48>> Just like the name brand. Uh, I just

1:11:50want to say I support this project. You

1:11:52know, I'm a little shy right now coming

1:11:54up on mic in front of everybody. I

1:11:56support my union. I'm with the locals

1:11:58labor three union. I support every other

1:12:00union that's in here. And I just want to

1:12:02say thank you. That's all.

1:12:10>> Next speaker.

1:12:11>> Hello, Jonathan.

1:12:13Um, you did I email you already?

1:12:16>> I got you.

1:12:16>> All right. Hi, I am a supporter of this

1:12:20project and I'm so happy to see here

1:12:23tonight a project that brings organized

1:12:26labor and housing advocates together. I

1:12:29think this is a transformational

1:12:30project. I live nearby about 10 minutes

1:12:33away from this project in Ward A and I

1:12:36think it will be wonderful for the

1:12:37neighborhood. I think people, you know,

1:12:39the labor here can make their case. I

1:12:42want to actually get in a little bit

1:12:44into the uh pilot and the financials

1:12:46since I know that a few people do have

1:12:48concerns about this. Everything I'm

1:12:51going to cite is from a presentation

1:12:54from the banker group. So there uh was a

1:12:57reading of that earlier in the week at

1:12:59caucus and I'll thank the council and

1:13:01their staff for sharing the documents

1:13:03with me and my colleagues. So, a few

1:13:06points I want to raise about this site,

1:13:09uh, specifically with, um, the

1:13:11financials. So, um, currently it's an

1:13:14empty lot. You know, it's a contaminated

1:13:16lot. They're, uh, remediating it. And

1:13:19currently it generates 170K total taxes.

1:13:23So, that's city, uh, that's county and

1:13:25schools. And with this new project with

1:13:28the phases 1A and 1B combined it will

1:13:32generate annually you know we'll go from

1:13:34170k to 1.995 million for phase 1. So

1:13:39that is a significant increase. You know

1:13:41people are making the comparison you

1:13:43know what if we could do this with no

1:13:45pilot. This unfortunately it's not a

1:13:48prime space of land downtown. This is an

1:13:51area where just because we would reszone

1:13:53it to residential by law by the 2021 ICO

1:13:57we would need to um add affordable

1:14:00units. So economically there is no way

1:14:02to do this project without a pilot. It

1:14:05simply will not happen. And then what

1:14:07the city administration has done they've

1:14:10increased the affordable percentage.

1:14:12They've increased um the you know the

1:14:14AMI targets. They have uh you know

1:14:18gotten uh two and threebedroom

1:14:19familysized units here and they're

1:14:21adding other benefits. There's a public

1:14:23park. There is

1:14:26um you know we will have all of these

1:14:28benefits for the labor unions. We'll

1:14:30have prevailing wages. We'll have local

1:14:32hiring. You know all all of these

1:14:34benefits. It does come at a cost. So we

1:14:36are giving a pilot to this project but

1:14:38it will increase the total revenue to

1:14:40the city and it ultimately you have to

1:14:43spend money to get results. And this is

1:14:45a great project for the neighborhood, a

1:14:47great project for the city, and a great

1:14:48project for the um city's finances.

1:14:51Thank you very much and have a great

1:14:53day.

1:14:59>> You can just state your name and spell

1:15:01your name for the record, please.

1:15:02>> Um Michael Oconor, O apostrophe c n o r

1:15:07uh 8:30 Bergen Avenue. And uh thank you

1:15:11for uh uh uh thank you for entertaining

1:15:14comments on this uh Council President

1:15:17Ridley and and council members. Uh I'm

1:15:21executive director of the Hudson County

1:15:24um improvement authority and uh I'm here

1:15:28on behalf of the county executive, the

1:15:30county administration to reiterate

1:15:32the county's support for this project.

1:15:34And I'll just briefly describe what

1:15:37that's been. Um the uh in July the uh

1:15:41county board of commissioners

1:15:44uh voted to support with a county

1:15:47guarantee uh the full faith and credit

1:15:49of the taxpayers of the entire county of

1:15:51Hudson up to $140 million in bonds uh to

1:15:57monetize the Aspire grant that the state

1:16:01of New Jersey uh pro is providing for

1:16:04this project. That's that Aspire grant

1:16:08um is a tax credit grant uh is tax

1:16:11credits over a course of 10 years and

1:16:14what the bonds are doing is monetizing

1:16:16that providing the funds necessary up to

1:16:19$140 million to fund the construction of

1:16:22the project. Well, that's a s

1:16:25extraordinary commitment quite frankly

1:16:27from the taxpayers of the entire county

1:16:29of Hudson to support this project. The

1:16:32project will pay back the bonds, but

1:16:34they are guaranteed by the taxpayers of

1:16:37Hudson County. And uh that's evidence of

1:16:40I think u county government's uh support

1:16:44for this project and view that it's a

1:16:47critically important project and

1:16:50suitable for the type of support that

1:16:53you're being asked to provide tonight. I

1:16:55think um I heard some commentary uh

1:16:58already about about pilots and just as a

1:17:01lifelong Hudson County uh resident uh

1:17:04it's it's my view that the long-term uh

1:17:08tax exempt law is was created many many

1:17:12years ago like Miss Webb mentioned

1:17:14originally to fund projects like this

1:17:17for sites that are brownfield sites that

1:17:21are in areas that

1:17:24should have development. And so, so I

1:17:27just wanted to reiterate that the the

1:17:30the county and the Hudson County

1:17:32Improvement Authority and uh supports

1:17:34this project. I also want to quite

1:17:36frankly uh commend the the the new

1:17:39administration for moving forward with

1:17:41this for the first eight or nine months

1:17:44in office from taking this from the

1:17:46drawing board uh now to reality and uh

1:17:51hopefully soon to construction. So,

1:17:54thank you.

1:18:01If you can just state and spell your

1:18:03name for the record.

1:18:05>> Bo, my name is Stacy Jackson. S T A C E

1:18:09Y.

1:18:09>> You got to just slow down. It's Casey.

1:18:12>> Stacy. Stacy. S T A C E Y Jackson. J A

1:18:19C. I turned my phone.

1:18:20>> I got you.

1:18:27>> How you doing?

1:18:29Um,

1:18:31I'm a union labor. I'm a first

1:18:34generation. I got three sons that's

1:18:37second generation. I got couple

1:18:40grandsons about to be third generation.

1:18:43Um, being into the union, it's dirty

1:18:48work. It's hard work.

1:18:52It's honest work. It's a livelihood.

1:18:56It's a brotherhood. And if you walk out

1:18:59of y'all building, you could see our

1:19:01world because we built everything. When

1:19:05you leave out this building that you

1:19:07see, we built it. The schools, the

1:19:09skyscrapers, the hospitals, everything.

1:19:13We started this city and we should not

1:19:16be denied to finish it. It's like it's

1:19:20it's it's like we living in a day and

1:19:23age where y'all the council that

1:19:26supposed to be here for us and work for

1:19:29us, but then we got to come to y'all and

1:19:32beg for our livelihood. Like why is

1:19:35that? Why we got to you it's all you

1:19:38look behind me, it's families that got

1:19:40to get taken care of. It's money that

1:19:42stay in this city. My family's been here

1:19:45for 120 years and we ain't going

1:19:49nowhere. And we want to see this city

1:19:52flourish, thrive, change, and get better

1:19:56for everybody.

1:19:59For everybody. I was born in the 70s and

1:20:02I don't know if y'all went through what

1:20:03I went through, but my mother used to

1:20:06had to hide her sewing machine and my

1:20:08father used to have to hide under the

1:20:10bed because a social worker didn't want

1:20:13no father in the house. That's what I

1:20:16came from. But you know what? I tied my

1:20:19boots up and I got a trade and I made

1:20:23it. And you know what? I got three sons

1:20:26that's following right behind me. I got

1:20:28three grandsons that's graduating from

1:20:30Dickerson and going and joining this

1:20:32brotherhood. All we trying to do is live

1:20:34and survive. And that's not a crime to

1:20:37survive. If y'all don't All we need

1:20:40y'all to do is let us live. Could we

1:20:42live?

1:20:43Could we live?

1:20:46That's all we want to do is live.

1:20:49We don't want nothing else. No. We got

1:20:51families to feed. We got mouth to feed.

1:20:53And we should not be denied the decent

1:20:56human rights just to survive. It's not a

1:20:59crime to survive. We should our life

1:21:02should not be in y'all hand. It's in God

1:21:04hand.

1:21:06You know what I'm saying?

1:21:09All I'm going say,

1:21:12this project right here, it going to

1:21:15keep people here that belong here that's

1:21:18trying to stay here. You know what I'm

1:21:20saying? Cuz we don't got nowhere else to

1:21:21go. Jersey City is our life.

1:21:27Thank you. Thank you very much.

1:21:35>> Next speaker, if you can state and spell

1:21:37your name for the record, please slowly.

1:21:40>> Jalimma Williams. J L E M A H.

1:21:45>> I'm sorry there's a lot of background

1:21:47noise. Just say your first name again.

1:21:49Spell it. Jal Lima.

1:21:51>> Spell it.

1:21:52>> J Y L E M A H.

1:21:57>> And your last name?

1:21:58>> Williams.

1:21:59>> Williams. Thank you.

1:22:01>> Good evening.

1:22:06My name is Jalimma Williams. I'm a case

1:22:08manager at workforce development at

1:22:09Elizabeth Development Company. I'm here

1:22:11in support of the Canal Crossing project

1:22:13and the opportunities it could create

1:22:15for local residents. Through EDC's

1:22:17workforce development programs, we

1:22:19connect residents with training and

1:22:20union apprenticeship opportunities. We

1:22:23have many Jersey City residents go

1:22:25through our programs who are now members

1:22:26of different unions in the building in

1:22:28building careers in the skills trade.

1:22:30These aren't just jobs. These are

1:22:31opportunities to gain real hands-on

1:22:33experience, earn a living, and build

1:22:35careers that can support themselves and

1:22:36their families. I grew up in Jersey City

1:22:39as well, so I understand how important

1:22:40it is for residents to have

1:22:42opportunities to be a part of the growth

1:22:43happening in their own in their own

1:22:45community.

1:22:47Now crossing has been empty for a while

1:22:49and needs residents who need jobs and

1:22:51families and need stable affordable

1:22:53housing. This project has the potential

1:22:55to address both. The developer has also

1:22:58worked with EDC on different projects

1:23:00other in other urban communities

1:23:03including where development has created

1:23:05opportunities for local workers and new

1:23:07affordable housing. From my experience

1:23:09working directly with Jersey City

1:23:11residents, I've seen um how a training

1:23:14opportunity can turn into an actual

1:23:16career where people are given the right

1:23:18resources and a pathway into the trades.

1:23:21It's important. It's important and I

1:23:23believe workforce opportunities

1:23:25connected to the canal crossing are

1:23:26important. This project can give local

1:23:28residents an opportunity to not only

1:23:30work on a project being built in the

1:23:32community, but to build careers and

1:23:33create a better future for themselves.

1:23:35So there I ask that you be in support of

1:23:37the canal crossing project. Thank you.

1:23:46>> Bless you. If you can just state and

1:23:48spell your name for the record. Nice and

1:23:50slow.

1:23:51>> Good evening. My name is Stephanie

1:23:53Bonia.

1:23:54>> Stephanie.

1:23:55>> B O N I.

1:23:57>> I'm sorry. Your first name is Stephanie.

1:23:58>> Yes.

1:24:01>> And last name?

1:24:02>> B O N I. B O N. It's hard to hear you,

1:24:06Stephanie. Sorry.

1:24:07>> B O N I L L A.

1:24:10>> Thank you.

1:24:12>> Good evening. I'm a first year

1:24:14apprentice with Plumbers Local 24 and

1:24:16I'm here tonight in support of the pilot

1:24:18for the Canal Crossing project. As

1:24:21someone at the beginning of my

1:24:22apprenticeship, I'm learning that

1:24:23becoming a skilled trades person

1:24:24requires time, commitment, and hands-on

1:24:27learning experience. Apprentices like me

1:24:30need to actually work in the field. And

1:24:32every project where we can learn, gain

1:24:34experience, and build our hours moves us

1:24:36closer to completing set apprenticeship.

1:24:38That is one of the reasons I support the

1:24:40canal crossing project. A project of

1:24:42this size can provide valuable

1:24:44construction opportunities for

1:24:46apprentices like me and help us continue

1:24:48to develop the skills we need to thrive

1:24:50in our careers. Um, I'm at the beginning

1:24:53of my career and I would love to see

1:24:55more projects create opportunities for

1:24:57people who are working to establish

1:24:58themselves in the trades. Thank you.

1:25:02I just

1:25:04Stephanie

1:25:06Stephanie. Hi. Sorry to This is

1:25:09Councilman Lavaro. Did you say you're a

1:25:10Jersey City resident? No. Okay. Thank

1:25:13you.

1:25:20>> Okay. Our next speaker,

1:25:21>> my name is Stephanie Starts. St A R TZ.

1:25:26>> Thank you.

1:25:27Um just a note of first about maybe

1:25:29transparency and communications from the

1:25:31city. Um I learned more about this

1:25:34project from the Hudson County

1:25:35Chronicles in the last week than I could

1:25:37in the available documents. Um when you

1:25:40build something as a hardscape park, it

1:25:42doesn't really explain what is is

1:25:45actually being invested in. It was I'm

1:25:47glad to hear that the developer actually

1:25:49is making investments that will mitigate

1:25:51flooding um and the effects of climate

1:25:53change. Hopefully, the mayor's

1:25:56communication strategy going forward

1:25:57will be a little bit more of the stake

1:26:00than the sizzle. Now, this is a project

1:26:03that is a long time coming. Back in

1:26:062009, the residents of this neighborhood

1:26:09joined forces with attorneys from the

1:26:11Natural Resources Defense Council to sue

1:26:13PPG, the owner of this site. And that

1:26:16resulted in a victory of a $600 million

1:26:19cleanup and class action settlement with

1:26:22individual payouts to average $2,000 to

1:26:25$2,500 if all residents submitted

1:26:28claims. Um, as a result of that

1:26:30advocacy, community members aren't being

1:26:34invested in. They aren't being given the

1:26:36chance to build wealth in the way that

1:26:38this developer is. As I said, this is a

1:26:41long time coming. This is a Steve Fulip

1:26:43project. At some point in the Philip

1:26:46administration, the beret received uh

1:26:49the property. PPG didn't like that. They

1:26:52sued. They went into a courtroom. It's

1:26:54not really clear what happened. This is

1:26:56the first of six lots. So not much can

1:26:59be fixed there, but I am hoping that

1:27:01going forward the city can model maybe

1:27:04more innovative methods of housing

1:27:07development with maybe um community land

1:27:10trust. Uh finding ways to build wealth

1:27:13with peoples who who have been in this

1:27:15community who have advocated for this

1:27:16cleanup. Um real community benefits uh

1:27:21would also include agreements that give

1:27:23community residents first choice. This

1:27:25is something Newark's been able to do.

1:27:27um affordable commercial rents so that

1:27:30local businesses can afford to do

1:27:33business in this neighborhood and serve

1:27:35their communities. Um we don't, you

1:27:38know, when you spend the last eight

1:27:40years, 10 years vilifying pilots,

1:27:42vilifying developers, it is tough. One

1:27:44of your first projects is a pilot. Um

1:27:47you know, again, I invite the mayor,

1:27:49this is opportunity to maybe help change

1:27:52the narrative around how we invest in

1:27:54our communities, how we build out our

1:27:55communities. We don't need to repeat the

1:27:58same strategies that put us in a housing

1:28:00crisis. Thank you.

1:28:08>> You can just state and spell your name

1:28:10for the record.

1:28:11>> Good evening. My name is Laura L. White

1:28:14Law. Whiti T L A W. I would like to say

1:28:18>> L A W.

1:28:20>> L A W. I would like to say that um um

1:28:23I'm a secondy year apprentice in in the

1:28:25labor union which has changed my life

1:28:28and

1:28:31I want to say that I stand in solidarity

1:28:33and I'm going to fight every day with

1:28:36the situation here so that

1:28:39one day I am not found facing what these

1:28:42people in this neighborhood are going to

1:28:43face. Um every day I fear that it could

1:28:47be me next. you know, they could do this

1:28:50to my neighborhood. So, I'm just saying

1:28:52that I'm here to stand in solidarity

1:28:53with my logo to support the situation.

1:28:56Thank you.

1:29:03>> Next speaker, if you can just state and

1:29:04spell your name for the record. Nice and

1:29:06slow.

1:29:07>> AA Murray. I A S.

1:29:11>> Hold on. Hold on,

1:29:14guys. We need to lower down the

1:29:15background noise cuz I can't even hear

1:29:17the speakers spell their names.

1:29:20Continue.

1:29:21>> I A S I A H

1:29:25M U R R A Y.

1:29:28>> Thank you.

1:29:30>> Uh good evening everybody. My name is

1:29:32Aia Murray. I am a plumber and a welder

1:29:35out of plumbers local 24. Um I have a

1:29:39many years ago I came through the uh the

1:29:41impact program and I entered through the

1:29:44union trades. I started as an

1:29:46apprentice, learned the trade, gained

1:29:48experience and eventually became a

1:29:50journey woman. Today this is my career.

1:29:53I know what it means to have someone

1:29:55open a door for you and give you an

1:29:58opportunity to learn something uh that

1:30:00could become a lifelong career. This is

1:30:03why I believe it is important to have

1:30:05projects that create actual work

1:30:07opportunities for apprentice and skilled

1:30:09trades people. A canal crossing

1:30:12represents an opportunity to bring new

1:30:14development to Jersey City while also

1:30:17creating work and career opportunities

1:30:19for people in the trade. Uh when we

1:30:22invest in projects like this, we are

1:30:24also investing in the people who build

1:30:26them. I am here tonight in support of

1:30:29pilot for the canal crossing project.

1:30:32Thank you so much.

1:30:40>> Next speaker, if you can just state and

1:30:42spell your name slowly for the record.

1:30:44>> Good evening, council. My name is Deja

1:30:47Brown.

1:30:48D E J A B R O W N.

1:30:53>> Thank you.

1:30:55>> Good evening. I'm a Jersey City

1:30:57resident, a mother, and I'm a plumber

1:31:01apprentice first year with the local 24.

1:31:06I came here through the EDC's NJ bill

1:31:09program, and I'm here to support the

1:31:11pilot for the canal crossing project.

1:31:14Councilman Bill O Day gave me an

1:31:16opportunity when he connected me with

1:31:19business manager Patrick.

1:31:22Thank you.

1:31:27That connection helped put me in a

1:31:30position to start working in this trade.

1:31:32And today I'm working with FNG

1:31:34Mechanical, learning a career that

1:31:37allows me to provide for my son and

1:31:39build a future for my family. That's why

1:31:42projects like Canal Crossing matter to

1:31:45me. And abatement may sound like it's

1:31:48only about taxes, but I understand the

1:31:50bigger picture is what we getting in

1:31:52return. affordable housing, investment

1:31:54in our community, and importantly to me,

1:31:57union jobs that keep our members and

1:32:00contractors working. I'm a renter

1:32:02myself, so affordability, it matters to

1:32:05me. I want to be able to afford to stay

1:32:08in the same city that I'm helping build.

1:32:11I'm living proof of what happens when

1:32:13somebody opens a door. Now, we need

1:32:16projects that give people the

1:32:17opportunity to walk through those doors

1:32:19that actually work. Thank you.

1:32:29You can state and spell your name slowly

1:32:31for the record.

1:32:32>> Good evening, council. I am Carolyn Mo.

1:32:36C A R O L Y N M O T E. I am a local 274

1:32:42sister pipe fitters. I'm also a Jersey

1:32:45City resident. Um, I am here um to

1:32:50support the Canal Crossing Project for a

1:32:53couple of reasons. Um, one, I love to

1:32:55see my brothers and sisters that are

1:32:57union that are born and bred in this

1:32:59city getting work for their families. I

1:33:02also love to see our city being built

1:33:05safely and correctly by union members

1:33:08from the ground up. We know how to make

1:33:12it safe when we take trash down

1:33:14highrises. We know how to make it safe

1:33:16to make sure that you have heating and

1:33:18electric in all of your buildings. Uh we

1:33:21know how to do the work right. Um we

1:33:23support our local city and our local

1:33:26government as far as providing work for

1:33:30all the people that you see behind me.

1:33:32Um we live here, we work here, we are

1:33:35from here, we care about here. This is

1:33:37our city and we want to see it grow. And

1:33:40we would love projects for people like

1:33:42my sister that have small children to

1:33:44see a future for them. People like my

1:33:46brother that have second and third

1:33:47generation coming up into these locals.

1:33:51We are here. We are proud. And we care.

1:33:54We care about the city. We care about

1:33:55the work. And we're here to do it right.

1:34:08Next speaker, if you can state and spell

1:34:10your name slowly for the record.

1:34:12>> Yes. Good evening. My name is Essence

1:34:14Kelly. E S E N C E.

1:34:18>> E S S E N C E.

1:34:20>> Mhm. K E L L E Y.

1:34:23>> Thank you.

1:34:25>> I'm here tonight to support the pilot

1:34:27program for the Canal Crossing project.

1:34:30I also would like to thank Belote for

1:34:32the opportunity as a third generation

1:34:34plumber to become a part of local 24 as

1:34:37well as Patty.

1:34:39Um I'm currently on my way to be a

1:34:41journey woman. So I definitely want to

1:34:43give them praise to that. Um I did take

1:34:46a look at the project and it is going to

1:34:48be 20% affordable and I think that's

1:34:50important for affordability in this

1:34:52community especially as someone that

1:34:54can't afford it. But most importantly,

1:34:56the experience to have as a young

1:34:58developer that's developing 16 units or

1:35:0119 units and now you can actually sit on

1:35:03a project that's doing over 300 units or

1:35:06500 units. So, I think that's really

1:35:09really important and I just wanted to

1:35:12say thank you.

1:35:17>> Next speaker, if you can state and spell

1:35:20your name slowly for the record.

1:35:22>> My name is Katherine Tanzy. T A N S E Y

1:35:26>> is Katherine with a C or K?

1:35:28>> C. A T H E R I N E.

1:35:32>> And your last name again? I missed that.

1:35:34>> Tanzy. T A N S E Y.

1:35:37>> S E Y. Thank you, Katherine.

1:35:39>> Thank you. Good evening, council

1:35:41members. I'm here to support garden

1:35:44ordinance 2677.

1:35:48I am the coordinator of St. Aiden's mig

1:35:52This is ordinance 26-045

1:35:55that we're speaking on.

1:35:57>> Oh, sorry.

1:35:58>> That's okay.

1:35:59>> All right. Thank you. On to the next

1:36:00one.

1:36:01>> Yes.

1:36:07>> If you can state and spell your name for

1:36:10the record, please. Nice and slow.

1:36:12>> Um, the name is Akshai Worma. It's

1:36:14>> Hold on. Hold on.

1:36:18It's spelled uh a ks h a y.

1:36:22>> You're you're too far away from the mic

1:36:24for me to hear you. I'm sorry. I

1:36:26apologize.

1:36:26>> Just bring the mic up towards you.

1:36:28>> All right. Um the name is Akshai Worma.

1:36:31It is spelled A K S H A Y. Last name

1:36:35WMA. W E R M A.

1:36:39>> Thank you.

1:36:41>> So I'm here to speak in favor of Canal

1:36:43Crossing. It's a great project turning

1:36:44chemically tainted un unproductive land

1:36:48into uh 530

1:36:50uh homes including 120 deeply affordable

1:36:53homes. I know there are people in this

1:36:55room that are worried about the

1:36:57financial effects of the pilot itself

1:37:00and to that I offer essentially two

1:37:01counterpoints. In the next uh in the

1:37:04next few years as the project itself is

1:37:06built out there will be a lot of pilots

1:37:08expiring and I believe it is

1:37:10approximated that about 38 mill that the

1:37:12school system will receive 38 million

1:37:15per year from these expiring pilots

1:37:16without adding any new school ch new

1:37:18school children which means that we

1:37:21should be able to buffer the costs quite

1:37:23well.

1:37:25Uh the second point that I would like to

1:37:27make is that the is the importance of

1:37:30and not of also developing market rate

1:37:33housing in tandem with such uh the

1:37:36affordable units. If you look at the

1:37:39RDG's model uh for for new school

1:37:42children in uh entering their enter

1:37:45every time a new building is built uh I

1:37:48believe the council members you got this

1:37:50in the form of uh the municipal impact

1:37:52of public school children on Monday and

1:37:54if anybody wants to slip me that after

1:37:57the session I would be very happy but if

1:38:00you look at that essentially it

1:38:01basically states that the studios and

1:38:04onebs which are often mis maligned are

1:38:07very important contributors to our

1:38:09school system because they don't add

1:38:10that many school children but they add a

1:38:12lot of money to the schools themselves.

1:38:15I've had this debate with a couple of

1:38:17you so far, but the in other words, in

1:38:20order to develop housing advance for

1:38:23very lowincome f people, we we also need

1:38:27the what is often called the yepy

1:38:29fishbowl as an important part of that

1:38:31ecosystem.

1:38:33And the and with my final point is that

1:38:35because this is not because this project

1:38:37is an Aspire project and Aspire credits

1:38:40are soon closing off, we will need

1:38:42future pilots and pilot RABS to develop

1:38:45even more affordable units that match

1:38:49the deeply affordable uh levels that

1:38:52this project provides deeper than the

1:38:54NJUHAC levels.

1:38:57And so that's why you know we need to do

1:38:59things in such an ecosystem. Uh that's

1:39:01it. Thank you.

1:39:06Next speaker, if you can state and spell

1:39:08your name slowly for the record. Good

1:39:11evening, council members. My name is

1:39:12Simon Santiago, S A Y M O N.

1:39:19I am a lifelong Jersey City resident and

1:39:22a proud carpenter representing local 253

1:39:25and the Hudson County building trades. I

1:39:28have been fortunate enough to learn a

1:39:30skilled trade that has provided me with

1:39:32a career, not just a job. The wages I've

1:39:36I I have earned working on construction

1:39:39projects throughout Jersey City have

1:39:42allowed me to provide for my family,

1:39:44purchase a home, and continue living in

1:39:47the city that I proudly call home. My

1:39:50family is a testament to what the union

1:39:52building trades can do. My son is now a

1:39:55second generation Union carpenter,

1:39:58continuing that tradition. And my

1:40:00daughter is a Penn State graduate. Those

1:40:03opportunities were made possible because

1:40:05of of the stability and the dignity that

1:40:08union work has provided. I respectfully

1:40:12urge the council to vote in favor of the

1:40:14canal crossing project. It will protect

1:40:16real opportunities for the hardworking

1:40:18men and women of the building trades,

1:40:21helping them to continue to live, work,

1:40:24and raise their families here in Jersey

1:40:27City. I will I will also ensure that our

1:40:32children have access to safe,

1:40:33highquality learning environments in

1:40:36their own communities.

1:40:38This is about more than creating union

1:40:40jobs. It's about investing in Jersey

1:40:43City and ensuring that investment comes

1:40:46back to our communities through skilled

1:40:48local workers, affordable housing,

1:40:51quality construction, and a stronger

1:40:54future for the next generation. Thank

1:40:56you for your time and consideration.

1:41:04>> Next speaker, if you can just state and

1:41:06spell your name slowly for the record.

1:41:07>> Good evening. My name is Samuel Conway.

1:41:10S A M

1:41:10>> I can't

1:41:11>> Good evening. My name is Samuel Conaway.

1:41:14S A M U L C O N A W A Y.

1:41:20>> Thank you.

1:41:21>> All right. So, I'm a born and born and

1:41:23raised Jersey City resident, a union

1:41:26carpenter, a shop stewart, a trustee,

1:41:28and a delegate with the Carpenters Local

1:41:30253. I also serve as a member on the

1:41:33Jersey City Planning Board. I'm here

1:41:35tonight in support of responsible

1:41:37development at Canal Crossings and what

1:41:39this project can mean for working

1:41:41families. I understand that whatever we

1:41:44talk about tax abatements or financial

1:41:46initiatives, people are going to have

1:41:48concerns and that every right and they

1:41:50have every right whether the public is

1:41:52getting enough in their return.

1:41:55But if the city decides that the

1:41:57initiative is necessary to help move a

1:42:00project forward, then the men and women

1:42:02actually building that project should

1:42:04not become subsidy. Good wages, healthc

1:42:07care, pensions, training, benefits

1:42:10should not be the first thing sacrificed

1:42:12to make the numbers work. For me, this

1:42:14is personal. I grew up in the city. The

1:42:17union trades gave me a career, a way to

1:42:19provide for my family, ability to have a

1:42:22stable life. There's there is pride in

1:42:25being able to drive through your own

1:42:28city and tell your children, "Hey, I

1:42:30helped build that." I want more

1:42:32opportunity for Jersey City residents.

1:42:36Not just to watch development happen

1:42:37around them, but to work on it, build on

1:42:40it, build careers from it, and benefit

1:42:42and grow in their own city. I also want

1:42:45to be clear about the different roles I

1:42:47serve. Tonight I'm speaking about the

1:42:49financial agreements, labored standards,

1:42:51and responsible development.

1:42:54And hold on.

1:42:57Responsible development should deliver

1:43:00Oh,

1:43:03what's up?

1:43:06Responsible development should deliver

1:43:07for the community as a planning board

1:43:09commissioner. Any future applications

1:43:11that come before me reviewed

1:43:13independently based as the testimony

1:43:15plans. professional reports, public

1:43:18commitments, and record presents to the

1:43:20board. My commitments tonight are not a

1:43:24comment or to any future land

1:43:26application. Thank you for your time.

1:43:37>> And just state and spell your name for

1:43:39the record, please.

1:43:40>> Yes. My name is Alariq Witcher. That's a

1:43:42L hyphen capital T A R I Q. Last name

1:43:48Witcher. W I T C H E R.

1:43:53>> Thank you.

1:43:54>> Good evening, members of the council.

1:43:55Thank you for allowing me to hear to

1:43:56speak tonight. My name is Al Tariq

1:43:58Witcher. I am the community director of

1:44:02public relations at Fairshare Housing

1:44:04Center. Fair Share Housing Center is a

1:44:06nonprofit organization, advocacy

1:44:08organization. We use legal policy and

1:44:11community building strategies to fight

1:44:13for affordable housing, tenant

1:44:15protections, responsible development,

1:44:17and anti-discrimination.

1:44:19I'm here today to speak on behalf of the

1:44:21Canal Crossing Redevelopment Project,

1:44:24particularly in its vital commitment to

1:44:26affordable housing. Fair Share Housing

1:44:28Center stands in strong support of Canal

1:44:31Crossing. Um, Jersey City is rap growing

1:44:34rapidly, but that growth must include

1:44:36everyone. The canal crossing project

1:44:39represents a crucial step towards

1:44:41transforming a former industrial

1:44:43brownsfield into a vibrant transit

1:44:46oriented community. Most importantly, by

1:44:49setting aside 20% of the residential

1:44:52units for affordable housing. This

1:44:54project provides working families,

1:44:57seniors, and long-term residents with

1:44:59the opportunity to remain in the city

1:45:02that they love. Affordable housing near

1:45:04public transit, like the Garfield Avenue

1:45:07light rail station, is exactly the type

1:45:10of smart, equitable development our city

1:45:12needs to thrive. I urge the board to

1:45:15approve and expedite this project so

1:45:17that we can bring these much needed

1:45:18homes to our community. Thank you for

1:45:21your time and dedication in keeping

1:45:23Jersey City accessible and affordable

1:45:25for all.

1:45:30Next speaker, if you can just state and

1:45:32spell your name for the record.

1:45:35>> Oales, first name H I T O L I T O.

1:45:42>> Sorry, I'm I'm you guys with the

1:45:45background noise. You got to lower down

1:45:47because I can't hear the speakers.

1:45:50>> Spell again.

1:45:51>> Orales.

1:45:52>> Back off of the mic a little bit.

1:45:55O V A L L E S

1:46:01>> first name

1:46:02>> Holo. H I P O L I T O.

1:46:08>> Thank you.

1:46:09>> Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you

1:46:12council members. I'm over here in

1:46:15support of this great project for the

1:46:18down south of Jersey City. I've been

1:46:22under the owner of a few businesses. A4

1:46:26Oceanan Avenue, this Alina White Horse

1:46:30Supermarket,

1:46:32also 211 Martin Luther King Patria

1:46:35Supermarket,

1:46:37643 Oceanan Avenue, Kenya Supermarket.

1:46:41I've been living in Jersey City

1:46:44for more than 40 years and I never seen

1:46:48an opportunities such as this project

1:46:51which I support 100%

1:46:55and because bringing a lot of

1:46:56opportunity

1:46:58for

1:47:00more than 100 unit affordable houses for

1:47:03the poor people so we can stay living in

1:47:06Jersey City. also is bringing a lot of

1:47:10revenue to the small businesses since we

1:47:13are having serious time to keep it up

1:47:16with the hard volume of everything going

1:47:19up and all these big supermarket like

1:47:22Walmart, Costco, etc. small businesses

1:47:26that we are having serious problem to

1:47:28stay alive and project like this one

1:47:31that give us you know a nice way to

1:47:34think that things are going to be better

1:47:36for the south side of Jersey city. May

1:47:40God bless this project and all the

1:47:43conserment I hope that they vote yes for

1:47:46this project. Thank you.

1:47:58Isaac Dembo. I S A C D E N B E A U X

1:48:06>> D E N.

1:48:08>> Yes.

1:48:09>> The rest of it.

1:48:10>> Uh B E A U X.

1:48:14>> Good evening, council members. My name

1:48:16is Isaac Dembo and I'm here to support

1:48:18the Canal Crossing project. I'm a

1:48:20third-year apprentice for the Local 24

1:48:23Plumbing Union and I've been living in

1:48:25Jersey City for over three years now.

1:48:27The price of living is constantly

1:48:29increasing and a project like Canal

1:48:30Street is only going to have a positive

1:48:32impact on the daily lives for us in the

1:48:34union and in Jersey City. When I began,

1:48:37I started as a non-UN worker and thanks

1:48:39to business agents like Pat Keller, I

1:48:41was able to go from having a lowpaying

1:48:43job to a real career where I can support

1:48:45myself. I love the union and in Jersey

1:48:48City needs to stay in support of the

1:48:50union so that jobs can be done safely

1:48:52and correctly.

1:48:55I stand with my union brothers and

1:48:56sisters and hope that you will support

1:48:58the canal crossing project because the

1:49:00union deserves to have this after

1:49:01fighting for over 10 years to have this

1:49:03work. That's all I got. Thank you for

1:49:06your time.

1:49:12>> Next speaker.

1:49:14>> Oh, good evening. Uh, my name is Fod

1:49:16Cece. F O D A Y. Last name Cece. S E S A

1:49:22Y.

1:49:22>> S E S A Y.

1:49:24>> Yes.

1:49:24>> Thank you, sir.

1:49:26>> Yes. Uh, my name is Vod Cece. I'm a

1:49:30member of Local 253 Carpenters. I've

1:49:32been a carpenter for 15 years. I'm in

1:49:35I'm up here for the support of Canal

1:49:37Crossing project. The reason why I'm up

1:49:39here the reason why I'm in support of

1:49:42this project because projects like this

1:49:44and different projects was able to

1:49:46change my life. I was able to uh take

1:49:49care of my sick mom when I was working

1:49:50on 70 Columbus and 90 Columbus about 10

1:49:53years ago. And jobs like this would

1:49:55continue to help me provide for my

1:49:58family and pro help other carpenters

1:50:00provide for their families. That's all I

1:50:02have.

1:50:08Next speaker, if you can state and spell

1:50:10your name for the record.

1:50:11>> Hello. Yes. My name is Henry Skipper.

1:50:14Henry. Hen R Y.

1:50:17>> Slower. H

1:50:18>> H E N R Y.

1:50:20>> M E R Y.

1:50:22>> H E N R Y.

1:50:24>> It's hard to hear, sir. I'm I'm sorry.

1:50:26I'm I don't

1:50:27>> Henry. Henry. Henry.

1:50:29>> Got it.

1:50:31>> Skipper.

1:50:31>> And your last name? Skipper.

1:50:33>> Skipper.

1:50:34>> S k I p e r.

1:50:36>> I gotcha.

1:50:38>> Yes. I am a proud member of local union

1:50:41plumbers local 24.

1:50:43I've been a member of local 24 since

1:50:451980.

1:50:47I am uh I'm here. I'm very inspired by

1:50:51the young uh apprentices that have come

1:50:53up here and showed the courage to speak

1:50:56on plumbers local and the the canal

1:50:59coursing project behalf

1:51:02is it's gives me great honor just to to

1:51:06be here to represent plumbers local 24.

1:51:10Uh the last five years I've been a local

1:51:12since 1980. five years, uh, I've been

1:51:15afforded to be able to go back to, um,

1:51:17school and and and further my education

1:51:20in the plumbing field. I've got, uh,

1:51:22certification in, uh, a backflow and

1:51:25certification in medical gas. And the

1:51:28new the new mechanics, the the new

1:51:30people that are coming up, the

1:51:31apprentices that spoken are are very

1:51:34wellqualified and they they have very

1:51:37good training. uh our paychecks. When we

1:51:40get our paychecks, uh uh that there are

1:51:43funds funds that go into the education

1:51:45funds, goes into political funds and

1:51:48distributed into these various funds

1:51:50that uh uh help benefit the the local

1:51:54and and and the mechanics and the

1:51:56apprentices. Uh it is is is it we we've

1:51:59had we've gone through some hard times.

1:52:02I've gone through the the local has gone

1:52:04through some hard times, ups and downs

1:52:06in the years I've been here and I

1:52:08persevered and and I I've really

1:52:11encouraged this project to go forward.

1:52:13So, I I don't want to see uh um uh our

1:52:16young mechanics and apprentices have to

1:52:18go through what I've been through uh uh

1:52:21and and and and uh uh have go out there

1:52:24and and buy homes and cars and and have

1:52:27to provide for their family and and go

1:52:29through long droughts of unemployment

1:52:31that I have that I have experienced. uh

1:52:34uh but so I really encourage that you

1:52:37take this consideration uh of what's at

1:52:41state uh our young mechanics that are

1:52:45very highly qualified

1:52:47very very well trained and and doing and

1:52:51have the courage to come up here and

1:52:53speak and speak on the and and represent

1:52:56plumbers local 20 24 and the the

1:52:59carpenters local and and the pipe fitter

1:53:01is local. Uh we all need jobs. We all

1:53:04need to provide for ourselves. We all

1:53:06need to um to uh do what we need to do

1:53:09to to uh uh to to take care of ourselves

1:53:12and our families. And that's what I have

1:53:14to talk about. Thank you. Appreciate the

1:53:17opportunity.

1:53:23>> Next speaker, you can state and spell

1:53:25your name for the record.

1:53:27>> Andres Polyar.

1:53:29A N D Res. Andres Polyar.

1:53:32>> I'm having a hard time hearing you. I'm

1:53:34sorry. Nice and slow.

1:53:36>> Andres A N D R E S Polyar. Last name P O

1:53:43L I M R.

1:53:46>> Thank you.

1:53:47>> No problem. Uh thank you. I'm your city

1:53:49resident and a Carpenter the local 253.

1:53:53I've been calling Jersey City home for

1:53:55the last 20 something years and I've

1:53:57been working here the last 15 something

1:53:59years around here and I'm seeing the

1:54:02changes that happened in this project.

1:54:05Uh we try to make her safer and um

1:54:08secure not just for the resident because

1:54:10most of the people come from outside um

1:54:14and build this here and it goes your

1:54:17city residents they live here. uh we

1:54:21tend to be secure and take care of the

1:54:23stuff that we do for our families and

1:54:25the people that live around here and

1:54:28that's what we ask uh people uh you guys

1:54:32excellence please help us to this

1:54:35project to go through from the people

1:54:37that live here stay here and has his

1:54:40family here my kids is starting here in

1:54:42Grand Street close by and all that we do

1:54:45is try to bring job for our families and

1:54:49stay here and survive here. Thank you so

1:54:52much.

1:54:59>> Next speaker.

1:55:02>> How you doing? My name Leon Reed. L E O

1:55:05N R E I D.

1:55:08I'm a Jersey City resident. I'm with

1:55:10local 253. I'm apprentice and I'm here

1:55:14to support my brothers and sisters on on

1:55:17this project right here. Um I will I'm

1:55:20not going to be here too long. I would

1:55:21like to give a shout out to my my local

1:55:25president um Tommy Early for always

1:55:27keeping me with a job and helping me

1:55:30progress and help me provide for my

1:55:32family. And I also would like to to give

1:55:35a shout out to Miss Pam Johnson for

1:55:38helping me. She when I came home, she

1:55:40helped me with a program to get me

1:55:41connected to certain people to get in

1:55:43this union. So I wanted to give a thank

1:55:45you.

1:55:54My name is Ahmed Dism.

1:55:58>> I need you to spell your name, sir.

1:56:00First name. First name first. Last name.

1:56:03>> Ahmed. A H M E D. Last name Daw D A O U

1:56:09D.

1:56:10>> D A O U D.

1:56:11>> It's correct. Yes.

1:56:13>> Thank you. I'm here to support U canal

1:56:16crossing which is uh about three blocks

1:56:19away from my home which is I was

1:56:21watching the uh open land for last 10

1:56:24years and uh hopefully become is going

1:56:27to be like building and uh president for

1:56:32middle class and uh supporting for uh

1:56:36a union. We will be working in the

1:56:39project

1:56:41and

1:56:45And actually it's uh taken away from the

1:56:48whole rice building which is around

1:56:50Jersey City which is in uh canal in um

1:56:54Journal Square area. This this project

1:56:57which is a support for the Jersey City

1:56:59area. Thank you very much.

1:57:06Next speaker if you could spell and

1:57:08state your name for the record. Ibraim

1:57:10Aldwat. I B R A.

1:57:14>> Sorry. H I F.

1:57:15>> You just got to back a little bit away

1:57:16from the mic and then spell your name

1:57:18again.

1:57:19>> I B R A H.

1:57:22>> Guys, in the background I can't hear him

1:57:25spell his name.

1:57:29>> Say spell it again, please.

1:57:32>> Ibraim Aldwak. I B R A H I M

1:57:39E L Eldwag E L D E W A K.

1:57:45>> Thank you.

1:57:47>> Good evening, council members. I am here

1:57:50to support the canal crossing

1:57:54project pilot

1:57:56and not only support of the project. I

1:57:59want to praise the developer and I hope

1:58:03this will be a role model going forward

1:58:08for those that here tonight.

1:58:12The land that this project will be using

1:58:15is an empty land, a contaminated land. a

1:58:19land that have been sitting in Jersey

1:58:21City for years and no one benefit from.

1:58:25If this project is not approved tonight,

1:58:30it will be nothing

1:58:32to Jersey City uh uh resident. Nothing.

1:58:36The alternative is nothing. This land

1:58:39will continue the same way it is

1:58:41tonight.

1:58:42The other thing that I really want to uh

1:58:44praise as a community members is

1:58:48the affordable housing that is being

1:58:50offered is a real affordable housing

1:58:53that is targeting those that at 50% AMI

1:58:58or below. That's a real one and this is

1:59:01something that is never happened in

1:59:04Jersey City. what we have seen in Jersey

1:59:06City before. Developers walk in, build

1:59:09skyscrapers,

1:59:11push our neighbors out where Jersey City

1:59:17members

1:59:19were nowhere near to rent any of those

1:59:24apartment building that they were built

1:59:26in German Square. None.

1:59:29So this is a project that I would hope

1:59:33to uh be supported and everyone's

1:59:35support and we should use it as a role

1:59:39model as I said going forward. The other

1:59:42thing is the project is building

1:59:45for the community. So it's it's a music

1:59:48to our ears to hear that the project

1:59:51will make public places will make room

1:59:54as a park given some money to uh uh the

1:59:59school system or the board of education.

2:00:01So this is something that we should all

2:00:03appreate. Thank you very much.

2:00:10>> You can state and spell your name for

2:00:12the record, please.

2:00:13Richardson. Ed I didn't hear

2:00:16>> Edward Richardson.

2:00:18E D W A R D S O N I'm sorry. E D W A R D

2:00:24Richardson R I C H A D S O N. Um I'm a

2:00:30253 member. I've been in union for 26

2:00:34years. I lived in Jersey City for about

2:00:3843 years. Okay. Um, I changed my life

2:00:43over once I got out of jail because I

2:00:45got in this union. It created a lot of

2:00:47things. I have three kids and I have six

2:00:50grandkids and I own two properties that

2:00:53I'm paying a lot of taxes for. So, I

2:00:55would approve and like for this job to

2:00:57go on, you know, because it's only 5

2:01:00minutes from my house, you understand?

2:01:03And is a whole lot of things going on

2:01:05that benefit people that lives in Jersey

2:01:07City.

2:01:09I'mma keep it real simple. That's all I

2:01:11got to say. Thank you.

2:01:21>> Hi, Norice. N O R R I C E Ray Maker. R A

2:01:27Y M A K E R. And I just want to talk

2:01:31about the affordability of these units.

2:01:35And to to reiterate that to be truly

2:01:39affordable,

2:01:41your rent has to be

2:01:4530% of your gross income or 25% of your

2:01:52net income. And that means all in,

2:01:56right? So that means including your

2:01:59utilities,

2:02:00including your renters's insurance,

2:02:03including your parking if there's going

2:02:06to be a fee for that, including amenity

2:02:09fees if those are going to be separate

2:02:11from your rent. And when I look at the

2:02:14numbers for um this particular project,

2:02:18if you and and you know what has skewed

2:02:21this is that the state has determined

2:02:23that the average half of us in Jersey

2:02:25City earn more than $90,700

2:02:28a year and half earn less. So that is

2:02:31what the the uh the level is set at the

2:02:35mean. So 30% of that and I use 90,000

2:02:38cuz I don't want to I'm too lazy to do

2:02:41the math right with the 90,700. So I

2:02:44just use 9 90 90,000. So if you earn 27

2:02:48you know if you're low income that means

2:02:50you earn 30% of that 90,000 which puts

2:02:54you at about $27,000 a year in your

2:02:56annual income. And the recommended max

2:02:59maximum monthly housing cost should be

2:03:03all in $675.

2:03:06But the proposed rents range from uh for

2:03:09a studio in this project are $774.

2:03:13So that's 34.3% of your income. So these

2:03:17units are not

2:03:20what we would refer to as traditional

2:03:23affordable units. Public housing on the

2:03:27other hand is 30% of your actual income.

2:03:32So that helps people on the lower end of

2:03:34the scale. So if you do the math and I I

2:03:36sent the council, you know, an email, so

2:03:39I I put the math in the email, but just

2:03:42to let the public know that these

2:03:44affordable units um are not that

2:03:47affordable.

2:03:49Thank you.

2:03:57Oh don't want to hear my mouth about

2:03:59this one and a soul in this badone room

2:04:05know nothing about that project like me

2:04:08you know why I played there THE GREEN

2:04:11WATER

2:04:12GREEN water came out of the ground there

2:04:15on field you people don't know what was

2:04:18there

2:04:20we had a film company there we had

2:04:22different people lived there. My family

2:04:25members died from that area. WE HAD

2:04:28PEOPLE DIE DOWN THERE. YOU HEAR ME? You

2:04:31all around here worried about

2:04:32affordable. YOU WORRIED ABOUT THIS AND

2:04:35THAT. People lived there that was

2:04:38affordable. THEY DIED FROM THAT AREA.

2:04:40YOU HEAR ME? YOU ALL AROUND here don't

2:04:43want these people to have a job to bring

2:04:44something back to our NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE

2:04:47PEOPLE DIED THAT work there, live there

2:04:49and own. I LOST FAMILY MEMBERS. I THANK

2:04:53GOD I'm still alive. That I played down

2:04:56in that water. It was green. It was

2:05:00green water. We waited for years to get

2:05:02this stuff cleaned up. And then at night

2:05:04we can come in here and have this type

2:05:06of conversation ABOUT IT. SOMETHING

2:05:08WRONG WITH US. AIN'T none of y'all know

2:05:11nothing about that project. I'm 78. I

2:05:15played down there 70 years ago. You hear

2:05:18me? A little girl running around my

2:05:20neighborhood. We had that film coming

2:05:22there. We had this there. You hear me?

2:05:25You're around here tonight

2:05:28cuz worry about affordable. Worry about

2:05:32this going there. People need somewhere

2:05:34to live. People die from that stuff.

2:05:38They died. They gave their lives up. We

2:05:42had a a a auto store there where you GO

2:05:46BUY CAR PARTS. WE HAD ALL THAT DOWN

2:05:48there on North G.

2:05:50And then the night we can go through

2:05:52this with people's grandparents

2:05:55live there. This young man stand up

2:05:57nephew.

2:05:59His father and them work there.

2:06:03Bobby Henry and them him sitting over

2:06:05there shivers. His grandmother and

2:06:07mother them live on Woman Street before

2:06:09they got them have new house there. The

2:06:11house is sitting up high on the hill.

2:06:14Know your neighborhood before you go

2:06:15down here boasting and talking about

2:06:17what you want and don't want. learned

2:06:20what was there before it got there.

2:06:23People stayed here, died here, and

2:06:25fought for this stuff. And it's a good

2:06:27thing this man can build back where his

2:06:29grandparents and his parents live. This

2:06:32young man can get a job.

2:06:35This about what's going on. There should

2:06:37be no question about this. We waited for

2:06:40years to get this to come to this point

2:06:41with this. I thank God I'm still alive

2:06:44and see it happen.

2:06:47Y'all vote and stop letting people play

2:06:49with your head.

2:06:58>> Motion.

2:07:01>> This is still a public hearing on city

2:07:03ordinance 26-045.

2:07:06Any member of the public still wishing

2:07:07to be heard, please come up to the

2:07:08podium and state your name for the

2:07:10record.

2:07:11>> Motion. Motion to close the public

2:07:13hearing on city ordinance 26-045

2:07:16was made by council person Gilmore. May

2:07:18I have a second?

2:07:20>> Second.

2:07:21>> Second by council president Ridley. On

2:07:24the motion to close a public hearing on

2:07:25city ordinance 26-045.

2:07:28Council person Brooks.

2:07:30>> I.

2:07:30>> Council person Zupa.

2:07:32>> I.

2:07:32>> Council person Ephro.

2:07:34>> I.

2:07:34>> Council person Little.

2:07:35>> Hi.

2:07:36>> Council person Gilmore.

2:07:38>> I.

2:07:38>> Council person Singh.

2:07:40>> Hi. Council Person Griffin.

2:07:42>> Hi.

2:07:43>> Council Person Lavaro.

2:07:45>> Hi.

2:07:45>> And council president Ridley.

2:07:47>> I.

2:07:48>> Motion. Motion carries 90 to close the

2:07:51public hearing on city ordinance 26-045

2:07:54for final consideration and adoption of

2:07:56city ordinance 26-045.

2:07:59Council person Brooks.

2:08:02>> Uh before I vote, I'd like to make a few

2:08:04remarks. Uh, one, thank you to the

2:08:06administration for tableabling

2:08:08consideration of these projects until

2:08:10the budget was finalized. Um, I

2:08:13appreciated the time so we could give

2:08:15this project its due consideration. Um,

2:08:18hear from advocates, hear from the

2:08:20developer, hear from labor. Um, so I'm

2:08:22glad that uh we got a little bit of time

2:08:25to to consider this uh this project. Um,

2:08:29this development is um hopefully the

2:08:33start, not hopefully, it's the start of

2:08:35a a new neighborhood um that will bring

2:08:39prosperity to a section of Jersey City

2:08:42um that that desperately needs it. Um in

2:08:45the future, I know that the developer is

2:08:48committed to exploring higher levels of

2:08:50affordability and future phases, which

2:08:53um I think the administration also is

2:08:55seeking. Um,

2:08:58I also appreciate the time uh the

2:09:00developer and the administration took to

2:09:02sit with environmental advocates and

2:09:04answer questions um that they had around

2:09:07um the environmental implications.

2:09:10Um and you know, I'm going to give just

2:09:14two quick reasons why I'm I'm voting yes

2:09:16for this and for the following

2:09:17ordinance. Um, one of the,

2:09:21uh, you know, when people call our

2:09:23office, one of the top reasons they call

2:09:26is they're being priced out of Jersey

2:09:29City.

2:09:30Um, people being evicted, seniors who

2:09:34live in a two or three family home, the

2:09:36owner is selling, and they're not

2:09:39prepared to meet the the rental market.

2:09:42Um and we do our best to uh advocate for

2:09:46those folks and help them find a place

2:09:49to stay in Jersey City. Um and then the

2:09:52second reason is um you know this

2:09:56project is a PLA. It's 100% union labor.

2:10:00Um, that's right.

2:10:11I'm the first college graduate in my

2:10:13family and uh I wouldn't have I would

2:10:15not have been able to do that if my dad

2:10:17was not a union member. Um, unions

2:10:25unions changed the trajectory of my

2:10:28family. Um, and I'm forever grateful to

2:10:31the labor movement and that's why I'm

2:10:32working it. Um, so you know, for this

2:10:36development, build it safe, build it

2:10:38right, build it union. I vote I,

2:10:48>> Council Person Zupa.

2:10:51Echoing Councilman Brooks's comments,

2:10:52I'll also add that uh if if we want to

2:10:55build affordable

2:10:57and we need more housing. This is an

2:11:00empty site. It's contaminated as Leverne

2:11:02so passionately told us her experience

2:11:04with it. Uh the the best use of this

2:11:07property is is housing and and building

2:11:10real homes for the families of Jersey

2:11:12City. And with the breakdown in units,

2:11:14you see that they're for families. I've

2:11:16been critical of of projects that are

2:11:1970% or or 50% or higher studios uh

2:11:23because that's not building the the

2:11:24affordable homes for families. This

2:11:26project meets that requirement. Uh the

2:11:29problem and of course we we we heard so

2:11:31much from you know our residents is the

2:11:33word pilot that has been thrown around

2:11:35in political fodder for a decade or

2:11:39more. Uh but the truth of the matter is

2:11:41we are getting more as a city. We're

2:11:43getting more revenue from this uh

2:11:46project with a pilot than we would with

2:11:48it sitting as an empty lot. Not every

2:11:50pilot has been a good one. Not every

2:11:52pilot has offered benefits to our

2:11:54community or taken the schools into

2:11:56account, but this one does. It gives the

2:11:59type of affordable units that we need

2:12:01for our residents. It ensures those

2:12:03building the buildings will be paid a

2:12:05livable wage and work in safe

2:12:07conditions, which I am ashamed to say is

2:12:09not the case throughout Jersey City. So,

2:12:11thank you to our unions for building

2:12:13this building and and we've done right.

2:12:21And an apology

2:12:24at least for me that we we don't have

2:12:25more union built buildings. We're

2:12:27working on it. We're going to do better

2:12:28in W C.

2:12:30Uh we're going to get the

2:12:36We're going to have a a green p green

2:12:38green space and safe park for our

2:12:39families and children to play in and

2:12:41we're getting much needed commercial

2:12:42place. Council Brook said we're building

2:12:44a new neighborhood uh is really just

2:12:46enhancing a great one that's there

2:12:47already and giving homes to our

2:12:49families. I vote I.

2:12:56>> Council person Ephro. Thank you to the

2:12:59residents uh who came out to speak. Um

2:13:02thank to the union members who came out

2:13:04to speak advocating for yourselves,

2:13:06families. Um when I ran and all of us

2:13:10and me as an independent and everyone

2:13:12else on on teams of candidates, we

2:13:15rallied uh and railed against many

2:13:18pilots, those pilots that taxpayers will

2:13:21be saddled by for decades to come. And

2:13:24I'd promise that I would scrutinize any

2:13:27tax abatement uh that we were tasked

2:13:30with considering as closely as possible

2:13:32with a really high bar.

2:13:36And we know that um this is going to

2:13:38bring money to the city uh that we

2:13:41otherwise would not get if the land just

2:13:44laid. Um, but I had a number of

2:13:46questions about the effects on the

2:13:48county and the schools as a result if

2:13:52they were not getting any money from

2:13:53this pilot. Um, I feel that those

2:13:56questions over weeks, over months have

2:13:59been answered uh by not only the

2:14:03administration that's taken a lot of

2:14:04time to talk to me both in private and

2:14:07during council caucus, but also by

2:14:09independent financial analysis.

2:14:12um that points to the county not being

2:14:16overburdened by a project like this and

2:14:18and being able to sustain a project like

2:14:21this without needing to drastically

2:14:24raise taxes on Jersey City taxpayers.

2:14:26And similarly with the schools, um the

2:14:29kind of maximum, I think Councilman

2:14:30Lavaro, you referenced this number

2:14:32earlier, the most conservative maximum

2:14:35number, uh that we would see from the

2:14:38schools is a $800,000

2:14:41cost from this project coming online to

2:14:45the schools. Thankfully, uh the

2:14:48administration smartly is pairing this

2:14:50with infrastructure plan to make sure

2:14:52that 10% of the pilot is going toward

2:14:55capital infrastructure for the schools.

2:14:58Um and also the schools nearby this area

2:15:03um are are not at capacity. In fact, a

2:15:05lot of the schools can use and can

2:15:07absorb a lot more children. Uh and so

2:15:10that 800,000 number is just that most

2:15:12conservative number. Um and hopefully we

2:15:16will not even see that kind of

2:15:17additional burden on the school system

2:15:19here. So this this plan is not journal

2:15:22squared. It's not the waterfront. It's

2:15:24not the pompadoo. Um

2:15:27and and I just want to mention uh that

2:15:31all in all we find ourselves at the whim

2:15:33of private capital. That as a city

2:15:34government, let's be real, we find

2:15:36ourselves at the whim of real estate, of

2:15:39banks, financial institutions. they have

2:15:41the capital to build the kind of housing

2:15:44that we need for our people. Um, and

2:15:48developers can point to those banks as

2:15:50their excuse for why they need the

2:15:51pilots. Oh, we're not going to get the

2:15:53kind of financing unless we get this

2:15:55pilot. So, the the responsibility is

2:15:58diffused across a a system of capital

2:16:02that we have, again, let's be real, very

2:16:04little control over. Um, but I ran on

2:16:07making Jersey City work for

2:16:08working-class people. And my commitment

2:16:10is not just to manage this relationship

2:16:12between our city government and private

2:16:14capital um but also to fight for a

2:16:16stronger public sector uh a city with

2:16:19more power to act for the public good.

2:16:22Um and to that end I'll in addition to

2:16:24voting yes for this project. I will keep

2:16:27fighting for public land for public

2:16:29financing for public housing for a

2:16:31public hospital that those fights do not

2:16:33end. um we need to continue those and we

2:16:36want to strike the best deals possible

2:16:38under the current conditions we have and

2:16:40then also work to change those

2:16:42conditions and put us in a better

2:16:44position for future deals. So this deal

2:16:46I don't see it detracting um from our

2:16:49ability to actually build public power

2:16:51but it gives some wins along the way.

2:16:53102

2:16:55uh incomerestricted units, 100% union

2:16:59labor in the entire construction of the

2:17:01projects.

2:17:08Prevailing wage for workers after

2:17:11construction is completed, uh 33,000

2:17:14square feet for a park. Um all the

2:17:17infrastructure associated with the

2:17:19project paid for. So, I see this as

2:17:24a better deal than leaving it alone. And

2:17:26so, I I will vote. I

2:17:33>> council person Little,

2:17:36>> you know, we need more housing and we

2:17:38need more affordability in this city and

2:17:41I think this is a really good project.

2:17:43Um,

2:17:45and I've heard a lot of from

2:17:47constituents who are concerned about

2:17:48pilot agreements being overused. Uh,

2:17:52like my colleague said, I think this is

2:17:53one example that definitely clears the

2:17:56bar. This is a really exceptional

2:17:59project. It will not get built without a

2:18:01pilot. So any estimates you may hear of

2:18:04um how much how much tax revenue it

2:18:07might generate if it were not given a

2:18:08pilot are are pie in the sky because it

2:18:12will not get built without a pilot. Um

2:18:14and the amount of tax revenue that this

2:18:16empty formerly contaminated plot of land

2:18:19that is undergoing remediation

2:18:22generates now is minuscule compared to

2:18:24the amount that the pilot will bring in.

2:18:26So it is a good deal for the city. It is

2:18:2920% affordable, including deeply

2:18:32affordable

2:18:33levels that are not required under other

2:18:36agreements. Um, it has a 100% union

2:18:40labor and thank you to our union

2:18:42brothers and sisters for coming out

2:18:44tonight.

2:18:50And this isn't a part of the city that

2:18:53has

2:18:55survived and in some cases not survived

2:18:59environmental injustices for years. And

2:19:02the opportunity to

2:19:05have this site be fully remediated and

2:19:08have these community benefits, these

2:19:10community give backs, these deeply

2:19:12affordable housing units. um

2:19:16I think is is a really fantastic

2:19:19opportunity and this is a project that

2:19:21I'm proud to support.

2:19:23I vote I

2:19:29>> Council Person Gilmore.

2:19:30>> Um yes, before I cast my vote, I just

2:19:33want to shed a little historical context

2:19:36on this property um and this abatement.

2:19:40I remember when I first got elected I

2:19:43think in 21

2:19:46um and I ran on some people said I was

2:19:50anti-development and I just said no I'm

2:19:52pro responsible development. I think

2:19:55development needs to work for the

2:19:57community in which the developer slated

2:19:59to take place. Um so the developer had

2:20:03reached out um and he expressed ideas of

2:20:07building down on Canal Crossing. Um and

2:20:11he said that he was looking to get an

2:20:12abatement um and immediately I just

2:20:16stood there froze. Uh as he proceeded to

2:20:19talk he said um you know we're looking

2:20:21to do 20%. I said I'm listening. Um, and

2:20:26he talked about how it can potentially

2:20:28be

2:20:30uh PLA, 100% union labor, um, and all of

2:20:34the other iterations on top of the

2:20:36affordability. Um, and then residents

2:20:39had concern as it relates to the

2:20:41hazardous material. The site was being

2:20:43cleaned and remediate remediated for a

2:20:46long time. We've had a host of

2:20:48communicate uh, community meetings just

2:20:51on that aspect of remediation. And then

2:20:54I challenged the developer more. I was

2:20:56like, you know, people don't really want

2:20:58to see big invasive buildings in their

2:21:01backyard blocking their view. Um she

2:21:04said, you know, councilman, you know,

2:21:05we're not going to go that high. We're

2:21:07not asking for extra density. Um so we

2:21:10continue to work these community

2:21:12meetings, have dialogue, and just talk

2:21:15about what would be able to come there.

2:21:17And even as of recently um the developer

2:21:22have obliged to embark on a journey of

2:21:25bringing forth a statue of the late

2:21:27great mayor Glenn D. Cunningham. Um and

2:21:32Glenn is very instrumental. He actually

2:21:35had the infasy thinking of what this

2:21:39site can be on the south side. Um, so we

2:21:42wanted to do everything we could in our

2:21:44power to ensure that that investment

2:21:48that Mayor Cunningham have have invested

2:21:51in that community was a reflection of

2:21:53that development. We've watched

2:21:57countless buildings go up and even now

2:22:01you almost got a

2:22:03been the developer arm for 10%.

2:22:065%.

2:22:08>> Right. Theo in some areas call for five

2:22:11to 10. He's willing to do 20. I don't

2:22:15think people really understand the

2:22:17magnitude of how this is going to give

2:22:20Jersey City residents on the south side

2:22:23the ability to stay in their community

2:22:27at a reasonable price. We're talking

2:22:29about jobs. We're talking about

2:22:31infrastructure improve. It floods down

2:22:33there all the time.

2:22:35You know, there's going to be

2:22:36infrastructure upgrades. There's going

2:22:39to be jobs available. They're building

2:22:42in a area where, truth be told,

2:22:45developers don't want to develop there.

2:22:48They don't think the area is worthy.

2:22:50They don't think it's going to yield a

2:22:52beneficial result on their investment.

2:22:55So for me, this project checks so many

2:22:59of the boxes. Now, in full transparency,

2:23:02because I've ran on being transparent as

2:23:04well about I don't know three years ago,

2:23:10um and someone from my team flagged this

2:23:13for me about three years ago. um not the

2:23:16developer, but someone that works for

2:23:19that works for or with the developer um

2:23:22have given me a donation of a whole

2:23:25bunch of money of $20 and something.

2:23:28Right? So, I just wanted to put that on

2:23:30the record and I just want the record to

2:23:32reflect I do support this project. I

2:23:35think it is the right project. I'm only

2:23:38going to abstain out of a potential, it

2:23:41may be a conflict of interest because I

2:23:44did receive a donation from like a I

2:23:48guess a neighboring party or whatever.

2:23:51But in full transparency, I support the

2:23:53project. I think it is a great project.

2:23:56I'm eager to see people from this area

2:24:00work on a project that they could take

2:24:02pride in and walk by one day and tell

2:24:04their kid I built that building.

2:24:08So that's my piece. I'm going to um

2:24:11abstain for that reason. Sean,

2:24:16>> you're abstaining correct?

2:24:17>> Yes.

2:24:18>> Council person Singh.

2:24:21>> Thank you everyone for sharing your

2:24:23views for this project.

2:24:26Uh thank you administration and uh

2:24:29especially uh deputy mayor Kesha Pudar

2:24:32and your office. Thank you for this

2:24:34project. Um I want to say if the we do

2:24:38not have projects like this we will lose

2:24:40major part of Jersey City. Majority of

2:24:44population will not be able to survive

2:24:47in Jersey City. So, we definitely need a

2:24:50project like this and um I bow tie and

2:24:55uh thank you for uh everybody's

2:24:57feedback.

2:25:03Council Person Griffin,

2:25:06>> I was elected as councilman at large,

2:25:09but I am Ward F strong. And um you know,

2:25:13my advocacy in a housing and economic

2:25:16development. Uh that's basically what

2:25:19I've been doing over the years, at least

2:25:2120. Um and you know, this project, you

2:25:26know, we're at a crossroad and this is

2:25:28something that's going to spark change.

2:25:31Um, and if you go to W if if you're in

2:25:33Ward F now, if you go to the hill and

2:25:36you go up there, the buildings up there,

2:25:37none of them are affordable housing.

2:25:39They all have a sign saying luxury on

2:25:42them and they're smack dab in the middle

2:25:46of the ward in the middle of the city

2:25:48where people are looking uh for

2:25:53affordability

2:25:55and um it's not there and this this will

2:25:58bring it. Um, I'm I'm looking forward um

2:26:02to the other projects. Um, and and just

2:26:05to let people know, like when when you

2:26:07look at the numbers, a studio is 569

2:26:11and and and you go up to a three-bedroom

2:26:14at at at 1478,

2:26:16which is similar to Fair View Heights,

2:26:20uh, which is a 55% affordable, uh,

2:26:23project that was done in our community.

2:26:26And it it it wasn't enough when they

2:26:30opened up their website.

2:26:33Um, Councilman Gilmore and I we I wasn't

2:26:36even elected then, but Councilman

2:26:38Gilmore was elected. We were getting

2:26:39calls.

2:26:41Um, the system crashed

2:26:44to it was so many people trying to to

2:26:47get into those apartments.

2:26:49Um and and it it it showed us the need

2:26:52for affordable housing in our community

2:26:55and on the and on the south side of of

2:26:59Jersey City. Um you know um and and like

2:27:03Miss Washington was saying

2:27:07um you know people people lost families

2:27:10family members um due to the

2:27:13contamination over there. Um, you know,

2:27:16my my my

2:27:19father grew up on on Arlington down the

2:27:21street from there. I heard the stories

2:27:24and and their neighbors. I I know um

2:27:27they lost him. So, I want to uh thank

2:27:30the developer for uh coming to our

2:27:33community with this project. I want to

2:27:36thank him for making sure it's 100%

2:27:38union.

2:27:40And um I vote I

2:27:50You voted I correct.

2:27:51>> That is correct.

2:27:52>> Thank you, Council Person Lavaro.

2:27:56>> So, let me begin by saying that I don't

2:27:58take tax abatements lightly and I take

2:28:01them even less likely this year after we

2:28:04ask the people of this city to absorb a

2:28:0615% tax increase. We do that to our

2:28:10residents. Every abatement that comes

2:28:12before this body has to clear a very

2:28:15high bar. It has to be necessary and the

2:28:18public benefit has to be real. It has to

2:28:21be clear and it has to reach the people

2:28:23who need it most. So I hold this project

2:28:26to that standard and it has cleared that

2:28:29bar in my mind.

2:28:31Let me begin by saying why this matters.

2:28:35Half the renters in Jersey City are rent

2:28:38burdened. People are working hard and

2:28:40still falling behind, squeezed by the

2:28:43cost of living and by the very taxes

2:28:46that have come out of this chamber.

2:28:49In that environment, deeply affordable

2:28:51housing is part of the solution. And

2:28:54that's what this project offers.

2:28:56Canal Crossing delivers 102 permanently

2:28:59affordable homes, one in five of the

2:29:01units, every single one of them at or

2:29:04below 50% of AMI, area median income.

2:29:08deed restricted for 30 years.

2:29:1113 of them reach households at the very

2:29:13bottom of the income ladder at 30% of

2:29:16median income. And these aren't just

2:29:19token studios. There are 83 of these

2:29:21homes are two and three bedrooms or

2:29:24under 40,000 at the deepest tier. And

2:29:26I'm sorry that under

2:29:3030% median. And uh 83 of these homes are

2:29:34two and threebedroom apartments. It's

2:29:36family housing. And a family of four

2:29:39earning under 67,000

2:29:41or under 40,000 at the deepest tier can

2:29:44raise their kids in a three-bedroom home

2:29:46renting under 1,500 a month and a studio

2:29:49at $568.

2:29:51That is a real benefit for real families

2:29:53here in Jersey City.

2:29:57This site has sat vacant since 1963.

2:30:01It was a contaminated brownfield,

2:30:04chromium in the ground that took until

2:30:062020 to re remediate it and certify it.

2:30:09For 60 years, it produced nothing for

2:30:12this city but blight. And the plain

2:30:15truth is the market does not race uh to

2:30:17build in this section of the city the

2:30:20way it does on the waterfront or in

2:30:22Journal Square.

2:30:23The city's analysts found this project

2:30:25is not pencil for lenders on its own and

2:30:28it took a coordinated public effort to

2:30:30make it real. State Aspire credits, the

2:30:34Hudson County Improvement Authority bond

2:30:36that was discussed tonight to unlock

2:30:37those credits along with this pilot and

2:30:40the rest of the capital stack. And so

2:30:43that's what it takes to build

2:30:44affordability in Jersey City,

2:30:46neighborhoods that have long been

2:30:48ignored.

2:30:50The choice in front of this council was

2:30:52never this project versus the same

2:30:56project paying full conventional taxes.

2:30:58The choice is between this project

2:31:01versus another decade of a poisoned

2:31:04empty lot.

2:31:07Now, I just want to address everybody

2:31:09who came out tonight. Thank you for

2:31:10filling this room. Um, I heard from the

2:31:13workers and the apprentices looking to

2:31:16start a career and not just a job. Um, I

2:31:18heard from the workers who have already

2:31:20built this city skyline and simply want

2:31:23their fair share of the boom they've

2:31:26created. I've heard the families who are

2:31:28providing uh because of the building

2:31:31trades and the training programs and

2:31:32open those doors for them. This project

2:31:35is 100% union labor with a local hire

2:31:38commitment and an apprenticeship

2:31:39pipeline through project impact and NJ

2:31:42build funded by the developer not the

2:31:44taxpayer. And at a time when there is

2:31:47real documented exploitation of workers

2:31:50across this city's development, that

2:31:52union commitment is a promise that the

2:31:54people who build this project will be

2:31:56treated with dignity and paid a fair

2:31:58wage. That is a benefit that we should

2:32:00all um want and that's every family and

2:32:03hope that it touches every family uh

2:32:05that works on this project.

2:32:10And there's more. Sorry, there's the

2:32:12public also gets a 33,000 square foot

2:32:15public park built and paid for by the

2:32:18developer open to everyone and extending

2:32:21the Morris Canal Greenway toward Berry

2:32:23Lane.

2:32:24Ground floor space for local businesses

2:32:27prioritized for our minority and

2:32:29womenowned entrepreneurs. And for the

2:32:31first time in Jersey City pilot history,

2:32:3410% of the payments will go to Jersey

2:32:36City's public schools. As I said

2:32:37earlier, we're going to see if we can

2:32:39increase that as well.

2:32:42That's more than $7 million over the

2:32:44life of this agreement to the Georgia

2:32:45City Public Schools as it currently

2:32:47stands. And that's a president I want to

2:32:49see for every deal.

2:32:52I also want to note that the the state's

2:32:54leading affordable housing advocates,

2:32:56Fairshare Housing Center, were here. Uh

2:32:59the enforcers of the Mount Laurel

2:33:00doctrine, they came here tonight to

2:33:02support this as smart equitable

2:33:05development. And when the organization

2:33:07that has fought harder than anyone in

2:33:10New Jersey for fair housing, including

2:33:12here in Jersey City, filing lawsuits,

2:33:15when they tell us this is the kind of

2:33:16right project, uh that recommendation

2:33:19carries weight for me. So tonight, I'm

2:33:21voting yes.

2:33:23But I just want to say that a yes from

2:33:25me is not a blank check. It's a

2:33:27commitment to hold this deal to its

2:33:29word. I expect the union and local hire

2:33:32commitments honored and reported.

2:33:34certified payroll showing who's working

2:33:37from where and in what trade. I expect

2:33:40the park to be built and paid for by the

2:33:41developer.

2:33:44And ultimately I want this project to

2:33:46succeed as I expect the N next phase to

2:33:49go deeper on affordability

2:33:51and I want to keep that developers

2:33:56verbal promise of a floor of 25% in the

2:33:59next phase and if more if the numbers

2:34:02allow.

2:34:03This land was a symbol of corporate

2:34:06neglect for 60 years. Tonight, we can

2:34:10make it a model of what this city owes

2:34:12the people whose lives were lost to

2:34:15contamination and those who never have

2:34:17left Jersey City. Affordable homes, good

2:34:20union jobs, a park, and real investment

2:34:23in a neighborhood that fought for it.

2:34:24So, that's why I'm supporting this

2:34:26ordinance. I vote yes.

2:34:35>> Council President Ridley.

2:34:37Okay, I will try to be short. Um,

2:34:42similar to our Councilman Gilmore, I

2:34:45have to abstain on this, but I want to

2:34:47be clear because I think sometimes uh

2:34:50people aren't clear and don't understand

2:34:52that abstensions don't mean a no vote.

2:34:55Um, I think that this is a good project.

2:35:01Um, as someone who spent a lot of time

2:35:05in their youth, um, at my aunt's house

2:35:10at Carter and Randolph, I grew up

2:35:13looking at this site. I remember when um

2:35:17you know when Carter went all the way

2:35:18across and I remember them blocking off

2:35:20the street and I remember us having

2:35:22community meetings about um remediating

2:35:26that land and how they were going to

2:35:28take the fill out and just so many

2:35:31things and it has been a long long time

2:35:34that this community has been waiting for

2:35:36something to happen there. Um I think it

2:35:40is important that something happens

2:35:41there and I know that pilots can be a

2:35:44tricky discussion for our residents. I

2:35:47think we definitely need to do more

2:35:49education around pilots. Um

2:35:53and I also believe that

2:35:57we can't build one part of the city

2:36:00using a program and then when you get to

2:36:03the southern end of the city say, "Oh

2:36:05yeah, that just doesn't work for us

2:36:06anymore." That's an area of the city

2:36:08where uh we need it the most right now.

2:36:12And we made the commitment to doing

2:36:13affordable housing. As someone that has

2:36:17worked um on affordable housing for this

2:36:21city, as somebody that has worked on

2:36:24Bayfront,

2:36:26that's not an easy thing to do. It's a

2:36:28necessary thing to do, but it's not as

2:36:30easy as people think. um and you need

2:36:32that extra funding and going for Aspire

2:36:36program and tax credits and all these

2:36:38different things is not an easy process.

2:36:40Dealing with the state is not an easy

2:36:42process. So these projects take a lot of

2:36:44work and there are residents in that

2:36:47area who have been waiting. There's

2:36:48affordable housing, there is union work,

2:36:51there is community give back. Um, we

2:36:53have businesses in that area that are

2:36:57owned and operated by people who um were

2:37:00born and raised here in Jersey City that

2:37:02are waiting for something to happen in

2:37:04that area. And I think that those things

2:37:06are very important and we shouldn't lose

2:37:08sight of that. and you know the union

2:37:11workers that came up to this mic and who

2:37:14are from Jersey City, have been here a

2:37:16long time, are in the unions. Those are

2:37:18the people that I want to see on these

2:37:20projects when I drive by that project. I

2:37:23know that um the developer has done a

2:37:25good job with his projects in Newark. I

2:37:27can speak to that. I have a lot of

2:37:29family over there. I spend a lot of time

2:37:31over there. Um, and I know that he is

2:37:34diligent about making sure that he gets

2:37:36the right people on the jobs and he um,

2:37:39gets residents on the job. So, I'm

2:37:40looking for him to do that same thing

2:37:42here in Jersey City. So, I won't belabor

2:37:44the point. Um, and I'll, as Griffin is

2:37:48behind me saying, I thought you said you

2:37:49was going to keep it short.

2:37:51>> Uh, but, um, like I said, I have to

2:37:53abstain, but I think this is a good

2:37:54project. I'm happy to see something

2:37:56finally happen here for that community.

2:37:58And, um, congratulations

2:38:09City Ordinance 26-045

2:38:12is adopted 702

2:38:14with council members Gilmore and Council

2:38:17President Ridley abstaining.

2:38:19>> Just so the developer I see know this

2:38:23video is recorded. We're going to be

2:38:25going to the site and I want to see some

2:38:27of these people who came out here and

2:38:29spoke in favor of this project having a

2:38:32job and working on that project.

2:38:35>> Right.

2:38:39Okay. On to our next second reading

2:38:41ordinance. Item 4.3, city ordinance

2:38:4426-046,

2:38:47is an ordinance of the city of Jersey

2:38:49City in the county of Hudson, New

2:38:52Jersey, granting a tax exemption with

2:38:54respect to certain property identified

2:38:58as block 21501.02,

2:39:03lot 1.01, 01 874-902

2:39:08Garfield Avenue and authorizing the

2:39:11execution of a financial agreement with

2:39:13Garfield Phase 1B Urban Renewal LLC.

2:39:17This is a public hearing on this

2:39:18ordinance. Any member of the public

2:39:20wishing to be heard, please come up to

2:39:22the podium and state your name for the

2:39:23record. But before you do that, Ivon,

2:39:25I'm going to let them exit.

2:39:28>> Yeah, we ask that you please exit

2:39:31quietly. We still have meetings to go

2:39:33through and we have speakers at the mic.

2:39:36Please take your conversations to the

2:39:38hall.

2:39:42Again, can we take the conversations out

2:39:45in the hall, out in the lobby, please?

2:39:48We still have a meeting to conduct.

2:39:59Billy, you are the man. If you can get

2:40:01that door closed,

2:40:05I guess you use your Jedi forces to do

2:40:07that. I appreciate that.

2:40:12Not closed yet, though.

2:40:22Know when?

2:40:25Let me know when

2:40:27>> I will. I won't start your time until I

2:40:29do.

2:40:36Okay, Ivon,

2:40:38I was not going to speak on this because

2:40:40I don't believe in wasting uh your time

2:40:43like you waste our times with wards. But

2:40:46the reason why it came up because there

2:40:48are several things this council said

2:40:50that was wrong. People said that we

2:40:53don't build on contaminated soil,

2:40:55especially acromium. Wrong. The medical

2:40:58center downtown was built on green

2:41:02chromium contaminated soil. Society Hill

2:41:06with no tax abatement was built on green

2:41:09chromium contaminated soil with no tax

2:41:11abatement. Port Liberte was built on

2:41:14contaminated soil. I don't know if it

2:41:16was chromium, but it was built on

2:41:17contaminated soil. The bottom line is

2:41:20Jersey City does there's a limit to the

2:41:23land that we have. So people are

2:41:25developing on contaminated soil. In

2:41:27fact, a large part of Paula's hook on

2:41:30the waterfront is contaminated. So to

2:41:32say that we have to give out a taxi

2:41:34baitment because that's contaminated

2:41:36soil, that's a lie. That is a lie.

2:41:42A lot of downtown is contaminated and

2:41:44they built on it. They remiated. So

2:41:47that's ridiculous. The other issue I

2:41:48want to bring up is that no tax

2:41:51abatement that I have ever seen and I

2:41:53brought this up many times before. There

2:41:55should be in the tax abatement agreement

2:41:58whether or not what they would pay for

2:42:01the city, the county, and the board of

2:42:03ed as a regular ratables because because

2:42:07it is not a ratable, I do not benefit.

2:42:10And I don't benefit when someone else

2:42:12get cheap housing. That means I have to

2:42:15pay more money for for whatever they

2:42:17need. So that is a lie. Also, I don't

2:42:21benefit as a taxpayer, and I've been a

2:42:23taxpayer for five decades in Jersey

2:42:26City, and I don't benefit, but my taxes

2:42:28have gone through the roof. As this

2:42:30article said, we lost $68 million in

2:42:34taxes. And I don't know how that is

2:42:37broken down, but that is a a nonprofit

2:42:39group that that studied taxes.

2:42:43What I would want to say is that five

2:42:46years from now, 10 years from now, when

2:42:48I'm looking at higher taxes, this

2:42:50particular development is going to have

2:42:52his taxes frozen based upon any

2:42:54agreement you have, which to me is

2:42:56unfair. Where in the city's charter that

2:42:59says I have to pay taxes and someone

2:43:01else gets a free ride. Show me that. I

2:43:04want to read it.

2:43:06I don't see it. you're picking and you

2:43:09we have a problem with housing because

2:43:11of this. I'll make it very fast.

2:43:14According to this data here, 40 41.3%

2:43:18of the people was not born in Jur was

2:43:21not born in the United States. So that's

2:43:22why we have a problem with housing.

2:43:25You're asking citizens to compete with

2:43:27people who were not born here. That's

2:43:29the real issue. No one want to bring it

2:43:31up.

2:43:32That's why I, you know,

2:43:35Georgia City res I shouldn't have to

2:43:36compete for housing or pay tax for

2:43:39people who came here illegally.

2:43:43>> Next speaker,

2:43:51>> you you could just speak. I got you. Um,

2:43:54maybe I'll just take another opportunity

2:43:55to blame the mayor for this, but um, we

2:43:58do benefit when we create jobs that

2:44:01employ local Jersey City residents. And

2:44:04I think that was a missed opportunity in

2:44:06not explaining the economic impact of

2:44:09not just building this property,

2:44:11offering these affordable units, but in

2:44:13reinvesting into Jersey City residents.

2:44:16They become taxpayers. Obviously, they

2:44:18don't really pay much in terms of local

2:44:20taxes, but they have more money to go

2:44:22out to local restaurants, to go to local

2:44:24shops, to reinvest that money into our

2:44:27local economy. Uh, for just the record,

2:44:31when Newport in the 1980s was built up,

2:44:34there is some contaminated areas there.

2:44:36those um developments were given a

2:44:3815-year pilot, but at the same time, the

2:44:40United States federal government gave

2:44:42the city a $40 million grant to invest

2:44:47in the sewer system.

2:44:50And maybe it would be helpful to share

2:44:53what the annual payment is that the

2:44:56developer will be making to the city

2:44:58that's outlined in the contract because

2:45:00I think that makes it more concrete for

2:45:02people.

2:45:06Next speaker, if you can just state and

2:45:08spell your name for the record.

2:45:11>> First name Chris, C H R I S. Last name

2:45:14Capers. I'm here to speak as a resident

2:45:17of the great city of Jersey City. Uh,

2:45:20first off, a happy belated birthday to

2:45:23Council President Ridley. Um, good

2:45:26evening. You just heard my name. I

2:45:29remember when the Morris Canel was an

2:45:31abandoned brownfield site making a

2:45:34community sick. People fought long and

2:45:37hard to transform this area from a

2:45:39cancer-causing

2:45:40eye stone into a place that can actually

2:45:44benefit the community. And it's personal

2:45:47for me because I worked on this site for

2:45:50many months removing the chromium

2:45:53and make this project possible to build

2:45:55on. So, here I am today to help keep

2:45:58moving this project forward. Another

2:46:01reason I support the project is because

2:46:03the developer has committed to use all

2:46:05union labor and that's just not good for

2:46:09me and my local. But supporting union

2:46:12construction jobs is so we work at the

2:46:16highest safety standards and follow

2:46:19across the entire project. High quality

2:46:22jobs are created for residents like

2:46:24myself. You may recall that the laborers

2:46:27reached out to all of you about a new

2:46:29program we're running in Jersey City

2:46:31called P2A Navigator to prepare and

2:46:35register Jersey City residents for our

2:46:38union apprenticeship. We we're excited

2:46:41to welcome more Jersey City residents

2:46:44into our union so they can access family

2:46:47sustaining wages, health insurance,

2:46:50retirement benefits, and free continuing

2:46:54training.

2:46:55Thank you to all who helped get this

2:46:57word out and about. But in order to

2:47:00truly deliver good quality local jobs

2:47:03for years to come, we need to do more. A

2:47:07commitment to post on social media, we

2:47:10need to support projects like this

2:47:13because voting yes on these pilot

2:47:16agreements, you are helping to make sure

2:47:19there are job opportunities for the

2:47:21future apprentices. So the decision you

2:47:24made tonight was very crucial and

2:47:26critical and I just say thank you.

2:47:35>> Next speaker, if you can just state and

2:47:37spell your name for the record.

2:47:39Good evening. My name is Eduardo Torres.

2:47:43E D W A R D O

2:47:48T O R R E S.

2:47:52Thank you.

2:47:53>> Thank you for your time. Um, I want to

2:47:56start out with thanking the council of

2:47:58Jersey City first foremost

2:48:01for the comment that was made earlier.

2:48:05We won't let a developer built our toxic

2:48:07soil anymore. If it was done before,

2:48:11but we're not going to let it happen

2:48:12anymore. We're going to clean up the

2:48:14soil before we built it. And that is

2:48:17your council that stands for that. So, I

2:48:20um want to take that opportunity. Thank

2:48:22you for that. Um

2:48:25I'm a life

2:48:27all my life I lived in Jersey City.

2:48:29Lived in downtown Jersey City. I

2:48:32delivered newspapers at Newport where

2:48:35there was no houses on some blocks. Um

2:48:40one house on the end of Second Street.

2:48:43This is where I grew up. And then came

2:48:45development. I was lucky enough to be a

2:48:49laborer and then I became a

2:48:53doors opened up because this council in

2:48:561985

2:48:57right here Jamie Vasquez Huffy and then

2:49:01these gentlemans saw an opportunity that

2:49:04if developers are going to build let's

2:49:07open the door for Georgia City residents

2:49:10and I became a plumber.

2:49:13I am the vice president of plumbers

2:49:14local 24

2:49:17opportunities opened up. I am a former

2:49:19commissioner of the planet board of

2:49:21judge city and

2:49:25the reason why I bring these things up

2:49:27is because

2:49:30you allowing this next phase of the

2:49:32project and that's the important part.

2:49:35There's two things I want to talk about.

2:49:37First let me go back

2:49:40today. You just saw something that in

2:49:421980s I would have been shocked.

2:49:46It was six sisters that came up here to

2:49:49speak to you. Diversity of union labor

2:49:53that in 1980s I didn't see.

2:49:57What you guys saw today was amazing

2:50:01because that opportunity for those young

2:50:03ladies that came up here to speak,

2:50:07they're gonna be able to take care of

2:50:09their children and their family their

2:50:11way. They're going to stand on their own

2:50:13two feet cuz you open the door for them.

2:50:18Remember that. You open the door for

2:50:20them. And I want to thank you for

2:50:24opening the door for me. And now I want

2:50:27to say something about the property. We

2:50:29need to We've seen it all over Jersey

2:50:32City.

2:50:33We need to continue those phases on

2:50:36these properties for these properties to

2:50:39be successful. You could build a school

2:50:41over there or you could build part of

2:50:43that property.

2:50:45If we don't do the next one, it's not

2:50:48going to work. It's not going to change.

2:50:51And we saw that in Jonah Square. We saw

2:50:54that in Newport.

2:50:55>> Thank you. You see that on so

2:50:58>> time's up.

2:51:04>> Next speaker.

2:51:07>> Hello, Tom Hurley. H U R L E Y.

2:51:12>> Thank you.

2:51:13>> Council,

2:51:15uh, I'd like to just, uh, introduce

2:51:17myself. I guess everyone does know me on

2:51:19the council, but for those who who may

2:51:21not, uh, I represent the carpenters

2:51:24union. I'm the president of local union

2:51:26253 and I'm a council representative

2:51:29with the Eastern Atlantic States

2:51:30Regional Council of Carpenters. I wear a

2:51:33few different hats, as many of you know.

2:51:35Um, I'm part of the community. I also

2:51:37serve as the vice president for the

2:51:39building trades, a lot of the affiliate

2:51:41trades that were here today. I don't

2:51:43need to get into the particulars of what

2:51:45you've all heard repeatedly. I think the

2:51:48the commercial uh the point has been

2:51:52proven of the equity and what comes with

2:51:54unions. Um I don't have to really talk

2:51:57about the contaminated soil because

2:52:00council president dealt with it already

2:52:02before in Bayfront and uh I gave a long

2:52:05story at this podium about how my mother

2:52:07got breast cancer and was the only

2:52:09survivor of that restaurant that sat on

2:52:12the site of Bayfront. Uh, I've seen uh,

2:52:16Councilman Gilmore running on 440

2:52:19getting his exercise in. I I I see a lot

2:52:22of these folks in and around Berry Lane.

2:52:24My son played a football game too few

2:52:27weeks ago at Berry Lane Park on the

2:52:29football football field. So, like we

2:52:32live, breathe, and eat Jersey City all

2:52:34day long. Um and all of you know that

2:52:37all of you have uh different views and

2:52:40different perspectives of government and

2:52:42and but the fact that you all agreed

2:52:44that this was a good project. I commend

2:52:46you. I hope that you vote on the second

2:52:49uh resolution and uh I appreciate on

2:52:52behalf of everybody that came here

2:52:54today. I greatly appreciate uh the

2:52:56approvals and uh let's cut this ribbon

2:52:59and and be champion of Jersey City.

2:53:02Thank you.

2:53:08speaker uh John Collins J O H N C O L L

2:53:12I NS 30 C View Avenue city little

2:53:15friends you know me as Jack I am the

2:53:17proud president of Jersey local uh 1066

2:53:21your uniform firefighters the vice

2:53:23president of the coalition of public

2:53:25unions for Jersey City and member of the

2:53:27executive board for county central labor

2:53:29councils like my good friend Tommy Early

2:53:31I wear many hats too I wasn't going to

2:53:33speak today because it wasn't necessary.

2:53:36All those beautiful union faces came out

2:53:38and reminded you exactly why this

2:53:40project was necessary. Spoken to a few

2:53:41of you directly and I thank you for that

2:53:43about this project as well. Then a

2:53:46couple of things dawned on me. One, as I

2:53:48said, I live at 30 CB Avenue, so I live

2:53:50on that side of the city. And I hear

2:53:52something over and over again at these

2:53:53council meetings that depresses me. We

2:53:56talk about my side of the city, our side

2:53:58of the city, like it's it's it's dead.

2:54:01It's not. It doesn't need saving. It

2:54:04needs to be remembered. It's been saving

2:54:06itself all along. That's where your

2:54:08survivors are. That's where your

2:54:09residents are. That's where you're born

2:54:10and raised are. That's my side of the

2:54:12city, and I'm damn proud of it. Second,

2:54:14I hear all this exuberance. I support

2:54:17labor. I support unions. I'm here today

2:54:19as a president of a union, one of your

2:54:22unions, that's been out of contract for

2:54:2420 months. All of you talk about you

2:54:27love fire. All of you talk about you

2:54:29love your public workers. Well, time's

2:54:31going to come soon. So, I'm here to

2:54:33remind you that the same way we came out

2:54:36today to support our union brothers and

2:54:38sisters who deserve it, when we come

2:54:40back, I expect to hear from this council

2:54:43the same exuberance for public unions

2:54:45that we heard today because you wanted

2:54:47the claps from the rest of this crowd.

2:54:49Remember your public workers as well

2:54:51because we will be back and we will

2:54:53remember you. Thank you for your time.

2:55:01Next speaker.

2:55:04Evening. Patrick Keller, Hudson County

2:55:08Building Trades President, assistant

2:55:10business manager, Plumbers Local 24,

2:55:1444year member. September.

2:55:17I got into the union. It was father and

2:55:19son.

2:55:21You heard what Eddie Torres said.

2:55:23Council people,

2:55:25I haven't gotten anybody into my union,

2:55:28but I know there's four women from

2:55:30Jersey City and Hudson County here

2:55:34that'll be working on these jobs. So,

2:55:37we're all supposed to have a partnership

2:55:39here. I do thank you all tonight to

2:55:42approve that project, the developer here

2:55:44tonight because it's going to be built

2:55:46with union labor on a project labor

2:55:48agreement that opens up the door to

2:55:50bring more women of color and Jersey

2:55:54City residents into the union. So we all

2:55:57get that

2:55:59an understanding of

2:56:02Frank anytime you want to get together,

2:56:05you want to get to sit with me, I'm

2:56:07happy to bring everybody. There's a

2:56:09gentleman back there, non-union painter.

2:56:12I'm looking to sign him up to work on

2:56:15one of the projects. I get it. I've been

2:56:18in this game a long time. And it

2:56:21majority of you all know me. I give my

2:56:24word. It's my bond. I'm old school. I

2:56:28don't play any games. I'm always

2:56:30upfront. I'll always support you also

2:56:34people. I go back with Jerry Healey.

2:56:36They go back with a lot of people and a

2:56:38conversation. We all should work

2:56:40together to move the city ahead and at

2:56:43this time the local unions are very

2:56:46busy. Local 24 25 apprentices got in.

2:56:52Usually it takes 2 months after

2:56:54September to get kids out. They came

2:56:56out. They're out August 1st.

2:56:59I'm organizing. So are the other trades

2:57:02bringing in from non-UN sectors of the

2:57:04trades.

2:57:06So, I get it. As a president of building

2:57:09trades, as an agent, I understand the

2:57:12city. I've been around the game and I'm

2:57:15here to help union developers and non-UN

2:57:18developers to get opportunity to get

2:57:20make sure we have Jersey City residents

2:57:23on these projects. So, again, I'd like

2:57:26to thank everybody for tonight. You gave

2:57:29your honest opinion to move the city

2:57:31ahead, but everybody has my number. from

2:57:34a phone call away. Thank you again. Have

2:57:37a nice night.

2:57:43>> This is still a public hearing on city

2:57:45ordinance 26-046.

2:57:47Any member of the public still wishing

2:57:49to be heard, please come up to the

2:57:50podium and state your name for the

2:57:51record.

2:57:52>> Just briefly, sorry, just briefly, Sean,

2:57:54it was suggested earlier in public

2:57:56comment that the housing crisis is

2:57:58caused by immigrants. And I just want to

2:57:59say I cannot disagree more with that.

2:58:02that um I'm proud to be part of Jersey

2:58:04City that's over 40% immigrant

2:58:08and to suggest that that's the root of

2:58:10the housing crisis is um is really ugly

2:58:13to me. So just want to make that

2:58:14statement.

2:58:16>> Okay. Do I have a motion to close the

2:58:19public hearing on city ordinance?

2:58:21>> 26-046.

2:58:24Who made the motion?

2:58:26>> More second. Seconded by council person

2:58:30Ephos

2:58:35on the motion to close a public hearing

2:58:36on city ordinance 26-046.

2:58:39Council person Brooks

2:58:40>> I.

2:58:41>> Council person Zupa.

2:58:42>> Hi.

2:58:42>> Council person Epos.

2:58:44>> Hi.

2:58:44>> Council person Little.

2:58:46>> Hi.

2:58:46>> Council person Gilmore.

2:58:48>> I.

2:58:48>> Council person Singh.

2:58:49>> I.

2:58:50>> Council person Griffin.

2:58:51>> Hi.

2:58:52>> Council person Labaro.

2:58:53>> Hi.

2:58:54>> And council president Ridley.

2:58:56>> I. Motion carries 90 to close the public

2:58:59hearing on city ordinance 26-046

2:59:02for final consideration and adoption of

2:59:05city ordinance 26-046.

2:59:08Council person Brooks,

2:59:09>> I like this one too. I vote I.

2:59:13>> Council person Zupa.

2:59:14>> Thanks to the leadership from the

2:59:15building trades for sharing your

2:59:16perspective. I vote I.

2:59:19>> Council person Ephos. I'll spare the

2:59:21public another diet tribe about

2:59:22neoliberalism. This time I vote I

2:59:26council person Little

2:59:28>> I

2:59:29council person Gilmore

2:59:31>> stay.

2:59:34>> Council person sing.

2:59:35>> I councel person Griffin.

2:59:38>> Hi.

2:59:39>> Council person Lavaro.

2:59:41>> I'm just going to reread my statement.

2:59:43>> Oh brother man.

2:59:45>> No no no.

2:59:47>> Look at I vote I

2:59:54I mean, we do want to get home sometime

2:59:56tonight.

2:59:56>> We do. We do.

2:59:57>> Council President Ridley,

3:00:00>> abstain.

3:00:02>> I haven't looked like that in a long

3:00:04time. Uh, all right. City Ordinance

3:00:0626-046

3:00:08is adopted. 702

3:00:11with council members Gilmore and Council

3:00:13President Ridley abstaining.

3:00:26Good. Okay. All right.

3:00:31On to our next second reading ordinance.

3:00:32Item 4.4, city ordinance 26-071,

3:00:36is an ordinance amending chapter 81,

3:00:38advertising materials to establish

3:00:41article 2, billboards and chapter 160

3:00:43fees and charges. This is a public

3:00:45hearing. on this ordinance. Any member

3:00:47of the public wishing to be heard,

3:00:48please come up to the podium and state

3:00:50your name for the record.

3:00:52>> Motion.

3:00:53>> Motion to close the public hearing on

3:00:55city ordinance 26-071

3:00:58was made by council person Gilmore. May

3:01:00I have a second?

3:01:01>> Second.

3:01:02>> Second by council person Griffin on the

3:01:04motion to close the public hearing on

3:01:06city ordinance 26-071.

3:01:08Council person Brooks.

3:01:09>> I.

3:01:10>> Council person Zupa.

3:01:12>> I.

3:01:12>> Council person Ephro.

3:01:14>> I. Council person Little.

3:01:16>> Hi.

3:01:16>> Council Person Gilmore.

3:01:18>> I.

3:01:19>> Council person Singh.

3:01:20>> I.

3:01:21>> Council person Griffith.

3:01:22>> Hi.

3:01:23>> Council person Labaro.

3:01:24>> I.

3:01:25>> And council president Ridley.

3:01:26>> I.

3:01:27>> Motion carries 90 to close a public

3:01:30hearing on city ordinance 26-071 for

3:01:33final consideration and adoption of city

3:01:35ordinance 26-071.

3:01:38Council person Brooks.

3:01:39>> I. Council person Zupa.

3:01:41>> I.

3:01:41>> Council person Ephro.

3:01:43>> Hi. Council Person Little,

3:01:44>> I.

3:01:45>> Council Person Gilmore,

3:01:46>> I.

3:01:47>> Council Person Singh,

3:01:48>> I.

3:01:49>> Council Person Griffin,

3:01:51>> I.

3:01:51>> Council Person Lavaro,

3:01:53>> I.

3:01:54>> And Council President Ridley,

3:01:55>> I.

3:01:56>> City Ordinance 26-071

3:01:59is adopted unanimously. 90.

3:02:02On to our next second reading ordinance.

3:02:04Item 4.5,

3:02:07city ordinance 26-072

3:02:09is an ordinance amending chapter 160

3:02:11fees and charges. Chapter 122 public

3:02:14assemblies, chapter 175 food handling

3:02:17establishments,

3:02:18uh 232, excuse me, 329 parks and chapter

3:02:23345 zoning. This is a public hearing on

3:02:25this ordinance. Any member of the public

3:02:27wish to be heard, please come up to the

3:02:28podium and state your name for the

3:02:30record.

3:02:31>> Motion. Motion to close the public

3:02:33hearing on city ordinance 26-072

3:02:36was made by council person Gilmore. May

3:02:38I have a second?

3:02:39>> Second.

3:02:39>> Second by council person Griffin. On the

3:02:41motion to close a public hearing on city

3:02:43ordinance 26-072. Council person Brooks.

3:02:46>> I.

3:02:47>> Council person Zupa.

3:02:48>> I.

3:02:49>> Council person Efos.

3:02:50>> I. Council person Little.

3:02:51>> I.

3:02:52>> Council person Gilmore.

3:02:53>> I.

3:02:54>> Council person Singh.

3:02:55>> I.

3:02:55>> Council person Griffin.

3:02:56>> Hi.

3:02:57>> Council person Laboro.

3:02:59>> I.

3:02:59>> And council president Ridley. I

3:03:01>> motion carries 90 to close a public

3:03:03hearing on city ordinance 26-072

3:03:06for final consideration and adoption of

3:03:08city ordinance 26-072.

3:03:11Council person Brooks

3:03:12>> I.

3:03:13>> Council person Tupa.

3:03:14>> Hi.

3:03:15>> Council person Efos.

3:03:17>> Hi.

3:03:17>> Council person Little.

3:03:18>> Hi.

3:03:19>> Council person Gilmore.

3:03:21>> I.

3:03:21>> Council person Singh.

3:03:23>> Hi.

3:03:23>> Council person Griffith.

3:03:25>> Hi.

3:03:25>> Council person Lavaro.

3:03:27>> Hi.

3:03:28>> And council president Ridley.

3:03:29>> I. City Ordinance 26-072

3:03:32is adopted unanimously. 90.

3:03:37On to our next second reading ordinance.

3:03:38Item 4.6. City Ordinance 26-073

3:03:43is an ordinance supplementing chapter

3:03:45332, vehicles and traffic. Article 3,

3:03:47parking, standing, stopping, amending

3:03:49sections 332-22, no parking at any time.

3:03:53332-23,

3:03:54no stopping or standing. 332-24

3:03:57parking prohibited at certain now is

3:03:59332-26 no stopping or standing cert and

3:04:02332-57

3:04:04on street permit parking zones to modify

3:04:07parking stopping standing and permit

3:04:09parking regulations on Bergen Avenue and

3:04:11Academy Street. This is a public hearing

3:04:13on this ordinance. Any member of the

3:04:14public wish to be heard, please come up

3:04:16to the podium and state your name for

3:04:17the record.

3:04:18>> Motion.

3:04:18>> Motion to close the public hearing on

3:04:20city ordinance 26-073.

3:04:22Was made by council person Gilmore. May

3:04:24I have a second?

3:04:25>> Second.

3:04:26>> Second by council person Griffin. On the

3:04:28motion to close the public hearing on

3:04:30city ordinance 26 073. Council person

3:04:33Brooks.

3:04:34>> I.

3:04:34>> Council person Zupa.

3:04:35>> Hi.

3:04:35>> Council person Eperos.

3:04:36>> Hi.

3:04:37>> Council person Little.

3:04:38>> Hi.

3:04:38>> Council person Kore.

3:04:40>> Council person Singh.

3:04:41>> Hi.

3:04:41>> Council person Griffin.

3:04:42>> Hi.

3:04:43>> Council person Lavaro.

3:04:44>> Hi.

3:04:45>> And council president Ridley.

3:04:47>> I. Motion carries 90 to close a public

3:04:49hearing on city ordinance 26-073

3:04:53for final consideration and adoption of

3:04:54city ordinance 26-073.

3:04:57Council person Brooks

3:04:59>> I.

3:04:59>> Council person Zupa.

3:05:00>> Hi.

3:05:01>> Council person Epos.

3:05:02>> I.

3:05:02>> Council person Little.

3:05:03>> Hi.

3:05:04>> Council person Gilmore.

3:05:05>> I.

3:05:06>> Council person Singh.

3:05:07>> I.

3:05:07>> Council person Griffin.

3:05:08>> Hi.

3:05:09>> Council person Lavaro.

3:05:10>> I.

3:05:11>> And council president Ridley.

3:05:12>> I. City Ordinance 26-073

3:05:15is adopted unanimously 90.

3:05:19On to our next second reading ordinance.

3:05:21Item 4.7, City Ordinance 26-074

3:05:25is an ordinance supplementing chapter

3:05:27332, vehicles and traffic article 8

3:05:29permit parking amending section 332-58

3:05:32parking restrictions and residential

3:05:34zones to extend parking zone 8 to

3:05:37include Kova Culver Avenue between

3:05:39Westside Avenue, New Jersey Route 440.

3:05:42This is a public hearing on this

3:05:44ordinance. Any member of the public

3:05:45wishing to be heard, please come up to

3:05:47the podium and state your name for the

3:05:48record.

3:05:48>> Motion.

3:05:49>> Motion to close a public hearing was

3:05:51made by council on city ordinance 26-074

3:05:55by council person Gilmore. May I have a

3:05:57second?

3:05:58>> Second.

3:05:59>> Second by council person Little. On the

3:06:01motion to close a public hearing on city

3:06:03ordinance 26-074.

3:06:05Council person Brooks.

3:06:06>> I.

3:06:07>> Council person Zupa.

3:06:08>> Hi.

3:06:08>> Council person Efos.

3:06:10>> Hi.

3:06:10>> Council person Little.

3:06:11>> Hi. Council Person Gilmore.

3:06:13>> Hi.

3:06:13>> Council Person Singh.

3:06:14>> Hi.

3:06:15>> Council Person Griffin.

3:06:16>> I.

3:06:17>> Council Person Labaro.

3:06:18>> Hi.

3:06:19>> And council president Ridley.

3:06:21>> I.

3:06:21>> Motion carries 90 to close a public

3:06:23hearing on city ordinance 26-074

3:06:26for final consideration and adoption of

3:06:28city ordinance 26-074.

3:06:30Council person Brooks.

3:06:32>> Uh before I vote, I just want to say

3:06:34thank you to the department of

3:06:36infrastructure uh for working with

3:06:38working with us on this project. um to

3:06:40the residents who came forward very

3:06:42early in our terms to advocate for the

3:06:44expansion of zone 8. Um and uh also to

3:06:49the MUA for uh repaving Culver uh this

3:06:53week. So uh it will be a nice smooth

3:06:57surface for residents only to park on. I

3:07:00vote I.

3:07:02>> Council person Zupa. Hi.

3:07:04>> Council person Efos. Hi.

3:07:06>> Council person Little. Hi.

3:07:08>> Council person Gilmore. I

3:07:10>> council person Singh

3:07:11>> I

3:07:12>> council person Griffin

3:07:13>> I

3:07:13>> council person Lavaro

3:07:15>> I

3:07:15>> and city council president Ridley

3:07:18>> I

3:07:20>> city ordinance 26-074 is adopted

3:07:22unanimously 90.

3:07:25On to our next second reading ordinance

3:07:27item 4.8 8 city ordinance 26-075

3:07:31is an ordinance supplementing chapter

3:07:33332 vehicles and traffic article 9

3:07:35parking for the disabled of the Jersey

3:07:37City code designating a reserve parking

3:07:39space at various locations throughout

3:07:41the city. This is a public hearing on

3:07:43this ordinance. Any member of the public

3:07:45wishing to be heard, please come up to

3:07:46the podium and state your name for the

3:07:48record.

3:07:48>> Motion.

3:07:50>> Motion to close the public hearing on

3:07:51city ordinance 26-075

3:07:54was made by council person Gilmore. May

3:07:56I have a second?

3:07:57>> Second. Second by council person Singh.

3:08:00On the motion to close a public hearing

3:08:01on city ordinance 26-075.

3:08:04Council person Brooks

3:08:06>> I.

3:08:06>> Council person Zupa.

3:08:07>> I.

3:08:08>> Council person Efos.

3:08:09>> I. Council

3:08:09>> person Little.

3:08:10>> I.

3:08:11>> Council person Gilmore.

3:08:12>> I.

3:08:12>> Council person Singh.

3:08:14>> I.

3:08:14>> Council person Griffin.

3:08:15>> I.

3:08:16>> Council person Labaro.

3:08:18>> I.

3:08:18>> And council president Ridley.

3:08:20>> I. Motion carries 90 to close a public

3:08:23hearing on city ordinance 26-075

3:08:26for final consideration and adoption of

3:08:28city ordinance 26-075.

3:08:30Council person Brooks

3:08:32>> I.

3:08:32>> Council person Zupa.

3:08:34>> Hi.

3:08:34>> Council person Efos.

3:08:36>> I.

3:08:36>> Council person Little.

3:08:37>> I.

3:08:38>> Council person Gilmore.

3:08:39>> I.

3:08:40>> Council person Singh.

3:08:41>> I.

3:08:42>> Council person Griffin.

3:08:43>> I.

3:08:44>> Council person Labaro.

3:08:45>> I.

3:08:46>> And council president Ridley.

3:08:47>> I. City Ordinance 26-075

3:08:50is adopted unanimously. 90.

3:08:54On to our next second reading ordinance.

3:08:56Item 4.9. City Ordinance 26-076

3:09:00is a bond ordinance reappropriating

3:09:032,622,000

3:09:06excess bond proceeds not needed for

3:09:08their original purposes in order to

3:09:10finance the cost of various capital

3:09:12improvements and the acquisition of

3:09:14various equipment authorized in and by

3:09:17the city of Jersey City and the county

3:09:19of Hudson, New Jersey. It's a public

3:09:20hearing on this ordinance. Any member of

3:09:22the public wish to be heard, please come

3:09:24up to the podium and state your name for

3:09:26the record. Motion Oh.

3:09:28Come on.

3:09:33>> Good evening, council.

3:09:35>> Just a question if I may about the um

3:09:38original purpose of these monies. I know

3:09:42that it does mention how it's going to

3:09:44be broken down and expended, but it

3:09:47doesn't really state what the original

3:09:49purpose of the bond was. And hopefully

3:09:52it follows in the same vein because I

3:09:54know you're doing this at every single

3:09:56council meeting now. I think

3:09:58reappropriating monies. So parkland and

3:10:02uh the pavonia pool certainly needs uh

3:10:06work and I'm glad to see that that's

3:10:08being done and also the $200,000 set

3:10:12aside. So, and also the I believe the

3:10:15other item is fire equipment, but I'm

3:10:17just curious, does anybody know what the

3:10:19original bonds were for?

3:10:23>> It comes in the backup material, you

3:10:26know, in the future if it could be more

3:10:29inclusive as to what it was and then

3:10:32what it's going to be would be even good

3:10:34for you to know.

3:10:36Yeah, it comes from a capital budget

3:10:38that was issued in 2021 and it's um from

3:10:41a miscellaneous buildings fund

3:10:44>> buildings building funding repairs and

3:10:47maintenance and um capital cost related

3:10:51to our buildings that have already been

3:10:54completed and so these are unexpended

3:10:55funds.

3:10:56>> I see. Okay. Thank you very much.

3:11:01>> Okay. This is still a public hearing.

3:11:05Good evening, council member.

3:11:06>> Hold on one second. Cynthia, sorry.

3:11:09>> Go ahead.

3:11:09>> Hey, Cynthia Hajianis. Should I spell my

3:11:12last name? Okay. Um, yeah, I just

3:11:14actually wanted to make a public comment

3:11:16to answer Charlene's question. So, um,

3:11:19the 2021 ordinance was $86 million in

3:11:23appropriations,

3:11:25financed by $82 million in bond bonds,

3:11:2815 million for Pathside, 7 million for

3:11:32Skyway Park, 8 million for police

3:11:35district land acquisition.

3:11:37Uh, 335 Washington Creative Center, 2

3:11:40million. Um, public buildings, a bunch

3:11:44of different things, 39 million.

3:11:46Vehicles equipment 13 million IT

3:11:48communications 2 million. So

3:11:52thanks.

3:11:53>> Thank you Cynthia Charlene. You got

3:11:55Cynthia a number? She maybe she can give

3:11:56you that L. Okay. Thank you.

3:12:02>> We this this is still a public hearing

3:12:05on city ordinance 26-076.

3:12:08Any member of the public still wishing

3:12:09to be heard, please come up to the

3:12:10podium. State your name for the record.

3:12:12>> Motion. Motion to close the public

3:12:14hearing was made by council person

3:12:16Gilmore on city ordinance 26-076.

3:12:20May I have a second?

3:12:21>> Second.

3:12:22>> Second by council person Griffin. On the

3:12:25motion to close the public hearing on

3:12:26city ordinance 26-076.

3:12:29Council person Brooks.

3:12:32Council person Zupa.

3:12:33>> Hi.

3:12:34>> Council person Ephro.

3:12:35>> Hi.

3:12:36>> Council person Little.

3:12:37>> Hi.

3:12:38>> Council person Gilmore.

3:12:39>> I.

3:12:40>> Council person Singh.

3:12:41>> Hi. Council Person Griffin.

3:12:43>> Hi.

3:12:44>> Council Person Lavaro.

3:12:46>> Yeah. Charlene, the um

3:12:48>> this is to close the public hearing.

3:12:49>> I

3:12:52>> and council president Ridley.

3:12:54>> I

3:12:56>> motion carries 90 to close the public

3:12:59hearing on city ordinance 26-076.

3:13:02Do you want to say something before AX

3:13:04for a vote?

3:13:05>> Sure. I'll just say No, I'll just do say

3:13:07when I vote. It's fine.

3:13:09>> Okay. for final consideration and

3:13:10adoption of city ordinance 26-076.

3:13:13Council person Brooks,

3:13:14>> I vote I.

3:13:15>> Council person Zupa,

3:13:16>> I.

3:13:17>> Council person Ephro,

3:13:18>> I.

3:13:19>> Council person Little,

3:13:20>> abstain.

3:13:22>> Council person Gilmore,

3:13:23>> I.

3:13:24>> Council person Sing,

3:13:26>> hi.

3:13:27>> Council person Griffin,

3:13:31>> can I vote?

3:13:32>> Yep.

3:13:35>> Council person Lavar, the floor is

3:13:37yours. Charlene, to your point, uh I

3:13:39agree should have that information

3:13:41available. My my office is working on an

3:13:43ordinance to uh require that future

3:13:46reallocation ordinances, bond

3:13:48ordinances, um will include the source

3:13:52of the funds as well.

3:13:53>> Nice.

3:13:56>> Yeah. Are you vote? I vote I. Thanks.

3:14:00Thank you, Councilman

3:14:03>> and Council President Ridley. Hi.

3:14:06>> City ordinance is adopted. Excuse me.

3:14:09City ordinance 26-076

3:14:12is adopted 801 with council person

3:14:16Little abstaining.

3:14:19Before we move on to the next second

3:14:21reading ordinance,

3:14:24I believe

3:14:27I need a motion to

3:14:30defer

3:14:33to

3:14:34item 10.14, city resolution 26-

3:14:39593.

3:14:40>> Motion.

3:14:41>> Second.

3:14:42>> Motion was made by council person

3:14:45Gilmore.

3:14:46Hey,

3:14:47>> I I believe it was seconded by council

3:14:50person Zupa.

3:14:51>> Were Were we going to be allowing public

3:14:54comment before we vote on on that

3:14:57resolution?

3:14:59>> That was my Yeah, that's what I did.

3:15:00Thank you.

3:15:02>> Should want to go to 5.1 next,

3:15:05>> I think.

3:15:07>> Yeah, we're going to have the public

3:15:09comment on 4.10 and then we'll motion to

3:15:11move the rest up.

3:15:16So wait a minute. If you're going to

3:15:18hold public comment on five 4.10

3:15:24>> then vote on it after

3:15:27>> am I wrong corporation council? But

3:15:28aren't we supposed to um go to the

3:15:32resolution before we hold public comment

3:15:35on the ordinance?

3:15:39So the ordinance itself is expressly

3:15:42conditional on the passage of the

3:15:45resolution. The text of the ordinance

3:15:47makes clear that the purchase of the

3:15:51land is only effective in the event that

3:15:54council through the resolution that is

3:15:57before it um seeks to use the million

3:15:59dollars for for this purpose. So, I will

3:16:01defer to our parliamentarian about the

3:16:03appropriate order of operations in terms

3:16:05of public hearing. Um, in the event that

3:16:09you vote on the resolution and vote it

3:16:11down, it doesn't matter even if you were

3:16:13to pass the ordinance after that, you

3:16:16can vote on the ordinance first. It will

3:16:20not take effect until you after that

3:16:22vote on the resolution.

3:16:25can but I would say if we we we

3:16:29the public hearing is important because

3:16:31people are here to speak on that and so

3:16:34um unless unless we're going to open up

3:16:36public comment now um you know before we

3:16:40if we're going to vote on the resolution

3:16:41we should hear what the public has to

3:16:44say before we pass those votes. So,

3:16:46>> well,

3:16:46>> that's why we were saying have the

3:16:48public hearing on the ordinance that we

3:16:50could hear people's comments and then

3:16:52and then we can defer to 10.1.

3:16:54>> I was under the assumption that we were

3:16:56deferring. So, it's my mistake. I will

3:16:58own it. I just got the information for

3:17:01cooperation council. If you want to go

3:17:03on and hold a public hearing on this the

3:17:06ordinance 4.10 and going in the order, I

3:17:09have no problem with that. And we can

3:17:10adopt the ordinance according to

3:17:11corporation council. So,

3:17:15how do you want to proceed?

3:17:19>> Okay. I just want to make sure

3:17:20everybody's clear. What Sean is saying

3:17:22is that we're going to have the public

3:17:24uh speaking portion. Then you're going

3:17:26to vote on the ordinance. You won't vote

3:17:28on the resolution until the regular

3:17:30time. He's saying he's not moving the

3:17:32resolution up.

3:17:34>> That's correct. I I would prefer to have

3:17:36the public hearing on second reading, my

3:17:38preference, then

3:17:42table it and then have the vote on the

3:17:44resolution.

3:17:45>> That was my Yeah, that was my

3:17:46understanding. Caucus on Monday.

3:17:48>> Yeah.

3:17:49>> Can we do that, Sean? I don't think I

3:17:51think he's saying

3:17:52>> public hearing now and then the final

3:17:53vote after the resolution.

3:17:56If we just heard from the corporation

3:17:58council that we can adopt the ordinance

3:18:00without the resolution, why would we

3:18:04table it?

3:18:06>> Because they don't want to do that.

3:18:07>> See, if the money is there before we we

3:18:08vote.

3:18:09>> That's that's kind of the it's almost

3:18:11like you're

3:18:11>> I'm going to do whatever you guys want.

3:18:14>> So, we're going to have

3:18:15>> This is a long night and I'm not going

3:18:17to I'm this it's not my fight to fight.

3:18:19>> Right. Exactly. So, we're going to have

3:18:21the public hearing um and then we will

3:18:24defer to the resolution

3:18:27and hold hold the vote for the

3:18:28ordinance.

3:18:30>> Wait a minute. Now, now I'm really

3:18:32confused. You're going to defer to the

3:18:34resolution before the public speaking

3:18:36portion of the meeting?

3:18:37>> No, no, no, no. We're going to have the

3:18:39public speaking on the ordinance, then

3:18:41defer to the resolution.

3:18:46>> I don't think it that's correct. I I

3:18:48think what you're asking before was to

3:18:51hold a public hearing, table the

3:18:53ordinance, move forward with the other

3:18:55ordinance, go to the public speakers,

3:18:58then as we normally do, we'll go to the

3:19:00resolutions.

3:19:02>> I think

3:19:02>> or am I wrong?

3:19:04>> I think the question is, is it

3:19:05appropriate procedurally in your view to

3:19:09separate the public comment on the

3:19:11ordinance from the vote on the

3:19:13ordinance? I suspect that when council

3:19:15says table, they just mean wait until

3:19:18after the vote on the resolution, not

3:19:20table for a future agenda. And they are

3:19:22nodding, indicating yes. Does that

3:19:24clarify?

3:19:25>> When you table, you table, right? But

3:19:27you can still untable it at the same

3:19:29meeting. I'm not talking about that.

3:19:32They council president said to defer to

3:19:34the resolution.

3:19:36I don't think we should do that if we're

3:19:40tableabling the ordinance after we hold

3:19:42the public hearing. and we're going to

3:19:44move forward with the rest of the

3:19:45agenda.

3:19:46>> So, I think I think you're you're caught

3:19:48up on the wording and if we have to

3:19:50actually table it, then I get why you're

3:19:52caught up on the wording, but I think

3:19:54they're just wanting to wait to do that

3:19:56ordinance

3:19:58after. So, they didn't actually want to

3:20:00table the ordinance. They would just

3:20:02like to vote on the resolution before

3:20:04they vote on the ordinance. I think what

3:20:06council president is getting at is that

3:20:08the vote on the resolution substantively

3:20:11will indicate whether or not this

3:20:12purchase goes forward. And so I would

3:20:15submit Sean for consideration that we

3:20:18could do the public hearing on the

3:20:19ordinance at that point table it

3:20:23>> then defer to the resolution.

3:20:24>> Yes.

3:20:25>> Vote on the resolution and then Sean,

3:20:29you tell me if there's a way to do this.

3:20:31resuscitate the ordinance for

3:20:33consideration and vote immediately after

3:20:35the resolution.

3:20:37If not, and it has to wait until the end

3:20:39of the agenda, you you will tell me

3:20:41that.

3:20:41>> No, I mean, we can definitely do that.

3:20:44>> Okay. I think that's the cleanest.

3:20:54>> All right. With that being said, item

3:20:564.10, 10. City Ordinance 26-077

3:21:00is an ordinance authorizing the city of

3:21:02Jersey City to acquire real property

3:21:05located at 128 Glenwood Avenue from

3:21:08Jersey City 3 Deals LLC for the purpose

3:21:10of using the same park land or other

3:21:14open space. This is a public hearing on

3:21:17this ordinance. Any member of the public

3:21:19wishing to be heard, if you can please

3:21:21line up

3:21:25and wait for me to give you the nod to

3:21:28start speaking because I got to get this

3:21:30camera on you

3:21:34and I need the correct spelling of your

3:21:36name if I don't know you and I know

3:21:38Charlene so you don't have to spell your

3:21:40name.

3:21:45the rest of you. I'm gonna need your

3:21:47name and your spelling of your name.

3:21:50Charlene, you're ready.

3:21:53>> Thank you.

3:21:57>> Thank you, council. Um, I'm here

3:22:00speaking as the acting president of the

3:22:05Jersey City Parks Coalition as well as

3:22:08the president of the Westside Community

3:22:10Alliance that has been a

3:22:14participant in advocating for this green

3:22:19space to be reactivated as the migrant

3:22:23garden or the neighborhood that it

3:22:27resides

3:22:29There was a

3:22:31buyer sale by St. Peter's College of

3:22:35numerous buildings that were sitting

3:22:37vacant for a long period of time. They

3:22:39were dormitories. Well, now they are

3:22:42being activated as apartment buildings,

3:22:45which means a lot more residents will be

3:22:48returning to Glenwood Avenue. And green

3:22:52space on the west side is very rare.

3:22:56municipal green space. Yes, we have

3:22:59Lincoln Park, but overall we don't have

3:23:03a lot of park land and passive park land

3:23:07is particularly

3:23:09lacking. That's where people can go to

3:23:13read a book. This is how the students

3:23:15used to use this uh space when it was

3:23:19owned by St. Peters. And I really

3:23:22believe that given the fact that we have

3:23:24been advocating for this for three years

3:23:28and have tried in many many ways to work

3:23:31with the city to help collaborate with

3:23:35the city in finding funding in all sorts

3:23:40of areas. I know that some of you had

3:23:43concerns about how the this funding is

3:23:46taking place, but let me tell you, as a

3:23:50grants administrator, when I was working

3:23:52for the county, we looked I looked

3:23:55everywhere and found as many sources as

3:23:59possible to build a stack that would

3:24:03minimize any impact on this city. Now

3:24:07we're at a point that in three years

3:24:10time it's become a more expensive

3:24:13project simply because of what has

3:24:16happened over this time. But I really

3:24:19think that this is very valuable land

3:24:22for the community. And I know when you

3:24:25think of a price tag,

3:24:28land in Jersey City is extremely

3:24:30expensive. Look at the prices of houses.

3:24:34assessments are very different than

3:24:36sales prices. So, please don't think

3:24:39that this isn't worth every single

3:24:42dollar that you are being asked to pay

3:24:44for it. And it will be for the rest of

3:24:49all of our lifetimes and many other

3:24:52generations to follow. Please vote yes.

3:24:56Thank you.

3:25:02Next speaker, if you can say and spell

3:25:05your name for the record. Of course, my

3:25:07name is Brendan Clark. That's B R E N D

3:25:11E N C L A R K.

3:25:15>> Thank you.

3:25:18My concern is whether at this particular

3:25:20moment the public has been given enough

3:25:23information about the other legitimate

3:25:25uses of this million-doll grant before

3:25:28it is committed to purchasing a single

3:25:30vacant lot. CDBG public facilities money

3:25:34is not limited to parks or land

3:25:36acquisitions. Federal regulations permit

3:25:39qualifying funds to be used for the

3:25:41construction, reconstruction, and

3:25:44rehabilitation of public facilities and

3:25:46infrastructure. HUD specifically

3:25:49recognizes street improvements, water

3:25:51and sewer improvements, flood and

3:25:53drainage infrastructure, sidewalks, and

3:25:56other public improvements.

3:25:58and Jersey City's own 2024 annual action

3:26:01plan specifically contemplated using

3:26:04these public facility funds and

3:26:07infrastructure funding for street

3:26:09improvements, sidewalk improvements, and

3:26:11roadway resurfacing.

3:26:15These funds could be used to fix our

3:26:17crumbling roads, replace dangerous

3:26:19sidewalks and curbs, and address aging

3:26:22water and sewer lines

3:26:25and drainage infrastructure or other

3:26:27capital needs in eligible neighborhoods.

3:26:30The city's own fact sheet for this

3:26:32allocation says, and I quote, "The

3:26:35division has identified several internal

3:26:37projects that could benefit from federal

3:26:39funding." And it then describes the

3:26:41Glenwood acquisition as an activity that

3:26:44could quickly expend grant funding

3:26:47facing a federal deadline deadline. So

3:26:50my question is, what are those other

3:26:52projects?

3:26:54The public should know what the

3:26:55alternatives that the city identified

3:26:57are, how much each would cost, how many

3:27:00residents each would serve, whether they

3:27:03satisfy the same LMI requirements, and

3:27:06whether any could meet the applicable

3:27:08federal spending deadline.

3:27:10Before this money is committed, I'm

3:27:13asking that those alternatives be placed

3:27:16on the public record so residents can

3:27:18understand the full range of choices

3:27:21before the city commits to using these

3:27:23funds to buy this lot. And I ask that

3:27:26the city council table any vote on this

3:27:29ordinance. Thank you.

3:27:35>> Speaker, if you can state and spell your

3:27:38name for the record. My name is Dermit.

3:27:40>> Bring Bring the mic up. I can't hear

3:27:42you.

3:27:42>> My name is Dermit Ronin. That's D E R M

3:27:45O T. I

3:27:47>> I'm sorry. Slow and a little louder.

3:27:52>> D E R M O T. It Ronan. R O N A N.

3:27:59>> R O A N A N. I I can't hear you if you

3:28:03don't speak louder. That's

3:28:08Got it. Yeah, thank you. Uh, good

3:28:10evening everyone. Um, I am a resident of

3:28:14Glenwood Avenue. I'm also a member of

3:28:16the McKinley Square Community Board. And

3:28:19I want to remind everyone what the

3:28:21McKinley Square Community Board does and

3:28:23has been doing for the last 5 years. We

3:28:26are focused on things like clean

3:28:29streets, community advocacy,

3:28:32working with de developers to ensure

3:28:34responsible development and inclusion of

3:28:37affordable housing. Um we are

3:28:40responsible or look out for this tree

3:28:42canopy and have added to tree canopy

3:28:44across the Mcinley Square neighborhoods.

3:28:47Um and this project was a community

3:28:51garden for some time. Um,

3:28:55community gardens at pocket parks are

3:28:56not unique. There are many of these

3:29:00gardens across Jersey City. They're in

3:29:03Greenville. They're in downtown. They're

3:29:05in Hamilton Park. They're in the

3:29:07Heights. So, not unique to this

3:29:10particular neighborhood. Um, I also want

3:29:13to point out that as as as as was said

3:29:16earlier on, there's a large number of

3:29:19new housing coming down the pipes in

3:29:22this neighborhood. Uh, there are four

3:29:24large um projects underway on Glenwood

3:29:28Avenue, bringing hundreds of new units.

3:29:30In addition to that, south of Montgomery

3:29:32Street, one block away, there are

3:29:34additional units all the way south to

3:29:37Duncan Avenue. Um so new individuals

3:29:40coming forward, they will need green

3:29:42space in addition to the existing

3:29:44residents of Glennwood Avenue. Um we

3:29:47have excuse housing that has been on

3:29:49that block for for well over 100 years.

3:29:51It is very very densely occupied housing

3:29:54with many individuals diverse community

3:29:57and many individuals that they are

3:29:59immigrants and English is not

3:30:00necessarily their first language.

3:30:01They've not had green space to use since

3:30:05that land was purchased. I think we have

3:30:07a wonderful opportunity working with the

3:30:10current developer to recreate a green

3:30:14space that has been utilized and will be

3:30:15further utilized and and more

3:30:17voluminously

3:30:19utilized by the folks that are basically

3:30:21going to be moving to the neighborhood

3:30:23in the coming years. They will be young

3:30:25people, old people, a mix of

3:30:27individuals, but they will also be

3:30:29raising families in the area. And I

3:30:31would remind everyone paying taxes and

3:30:33be contributing to the local community.

3:30:35So, I think I would ask you all to

3:30:38please, please do the right thing and

3:30:40add to the green space in Jersey City

3:30:42when we have this opportunity. These

3:30:44opportunities don't last. I've been here

3:30:4630 years and I've seen so much green

3:30:47space just go away. Thank you.

3:30:57>> So, you can state and spell your name

3:30:59for the record.

3:30:59>> Eric Blair Carter. E R I C B L A I R C A

3:31:06R T E R. Are we good? Yep. All right.

3:31:10Hi. I have lived in Jersey City for 30

3:31:13years now. I first moved here and I

3:31:15lived um on Hamilton Park. I left

3:31:18Hamilton Park. I moved to Van Voris

3:31:20Park. I now live on Glenwood Avenue. Um

3:31:24traditionally I've lived with green

3:31:26space. Currently there is no green

3:31:28space. on Glennwood Avenue at the top of

3:31:31the block by St. Peter's College. The

3:31:34children of the neighborhood play on the

3:31:36sidewalk. They play in the street

3:31:39because there's no green space for them.

3:31:42I wouldn't let my child walk from

3:31:43Glenwood Avenue to Lincoln Park which is

3:31:45the closest park. As a result, they're

3:31:48in the street which is not safe. When I

3:31:52when we bought our house on Glenwood

3:31:53Avenue, that park or that f that garden

3:31:57was one of the things that I loved. It

3:31:58was our green space. You saw it. I never

3:32:01got to to go into it. I never got to use

3:32:03it because it closed down um right after

3:32:06I moved in.

3:32:09As part of the Mcinley Square Community

3:32:11Board, we've been working with

3:32:12developers on all of the properties on

3:32:14that block that St. Peters College has

3:32:16sold.

3:32:18One consistent request we've made with

3:32:20every property was can we have public

3:32:23access to the green space that exist in

3:32:26those uh old dorm buildings? And of

3:32:29course for public safety they say no

3:32:30because people are paying rent or buying

3:32:32those condos. So they can't use that

3:32:34green space. This is our last hold out

3:32:37on getting green space. Not only just to

3:32:41be green, but to help the pollinators,

3:32:43to help the children in the

3:32:44neighborhood, and just to help the city,

3:32:47and having more green space. Everything

3:32:49that I read online has been objections

3:32:51to how it's funded. I don't care how we

3:32:54fund it. I just want you to know that

3:32:56it's very important to the community to

3:32:58turn that back into a public garden

3:33:00where we can do activities, where we can

3:33:03grow things, and where we can continue

3:33:05to grow as a community. The Mcinley

3:33:07Square Community Board started because a

3:33:10group of us neighbors got together to

3:33:12talk about all the development and what

3:33:13we could do to make it smoother and

3:33:15easier. This is one of those things.

3:33:18We've already started building community

3:33:20and that space will give us a space to

3:33:22do it in outdoors where there are

3:33:24beautiful things growing around us. I

3:33:26thank you for your time.

3:33:32Next speaker,

3:33:34state and spell your name for the

3:33:35record, please. Jonathan McCauley. J O N

3:33:38A T H A N.

3:33:41>> Nice and slow.

3:33:42>> Sorry. A DH.

3:33:44>> Sorry. Uh J O N.

3:33:46>> Right. Ath

3:33:52McCauley is MC A

3:33:56U L E Y.

3:34:00>> Thank you.

3:34:00>> Thank you.

3:34:02I serve on the uh Westside Coalition

3:34:05Alliance and I'm president of the Egy

3:34:07Mallerie Block Association. It's

3:34:10critical that while economic prosperity

3:34:13is important, we have to have green

3:34:16space. That is what community is about.

3:34:19What do we do with the children when

3:34:21they're playing on sidewalks? As we've

3:34:23heard, there's no excuse for that. This

3:34:26is a community we're building and we

3:34:28need your help. Please support this

3:34:31effort to buy this land and let's let

3:34:34Jersey City children play again in a

3:34:38safe environment. Thank you.

3:34:46>> You can state your name and spell it

3:34:47nice and slow.

3:34:48>> Hi, Nathan McCormack. N A T H A N.

3:34:54McCormick is M A C C O R M A C K.

3:34:59>> What is your first name?

3:35:00>> Nathan. Nathan. T H an

3:35:03>> Got it.

3:35:06>> I'm a member of the Mcinley Square

3:35:08Community Board. I also live next door

3:35:10to the pocket park that's being

3:35:12proposed. Thank you all for your time

3:35:15and your consideration this evening.

3:35:17It's been 3 and 1/2 years since we beca

3:35:20we began advocating for this green space

3:35:23to be preserved. And while property

3:35:26values have increased exponentially

3:35:28since then, so has something else, the

3:35:31need for green space. Mcley Square

3:35:34doesn't just have less green space than

3:35:36the rest of Jersey City. It has almost

3:35:39none in a neighborhood that's about to

3:35:42need it more than most. The area south

3:35:45of Journal Square running through

3:35:47Mcinley Square is twice as densely

3:35:50populated as Jersey City's average.

3:35:54There are 40,000 people per square mile

3:35:56in this neighborhood as compared to the

3:35:59city's average of 18,000 residents per

3:36:01square mile. The developments of

3:36:04Glenwood Avenue are adding hundreds of

3:36:06renters. McInley Square and Journal

3:36:09Square are in the middle of a real

3:36:10estate boom. These are all aimed at PATH

3:36:14commuters who work in Manhattan and

3:36:16treat the neighborhood as a place to

3:36:18sleep. That's exactly the least likely,

3:36:22excuse me, that's exactly the population

3:36:24that's least likely to integrate with

3:36:27longtime residents already here. A

3:36:31high-rise lobby and a rooftop deck don't

3:36:34produce integration. They insulate

3:36:37people from it.

3:36:38A community garden open for all does the

3:36:42opposite. It requires showing up.

3:36:44Turning these new people who moved here

3:36:47into neighbors with a vested interest in

3:36:49the community.

3:36:51And the notion that this garden will be

3:36:53exclusive has never even been considered

3:36:56by our group. It will be open for all

3:36:59with community input.

3:37:02Newark has 60 to 70 community gardens

3:37:06despite a higher population.

3:37:08The East Village has 50 plus gardens in

3:37:122/3 of a square mile where Jersey City

3:37:15has 15 gardens spread across its 21

3:37:19square miles.

3:37:20Our group had no leverage on the price

3:37:23of the lot nor in choosing the funds the

3:37:26city might use to acquire, excuse me,

3:37:28acquire it. Are there other issues in

3:37:30Jersey City that are worthy of CDBG

3:37:32funds? Absolutely. But unless I'm

3:37:35mistaken, this is the only shovel ready

3:37:38project that can meet the deadline. If

3:37:40I'm wrong, let it be known and put the

3:37:43funds to use. But what's the risk in not

3:37:46voting in favor tonight? If we let this

3:37:49money lapse again, we're not just losing

3:37:51this opportunity, we're guaranteeing

3:37:53Jersey City gets less funding next year,

3:37:56too. Don't repeat the same mistake of

3:37:58the previous administration. Use the

3:38:01funds as they were intended for the

3:38:03benefit of the community that you

3:38:04represent. Thank you.

3:38:12>> The next speaker,

3:38:14>> Sandra, S O N D R A Riley. R I L E Y.

3:38:20>> Thank you. Thank you.

3:38:23Good evening, city council president

3:38:26Ridley and council persons. I am Sandra

3:38:29Edwards Riley, a lifelong Jersey City

3:38:32resident and retired experiential

3:38:35learning educator. I'm speaking this

3:38:37evening as a founding member of the

3:38:39Mcinley Square Community Board and as a

3:38:42resident of 122 Glenwood Avenue where my

3:38:46family has resided continuously since

3:38:481957.

3:38:50Together with our neighbors, community

3:38:52supporters, and with the special

3:38:54endorsement of our most beloved, now

3:38:57deceased mother, India N. Edwards, we

3:39:00appealed to the zoning board to reclaim

3:39:03and restore the community garden, which

3:39:05had flourished at 128 Glenwood since

3:39:082014. The garden had been a source of

3:39:11refreshment, beauty, community, and

3:39:13sustenance, inviting participation from

3:39:16diverse neighbors, migrants, high

3:39:19school, and university students,

3:39:21faculty, staff, and St. Aiden's

3:39:23parishioners, all the while providing

3:39:26essential green space and ecological

3:39:29benefit to our neighborhood. There is a

3:39:31clear and undeniable value in a free

3:39:34pocket park and community garden. This

3:39:37one includes flexible space for

3:39:39programming, promotes volunteerism and

3:39:41stewardship, and invites healthy

3:39:44cross-cultural exchanges, all within a

3:39:47lovely park space on a historic Jersey

3:39:50City block. The city's purchase of this

3:39:53lot is well founded for several reasons.

3:39:56One, it utilizes CDBG facilities funds

3:39:59in a timely fashion before they expire.

3:40:03Two, it recognizes MSCB's protracted

3:40:07efforts to recapture an Oasis on our

3:40:09city block. Three, it validates the

3:40:12convoluted grant application process

3:40:14which MSCB undertook and completed.

3:40:17Four, it honors our quality of life,

3:40:20supporting green space, air quality,

3:40:22pollination, the production of fresh

3:40:25organic produce, as well as an enhanced

3:40:28physical, emotional, and even spiritual

3:40:31environment for all who gather there.

3:40:33Five, it acknowledges something we all

3:40:35know, that building is rampant and green

3:40:39spaces are few, far too few in Jersey

3:40:41City. Six, it upholds the unique value

3:40:45and underscores the continuing plight of

3:40:47neighborhood organizations whose vision,

3:40:49mission, determination, and work are

3:40:51worthy, but who have all been

3:40:53compromised by diminishing resources. I

3:40:56say once more, CDBG monies have been

3:40:59allocated. Our application has met the

3:41:02environmental requirements. Let's use,

3:41:04not lose these funds. Thank you.

3:41:12Next speaker.

3:41:15>> Hi, Verna Edwards.

3:41:18BR N A Edwards. E D W A R Ds.

3:41:24>> Thank you.

3:41:24>> Good evening, city council president

3:41:26Ridley and city council members. Thank

3:41:29you for this opportunity to speak. I'm

3:41:32Vera Edwards, a longtime Jersey City

3:41:34resident and St. Petes College alumni

3:41:37who was raised on Glenwood Avenue. I'm

3:41:39speaking tonight to support the

3:41:41restoration of the community garden at

3:41:44128 Glenwood Avenue. In 2014, the garden

3:41:48became a mainstay on Glennwood. It needs

3:41:51to be restored.

3:41:53With the city's acquisition of the

3:41:55property and the use of CDBG funds

3:41:58before they expire and for which we

3:42:01qualify, our neighborhood has an

3:42:03excellent opportunity to transform this

3:42:06lot into a vibrant, productive green

3:42:08space that benefits everyone. The

3:42:11community garden will bring several key

3:42:14advantages to our block. Fresh food

3:42:17access. We will grow healthy organic

3:42:20fruits, vegetables, and herbs locally.

3:42:23Neighborhood benefit. We will improve

3:42:26the visual appeal of our street and

3:42:29create a welcoming environment. The

3:42:32community connection. We will provide

3:42:34shared space where neighbors of all ages

3:42:36and backgrounds can work together, share

3:42:39skills, and build stronger

3:42:41relationships.

3:42:43The environmental benefits. More plants

3:42:46and soil will support local pollinators,

3:42:49improve air quality, and help manage

3:42:51rainwater runoff. For all of these

3:42:54reasons, I urge you to purchase the lot

3:42:56at 128 Glenwood Avenue in support of the

3:42:59community garden. Thank you again for

3:43:02your attention to my remarks.

3:43:06Our

3:43:10next speaker,

3:43:12>> India Edwards Tybull. Good evening,

3:43:15Council President Ridley

3:43:18and city council members.

3:43:20My name is India Edwards Tybull.

3:43:25T H Y B U L L E. And I reside at 122

3:43:30Glenwood Avenue.

3:43:35I stand before you tonight to voice my

3:43:37support for ordinance 22-077

3:43:42authorizing the city to purchase the lot

3:43:45at 128 Glenwood Avenue. St. Peters began

3:43:49tending the community garden in 2014.

3:43:53St. Adam Aiden's took over in 2016.

3:43:58It was fascinating to watch the garden

3:44:01develop and thrive. Best of all,

3:44:03neighbors on the block were encouraged

3:44:05to get involved. We could grow our own

3:44:08vegetables or just reap the benefits. I

3:44:12miss the garden, the camaraderie we

3:44:14shared, the wonderful smell of fresh

3:44:16vegetables, herbs, and flowers, and the

3:44:19beautiful connection with nature. I

3:44:22understand that the CDBG monies have

3:44:25been sitting unused for some time and

3:44:28that they are about to expire. I also

3:44:31understand that the Mcinley Square

3:44:33Community Board's grant application is

3:44:36the only viable application at this

3:44:39time. The city should do the right thing

3:44:42and purchase the lot at 128.

3:44:46Rather than continuing to sit on the

3:44:48funds and let them go to waste, the city

3:44:51should make the purchase. Isn't

3:44:53something better than nothing? You

3:44:58Our

3:45:03next speaker, if you can say and spell

3:45:06your name slowly, appreciate it. Before

3:45:09you start speaking,

3:45:13>> got to lower the mic.

3:45:18>> Go ahead.

3:45:19>> Michelle, M I C H E L E Nicholson. N I C

3:45:25H O L S O N S Sutton S U T O N Good

3:45:32evening, city council members.

3:45:36I am a lifelong resident of Jersey City.

3:45:40I support audience 26-077

3:45:44authorizing Jersey City to purchase the

3:45:47lot at 122 at 128 Glenwood Avenue and to

3:45:52use that space as a pocket park and

3:45:57community garden. I remember when the

3:46:00garden was being maintained by community

3:46:04volunteers and staff and students of St.

3:46:08Peter's University and St. Aiden's

3:46:11Church. It was really a wonderful place,

3:46:15open to all. I would often visit the

3:46:19garden, hoping to get some fresh

3:46:21vegetables and flowers, which I usually

3:46:24did.

3:46:26More gardens, plants, flowers, and trees

3:46:30are needed in Jersey City. With such

3:46:35buildings going on, with so many more

3:46:37people and cars, and with increasing

3:46:41pollution, we should all be happy to see

3:46:44a pocket park and green space.

3:46:48I appeal to you to pass this ordinance

3:46:52to acquire the lot at 128 Glenwood.

3:46:56Use the funds that have been sitting

3:46:58there unspent.

3:47:01Trump would only be too happy to take

3:47:04money back from a blue state. Thank you.

3:47:07Have a good evening.

3:47:15>> You can stay and spell your name for the

3:47:16record.

3:47:18Eric Connor. E R I C O N E R.

3:47:24>> Thank you.

3:47:27>> So,

3:47:28this is an interesting case because we

3:47:31have here a

3:47:34privately owned lot that was privately

3:47:37owned by St. Peters University, which

3:47:40they graciously allowed the community to

3:47:41use for a period of time. That lot then

3:47:45went up for sale. Now, I don't doubt

3:47:49that all the people who have spoken so

3:47:51far benefited from that park. When that

3:47:55lot went for sale, they had the

3:47:56opportunity to purchase it and continue

3:47:59using it as a garden. Now, unfortunately

3:48:02for them, it was sold to a private

3:48:03developer for under $500,000 several

3:48:08years ago.

3:48:09that private developer is apparently

3:48:11ready to build at least four apartments

3:48:15on that lot.

3:48:18Now, instead of building those homes,

3:48:20the city is proposing to pay that

3:48:22private developer over $1.2 million

3:48:26to not build housing.

3:48:31Now, that to me sounds like a developer

3:48:33giveaway.

3:48:35not something that I would have thought

3:48:37that this council would endorse.

3:48:40I also am skeptical

3:48:43of

3:48:44this notion that these grant funds that

3:48:48this is the only applicable use of these

3:48:50grant funds

3:48:53now largely because it turns out Jersey

3:48:56City has missed its timeliness

3:48:58requirements several years in a row.

3:49:01Theoretically, the administration knew

3:49:03that timeliness was at risk. Yet, they

3:49:06chose to pursue this project above all

3:49:10others. For a million dollars in grant

3:49:12funds, the city could have purchased

3:49:15around 80 to 100 street trees that could

3:49:17have been planted citywide. The city

3:49:20could have purchased

3:49:22uh street improvements. The city could

3:49:24have purchased any number of things that

3:49:26would have benefited thousands of

3:49:28residents and helped meet the city's

3:49:31broader climate and green initiatives.

3:49:34Instead, we're focusing all of our

3:49:37energy on a 3,500 ft lot. Now, we heard

3:49:41about all the people moving into the

3:49:43neighborhood. If all of them were to

3:49:45enjoy the community garden the same way

3:49:47as the people who have spoken here

3:49:48tonight, they would have approximately

3:49:52a square foot of land to garden. And

3:49:55that's assuming every single square foot

3:49:57of that lot is used. That does not seem

3:49:59like the most beneficial use of a

3:50:01million dollar in federal grant funds

3:50:03plus $200,000 in taxpayer funds for this

3:50:07kind of lot. Now, I'm sure many of you

3:50:10think the city is gambling on these

3:50:13grant funds. Of course, they are because

3:50:16they know that you will not call their

3:50:18bluff and they will come back time and

3:50:21again with lastm minute requests asking

3:50:24for more money and more extenduating

3:50:25circumstances and you're always going to

3:50:27vote yes. Vote no.

3:50:32Next speaker,

3:50:37Kevin Davis. K V I N D- A- V I S.

3:50:43Didn't know.

3:50:47I'm hearing a lot of arguments tonight

3:50:49in favor of the community garden and all

3:50:53these luxury tomatoes.

3:50:56I'm hearing a lot of vibes. I'm not

3:50:57hearing a lot of numbers.

3:51:00And

3:51:02I'm looking at the numbers. We're

3:51:03talking, nobody's talking about the land

3:51:05acquisition costs. They're all talking

3:51:06about how community gardens are great,

3:51:09but community gardens of public policy

3:51:11is much different in a place like Jersey

3:51:12City where the land values are higher.

3:51:15And for this particular parcel, it

3:51:17became worth more money than a typical

3:51:19vacant lot because they got approval to

3:51:20build housing which increased the value.

3:51:23Like when you look at really good um

3:51:27like places where community gardens have

3:51:29improved neighborhoods, it's uh

3:51:31dilapidated urban areas where there's a

3:51:33lot of vacant lots like Detroit. There's

3:51:35a really good documentary on Detroit

3:51:38where you can see how a community garden

3:51:40could develop it. 8 Mile, if you watch 8

3:51:42Mile, you could realize that some of

3:51:46those areas could use some community

3:51:47gardens, but the real estate here is

3:51:49much more expensive. Uh $1.2 $2 million.

3:51:53And I crunched the math. Um, people are

3:51:57talking about Jersey City Times is

3:51:59misinformation. They used AI and it

3:52:01determined it's each plot is worth

3:52:04$20,000.

3:52:06And I say that is misinformation because

3:52:08I did my own math and each plot is worth

3:52:11about $40,000 based on my calculations.

3:52:15They didn't calculate the lost tax

3:52:16revenue if we built a fourstory h if we

3:52:21built a four-unit house instead and and

3:52:24how much that's being subsidized by us

3:52:26the taxpayers. Uh they didn't account

3:52:29for the portions of the lot that may not

3:52:31be built and they make it sound like

3:52:32it's a huge park. It's the size of a

3:52:34tennis court

3:52:36and the no parks in the area. You know

3:52:38it's a 12minute

3:52:40walk away Lincoln Park. But I guess in

3:52:44the end, facts don't even matter.

3:52:48We have to think long and hard about

3:52:52what we're going to do with land policy.

3:52:54You guys, I'm sure it's going to pass

3:52:56tonight. It made the agenda. The people

3:52:58in favor of it are politically powerful.

3:53:01the people against it, who are concerned

3:53:03about what are cities doing, who have

3:53:05started to wake up because they didn't

3:53:08realize things are so bad that the city

3:53:10was about to pass a 20% tax increase

3:53:12before we had a budget, are starting to

3:53:15wake up and see maybe our city's not

3:53:17being run well. Maybe they're not making

3:53:19good decisions

3:53:21for the money we're paying for it. If it

3:53:23came from other funds, we could buy

3:53:24tomatoes, deliver it to low-income

3:53:26families

3:53:28for more than that land would grow in

3:53:30tomatoes. 90 times more if you watched

3:53:34uh one of my videos on it. I mean, I I

3:53:37did plenty of recipes. I did stuffed

3:53:39luxury tomatoes. I did twice cooked

3:53:40pork. I showed you guys how to cut pork

3:53:43because you guys need to learn how to do

3:53:44it. Just vote no tonight.

3:53:46>> Time is up.

3:53:50Next speaker, if you could state and

3:53:52spell your name.

3:53:54>> Yes. Ivan Oaj. I B A N O B V A D L E.

3:54:03>> Thank you.

3:54:05So, I want to point out even a week

3:54:07after I already spoke here to oppose

3:54:10this project, there's still no consensus

3:54:12on whether this is going to be an open

3:54:15pocket park, a restricted community

3:54:17space, or a migrant garden to grow

3:54:19produce. We are still seeing the

3:54:22neighborhood board leaders who live next

3:54:24door try to justify spending $1 million

3:54:27of CDBG funds plus $230,000

3:54:31straight from the city. Let me emphasize

3:54:34that it's not just federal grants. It's

3:54:36also 230,000 coming straight from the

3:54:39city. They can call it what they want.

3:54:41They can call it a pocket park, migrant

3:54:43or community garden to try to mask the

3:54:45fact that this rush purchase is a huge

3:54:48waste of funds. I also live in the

3:54:50neighborhood and I appreciate all the

3:54:52green space that we have and I would

3:54:54rather us work on improving those green

3:54:57spaces rather than being than making a

3:55:01purchasing a private garden smaller than

3:55:03a tennis court. I know you are

3:55:05frequently put in a tough spot by the

3:55:08Solomon admin incoherent messaging. Like

3:55:11I mentioned last week, by sheer

3:55:13coincidence, the administration managed

3:55:15to find these expiring funds just in

3:55:18time after eight months so we can rush

3:55:20this purchase ASAP. No questions asked,

3:55:22ignore every other possible use. So we

3:55:25panic and rush to spend them because the

3:55:28funds expire at the end of the year. So

3:55:31it's use it or lose it. According to

3:55:32them, manufacture a problem they created

3:55:34in the first place. One issue I also

3:55:37have is that that is the neighborhood

3:55:39associations that want to use this block

3:55:41blog to block housing from being built.

3:55:44They will claim they always supported

3:55:45the projects. They can no longer stop.

3:55:48These associations will try to come up

3:55:50with gimmicks to make you forget about

3:55:52how absurd this purchase is because they

3:55:55simply just don't want more housing in

3:55:57their street or neighborhood. They know

3:56:00they can say it straight, so they must

3:56:02hide behind this big gimmick so they can

3:56:04push for less housing stock without

3:56:06sounding like the villain. This is not

3:56:08exclusive to McGilly Square community

3:56:10board. This happens all over the city

3:56:11with neighborhood associations. I do

3:56:14think green spaces and public spaces are

3:56:16needed and is why I would much rather

3:56:19have the city spend this money more

3:56:21wisely on protecting already existing

3:56:24green spaces

3:56:26rather than just use it to block

3:56:27housing.

3:56:29which I know it's only just four units

3:56:31that's being blocked, but it's a but

3:56:33it's the dangerous precedent that it

3:56:35sets where every neighborhood

3:56:36association can block any project they

3:56:38don't like. This is what started the

3:56:40housing crisis we have. This along with

3:56:42redlinining policies like minimum lot

3:56:44sizes, restricted single family zoning

3:56:47to keep people they don't like out of

3:56:48their neighborhoods under the gimmick of

3:56:51protecting the neighborhood character.

3:56:53Thank you.

3:56:58Next speaker.

3:57:00>> Hello. Uh it's uh Akshai Worma. Uh A K S

3:57:06H A Y. Last name Wma. We E R M A.

3:57:10>> Thank you.

3:57:14>> Right. I think is am I? Okay. Cool. Uh

3:57:16so if I'm listening to the caucus

3:57:18meeting or reading what advocates have

3:57:19to say, this space is an open green

3:57:22space of sorts. It's or a pocket park.

3:57:24But if I read what was advertised that

3:57:27before this whole kuffle uh it's will be

3:57:30a community garden and that's an

3:57:32important distinction because I happen

3:57:33to live near a uh pocket park and there

3:57:37is a community garden on my on the way

3:57:39to my gym and my coffee shop and the

3:57:42pocket park while I wouldn't call it

3:57:44wellmaintained it's actually could use a

3:57:46little bit of work. It has it has a free

3:57:48library. It has I've seen kids inside

3:57:50it. I've I've seen people like use it

3:57:52and have fun. But the community garden

3:57:54on the other hand is not. I've never

3:57:56seen it open. I've never seen anybody

3:57:58inside it. I've been I've been around it

3:58:01holidays, weekends, weekdays, middle of

3:58:03the day, late at night, etc., etc. And

3:58:06this is not an uncommon problem in New

3:58:09York City's green thumb program. They

3:58:11it's they have encountered the same same

3:58:14issue where they just these community

3:58:16gardens just really aren't open. So,

3:58:20so what what is being proposed here

3:58:22essentially seems like it's a space for

3:58:23oh it's a green space yes but it's a

3:58:25green space for some people not

3:58:26everybody so the city is proposing to

3:58:29spend a million along with $230,000

3:58:32in bonds which I don't know why nobody

3:58:34was why this was not disc why the bonds

3:58:36itself were never discussed in caucus

3:58:38because the $230,000 in bonds can be

3:58:40used for efficiency gains and or revenue

3:58:43generation opportunities

3:58:45that are desperately needed and we don't

3:58:48quite know what this uh what this uh

3:58:51park will be because we haven't had an

3:58:52agreement with we haven't put that out

3:58:54there. But if it was a pocket park, we'd

3:58:57be having completely different

3:58:58conversation. We'd be talking about

3:59:02what we we'd be talking about what it

3:59:03should be. We'd be talking about how it

3:59:05can distinguish itself compared to uh uh

3:59:08Mc uh sorry, this is why I shouldn't

3:59:11write my things. Uh boy McGinness Park 8

3:59:13minutes away by walking. We'll be

3:59:14talking about how it should be different

3:59:16than La Point Park 7 minutes away by

3:59:18walking. How it should be different than

3:59:19Lincoln uh Lincoln Park 12 minutes away

3:59:22by walking. We we' be talking about how

3:59:24it should be different than the Dairy

3:59:25Queen. No, that's not right. Sorry. Uh I

3:59:28should really learn my own right

3:59:29handwriting. Uh we'd be talking if 120

3:59:32get in Glenwood is a good spot for this

3:59:34money. We'd be talking if $1.2 million

3:59:36is worth it. Instead, we're talking

3:59:39about stopping the development of four

3:59:41familysiz homes in an area that really

3:59:43needs it. in in exchange for a green

3:59:46space that might be open for some, not

3:59:49for all. Thank you. Oh,

3:59:55>> this is why this is why I shouldn't

3:59:57write my things.

3:59:58>> Next speaker.

4:00:02>> I'm Katherine Tanzy. This is my second

4:00:05time around, but I can spell my last

4:00:07name. T A N S E Y.

4:00:11>> Thank you.

4:00:12>> Thank you.

4:00:14Good evening, council members. Um,

4:00:18I guess I'm in a very interesting

4:00:20position for several reasons. One of

4:00:23them is that I managed the community

4:00:27garden for two years getting up four

4:00:30months of the summer and the fall at

4:00:337:00 a.m. to water it, to prune it, and

4:00:36to invite everyone to come in, take some

4:00:41fruit, take some flowers. I didn't care

4:00:44as long as they came inside and enjoyed

4:00:46the garden. But I also am a person

4:00:51who uh re was the beneficiary because I

4:00:54was the executive director of a refugee

4:00:57resettlement agency to be the

4:01:00beneficiary of CDBG grants. And I think

4:01:03some of you all know that. Um I know

4:01:06that when I got a CDBG grant, I had to

4:01:10perform. I had to keep to my numbers.

4:01:13But I also know that often when the

4:01:17program I had requested the grant for,

4:01:20let's say for example, interpreting and

4:01:22translation,

4:01:24that program ended after a year or two

4:01:27years. When I think of this garden, I

4:01:30think of it of 5, 10, 15, 20 years.

4:01:37True, we're not going to have mobs of

4:01:39people walking into the garden, but I do

4:01:42think that there's a lot to learn from

4:01:44it. When I managed the garden after Eric

4:01:48Seel did, I brought in kids from Syria

4:01:53who were suffering trauma. I brought in

4:01:56seniors who wanted to just smell the

4:02:00fresh fruit and vegetables. And we also

4:02:03delivered fresh fruit and vegetables to

4:02:07senior organizations.

4:02:09As I went around taking seniors to

4:02:12medical appointments, I gave them a bag

4:02:14of fruit or vegetables, whatever.

4:02:17Anyway, it's not just a oneoff purchase.

4:02:22It's a purchase for now and it's a

4:02:25purchase for the future. And the third

4:02:28part is it works. And we've tried it.

4:02:33We've made a pilot of running a project

4:02:36of this sort and it works. It brings

4:02:40people in. It helps people. It's kind of

4:02:44magical. So, thank you very much for

4:02:46listening.

4:02:53>> Next speaker.

4:02:56>> State and spell your name, please.

4:02:58>> Dominic. D O M I N I C K

4:03:05Mastro Donato. M A S T R O D O N A T O.

4:03:17>> If everyone would just follow his lead,

4:03:19I would not have any issues spelling

4:03:22anyone's name.

4:03:25>> Thank you. Good evening, council. Um,

4:03:28I'm an adjunct at St. Peters University,

4:03:32uh, parishioner of St. Aiden's Church,

4:03:34and a 2020 graduate of St. Peters.

4:03:39I was an active member of the St.

4:03:42Aiden's Migrant Center Community Garden

4:03:45um, before it closed and before St.

4:03:48Peter's sold the lot. And one of the

4:03:53most monumental occasions um and

4:03:56momentous occasions of the community

4:03:59garden was the staged reading of the

4:04:02play Seed Folks. Um, I directed that

4:04:05stage reading and

4:04:08the play Seed Folks is about a community

4:04:11of neighbors who actually don't know

4:04:13each other who come together in

4:04:15Cleveland, Ohio to plant, cultivate,

4:04:19right, grow, and harvest a garden in a

4:04:21vacant lot for a number of reasons. to

4:04:24plant bean seeds, to honor um a father's

4:04:27memory, uh to revive um an old farm

4:04:32boy's uh childhood livelihood, um and

4:04:35even perhaps to uh impress an

4:04:39ex-girlfriend uh by growing tomatoes.

4:04:43And at the end of that reading, which

4:04:46was read by immigrants and the children

4:04:49of immigrants, um, everybody who

4:04:52participated in the reading and who

4:04:55watched the reading in the garden

4:04:58approached me afterwards and told me

4:05:00that they loved it. And I believed that

4:05:02they were so authentic.

4:05:06at the um McInley Square Community

4:05:08Board's birthday party last month, some

4:05:11of the board members told me about their

4:05:13dreams for the garden. And I told them

4:05:16that while the participants in of the

4:05:20stage reading were reading their lines,

4:05:24I I was sitting on one of the posts of

4:05:27the corners of one of the raised garden

4:05:29beds and thinking and thinking to

4:05:32myself, I'm living the dream.

4:05:36Never had I felt that feeling of peace,

4:05:40contentment, and presence. And I thought

4:05:43this is really going to be as good as

4:05:45it's get as it gets. And that's why I'm

4:05:48still involved in this community both

4:05:51for for them and for myself. This is the

4:05:54community I love. I hope that the garden

4:05:56can be restored and I hope that we all

4:06:00will be able to see once this becomes

4:06:02publicly accessible to the greater

4:06:04Jersey City community that gardening can

4:06:06be a model for community building and is

4:06:09something truly wonderful in and of

4:06:12itself. Thank you.

4:06:21>> Remember to follow Dominic's lead.

4:06:23>> Do my best. Okay.

4:06:25>> Adam Lazarus,

4:06:28L A Z A R O S. Definitely a tough act to

4:06:32follow. Um, I'm actually here on behalf

4:06:34of the current property owner. Um, this

4:06:37council may not recall, but only a few

4:06:39months ago, we had actually put shovels

4:06:41in the ground and were ready to build

4:06:43this project. But thanks to the tireless

4:06:45efforts of the community association,

4:06:47the mayor and deputy mayor, we were able

4:06:49to put a pause on that project. They put

4:06:51together funds from different grants and

4:06:54from this council hopefully to buy this

4:06:56property. And we hope you do see the

4:06:59benefit not just to the lower the

4:07:01Mcinley Square community but to Jersey

4:07:03City at large in making this pocket park

4:07:05happen. We hope you do support this

4:07:07purchase. Thank you,

4:07:15>> dude.

4:07:20Robert Fu. Last name is Fu.

4:07:24>> Are you cursing?

4:07:25>> Um, I'm I'm sorry. That's Robert. That's

4:07:28what my name is.

4:07:30>> Robert, are you telling me FU? I should

4:07:32leave.

4:07:34>> I'll leave. I don't have a problem.

4:07:37>> Go ahead.

4:07:38>> Okay. Uh, so I'm going to cut my

4:07:41statement a little short because

4:07:44many of the ideas have been covered by

4:07:47others much better than I could have.

4:07:50Um, I'm just going to say that uh,

4:07:52Jersey City LA just last month renewed

4:07:55leases with several community orgs at a

4:07:58dollar a year for six gardens on on city

4:08:01land. Uh, four were in Greenville, two

4:08:04in the Heights. Um, by the way, some of

4:08:07these active gardens are considerably

4:08:09smaller than a proposed Glenwood garden.

4:08:13There are about eight gardens total in

4:08:15town that I can think of. Maybe there

4:08:17are more. I marked them on Google Maps.

4:08:21And what I see, I see gardens in the

4:08:22Heights. I see them downtown, Hilltop,

4:08:25and Greenville. And I see a big

4:08:29garden-free hole right in the middle

4:08:31centered right on Mcinley Square with

4:08:33Journal Square and Marion all under un

4:08:35under underserved. All three of these

4:08:38neighborhoods have massive numbers of

4:08:39apartments being built and those folks

4:08:42would all benefit from the option of

4:08:44gardening as part of parks and wreck.

4:08:47Having come this far towards returning

4:08:49128 to its role as a community garden,

4:08:52let's not lose that opportunity.

4:09:02Okay.

4:09:03>> Hello, my name is Elena Zazanis. That's

4:09:07E L E N A. Z as in zebra A. Another ZA.

4:09:14N I S.

4:09:17>> You did fantastic.

4:09:18>> Thank you. The actors and directors are

4:09:20tend to do very well in these

4:09:22situations. I'd like to thank you all

4:09:25for hearing us. I I am so grateful. I

4:09:28know some of you. I' I've met some of

4:09:30you and I'm just very grateful for the

4:09:35remarkable dedication, patience, and

4:09:38commitment you have to Jersey City. Um,

4:09:41and I I I just it it's mindblowing to

4:09:44me. And thank you for hearing us all.

4:09:47Um, I'm here I've lived in Jersey City

4:09:50for 18 years. And what has kept me in

4:09:54Jersey City is community.

4:09:57Community

4:09:59and commitment to this town. It's you

4:10:02can live in a lot of places that are

4:10:05very close to Manhattan. You can live in

4:10:08a lot of places that are cool and artsy,

4:10:12but this city has a community, a sense

4:10:16of community and and

4:10:18loyalty to each other that I've never

4:10:21experienced. And I that's why I keep

4:10:23staying here. And this fight for this

4:10:27community garden, this pocket garden,

4:10:29this evolving garden that has been many

4:10:32things over decades is inspirational.

4:10:36And if you listen to all these people

4:10:38tonight and the passion they have, the

4:10:41fight that they fought for three and a

4:10:43half years, it's a microcosm of what

4:10:46this country could be. And I hope that

4:10:49you will support the effort to keep this

4:10:53garden and apply very very important

4:10:58funds to this effort. Thank you so much.

4:11:15Hey.

4:11:15>> Hi, Billy. Santoaro.

4:11:19S N T O M A U R O.

4:11:23>> Thank you, Billy.

4:11:26>> Uh, I'm born raised Jersey City and I

4:11:29still live here. Uh, raising my family.

4:11:33Uh last meeting I compared the city

4:11:36council to

4:11:38a board of directors for a real estate

4:11:41organization.

4:11:43Um

4:11:44with that comes the fiscal

4:11:46responsibility

4:11:48of being a landlord

4:11:51and uh I feel that the board is asked to

4:11:55make a decision. It's either to acquire

4:11:58more real estate with money

4:12:01or maintain existing property. I tried

4:12:04to demonstrate

4:12:06that it may be time to teach us by

4:12:10example

4:12:11and make all people start understanding

4:12:15that sometimes you need to improve your

4:12:19assets

4:12:21and act responsible

4:12:24and be a change and change the culture.

4:12:29At this time, I would like to add a new

4:12:33component to this, which is real estate

4:12:35value using comparable real estate sales

4:12:39in the area or properties for sale. 2624

4:12:44Kennedy Boulevard is on the corner of

4:12:46Montgomery and JFK. It too is a shovel

4:12:49ready for family and it's approved

4:12:53uh as as this site apparently is. that

4:12:57that property is on the market for 152

4:13:00days. The price was just reduced by

4:13:03$30,000 and it's available for $749,000.

4:13:09It has been for sale. Oh, I'm sorry. Uh

4:13:12if Jersey City purchases this four

4:13:15family approved vacant land for 1.2

4:13:18million,

4:13:19my neighborhood's land value is going to

4:13:23go up.

4:13:25I don't know how that makes that how

4:13:28that's different from the rent algorithm

4:13:33system.

4:13:35Instead of digital price fixing, I would

4:13:38consider this a governmentinfluenced

4:13:41price fixing.

4:13:43And price fixing, as I saw, was voted 90

4:13:48by the council to not be a method of

4:13:51payment.

4:13:53If the community values increase because

4:13:56of this sale,

4:13:58land values will be viewed higher. The

4:14:01tax assessor will use that value of that

4:14:05sale and raise all of our tax land

4:14:09values and again make Jersey City less

4:14:12affordable. Please change the culture.

4:14:16Let's improve our assets. And no money

4:14:19is free.

4:14:21Thank you.

4:14:28>> Hi. Uh, Jonathan, do you need me to

4:14:30spell it?

4:14:31>> If you don't mind, for the court order.

4:14:33>> J O N A T H A N S C H W E D E L.

4:14:39>> Thank you, Jonathan.

4:14:42>> I don't know if any everyone was able to

4:14:44read the recent article in the Jersey

4:14:46City Times. There is an image of the lot

4:14:49there which is pretty similar to the

4:14:51image which you'll see on uh Google

4:14:53Maps. And honestly, I would argue the

4:14:56people who have seen that that's

4:14:58probably the best case against this

4:14:59project. You know, this is a very, very

4:15:02small lot. So, I will concede that, you

4:15:05know, if this goes against us and the

4:15:07project is approved, it's not going to

4:15:09move the needle all that much in terms

4:15:12of housing and budget. But I'm I'm

4:15:15opposing this on principle because if

4:15:17you look at it, you know, we are

4:15:19spending money we don't have. We're

4:15:21taking those CGP funds away from the

4:15:23southside where it's bar, you know,

4:15:25sorely needed. We're spending city

4:15:27capital funds and we're taking a ratable

4:15:30off the market. We're going to take four

4:15:32units of housing off the market that

4:15:34will increase rent for everyone. So, on

4:15:37principle, I think this is, you know,

4:15:40lose-lose. There are good community

4:15:42garden projects, but this doesn't appear

4:15:44to be one of them. And the reason why I

4:15:46argue that if you look at the record of

4:15:50statements by the Mcinley Square

4:15:51Community Board, whether recently on

4:15:53their social media or if you look at

4:15:55some of the interviews they've given,

4:15:57they've made very clear they were

4:16:00started a few years back specifically to

4:16:02oppose this project. And in their prior

4:16:05testimony to the various boards around

4:16:08the city and in interviews that their

4:16:10leadership have given, they've made very

4:16:12clear that their their priority was

4:16:15stopping housing on this site and they

4:16:17did not mention the garden until the

4:16:20opportunity came up earlier this year to

4:16:22um secure potentially uh county funding

4:16:25for it.

4:16:26So, understanding that, you know, there

4:16:28is support for this project despite our

4:16:31opposition, I ask the council for a few

4:16:34things. You know, we can't really keep

4:16:37our story straight. You know, is this a

4:16:38pocket park? Is it a community garden?

4:16:40You know, are we going to have

4:16:41Shakespeare yoga there? Who knows? I

4:16:44don't think all of these are possible.

4:16:47And I'm worried that it's going to be

4:16:48like other community gardens that are

4:16:50locked up half the time. So my ask is if

4:16:53you do support this resolution, we need

4:16:55a sunset clause and we need very clear

4:16:58guidelines. You know, who's going to

4:17:00maintain this land? Uh when is it going

4:17:02to be open? Who's going to be available

4:17:04to use it? We need all of this written

4:17:06or it's just going to end up like

4:17:08another locked up community garden

4:17:09that's privilege for the few. No one

4:17:12else can access it. And that is I think

4:17:14even the supporters of the project would

4:17:16argue that's not what they want. So if

4:17:18that is the case, let's hold them to it.

4:17:20Thank you.

4:17:25Our next speaker,

4:17:27if you can just spell your name for the

4:17:29record.

4:17:29>> Good evening, uh, council members

4:17:31Cynthia Hajianis.

4:17:34H A D J I Y A N I S. Um, I'm very happy

4:17:42to see uh the city moving forward with

4:17:46the acquisition of 128 Glenwood or or

4:17:49trying to move forward. And I I do

4:17:52understand the project has become

4:17:56controversial,

4:17:57especially because we're in a budget

4:17:59crisis. So, the timing is not perfect.

4:18:02And I I understand that. And I think we

4:18:05all we all care about money. Um, you

4:18:09know, even and and not everything's

4:18:10about money, but I I do want to talk

4:18:13about money. Um, so the funding source,

4:18:17it's the primary funding source for a

4:18:20million dollars of the acquisition funds

4:18:23comes from project year 2024,

4:18:26community development block grants. Um,

4:18:30this is from the federal government. Uh,

4:18:33it is not from our property taxes. it's

4:18:36not coming out of the city's operating

4:18:38budget. So if our taxes are increasing,

4:18:42it is not because of this project and

4:18:46it's not because of uh the way community

4:18:50development block grants are being used.

4:18:53Um I I my understanding is that

4:18:58when the funds CDBG funds aren't used

4:19:02either because they're not allocated or

4:19:05allocated funds are not expended for

4:19:07whatever reason. Um the money gets

4:19:11recaptured eventually uh by the federal

4:19:14government.

4:19:16And I I spent the better part of the day

4:19:18going down a rabbit hole trying to

4:19:21figure out how much money hasn't been

4:19:23spent. Um and how much money is in

4:19:27danger of being recaptured.

4:19:29Uh and I did uh I heard 10 million. I

4:19:33couldn't really confirm that, but in the

4:19:36beginning of this year, you all voted on

4:19:37this, you may recall um 2022 money was

4:19:42still being spent. you allocated

4:19:44$142,000

4:19:46to St. Joseph's.

4:19:48Uh that was back in January. You

4:19:50allocated $515,000

4:19:54to for a skater highwater rescue vehicle

4:19:59um to public safety. That was in

4:20:01January. Today it's another million. So

4:20:04the allocation has been 5 million every

4:20:06year. 2025 it was reduced to four

4:20:09because we haven't been spending enough.

4:20:11And uh this year so far from what I

4:20:14could tell from the resolutions we've

4:20:15only spent 1.6. So I think a really good

4:20:18focus for everyone who's thinks there

4:20:21are better projects out there. Let's

4:20:24spend this money. I think there's uh

4:20:27more danger and this is a little

4:20:30counterintuitive.

4:20:31Financially,

4:20:33we're more at risk by not spending money

4:20:37with the funds being recaptured or our

4:20:40allocation going down than by spending

4:20:42it. Thank you.

4:20:53>> Hi, Norris Ray Maker.

4:20:55>> Okay,

4:20:56>> got it.

4:20:58So, we live in the most densely

4:21:00populated county in the most densely

4:21:03populated state

4:21:06in the entire United States. That's

4:21:09where we are. Our master plan says that

4:21:12we need to acquire

4:21:14more open space. The only way we're

4:21:17going to acquire more open space is by

4:21:21buying it. because people like the

4:21:23Vanvors or the Fisks who donated and put

4:21:27deed restrictions on our large public

4:21:30parks are not stepping up to do that

4:21:33anymore.

4:21:35So, I am here speaking on behalf of the

4:21:38Sergeant Anthony Park Neighborhood

4:21:40Association to support the acquisition

4:21:42of 128 Glenwood Terrace to preserve the

4:21:46St. Aiden's Migrant Garden. Our

4:21:48association knows firsthand how much

4:21:50gardens benefit the community and how

4:21:53challenging it is to create and preserve

4:21:55open space.

4:21:57Around 2000, our own garden and dog runs

4:22:01were added to Sergeant Anthony Park only

4:22:04after a neighbor noticed that this land

4:22:07was listed for sale as city-owned

4:22:09property.

4:22:11They brought this to the attention of

4:22:13the neighborhood association and the

4:22:14city, confirming that it was an

4:22:17overlooked state green acres site.

4:22:22By ensuring that this space was properly

4:22:24added to the park, we successfully

4:22:27prevented it from being turned into a

4:22:29parking lot for an apartment development

4:22:32at 78 Palisade Avenue. We hope that a

4:22:36similar outcome can be achieved here to

4:22:38help this vital community space which

4:22:41has been a garden for so many years. And

4:22:45you're not preventing housing. The

4:22:46developer wants to sell. The developer

4:22:48doesn't want to build the housing. They

4:22:50want to sell it for a park. We need more

4:22:54open space in Jersey City, not less.

4:22:57We've added 40,000 residents and

4:22:59promised other open space has not

4:23:02materialized. So, the Bergen Arches,

4:23:05the embankment, the reservoir,

4:23:09Courthouse Park, and that ribbon of

4:23:12green that is supposed to be running

4:23:14through Journal Square. None of these

4:23:18projects are finished, but we have

4:23:2040,000 more people.

4:23:23128 Glenwood is already open space and

4:23:25has been for 25 years. Please ensure

4:23:28this treasured community resource is

4:23:30maintained. Thank you.

4:23:38Hi. Yes, my name is Tina No. Yes, I do

4:23:40work for education at Gearmore, but I'm

4:23:42speaking upon myself for my community.

4:23:45Um, first of all, I want to make it

4:23:47clear. Yes, I believe in um God and I

4:23:49believe it's supposed to be beautiful. I

4:23:51believe we should have that in our

4:23:52community. But I'm asking y'all now need

4:23:56me in our community spending that type

4:23:58of money and stuff. We also have a lot

4:24:01of homeless. We also have people who are

4:24:04trying to sleep in the garden because

4:24:06they don't have nowhere to go. So, I

4:24:08want to ask y'all, let's make sure we

4:24:11not choosing a garden over the people

4:24:14that been sleeping out inside the

4:24:16street. The other day, we have a garden

4:24:18on Oak and Martin Luther King and two

4:24:20families were trying to get inside of

4:24:22the garden to sleep because they didn't

4:24:24have nowhere to go. We need to start

4:24:26making choices about our community and

4:24:29investing in doing the right thing.

4:24:31Right now, we just got a phone call. We

4:24:33have two people homeless outside

4:24:35tonight. What should I tell them? To go

4:24:37to the garden? No. What we should tell

4:24:41them are spending our money the right

4:24:43way. We have mental health. They

4:24:45promised the same thing for them to get

4:24:47that money, for them to do that mental

4:24:49health. We have not did that. So, to see

4:24:51us talking about Gen. Yes, don't get me

4:24:54wrong. I'm from Alabama. We had our own

4:24:56garden. But right now in y'all

4:24:59community, y'all dealing with homeless

4:25:01and mental health. Unless they going to

4:25:03go in the garden. Let me know.

4:25:11Greetings, council. My name is Erica

4:25:13Walker, Chief of Staff Councilman

4:25:14Gilmore, but I'm here on my own behalf.

4:25:16I know you guys have heard a lot

4:25:17tonight, but I have to say this for the

4:25:19record. And for those watching at home,

4:25:22colleagues, I respect every resident who

4:25:24came here tonight to fight for something

4:25:26they care about. Community gardens have

4:25:30great value. But our responsibility

4:25:33is to ask a harder question. When the

4:25:37city is in a budget crisis, how do we

4:25:40use limited public dollars to help the

4:25:43greater number of people possible? The

4:25:46greatest number of people possible.

4:25:48We're being asked to commit $1 million

4:25:50in CDBG public facilities funding toward

4:25:53$1.2 million purchase on a small one

4:25:56small parcel. Meanwhile, we have needs

4:25:59existing needs that could use these

4:26:01dollars, including a public library

4:26:03rehab, affordable housing rehab, a

4:26:06mental health facility,

4:26:09a public safety public safety equipment.

4:26:13And that's what's troubling because

4:26:15we've now been told that these projects

4:26:17could use the funding. They simply may

4:26:19not be able to spend it by January. So

4:26:22we have to ask what's the rush? Federal

4:26:25CDBG rules do create a timeless

4:26:28timeliness requirement. But these

4:26:30program this program year 2024 dollars

4:26:33do not simply disappear in January. The

4:26:36federal test concerns the city's overall

4:26:39level of unspent funds and authorizing

4:26:42an expenditure by itself does not even

4:26:45satisfy that test. Actual draw downs

4:26:48matter. We should also remember that

4:26:50once we purchase a park, CDBG generally

4:26:52cannot pay its ongoing maintenance. That

4:26:54becomes a city expense going forward.

4:26:57And this community is not without green

4:26:59space. Lincoln Park is just a 12-minute

4:27:01walk, 3minut drive away. I used to I

4:27:04used to walk over the bridge to Liberty

4:27:06Park.

4:27:08So for me, the question isn't whether a

4:27:11garden is good. Of course it is. The

4:27:13question is whether during a fiscal

4:27:14crisis is $1.2 million for this one

4:27:18little parcel the highest impact use of

4:27:21these dollars when there are other

4:27:22eligible needs that could serve hundreds

4:27:24or even thousands of residents. Before

4:27:27we spend because we can spend quickly,

4:27:30we need to be certain that we're

4:27:32spending where we can do the most good.

4:27:35Thank you.

4:27:43He starts the look on some of your faces

4:27:46when the developer's lawyer got up here.

4:27:49Worth sitting there for the past three

4:27:50hours. Now, I wonder if he's still here

4:27:52and can help answer this question. I

4:27:55don't believe the developer pays the New

4:27:58Jersey mansion tax because he's buying

4:28:01from a municipality. So that would mean

4:28:03not only are you doing a developer

4:28:05handout, you're also not taxing the

4:28:08rich.

4:28:09Incredible work. I mean, I wouldn't you

4:28:12couldn't write this.

4:28:15Now, this project is a giant middle

4:28:18finger from the mayor to you, the city

4:28:20council. This resolution might as well

4:28:23say, "I'm going to use whatever funding

4:28:26I like. I'm going to use it however I

4:28:28see fit, and you're not going to do

4:28:31anything about it." Am I wrong?

4:28:35Mayor does not respect your role or your

4:28:37authority. And why should he? He's

4:28:40rolled you before. He's rolling you

4:28:42tonight. And he's going to roll you in

4:28:44the future. I would love nothing more

4:28:46than to tell these people the very

4:28:48stupid thing you did, but I can't

4:28:50because it's that stupid.

4:28:53The administrative staff seems to feel

4:28:55the same way. In Monday's caucus, Deputy

4:28:58Mayor Podar said this about the

4:29:00purchase. We had agreed to purchase when

4:29:03we originally brought the application

4:29:05before this council for the grant fund.

4:29:08Now, that resolution did not give Deputy

4:29:10Mayor Pter the authority to agree to

4:29:12that purchase. It simply agreed to

4:29:14support the grant application. Without

4:29:17council approval, Deputy Mayor Pter

4:29:20cannot agree to a purchase. He can agree

4:29:22to terms with the seller, but he can't

4:29:24agree to a purchase. Only the council

4:29:27can agree to a purchase, but he seems to

4:29:30think differently. And I mean, I can see

4:29:33why he would think that. You are nothing

4:29:34more than a rubber stamp for this mayor.

4:29:38The council has made several requests of

4:29:40this administration. Has any of them

4:29:43been met?

4:29:46Did you receive the breakdown of funding

4:29:48dates we've to spend by policies on

4:29:50spending? Did you receive a list of all

4:29:52eligible uses and buildings for CDBG

4:29:55funding? Did you receive a list of any

4:29:57other project that is asked for these

4:29:59funds that we can consider? Now, let's

4:30:02see. On September 8th, the city said CGB

4:30:06funds were eligible for this project

4:30:07because it's brand new. It has to be

4:30:09brand new. by Monday that turned into oh

4:30:12it could be used for anything like

4:30:13acquisition, rehab, street paving,

4:30:15anything that's an improvement.

4:30:18Now they said on September 8th when you

4:30:20said why now? Well, they said we have to

4:30:22spend by the end of December or we risk

4:30:24losing it. On Monday that turned into

4:30:27before the end of January and a lot of

4:30:29conditioning, oh well there's a pretty

4:30:31good chance they're going to recapture

4:30:33us. It's hard to tell if they're going

4:30:35to lose it. It could be. Now on Reddit,

4:30:38our communication director for the city

4:30:40said, "We've identified a suite of

4:30:42shovel ready projects." Did you get that

4:30:45list of shovel ready projects?

4:30:47>> Thank you.

4:30:52>> Next speaker

4:30:55and state and spell your name for the

4:30:56record.

4:30:58>> Moren Gallagher. M A U R E N.

4:31:02>> You don't have to spell the last name.

4:31:04>> Okay. It's with an H at the end, but

4:31:09sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.

4:31:11Okay. Um, this is going to be quick. Uh,

4:31:14MSCB has put in years of real work to

4:31:17get here. Grant applications, community

4:31:20input, design sessions. Ward C has the

4:31:24least green space in the city and it's

4:31:26getting denser. This is a real chance to

4:31:28change that. Um, years ago I helped

4:31:32Persingfield get a CDBG grant for their

4:31:35playground. It took a year of meetings

4:31:37and paperwork done by people willing to

4:31:40see it through and that's what MSCB has

4:31:43done here and it's worth recognizing.

4:31:46Um, we hope you'll vote yes tonight so

4:31:49MSCB and all its supporters can keep

4:31:52working to make that vision a reality.

4:31:54Thank you.

4:32:03Okay. Next speaker

4:32:06can state and spell your name for the

4:32:08record.

4:32:09>> Natalie Lemon. N A T A L I E. L I M as

4:32:15in monkey. O N as in Nancy.

4:32:18>> Thank you.

4:32:20>> Hello. Many of your constituents are

4:32:22very upset over this project, which I

4:32:23understand puts you in a difficult

4:32:25position. But they do not have all of

4:32:26the facts and worse have even been

4:32:28misled. And you should not penalize the

4:32:30project for that. You should help set

4:32:31the record straight. The first thing I'd

4:32:33like to say is to make any community

4:32:34garden, we have to lose tax revenue and

4:32:36potential housing. Whenever we don't

4:32:37build housing somewhere, we are deciding

4:32:39to invest in other opportunities, and

4:32:40they will never be more lucrative from a

4:32:42revenue perspective, but they're

4:32:43meaningful. I want to set straight the

4:32:45accusations this garden park would

4:32:46benefit only a few people and wouldn't

4:32:48really be public. It would be the

4:32:49McKinley Square Community Board is a

4:32:51collaborative and inclusive neighborhood

4:32:52association that has repeatedly stated

4:32:53its goal to collaborate with other

4:32:55entities for programming that would

4:32:56invite people from outside the

4:32:58neighborhood to use it as a quaint

4:32:59gathering and event space. We can look

4:33:00at Canco Park as an example of how that

4:33:02works. Aside from events, I'm pretty

4:33:04sure that there are folks who visit

4:33:05CanCo on occasion from outside the

4:33:06neighborhood simply because it's an

4:33:08inviting space. If the leisure area is

4:33:10inviting at the Glenwood lot, then it

4:33:11will have the same draw and will be

4:33:13available because the park will have

4:33:14open access during standardized hours.

4:33:17Will the garden plots mostly serve the

4:33:18neighborhood? Probably, as is the case

4:33:20with most community gardens, and why

4:33:21ideally each neighborhood community

4:33:22should have one of those. To those who

4:33:24question if the lot is big enough for

4:33:25gardening and programming, it's a deep

4:33:27lot. My friend Ra Robert spoke about

4:33:28Rabbit Hole Farm in Newark last month,

4:33:30which is a good comparison because it's

4:33:32a similar lot size and the same type of

4:33:34residential lot. They definitely both

4:33:35grow and gather there. So, it's totally

4:33:37possible with a smart use of space to do

4:33:38the same here. Regarding the funding,

4:33:40when the topic of the expiration of

4:33:42these funds has come up and other ways

4:33:43the money could be spent at this point,

4:33:45it's been clear that there is a lack of

4:33:46understanding that awarding a CDBG grant

4:33:48to projects is a rigorous and heavily

4:33:50regulated process that takes many

4:33:51months. As the last speaker just said,

4:33:53since many don't know this, it baffles

4:33:55them that there aren't other quote

4:33:56shovel ready projects that could be

4:33:57ready in time. Just because a shovel is

4:33:58ready to go into the ground doesn't mean

4:34:00the paperwork has been completed. It

4:34:01takes a long time. Some people who I

4:34:03have told this to have argued we should

4:34:04let the funds expire rather than buy

4:34:05something that the public thinks is

4:34:06overassessed. You all know better since

4:34:08we're at risk of a penalty and receiving

4:34:10less money in the future. Um, another

4:34:12critical thing you all know but is not

4:34:13being discussed publicly in debate is

4:34:15that many millions of dollars remain in

4:34:16CDBG funds that are not on the verge of

4:34:18expiration. No other cause loses because

4:34:20this part gets the 2022 residuals, not

4:34:232024. But the whole city loses if these

4:34:25residuals don't get spent. I think the

4:34:27biggest thing people also don't know is

4:34:28that MSCB did not initially apply for

4:34:30these funds. The city forced them to.

4:34:32They first applied for open space trust

4:34:33funds which you folks enthusiastically

4:34:35granted. But the administration then

4:34:37forced them to make the switch due to

4:34:39discovering that this was qualifying

4:34:40because it's a low-income census tract

4:34:42and because they had expiring funds they

4:34:44wanted to save. It was the city's choice

4:34:46to use these grant dollars. If the

4:34:47garden is lost at this point over these

4:34:49funds, it will be devastating because of

4:34:50that fact alone and more so if the funds

4:34:53promise just go unspent altogether. It

4:34:54will have rendered three years of

4:34:56volunteer efforts a waste of time and

4:34:57they could have pursued something else

4:34:58too. The city said go this route.

4:35:01There's been so um the public has been

4:35:03very misled by the internet and

4:35:05cherrypicking of facts and the project

4:35:06has gotten caught in the crosshairs over

4:35:08anger about the financial crisis, but

4:35:09this project has nothing to do with it.

4:35:10Please vote on all of the facts and then

4:35:13use your platform to inform the public

4:35:16and correct the narrative in the record.

4:35:26Still a public hearing on city ordinance

4:35:2826-077.

4:35:30Any member of the public still wish to

4:35:31be heard, please come up to the podium

4:35:34and Okay.

4:35:41Mormack.

4:35:43S H I R I N

4:35:47M A C O R M A C K.

4:35:52>> Thank you.

4:35:55>> Good evening, Garden State.

4:35:58I ask you for your continued support

4:36:00tonight to save the migrant community

4:36:03garden. There is no other name for it.

4:36:07The migrant community garden was a

4:36:10public park open to all. It was

4:36:13privately owned and it will become a

4:36:14public park open to all with extended

4:36:18hours for extra programming. It was the

4:36:21heart of the community and it will be

4:36:23again.

4:36:24It served everyone in our diverse

4:36:27community.

4:36:29It's been a long journey to get here. We

4:36:32started a neighborhood group. A year

4:36:34later, we became a 501c3.

4:36:37We got hundreds of petitions,

4:36:39signatures, and days. And we have about

4:36:42a hundred letters that you all have

4:36:44seen, letters of support from

4:36:46individuals, from organizations. We've

4:36:48done the work. The reason we're even

4:36:51here tonight is because we have worked

4:36:54around the clock non-stop for three and

4:36:56a half years, consistently showing up

4:36:59for McInley Square and for the rest of

4:37:01the city with sustained, organized

4:37:04volunteer philanthropy and advocacy.

4:37:08No connections, no influence, just

4:37:11honest threat equity and elbow grease

4:37:15for the greater common good. We've done

4:37:19so much as an organization in a short

4:37:21time because we're fully committed to

4:37:23the neighborhood and its residents and

4:37:26saving this community garden of decades

4:37:29is our number one goal. It offered so

4:37:32much and it was lost. Sometimes the best

4:37:35neighborhood improvements

4:37:37and the most progressive thing that you

4:37:40could do is vote for the small green

4:37:42spaces of earth under the people's feet.

4:37:46Yes, it is small and that's all we have

4:37:50and that's all the more reason why it

4:37:52matters to conserve it for the people

4:37:55for the public.

4:37:58Vote for the migrant garden and vote for

4:38:00community vote for the public for civic

4:38:02engagement for the immigrants that

4:38:04struggle

4:38:06their struggles and hopes that are real.

4:38:09And how do I know? What do I know about

4:38:10the immigrant community? Well, I live in

4:38:12it, but I also am a daughter of an

4:38:14immigrant who came here to America with

4:38:16pennies in his pocket so that we could

4:38:19have opportunities

4:38:22in education

4:38:24and improving the place we live.

4:38:31Struggle and the hope are real.

4:38:34Vote for the education, the food

4:38:36security, the students. Vote for

4:38:38tomorrow because if not, the people will

4:38:41lose. and it's too late. We've done

4:38:43everything we can. We know the price

4:38:45went up because of a dand use variance.

4:38:48We know it hadn't been reassessed and it

4:38:49was sold under value.

4:38:53>> There's limited land and increasing

4:38:54disparity and that's all the more reason

4:38:56to state this now.

4:38:58>> Thank you.

4:39:09This is still a public hearing on city

4:39:11ordinance 26-077.

4:39:13Any member of the public still wish to

4:39:14be heard? Please come up to the podium

4:39:16and state your name for the record.

4:39:18>> Motion.

4:39:18>> Motion to close the public hearing was

4:39:20made by excuse me on city ordinance

4:39:2326-077

4:39:25was made by council person Gilmore. May

4:39:27I have a second?

4:39:28>> Second.

4:39:29>> Second by council person Griffin. on the

4:39:31motion to close the public hearing on

4:39:33city ordinance 26-077.

4:39:36Council person Brooks

4:39:37>> I.

4:39:38>> Council person Zupa.

4:39:39>> Hi.

4:39:40>> Council person Efos.

4:39:41>> Hi.

4:39:42>> Council person Little.

4:39:44>> Hi.

4:39:45>> Council person Gilmore.

4:39:47>> I.

4:39:47>> Council person Singh.

4:39:48>> Hi.

4:39:49>> Council person Griffin.

4:39:51>> Hi.

4:39:52>> Council person Lavaro.

4:39:54>> I.

4:39:54>> And council president Ridley.

4:39:56>> I. Motion carries 90 to close the public

4:40:00hearing on city ordinance 26-077.

4:40:04As we discussed before,

4:40:07I'm going to entertain a motion to table

4:40:09city ordinance 26-077

4:40:11after the close of the public hearing.

4:40:13>> May I have a motion?

4:40:15>> Sean, I have I have a question for the

4:40:16BA before we do that, please.

4:40:20>> Anything close.

4:40:22>> The public hearing is closed. I was

4:40:24taking a motion to table, but Councilman

4:40:27Zupa has a question.

4:40:28>> I was asking the status of my council

4:40:30request from Monday afternoon.

4:40:35>> Um, we had answered a lot of the

4:40:37requests related to the CDBG funds. Um,

4:40:41I can look up specifically the one you

4:40:43asked, but maybe you can ask the

4:40:46question and I can Yeah,

4:40:48>> if it was responded to.

4:40:49>> No problem. Cool.

4:40:53Please provide a list of all projects

4:40:54that were considered for the CDBG funds

4:40:56that are proposed to be allocated for

4:40:58the acquisition of 128 Glenwood,

4:41:00including but not limited to the name of

4:41:02the organization and request, purpose of

4:41:04the requested funds, expected timeline

4:41:07to complete the request, reason why

4:41:09those project or project or projects

4:41:11were not deemed to be appropriate for

4:41:12those funds.

4:41:14>> Has it been answered?

4:41:15>> Yeah, Councilman, I spoke with the the

4:41:17BA in law um a little bit ago. Um I have

4:41:20that list. It was in the council info

4:41:22requests. Um, and I was planning on

4:41:26reading aloud uh the the list that we

4:41:28have of the applications pending um for

4:41:32CDBG public facilities funds. I'm happy

4:41:35to do that now or maybe we can go

4:41:36through the motion.

4:41:37>> Was that provided to all of us or just

4:41:39to Okay. Okay. That's every everyone

4:41:42that we saw, right?

4:41:43>> This is provided um according to our

4:41:46process with council requests. Whoever

4:41:48asked for it, we responded, but we also

4:41:51logged this in our tracker and shared it

4:41:53in the shared folder for everyone to

4:41:55access.

4:41:56>> Thank you.

4:41:58>> Maybe we can go through the motion and

4:42:00then I'm happy to read that list aloud

4:42:02into the record um prior to voting on

4:42:04the resolution if that makes sense.

4:42:06>> Motion.

4:42:07>> Hold on.

4:42:08>> Second.

4:42:08>> Hold on. Hold on.

4:42:10>> Sorry. Sorry.

4:42:11>> So,

4:42:12am I entertaining a motion to table now?

4:42:14>> Yes.

4:42:15>> Okay. So, it's a motion to table city

4:42:18ordinance 26-077

4:42:20after the close of the public hearing.

4:42:22So, the motion was made by council

4:42:23person

4:42:25Gilmore, seconded by council person

4:42:27Lavaro

4:42:29on a motion to table city ordinance

4:42:3226-077

4:42:33after the close of the public hearing.

4:42:35Council person Brooks

4:42:36>> I.

4:42:37>> Council person Zupa.

4:42:38>> Hi.

4:42:39>> Council person Efos.

4:42:40>> I.

4:42:41>> Council person Little.

4:42:42>> I.

4:42:43>> Council person Gilmore.

4:42:44>> I. Council person Singh.

4:42:46>> Hi.

4:42:47>> Council person Griffin.

4:42:48>> Hi.

4:42:49>> Council person Labaro.

4:42:50>> Hi.

4:42:51>> Council President Ridley.

4:42:52>> Hi.

4:42:53>> Motion carries 90 to table city

4:42:56ordinance 26-077

4:42:58after the close of the public hearing.

4:43:01Are we now going to entertain a motion

4:43:03to defer to item 10.14, city resolution

4:43:0726-593,

4:43:08or are we reading something into the

4:43:11record?

4:43:12>> Motion. We going to do motion. So, the

4:43:14motion was made by council person

4:43:16Ephros.

4:43:20>> Second.

4:43:20>> And I'll give the second to council

4:43:22person Griffin because he's listening.

4:43:25>> On the motion to defer to item 10.14,

4:43:28city resolution 26-593.

4:43:30Council person Brooks.

4:43:33>> I.

4:43:34>> Council person Zupa.

4:43:36>> Hi.

4:43:36>> Council person Ephro.

4:43:38>> Hi.

4:43:38>> Council person Little.

4:43:39>> Hi.

4:43:40>> Council person Gilmore.

4:43:42>> Hi. Council person Singh.

4:43:44>> Hi.

4:43:44>> Council person Griffin.

4:43:46>> Hi.

4:43:46>> Council person Labaro.

4:43:48>> Hi.

4:43:49>> And council president Ridley.

4:43:51>> I.

4:43:52>> Motion carries 90 to defer to item 10.14

4:43:56city resolution 26-593.

4:43:59>> Sean and council president and

4:44:01colleagues if I may. Um is it okay time

4:44:03to read this into the record?

4:44:06>> Uh yes you can go ahead.

4:44:07>> Thank you. Um so we received a list of

4:44:11um CDBG uh public facilities funds uh

4:44:15that are allocated um to different

4:44:19already awarded and allocated to

4:44:20different projects and then also the

4:44:22applications pending list. So um these

4:44:25are six different uh projects with

4:44:28applications currently pending for these

4:44:30CDBG public facilities funds. One is 128

4:44:34Glenwood. Another is the purchase of JC

4:44:37Fire Department firet truck um for LMI

4:44:41area $4 million. Um the delivery is

4:44:45estimated in 2028

4:44:47which is why it would not be applicable

4:44:49uh to spend down um by the end of

4:44:52January. Another is the rehab of the

4:44:55Five Corners Public Library 100 excuse

4:44:58me uh$1 million

4:45:01$1,200,000.

4:45:03Um and the stated reason for delays

4:45:06project needs six months before it can

4:45:09begin. Rehab of 316 MLK Avenue for

4:45:13affordable units. Another uh $1.2

4:45:17million will not be ready to start until

4:45:19February 2027.

4:45:22Another is 242 Bergen Avenue rehab for

4:45:25affordable housing. uh just over half a

4:45:28million dollars in negotiation with uh

4:45:32JCHA, the housing authority. And and the

4:45:35last on the list is rehab for Washington

4:45:37mental health facility. An estimated

4:45:40$500,000

4:45:42says the application is being scored,

4:45:44cannot be completed by January 2027.

4:45:46Environmental review and public notice

4:45:48still required. Um, I'll just say I I

4:45:52certainly urge the administration to do

4:45:54everything that we can um particularly

4:45:56for the Washington Mental Health

4:45:58Facility to make sure that application

4:45:59is scored and those reviews are uh

4:46:02underway as soon as humanly possible.

4:46:07>> So So in total, how much how much can be

4:46:12um encumbered before the January 27

4:46:16deadline based on that?

4:46:19say that. So,

4:46:21>> can you forward that to us?

4:46:25>> I'm I'm happy to forward you the email

4:46:27now, Councilman. I mean, based on this

4:46:29list of the projects with applications

4:46:32pending, the administration's position

4:46:34is 120 Glenwood Avenue is the only one

4:46:37that can actually accept these funds in

4:46:39a way that would be paid out and

4:46:42completed by the end of January, which

4:46:45is the relevant timing uh for this

4:46:48untimeliness question um that could put

4:46:52the remainder future CDBG funds at risk.

4:46:56Um, so that is my read of what we've

4:46:58gotten from the administration, but I

4:47:00know the the list was in question for

4:47:02quite some time. It's been a couple

4:47:04weeks and and it's in front of us now.

4:47:05So, I wanted to make sure to read it

4:47:06into the record. How

4:47:08>> I have a question. How long does it take

4:47:09to um score an application?

4:47:16>> So, um

4:47:19I believe there is a committee that is

4:47:21reviewing this application. Sometimes

4:47:23committee is asking for information that

4:47:26is not readily available and there's a

4:47:28back and forth in terms of you know

4:47:30scoring. I think even if this

4:47:32application is scored as the um status

4:47:36shows there's still um environmental

4:47:38remediation there's still public notice

4:47:41there's a process before um it can get

4:47:44approved and even if it's approved it's

4:47:47a rehab. So any construction work,

4:47:50anything that needs to be done needs to

4:47:52be done by January.

4:47:54>> And and and so and also how long um

4:48:00does it take um for an application to be

4:48:05seen and reviewed for the scoring

4:48:08process?

4:48:09>> I think it depends on the application

4:48:11and what information that committee is

4:48:13requesting.

4:48:15So I I believe we shared all the

4:48:19information about the applications that

4:48:21exist. If we are talking about this one

4:48:24particular application, it's $500,000.

4:48:27And also again, even if the application

4:48:30were to be approved today, I think the

4:48:32likelihood of all the other steps that

4:48:34have to happen after that um and for the

4:48:38facility to be rehabbed and ready to go

4:48:40in January is very unlikely,

4:48:42>> right? We will prioritize it, of course,

4:48:45and look at all the ways we could to

4:48:47make sure that money can be spent.

4:48:48>> I'm I'm I'm I'm asking these questions

4:48:50because this application was filled out

4:48:52in February and the applicant didn't

4:48:56hear anything until a few weeks ago.

4:49:01>> I'm sorry to hear that and I'm happy to

4:49:03follow up. I am not personally involved

4:49:07in reviewing that application, so I

4:49:08cannot speak to why it's being held up.

4:49:13Um, DA, just for the record, if you can

4:49:16state um what if anything was your

4:49:19communication

4:49:20with HUD as it relates to uh extensions?

4:49:27>> And Miss Choy, everything was so rushed.

4:49:31This

4:49:33I did not even check the list councilman

4:49:36is talking about. Everything was so last

4:49:38minute. We were just struggling finding

4:49:41the answers.

4:49:43It's is very it is frustrating.

4:49:48I I'm and I'm I'm sorry there's

4:49:50processes in city government are very

4:49:52complicated as you've heard tonight. Um

4:49:56I'll just remind you all that we had

4:49:57postponed this resolution because I know

4:50:01you all needed more time and um wanted

4:50:04more information and we were all ready

4:50:06and prepared to do that. I know the

4:50:08caucus meeting on Monday, we we received

4:50:10a lot of requests and we did our best to

4:50:12respond to all of them. Um, so I again I

4:50:17know there's a lot of information to

4:50:19process but I think you also heard a lot

4:50:21from the public today. Joy, we did not

4:50:24receive all the answers on Monday. We

4:50:27were still con I can tell I can talk

4:50:29about myself. I was still confused. I

4:50:32did not know the answers. I was calling

4:50:34everyone.

4:50:36It's it's last minute pressure obviously

4:50:39I'm not blaming you just showing my

4:50:41frustration with the whole process

4:50:45there are still few questions I would

4:50:48like you to answer um like couple of

4:50:53other projects we talked about why are

4:50:56we not

4:50:59why are we not considering or thinking

4:51:02about applications we have to do it in

4:51:05timely manner. So last minute there's no

4:51:09pressure on council to vote or to lose

4:51:12money all that

4:51:14it's it's just that we have to make the

4:51:18process smoother and easier for

4:51:20everybody for us to understand for

4:51:22public they are coming they're taking

4:51:23out their time and last minute they have

4:51:25to rush because they have to speak um

4:51:29just showing my frustration I I feel we

4:51:33can do a better job

4:51:36>> if I can just add to the councilman just

4:51:38looking at this email. It's dated

4:51:40September 23rd, 3:34 p.m. That's that's

4:51:43today. Like, so,

4:51:46um, I have not seen this, but I'm sure

4:51:48it's in there somewhere. But, um,

4:51:51>> I'm sorry, but just to be fair,

4:51:55um, you all know our departments are

4:51:57very short staffed. We have a lot on our

4:52:00plates. It's not me trying to find

4:52:03excuses, but we all really worked very

4:52:06hard to respond to all the questions,

4:52:08sometimes asked multiple times by

4:52:11different council members. So, it's very

4:52:12hard to also track all these questions.

4:52:15The other thing I will say is we

4:52:17modified the council schedule so that

4:52:19you would get the agenda ahead of time

4:52:22and be able to review the agenda and ask

4:52:24us questions ahead of the caucus

4:52:26meeting. Um, the caucus meeting, as you

4:52:29know, is on a Monday and we struggle to

4:52:31get the information to you in time for

4:52:33this community meeting. So, I again I

4:52:36understand the process is complicated.

4:52:38We're all working really hard to

4:52:40streamline it, but this is the reality

4:52:42of where we are in terms of the

4:52:43timeline.

4:52:44>> To make it easier, is it possible to

4:52:46send whatever information you are

4:52:48sending to one council member? Maybe

4:52:50send it to all of us. So if we are

4:52:52missing out on something at least we can

4:52:55check the information that other council

4:52:58is asking for.

4:53:01If I may, I jump.

4:53:03>> Hold on. Via, if you can answer the

4:53:05question that I proposed. Um, if you can

4:53:09share uh that correspondence, that

4:53:11dialogue that you had with HUD as it

4:53:15relates to um any potential extensions.

4:53:21>> I don't believe we gotten response from

4:53:24HUD, but I I know Director Diaz is in

4:53:27communications with them. They've been

4:53:30talking about this deadline for quite a

4:53:32bit. So, um I can check again and see if

4:53:35he's gotten a response.

4:53:37>> So, specific just I just want the record

4:53:39to be clear. So, specifically,

4:53:42um Director Diaz reached out to the DC I

4:53:46mean, excuse me, to HUD. Was it

4:53:48yesterday or today?

4:53:53>> I can confirm with him, but I think it

4:53:55was right after our caucus meeting.

4:53:58And if you can confirm uh just the means

4:54:00of that communication whether it was a

4:54:02email, a phone call or what it was.

4:54:08>> So if sorry, are are you okay? I I had a

4:54:13very interesting telephone conversation

4:54:15with director Diaz today. Uh, and I will

4:54:18be honest, I was um leaning towards

4:54:22voting no because I felt that the

4:54:24developer was overcharging us for this

4:54:26lot. Um, I felt like they had played the

4:54:29game and and um, we're going to make a

4:54:33way like a bandit, I think the phrase

4:54:34is, on this lot. And, um, I felt that

4:54:38there were other I I support McKinley

4:54:40Square having a community garden, but I

4:54:41felt that there were other lots that we

4:54:43could probably get for less. Um, I

4:54:45thought we were kind of being fleeced.

4:54:47So, that's how I was leaning. Um, going

4:54:50into today, I had a conversation with

4:54:53Mr. Diaz today on the phone. And Monday,

4:54:56he did not tell us any of this. Um, and

4:54:58I don't think he's lying to me. I think

4:55:00he's doing the best he can. But Monday,

4:55:02all the answers from the administration

4:55:04were very wishy-washy. Um, to us, it

4:55:07felt like, you know, oh, like, you know,

4:55:10we might be able to spend it on other

4:55:12things, but we don't know. or or we

4:55:14would try to find other things if we

4:55:15were not to spend it on this, but we

4:55:17don't know. Um, and at that point in

4:55:20time, I thought that we just had to

4:55:22spend down the 2022 and the 2023

4:55:26funding. Um, so for those watching at

4:55:28home, CDBG grants, you typically have

4:55:30three years to spend them. Um, the last

4:55:33administration was great at spending

4:55:35your tax dollars and they were not so

4:55:37great at spending CDBG grant funding. um

4:55:41leaving us in this situation where we

4:55:43are now going to be faced with a

4:55:44timeliness assessment on January 31st.

4:55:47What Salo told me was that the

4:55:50timeliness assessment will include not

4:55:53just the 2022, 2023, 2024 money that we

4:55:57should have spent already, but that it

4:55:58will also include the 2025 money, 4

4:56:01million of which we are accepting on

4:56:02today's agenda, and that they plan to

4:56:05give us our 2026 money in December. And

4:56:07all of that has to be spent down. It

4:56:10it'll total it'll total over 17 million

4:56:12and all of that has to be spent down to

4:56:14just six million by January 31st or they

4:56:17can claw back more of our funding. Now

4:56:19that that is something and and and he

4:56:23also said even if council votes not to

4:56:25accept this funding that it doesn't

4:56:27matter. HUD will consider it like it

4:56:30it's in their books as being in our as

4:56:34being in our books and it will still

4:56:35count against us in the timeliness

4:56:37assessment. So to recap, they are giving

4:56:39us $9 million in the last three and a

4:56:43half months of the year less and

4:56:46expecting us all to spend expecting us

4:56:48to spend at least down to $6 million by

4:56:53January 31st. Now, for anyone who has

4:56:55ever seen an RFP, gone through a

4:56:57procurement process, like that is not at

4:57:00all reasonable. And so, if this is true,

4:57:03the federal government is setting us up

4:57:04to fail. And that is something that

4:57:07should have been told to us in caucus on

4:57:09Monday because I am tired of making

4:57:12decisions based on what the

4:57:13administration tells me behind closed

4:57:14doors. I did that with the budget and it

4:57:16blew up. Um, you know, I I want

4:57:19transparency. I want to be told these

4:57:20things in caucus Monday. Can anyone from

4:57:23the administration confirm whether this

4:57:25is in fact the case?

4:57:31>> I can confirm that there is a timeliness

4:57:34issue which we talked about at caucus.

4:57:37I'm I'm sorry that we didn't present it

4:57:39in a um more straightforward way, but

4:57:42that I think between director Diaz,

4:57:44myself, and the deputy mayor, we shared

4:57:46that concerned that we have that funds

4:57:49if not used in accordance to the grant

4:57:53will be taken away. I think we we said

4:57:56that multiple times. Um I can't comment

4:58:00on the others of the conversation but we

4:58:04we are aware that funds if are not spent

4:58:08will be reduced in future years.

4:58:12>> May I sorry when you're done.

4:58:15>> Thank you. And I'm sorry I I was very

4:58:17emotional about this and I'm sorry I'm

4:58:19not directing this at either of you in

4:58:21particular. It's more a broader

4:58:22frustration. Um, and to be clear, if

4:58:25this is true, uh, I do feel that the

4:58:28blame primarily lies with the Philip

4:58:30administration and the Trump

4:58:31administration, but I I think there is

4:58:32some blame that also lies with the

4:58:34Solomon administration because

4:58:38>> Okay, we don't going to yell out. Thank

4:58:40you. Um,

4:58:42>> but

4:58:45>> again, we don't call out.

4:58:48It's it's just it's very frustrating

4:58:51because we this is relevant information

4:58:53that we should have been told at caucus

4:58:55Monday and even now it's not clear to me

4:58:59whether it's just the 2022 and 2023

4:59:04grant funding that would get clawed back

4:59:06or whether it's also 2024 2025 2026 that

4:59:10we're just getting now. Um, I mean that

4:59:13if if if what

4:59:16director Diaz said was true, that is

4:59:18completely outrageous. Um, we are in a

4:59:21fiscal crisis yet are being told by HUD

4:59:23we have to go on a spending spree and a

4:59:25spending spree that we we probably

4:59:28have no realistic chance of succeeding

4:59:30at. And um so if that's but but it

4:59:34sounds like it sounds like no one here

4:59:35at this meeting tonight can confirm

4:59:37whether whether the timeliness

4:59:40assessment will include 2025 and 20 26

4:59:43funds or not. Is that accurate?

4:59:49Um

4:59:50as part of the resolution from for

4:59:53today's meeting there is a 20 there is

4:59:56resolution around accepting 2025

5:00:002026 fund. So I think it's preliminary

5:00:03to talk about that because we haven't

5:00:06even opened it up to talk about the

5:00:07funds but I I'm happy to take that back

5:00:10to director Diaz. We can have further

5:00:13conversations about that year's fund.

5:00:17for today. I think the topic is around

5:00:19the 2022 funds. Um, so again, I'm happy

5:00:24to share more information um that will

5:00:27help you make a future decision on the

5:00:30other applications of CDBG funds.

5:00:33>> Well, I mean, to me, there's a big

5:00:34difference between whether there's like

5:00:37two or three million that we have to

5:00:38spend or whether there's 11 million that

5:00:40we have to spend. So, so that's what I'm

5:00:42struggling with. Um,

5:00:46I I I would like to motion to carry this

5:00:49so that we have more time to to consider

5:00:51this. I see the attorney is still here.

5:00:53We were warned um we were warned that

5:00:56this deal could go through if um if we

5:01:00did not approve this tonight. Is that

5:01:02still the case or or would the attorney

5:01:04be willing to consider um a two-e

5:01:07extension

5:01:09if if I'm not out of line for asking

5:01:10that?

5:01:15My god, we're going to freaking

5:01:17negotiate right now.

5:01:20>> Oh I could text the client now and

5:01:22ask if they're okay extending this out

5:01:24two weeks. I I do know I was told if

5:01:26this pushes out anything longer than a

5:01:28month, though, we're certainly going to

5:01:29go ahead with construction. So, that is

5:01:31the outer time limit. Let me ask about

5:01:33the two weeks, though.

5:01:34>> So, he's

5:01:35>> all right. So, let's let him do his

5:01:37research. I don't want to put him on the

5:01:38spot and have him say something that he

5:01:40hasn't verified yet, but I know

5:01:41Councilman Brooks, before we accept your

5:01:44motion, uh, Councilwoman Little, let's,

5:01:46uh, give Councilman Brooks the floor for

5:01:48a second.

5:01:49>> Thank you, Council President. So, um, I

5:01:52also made an information request, which

5:01:54is which was responded to and is in the

5:01:56folder and was distributed to everybody

5:01:59um, in hard copy. What I requested was

5:02:03um how much 2024 CDBG money is left to

5:02:07spend. Um and the administration did

5:02:09provide that um all the different um

5:02:13projects, what the funded amount was, uh

5:02:16what was drawn down and what the balance

5:02:18is as of September 1st. So, thank you

5:02:20for providing that. Um I asked for the

5:02:23same for program years 2025 and 2026.

5:02:27Um, obviously 2026 was not uh received

5:02:30yet. I believe we're voting on that. Um,

5:02:33so before I ask my question, I just want

5:02:35to kind of synthesize a couple things

5:02:39that are on the agenda and this whole

5:02:41conversation we've been having. Um, one

5:02:44is um, you know, item

5:02:5010.2

5:02:52um, the resolution approving the

5:02:53corrective plan. Um, so the last page of

5:02:56that, um, I believe is the first public

5:03:01revelation of the 11.5 million penalty

5:03:04that we may be facing, um, because of

5:03:07the timeliness issues from the previous

5:03:10administration. So, um, you know, that

5:03:14is a bit of a bombshell. Um I understand

5:03:17that uh you know it's a a legal uh

5:03:20proceeding um that will be you know

5:03:25settled or adjudicated at a at a later

5:03:27date. Um, but I I do just want to I

5:03:32guess emphasize that um the you know we

5:03:37keep peeling back layers of the onion

5:03:39here from what the previous

5:03:40administration was doing and uh it's

5:03:43like it's like a rotten onion. I guess

5:03:46that's a kind of the way I would put it

5:03:47uh to the public. Um so

5:03:52I think I've been very clear I support

5:03:54this project. There's a lot of um I

5:03:57think uh tangential issues that have

5:04:01been raised that are not relevant to

5:04:03this particular

5:04:05um vote for this grant. Um and you know,

5:04:08I'm I'm sorry that's muddied the waters.

5:04:10Um I'm glad that we are getting more

5:04:12information, more in-depth information

5:04:14about the exact state of the CDBG

5:04:18process. um that the public is getting

5:04:20it too because I don't think um any of

5:04:23this was known under the previous

5:04:26administration. So, we're all learning

5:04:29in real time as you are too. Um there's

5:04:32no, you know, effort to hide things, uh

5:04:35to obscure things, to obiscate things.

5:04:38Um we're all up here trying to do the

5:04:40best we can with the information we have

5:04:42and that we get. Um my question is for

5:04:47the 2026

5:04:49uh funding that we're voting to accept,

5:04:53can that funding be used towards the

5:04:56Andrew Washington Mental Health Center?

5:04:59>> Okay, hold on. Let me let me let me just

5:05:02say something right there. This this

5:05:04this money was applied for in February

5:05:07for the 2022 funding and already they

5:05:10have it on here for 2025

5:05:12and that and and and nobody

5:05:16I mean nobody went in to to fill out a

5:05:20new application but it's on for 2025.

5:05:23How does that happen? Right. I'm I'm I'm

5:05:25just talking about fairness here, right?

5:05:28That's that's that's the issue, right?

5:05:32things are getting pushed around and and

5:05:34and things are getting done, you know,

5:05:37without the knowledge of of these

5:05:39organizations, the community. And and

5:05:42not to mention

5:05:44when when when the the um executive

5:05:47director

5:05:49of the organization

5:05:51went in to look for something,

5:05:55her credentials were disabled.

5:05:58So, like what are we doing?

5:06:01What are we doing? Like things like what

5:06:04I mean

5:06:07the the the Hudson County uh uh open

5:06:09space fund, you know, everybody was was

5:06:14there and and on board with that that

5:06:16changed,

5:06:18right? It's like things are happening

5:06:22that to me doesn't make any sense.

5:06:26So, I'm going to um attempt to relist us

5:06:30in a little bit because it's all over

5:06:32the place right now and there seems to

5:06:34be a lot of confusion, a lot of

5:06:35questions. Um this is a what

5:06:39>> I see our council has returned. Maybe

5:06:42>> Oh, okay. It's a big issue for the

5:06:44council. So, Oh, he's still working on

5:06:47it. Um, I'm going to point back to

5:06:50Councilwoman Little because she did um

5:06:53request to make a motion. See if she

5:06:55still wants to make that motion or not.

5:06:58Um, if she is motioning the table or if

5:07:01we are going towards the vote for this.

5:07:03So,

5:07:04>> Sean is

5:07:06>> you don't you don't table.

5:07:07>> Oh, wait. We're on the resolution. My

5:07:09bad.

5:07:10>> Yes, we don't table resolations. You're

5:07:12right.

5:07:12>> You would make a motion to withdraw.

5:07:14Would well I it's not my resolution. I

5:07:17can't withdraw the

5:07:19>> Say that again.

5:07:20>> Wouldn't the administration have to

5:07:22withdraw or we can withdraw it?

5:07:24>> We can remove.

5:07:26>> You would make a motion to withdraw and

5:07:28to table the ordinance.

5:07:30>> You already did that.

5:07:31>> We already tabled it.

5:07:33>> Remove the ordinance.

5:07:36>> No, we don't have to remove it. We

5:07:37tabled the ordinance.

5:07:37>> The resolution and move.

5:07:38>> We're on the resolutions. Just so

5:07:40everybody's clear. We're talking about

5:07:42the resolution right now. Well,

5:07:44interpretive interpreting it. It's like

5:07:45the person who sponsored it would would

5:07:47withdraw it uh the council can remove

5:07:50it. That's what I've been told in the

5:07:52past and uh to the

5:07:54>> never taken a motion to remove but if

5:07:56you want me to I will

5:07:58>> never

5:07:59>> difference I think um were he able I

5:08:02mean we ain't got all day people the man

5:08:05said his client stretch outside of 30

5:08:09>> we're not comfortable as a council we

5:08:11have to we The answer here isn't going

5:08:14to resolve the questions that you all

5:08:16have. So, I think we need to make a

5:08:18decision.

5:08:18>> Well, I will make I would like go ahead.

5:08:21>> I mean, for me, I would like for it to

5:08:23be public information exactly how much

5:08:25CDG grant funding we have to spend down

5:08:28by January 31st

5:08:30without risking losing a whole lot of it

5:08:34going forward. So I would like that to

5:08:36be public information because it's not

5:08:38clear to me whether 2025 and 2026 will

5:08:40be included in that calculation. So I I

5:08:44would like that number. I would like it

5:08:45to be public to not just like told to me

5:08:48verbally.

5:08:50>> I don't think

5:08:51>> because because that will affect my

5:08:52vote. I mean I I originally did not

5:08:55think that you know this lot was worth

5:08:571.2 million. I thought we could find a

5:08:59different lot in the area for for a

5:09:02lower amount. If we have to spend $11

5:09:04million between now and January or we

5:09:06get our grant funding cut massively,

5:09:08maybe that changes my calculation, but I

5:09:10don't want this to just be something

5:09:12that was told to me. I want it to be

5:09:13something that's that's public

5:09:14information.

5:09:15>> But it doesn't seem like we're able to

5:09:17get that answer tonight. So,

5:09:18>> no, I know, but I'm wondering what we're

5:09:20doing tonight. Can

5:09:22>> Can I second the council woman's motion

5:09:24to table? I'm going to assume the

5:09:25goodwill of the developer

5:09:27>> withdraw

5:09:28>> withdraw the Sorry, withdraw the

5:09:30resolution. I would assume the

5:09:32developers good faith here.

5:09:34>> Yes, we will extend it out two weeks. We

5:09:36would like the council take notice

5:09:38though that this has been kicking around

5:09:40for about four or five months now this

5:09:42transaction. So if we could make that

5:09:44two week a hard deadline and get a

5:09:46definitive answer at the next meeting.

5:09:48>> Thank you. That that that's more time

5:09:49we've had this council's had to decide

5:09:51the CDBG issue. So we we we appreciate

5:09:53his patience. Uh I I agree with

5:09:56Councilman Brooks that there are issues

5:09:59that have money what could be a really

5:10:00good thing which is having green space

5:10:02in W C. Um but the process stinks like

5:10:05fish on Sunday and and we need we need

5:10:07more information here and I and to my

5:10:09friends on Glenwood and and throughout

5:10:11the Mcinley Square community. I think it

5:10:13uh

5:10:15I mean quite candly I don't think it

5:10:18would go well today based on the

5:10:19information some of our my council

5:10:20colleagues have and the public deserves

5:10:23more information too. That's why I think

5:10:24tableabling is a is a wise decision.

5:10:27>> Oh, we withdraw.

5:10:29>> Withdraw. I'm sorry, Sean. Withdraw.

5:10:31>> No one made the motion yet, though.

5:10:33>> Very specific about the wording. So,

5:10:35Councilwoman Little, are we uh making a

5:10:38motion to withdraw?

5:10:39>> Motion to withdraw.

5:10:41>> Okay. So, I have a motion to withdraw.

5:10:46Let's stick with it.

5:10:47>> Or remove.

5:10:48>> Joking.

5:10:49>> Sorry.

5:10:51Motion to remove. I don't know.

5:10:53>> Don't say that, please.

5:10:55>> You are making Sean upset.

5:10:56>> I'm so sorry, Sean. That is the last

5:10:58thing I want to do.

5:11:00>> I'm not going to say teamwork makes the

5:11:02dreamwork anymore.

5:11:03>> Oh.

5:11:04>> Oh, sorry.

5:11:05>> I found that pen.

5:11:06>> I second that though.

5:11:10>> Now that you second it, I'm always going

5:11:11to say it. So, uh, motion to withdraw

5:11:15resolution

5:11:1626-593

5:11:19from the agenda.

5:11:23just have to write it out.

5:11:25>> Apologize profusely to everyone for

5:11:29dragging this out longer.

5:11:31>> Motion made by Council Person Little.

5:11:33May I have a second?

5:11:34>> Second.

5:11:35>> Second by Council Person Zupa. On the

5:11:38motion to withdraw resolution 26-593

5:11:41from the agenda, Council Person Brooks.

5:11:47>> No.

5:11:49I'm ready to vote for it tonight, but I

5:11:51understand if my colleagues are not.

5:11:54>> Council person Zupa.

5:11:57Uh I

5:11:57>> I vote I table for the reasons I already

5:11:59mentioned. I think this council needs

5:12:00more information and if we want to get

5:12:02to a successful resolution on this um we

5:12:05need the two weeks.

5:12:09Council person Ephro

5:12:14the table just

5:12:16>> withdraw withdraw.

5:12:19>> Council person Little

5:12:20>> I'll do better. Sean

5:12:21>> hi.

5:12:23>> Council person Gilmore

5:12:24>> I.

5:12:25>> Council person Singh.

5:12:27>> Thank you everyone for coming out. I'm

5:12:30so sorry.

5:12:32Uh I vote I to withdraw. Withdraw.

5:12:36Councilman.

5:12:37Council Person Griffin. Uh,

5:12:41>> Council Person Lavaro.

5:12:43>> Yeah. Apologies to everybody who came

5:12:45out and whatever side you're on on this.

5:12:48Um, I I I do want to just say something

5:12:50for the record. Uh, so the information

5:12:53that was presented tonight, the email

5:12:56that came out this afternoon, um, prior

5:12:58to getting that email, I did my own kind

5:13:01of analysis of the information that was

5:13:02available to me at the time. And people

5:13:04can correct me. They don't have to do it

5:13:06tonight, but they can correct me over

5:13:07the next two weeks if if I get anything

5:13:09wrong here. But by January 31st, HUD

5:13:12requires that I'm sorry. Today, the city

5:13:15is sitting on about $17.8 million in

5:13:19unspent CDBG money. Um, I'm not sure if

5:13:22that's PF money or or just all CDBG

5:13:24money. And by January 31st, HUD requires

5:13:28that the number be under $6.5 million.

5:13:31We're at risk at having our funding cut

5:13:34for future years. And that means we have

5:13:37to spend about 11.3 million in four

5:13:39months, more than two and a half times

5:13:42what we receive in an entire year. And

5:13:44the city has this plan. Um although I

5:13:47have different dates attached because I

5:13:49received this information earlier. And

5:13:51the dates I had says that uh um it would

5:13:54get us to 5.95 million and leave us with

5:13:57a cushion of about 530,000.

5:14:00Um, and this project is $1 million of

5:14:03that total that would be spent down.

5:14:06Taking it out, we're if you take it out,

5:14:08we're roughly over nearly half a million

5:14:10dollars over the line and we fail,

5:14:13right? So, we we end up losing

5:14:15potentially risking losing our money.

5:14:17Um, and even with it, uh, more than half

5:14:20of that spending, 5.75 million is

5:14:22scheduled for January alone according to

5:14:24the information I have. So, I want to

5:14:26get clarification on this because um I

5:14:29want to make sure I'm on the same page

5:14:31with other council members and the

5:14:33administration uh to ensure what the

5:14:35risk is um in terms of our CDBG money.

5:14:39So, with that in mind, um I I vote yes

5:14:43to table I mean withdrawal.

5:14:49>> All are going to give on.

5:14:51>> Okay. Council President Ridley

5:14:54>> I.

5:14:58>> Motion carries 81 with Council Person

5:15:01Brooks voting no.

5:15:04>> Are we on table or withdrawing it?

5:15:07>> Oh my god. Compliment

5:15:10you're making.

5:15:12>> On to our last second reading ordinance.

5:15:14Hopefully we can get through it. Item

5:15:164.11, city ordinance 26-078,

5:15:20is an ordinance supplementing chapter

5:15:21332, vehicles and traffic, article 8,

5:15:24permit parking, amending section 332-58,

5:15:27parking restrictions in residential

5:15:29zones to remove Clifton Place from

5:15:32parking zone 2 and create resident

5:15:34residently parking zone 12 on Clifton

5:15:37Place. This is a public hearing. On this

5:15:39ordinance, any member of the public

5:15:40wishing to be heard?

5:15:42>> Motion. Motion to close the public

5:15:44hearing on city ordinance 26-078

5:15:47was made by council person Gilmore. May

5:15:49I have a second?

5:15:49>> Second.

5:15:50>> Second by council president Ridley. On

5:15:53the motion to close the public hearing

5:15:56on city ordinance

5:15:5826-078.

5:16:00Council person Brooks.

5:16:01>> I.

5:16:02>> Council person Zupa.

5:16:03>> Hi.

5:16:04>> Council person Ephos.

5:16:06>> Hi.

5:16:06>> Council person Little.

5:16:08>> Hi.

5:16:08>> Council person Gilmore.

5:16:10>> Hi.

5:16:11>> Council person Singh. I

5:16:13>> council person Griffin.

5:16:14>> Hi,

5:16:15>> Council Person Labaro.

5:16:16>> Hi.

5:16:17>> And council president Ridley.

5:16:18>> Hi.

5:16:19>> Motion carries 90 to close a public

5:16:21hearing on city ordinance 26-078

5:16:24for final consideration and adoption of

5:16:27city ordinance 26-078. Council person

5:16:29Brooks

5:16:31>> I.

5:16:32>> Council person Zupa.

5:16:33>> Hi.

5:16:34>> Council person Ephro.

5:16:35>> Hi.

5:16:36>> Council person Little.

5:16:37>> Hi.

5:16:38>> Council person Gilmore.

5:16:39>> I.

5:16:40>> Council person Singh. Hi,

5:16:42>> Council Person Griffin.

5:16:43>> Hi,

5:16:44>> Council Person Labaro.

5:16:46>> I

5:16:46>> and Council President Ridley,

5:16:48>> I.

5:16:48>> City ordinance 26-078

5:16:51is adopted unanimously. 90.

5:16:55Now, we're going to move on to our

5:16:57public speaking portion of the meeting.

5:17:01Please pay close attention to your

5:17:03agenda. I'll be calling the number and

5:17:05the first name of the individual. With

5:17:07that being said, first speaker, 5.1

5:17:09Lever. She is. She lefts.

5:17:13Next speaker 5.2, Ivonne.

5:17:16>> Uh, yes. I sent everyone an email uh on

5:17:1926-535.

5:17:21I pose to get a response. Did you

5:17:23receive response on this?

5:17:26>> It's about Is that from the last

5:17:28meeting? The Yeah, we responded. I'll

5:17:31resend it.

5:17:32>> I did not receive a respond.

5:17:34>> Okay. I'll I'll have them print it out

5:17:36for you.

5:17:36>> Okay. Uh the other thing I want to talk

5:17:38about is a comment made but my comment

5:17:42number one I am not going to I'm going

5:17:43to say it again. This is my not my data.

5:17:47It's a data that is on Jersey City

5:17:50website. 41.3%

5:17:53of the people in Jersey City was not

5:17:55born in the United States. And I'm

5:17:57saying this because I grew up in the

5:18:00Vietnam era and all my uh classmates,

5:18:03the boys was drafted and their

5:18:06descendants now can't pay their taxes

5:18:09because it's too high. Their descendants

5:18:11can't find housing and jobs. I don't

5:18:13apologize to what I'm saying. Shame on

5:18:16any politician who puts the American

5:18:19citizen last. It's not about first you

5:18:22take care of the American citizen before

5:18:24you bring somebody else in. I have no

5:18:26problem with immigrants. I have a

5:18:28problem American citizens losing their

5:18:30homes because taxes go so high and we

5:18:32have to figure out what to do with this.

5:18:34I have no problem at all. But shame on

5:18:37idiot citizen who put us last. I know so

5:18:40many people that that were born in

5:18:42Jersey City

5:18:44family homes going back three, four,

5:18:46five generations really that long and

5:18:48they had to sell or they're in tax lean

5:18:51and you're worried about affordable

5:18:52house. We know why. And I'm going to

5:18:54bring the data next time we come here

5:18:57and I'mma give it to you. It says 41.3%.

5:19:01I didn't make it up. I just repeated it.

5:19:04And if you don't like it, shame. Well,

5:19:06that's your problem. I'm repeating it.

5:19:08And I am not embarrassed by it. I am not

5:19:10embarrassed. I I had my brother-in-law

5:19:13come home and he had he was uh disabled

5:19:18veterans from these wars. So I, you

5:19:20know, shame on you people half the time.

5:19:22You don't recognize us half the time.

5:19:26And I'm annoyed by that. I don't mind

5:19:29people coming here legally because no

5:19:30way people should be losing their homes

5:19:33because of this. And I'm not embarrassed

5:19:36by it at all.

5:19:39Now I'm leading.

5:19:42>> I just want to say on the record,

5:19:44billionaires want us to blame immigrants

5:19:46instead of them.

5:19:53All right,

5:19:55we're done.

5:19:58>> Our next speaker 5.3 Tina.

5:20:02>> Okay, keep Oh,

5:20:09>> turn. Hi. Yes, my name is Tina Noles and

5:20:13yes, I do work for education at

5:20:14Gearmore. Justice for Drew.

5:20:19Justice for Drew.

5:20:22>> That's right, y'all. So, I wanted to say

5:20:24yes, we number one, we need to deal with

5:20:27our homeless. Yes, our phone ring

5:20:29constantly about that. So, I'm so sorry.

5:20:32Definitely, we need to deal with that.

5:20:34And another thing, Mike Griffin, I know

5:20:36you left, but right, we definitely need

5:20:38to deal with our mental health. We need

5:20:41more resource in our community. And when

5:20:44I mean resource for our community

5:20:46meaning the dealing with the homeless

5:20:48and dealing with the mental health that

5:20:50is one of the main things that is

5:20:51actually going on in our community. And

5:20:54also we also right now I want to give

5:20:56you Sean is it all right for me to give

5:20:58you this for them please Sean?

5:21:01I want to ask y'all what do our

5:21:03community need right now? I'm not

5:21:06standing here attacking anybody but I'm

5:21:08standing here to let you know our

5:21:10community need love. Our community want

5:21:12y'all to listen to them and our

5:21:14community need help. That's one of the

5:21:17things we had in our community. The

5:21:19small business in War F. I don't know

5:21:21why they took it out, but do you see how

5:21:24NORC is growing? Two people I went to go

5:21:27drop off clothes for me. They were so

5:21:28excited to show me their new project of

5:21:31NORC got the small business. We had that

5:21:34first. So it just show you that we keep

5:21:37going around in a circle around in a

5:21:39circle and not doing the exact thing

5:21:42that we supposed to do. The thing that

5:21:44we supposed to do is make sure that we

5:21:46deal with number one thing. And I'm

5:21:48going to keep saying that that is

5:21:50homeless. If maybe we deal with some of

5:21:52that that our phones wouldn't be ringing

5:21:55off the hook. Erica in there right now

5:21:57trying to make sure that we get somebody

5:21:59into the shelter. I understand that we

5:22:02need different things. the garden space.

5:22:04We need um tomatoes and stuff like that.

5:22:07But we got um Stephanie Wilson. They

5:22:10bring the um the truck around giving out

5:22:12food to the community and stuff. I think

5:22:14what we need to do is just stop and go

5:22:17around to each and every area community

5:22:20and find out what the community need and

5:22:22that is homeless and that is mental

5:22:25health right now. Thank you guys.

5:22:32Dina Edward's not here, right? Thank

5:22:35you, dear.

5:22:375.5 Sharon.

5:22:45Good evening again.

5:22:47I'm not going to take long. I just

5:22:49wanted to

5:22:52say that on the record, I personally

5:22:56would like to help

5:22:58those who have applied and been told to

5:23:01reapply for an Andy Washington mental

5:23:04health facility because mental illness

5:23:06has touched my family and it means so

5:23:09much and

5:23:12I want to go on the record and say that

5:23:13it's it's super important for our city.

5:23:16Thank you. Our

5:23:22next speaker 5.6 Six. Stephanie

5:23:32>> sent you an email on Monday that said

5:23:34the hand ringing over 1 million in CDBG

5:23:37funds being possibly returned to FU HUD

5:23:40is kind of funny. Once you realize we

5:23:42have 48 million in reserve, page 106 of

5:23:46the 2026 audit. If you looked at it, you

5:23:49would find the things you're asking for.

5:23:52It is a full grants receivable and aging

5:23:56schedule going all the way back to 2009

5:23:59of which we still have $250,000.

5:24:02And it says in this document grants

5:24:05aging the city has in reserves amounts

5:24:08of 48 million indicates approximately

5:24:1125% or 12 million of total reserves were

5:24:15budgeted more than 5 years ago and these

5:24:18funds are within I'm sorry this is very

5:24:21tiny fun.

5:24:25The issue isn't $1 million might not get

5:24:29spent.

5:24:30You don't have a clue what's going on.

5:24:32And this administration

5:24:34isn't prioritizing anything.

5:24:38There would still be 31 worst case

5:24:40scenario, there would still be 31

5:24:41million in reserves for you to use on

5:24:44projects.

5:24:46The city tried to say, "Well, we have to

5:24:48spend 17 million by April." Like, that's

5:24:51going to happen either.

5:24:55I also want to talk about what council

5:24:57member Brooks brought up, which is the

5:25:00last page of the

5:25:06I came here to talk about rats. I the

5:25:09last page of the corrective action which

5:25:11talks about 11.5 million. Again, I sent

5:25:14you an email about that on Monday

5:25:16because the city sold one Canal Street

5:25:18which had received CDBG funding and HUD

5:25:22says we get the profit because that

5:25:25property became 18 Park.

5:25:29The city had been fighting it saying no

5:25:31no no just take some of our grant money

5:25:34to make up for it. But that's what that

5:25:36money is. It is not money being taken

5:25:38from you. It is money you have to put

5:25:41back into the CDBG because you made a

5:25:44profit with 18 park

5:25:46that has been known since at least 2024

5:25:50because it's in the 2024 audit pretty

5:25:53much verbatim.

5:25:56Do you guys look at this Pardon my

5:25:58language. But my neighbor, my parents'

5:26:02neighbor recently was elected to her

5:26:04city council. They sent her to budget

5:26:06school. Did you guys do you need to go

5:26:08to budget school? Because this is absurd

5:26:12that the administration cannot

5:26:15manage its finances and that you cannot

5:26:19even provide oversight because you don't

5:26:21bother to look at the available

5:26:23documents.

5:26:27Also, do something about the rats.

5:26:41Next speaker 5.7 Charlene.

5:26:45>> Good evening council. Again,

5:26:48as a grants administrator, I oversaw all

5:26:51the departments within the county. And

5:26:54let me just say that when it comes to

5:26:56health and human services, that is the

5:26:59biggest pot of money that grants have.

5:27:05It's for children, mothers, rapes,

5:27:10uh, drug use, homelessness.

5:27:13There are many, many funding sources

5:27:16within Health and Human Services.

5:27:19And when it comes to CDBG, and I don't

5:27:23know, I think you have a grants

5:27:25consultant that you hired

5:27:28and manages your competitive grants, but

5:27:31they may have some knowledge about the

5:27:34CDBG grants as well. And maybe it would

5:27:38be worthwhile to request your grants

5:27:41consultant, if they have that knowledge,

5:27:44to come here and explain how important

5:27:47it is that you expend grant funds within

5:27:51the time frame you're given or

5:27:53especially in federal cases, how they

5:27:56are extremely restrictive and they have

5:28:01really tight deadlines.

5:28:04And maybe that would be helpful to you

5:28:06to understand

5:28:08unlike like Green Acres grants, they'll

5:28:12even take a resolution after the

5:28:14deadline. There are some grants that

5:28:17have more of a kind of like easy way of

5:28:20applying, but federal grants have always

5:28:23been extremely by the book. So I think

5:28:27that maybe that could be a request that

5:28:29you make that your grants consultant if

5:28:32they have that knowledge they can come

5:28:34and educate you about the grants. Not

5:28:37everyone understands the nuances to

5:28:40grants. So sometimes just having someone

5:28:44explain it in a very clear way would be

5:28:47helpful. Um,

5:28:50as I said, when it comes to the health

5:28:53and like a a mental health situation,

5:28:58you should be directing your health and

5:29:01or asking the administration to direct

5:29:04their health and human services to be

5:29:07looking at grants. You should be getting

5:29:09monthly reports from your grant

5:29:13consultant telling you what grants are

5:29:16available, what grants have they applied

5:29:18for, and what has been the result from

5:29:21those grants. Were they successful? Were

5:29:24they not? So that you understand where

5:29:28this city is looking for additional

5:29:31funding to solve some of the problems in

5:29:34all of your own wards.

5:29:37That should be one of the things that I

5:29:40would recommend all of you to do and

5:29:43that's because of my experience. Thank

5:29:46you.

5:29:51>> Our next speaker 5.8 Jonathan.

5:29:55>> Thank you. I'd like to start off by

5:29:57saying welcome back and congratulations

5:29:59to Council Member Little. Um, I'd also

5:30:02like to call out I think he had to leave

5:30:04early. Uh, but shout out to Jack, you

5:30:07know, he earlier tonight was at the JFK

5:30:10bus rapid transit meeting, you know,

5:30:12with the county. And in fact, he wanted

5:30:14to speak here tonight on the better

5:30:16light rail resolution. So, given that I

5:30:19believe he's left, I'd ask all the

5:30:20council members to support that. But I

5:30:23want to spend most of my time talking

5:30:25about a project in Wordy, specifically

5:30:27uh 127 Morgan. And I sent most of the

5:30:31council a little bit of an overview of

5:30:33that. I just want to briefly go through

5:30:34it. And first off, I'd also like to say

5:30:38I know that council member Little has

5:30:40really put in a lot of effort here with

5:30:41the developer to focus on pedestrian

5:30:44safety with this project. I really

5:30:46really appreciate it. I think a lot of

5:30:48activists really appreciate it. I think

5:30:50that would be a considerable improvement

5:30:51to that part of downtown. But let's

5:30:53specifically talk about the choice that

5:30:55the council has uh you know here and

5:30:58with the second reading in a few weeks.

5:31:01Currently the developer can build by

5:31:03right. They can build 12 stories. Our

5:31:07estimates maybe about 175 units and has

5:31:09to be 10% affordable. Although those are

5:31:13probably going to be studios or

5:31:14onebedrooms. and there aren't as um

5:31:18strict uh income restrictions as there

5:31:20would be, you know, if we do the

5:31:22resoning instead and we trigger the

5:31:24inclusionary uh zoning ordinance. So,

5:31:26we're talking about either you've got

5:31:2910% affordable, but if you look at the

5:31:31bedroom mix, it's compared to what we

5:31:33would get with two and three bedrooms,

5:31:34it's more like maybe 5% affordable with

5:31:36the alternative being, you know, uh 20

5:31:39stories, 15% affordable, lots of two and

5:31:41threebedroom familysiz units or um 27

5:31:44stories and 20%. And, you know, you've

5:31:47got the space for the nonprofit. You

5:31:49know, maybe it'll be Nimbus, maybe it'll

5:31:51be someone else. You know, that's a lot

5:31:53to look forward to. And I think also

5:31:56this will be a pretty big contributor to

5:31:57the Steve's tax base. Currently that is

5:32:00an empty lot. It's contributing nothing

5:32:02except you know the views to some of the

5:32:04condo owners next door who may not be

5:32:06happy about building this. But I think

5:32:08as a city we need to focus on you know

5:32:11what matters which is affordable housing

5:32:12which is a budget. That needs to be the

5:32:15focus. Thanks a lot and have a great

5:32:17night.

5:32:20Next speaker 5.9 Ash K

5:32:29just also going to keep it quick 1557 I

5:32:31support it uh 127 Morgan it's a great

5:32:34project the only thing I have to raise

5:32:36that uh John did not is that one thing

5:32:40is as the city faces down a $50 million

5:32:41deficit and as the city faces down a $50

5:32:45million deficit it's important to start

5:32:47seeing uh how much we can extract in

5:32:49property taxes as an important as an

5:32:52important kind of almost community give

5:32:54back. So if that means building a little

5:32:55bit taller, we should do it because

5:32:57every unit that we add adds a lot more

5:32:59property taxes property tax revenue to

5:33:01our base and that means that the $50

5:33:03million for example that we have next

5:33:04year will be that that burden will be

5:33:07placed less on homeowners in on with a

5:33:09fixed income homeowners in uh homeowners

5:33:12that may be struggling right now between

5:33:13jobs and reduce their burden. And so and

5:33:17so basically this every we basically the

5:33:19summary is this. We shouldn't downzone

5:33:22any property especially in transit rich

5:33:24areas like downtown and Jones Square I

5:33:25believe 127 Morgan is within 3 minutes

5:33:28of a path train 3 minutes of a light

5:33:29rail 3 minutes of a bus making it and

5:33:32like 3 minute and like 3 minutes of two

5:33:34different grocery stores which is

5:33:35incredible in Jersey City. We shouldn't

5:33:37down zone these things for

5:33:40uh the aesthetic preferences of certain

5:33:42neighbors because every time we do that

5:33:44we kick out another neighbor and that's

5:33:47struggling that's living paycheck to

5:33:48paycheck. And finally I'd like to shout

5:33:50out better buses and oh I got a great

5:33:53point about Singapore in here and Kiwi

5:33:56and New Zealand comedy. But thank you

5:33:59good night everybody.

5:34:04>> Next speaker 5.10 Kevin

5:34:19Okay, given the time, more than half our

5:34:23group will give their time back tonight,

5:34:25but some of us will speak.

5:34:28Miss Kevin Weller, 155 Washington

5:34:30Street. Tonight, I'm asking the council

5:34:33for one amendment to our rent control

5:34:35ordinance, chapter 260, and it's on the

5:34:38page in front of you. Our ordinance

5:34:41already puts conditions on every rent

5:34:43increase. A landlord qualifies for an

5:34:46increase only after registering the rent

5:34:48rule with the city. The landlord also

5:34:50has to give each tenant the state's

5:34:52truth and renting statement and comply

5:34:54fully with the landlord identity

5:34:56disclosure it describes. That disclosure

5:34:58goes to every tenant in writing and is

5:35:01posted in the building. It gives the

5:35:03names and addresses of the owner, the

5:35:05managing agent, an emergency contact,

5:35:07every mortgage holder, and the

5:35:10superintendent, including the

5:35:11superintendent's apartment number. I'm

5:35:14asking you to add one more condition to

5:35:17section 260-3.

5:35:19Before any increase, landlord gives the

5:35:22tenant the apartment's base rent, the

5:35:25date it was first charged, and every

5:35:27increase since, and posts that same

5:35:29history in the lobby. Chapter 260

5:35:32already requires parts of this of that

5:35:34history. Every year, the landlord files

5:35:37a registration statement with the city

5:35:38that lists base rents, gives it to every

5:35:41tenant, or at least they're supposed to,

5:35:43and posts it in the building, or at

5:35:44least they're supposed to. A new tenant

5:35:47also is supposed to get the rent that

5:35:50was paid for that apartment during the

5:35:52year before they moved in. Those rules

5:35:55give a tenant pieces of the history. No

5:35:58rule puts the full history in the

5:36:00tenants's hands. From the first rent to

5:36:03today's. Without the whole history, a

5:36:05tenant can't tell whether the rent is

5:36:07legal. And a landlord charging illegal

5:36:10rent is counting on the tenant not

5:36:13knowing. Landlords who overcharge

5:36:15operate in the dark. This amendment puts

5:36:19every rent history in plain view. A

5:36:22landlord who follows the law already

5:36:24keeps every base rent and every

5:36:26increase. So, the amendment costs an

5:36:28honest landlord nothing. With the

5:36:31history in hand, a tenant and the city's

5:36:34rent leveling office can check rent in a

5:36:37few minutes and fewer disputes end up

5:36:40before the rent leveling board or in

5:36:42court. I'm asking one of you to support

5:36:46this amendment and introduce it at your

5:36:48October 7th meeting. And I understand

5:36:51Councilman Gilmore may be that person

5:36:53and I hope he is.

5:36:55>> Yeah.

5:37:00>> Uh in support of that. U

5:37:07thank you. And with the 13, 12, 11

5:37:09seconds I have left, uh, really

5:37:12appreciate how engaged this council is.

5:37:15It's a long night, but watching you guys

5:37:17work tonight, it was an amazing night,

5:37:19and we're I am proud of what you guys

5:37:21are doing. Thank you.

5:37:28>> Next speaker, 5.11, Daniel.

5:37:31Evening. uh want to speak again tonight

5:37:34about the Korean War Memorial, the end

5:37:36of Washington Street, and the continued

5:37:38failure to comply with ordinance 07153.

5:37:42Before getting into the ordinance, I

5:37:44think it's worth remembering why this

5:37:46memorial is there in the first place.

5:37:48The Hudson County Korean War Memorial

5:37:50was dedicated in 2002 to honor the the

5:37:53men and women from Hudson County who

5:37:55served in the war. The memorial includes

5:37:58the names of 126 service members from

5:38:02Hudson County who lost their lives in

5:38:03the war. 65 service members from Jersey

5:38:06City were among those who lost their

5:38:07lives in Korea. More than 36,000

5:38:10American service members lost their

5:38:12lives in the Korean War. The memorial at

5:38:14the end of Washington Street is our

5:38:16local connection to that history. These

5:38:18were people from our own communities and

5:38:19their names are memorialized so that

5:38:21what happened to them and their

5:38:22sacrifices may never be forgotten. That

5:38:25brings me back to ordinance 07153.

5:38:292007, Jersey City gave up its public

5:38:31right of way over a portion of the

5:38:33former Washington Street adjacent to the

5:38:35memorial. As part of that ordinance,

5:38:37there was specific conditions placed on

5:38:38the property, including a requirement

5:38:40that the vehicular access lane on the

5:38:42westerly side of former Washington

5:38:44Street be closed and chained between

5:38:468:00 p.m. and 8 a.m. every day by port

5:38:48side uniformed security personnel. That

5:38:51is not what is happening. Now, I have

5:38:53continued checking the entrance at night

5:38:54and nearly every night it is still open

5:38:56after 8:00 p.m. I've also continued

5:38:59submitting cllick fix tickets with

5:39:01photographs showing the entrance open.

5:39:03So, there is an ongoing record of what

5:39:04is happening and the city as such has

5:39:07repeatedly been made aware of it. At

5:39:09this point, I don't really understand

5:39:10why residents continue uh to have to

5:39:13document the same issue over and over

5:39:15again. This isn't a complicated

5:39:16provision of the ordinance that is open

5:39:18to interpretation in any way. Portside

5:39:21uniformed security personnel are

5:39:24supposed to close and chain the entrance

5:39:25at 8:00m and that requirement is

5:39:27routinely not being followed. I will

5:39:30continue documenting the entrance when

5:39:32it is left open and I will continue

5:39:34submitting that documentation to the

5:39:36city via cclick fix, but I would much

5:39:38rather not have to do that. I would like

5:39:40to see the city address the underlying

5:39:42problem so that port side uniform

5:39:43security closes and change the entrance

5:39:46every night as required by ordinance

5:39:4807-153.

5:39:50I hope someone from the administration

5:39:52can provide an answer as to who is

5:39:54responsible for enforcing this

5:39:56requirement and what is going to be done

5:39:58to make sure it is followed going

5:40:00forward. Thank you.

5:40:07Next speaker 5.12 Deepa

5:40:145.13 Michelle Sing

5:40:22my nickname.

5:40:25Good evening or should I say almost good

5:40:27morning. Um my name is Michelle Stenmark

5:40:30and I live in Jersey City. Chapter 218

5:40:34of the city code requires a licensed

5:40:37uniform security guard 24 hours a day in

5:40:40every residential building of a 100 or

5:40:42more apartments.

5:40:44That same section requires something

5:40:47many residents have never heard about.

5:40:50The owner has to post signs in the

5:40:53common areas and at the entrances that

5:40:56actually give the direct on-site contact

5:40:58information of the uniform security

5:41:00guards on duty.

5:41:04That sign matters

5:41:06mostly when the resident needs help.

5:41:10For instance, a resident who smells

5:41:13smoke in the hallway at 2 a.m. in the

5:41:15morning should be able to read the sign

5:41:18by the elevator or call a uniform

5:41:20security guard in the building right at

5:41:23that moment.

5:41:25A sign on the wall is really an easy

5:41:27check. An inspector who walks into the

5:41:30lobby could see it in seconds, whether

5:41:33it's there or if it reaches if it

5:41:36reaches the uniform security guard in

5:41:38that building.

5:41:41Please ask the administration to check

5:41:43for that sign in

5:41:46every inspection

5:41:49with the buildings that are with 100 or

5:41:53more apartments so every resident in

5:41:56those buildings knows how to reach the

5:41:58uniform security guard that the law

5:42:00requires. Thank you all so much and

5:42:03thanks for all of all of you to be here

5:42:05tonight.

5:42:12Next speaker 5.14 Mark gives back his

5:42:16time.

5:42:185.15 Tom gives back time. 5.16 Jennifer

5:42:37Kesler.

5:42:38>> Jennifer, come a little closer to the

5:42:39mic.

5:42:40>> Yep. Thank you. Uh, good evening. My

5:42:43name is Jennifer Kesler and I live in

5:42:45Jersey City. In February, this council

5:42:48voted 9 to zero to create the rent

5:42:52protection special investigation

5:42:54committee. Thank you for that vote.

5:42:57Since March, the committee has met in

5:43:00public and renters from across the city

5:43:03have come to those sessions to describe

5:43:06what they see in their own buildings.

5:43:09Those renters are now waiting for the

5:43:11committee's report. The report is where

5:43:14the committee tells this council what it

5:43:17found and what it recommends. On July

5:43:2027th, the committee said from the deis

5:43:23that its report is due 90 days after its

5:43:27last committee meeting. Renters would

5:43:30like to know the date. Please state on

5:43:34the record tonight the date the

5:43:37committee's report is due. When the

5:43:40report is ready, please put it on a

5:43:43regular council agenda so the renters it

5:43:46is about can read it and speak to it in

5:43:50this room. Thank you.

5:43:57>> Next speaker 5.17 Fernando gives his

5:44:01time back.

5:44:03>> 5.18 Sylvia. And if I if I may answer

5:44:07the previous speaker's question, I

5:44:09believe the report is due 90 days after

5:44:11the last meeting of the rent protection

5:44:13special investigation committee

5:44:17>> and it it will be posted on the city's

5:44:19website as well.

5:44:22>> Has the last date been determined yet?

5:44:25>> No.

5:44:25>> Oh, it's

5:44:26>> because it's an ongoing.

5:44:28>> It's all Yes.

5:44:31>> Our next date is October the 10th. Is

5:44:33that right?

5:44:35Monday o

5:44:37that correct

5:44:39>> October 10th is a weekend

5:44:41>> on Monday

5:44:46>> is it here

5:44:47>> we when we confirm that date can we make

5:44:49sure that they get it

5:44:53>> yes

5:44:53>> go ahead Sean

5:44:54>> okay

5:44:55>> uh council president

5:44:58>> next speaker 5.18 Sylvia back

5:45:03>> 5.19 David

5:45:08I point 20. Jessica,

5:45:10>> she's not. She's not.

5:45:12>> Definitely not.

5:45:12>> No, Jess. Jess is speaking.

5:45:14>> Jess is not here.

5:45:18>> Good evening, everybody. Um, on

5:45:20September 10th, I stood here and

5:45:22compared the ability of a camera, a

5:45:25front desk employee with no state

5:45:26license, and a licensed uniform security

5:45:28guard to act

5:45:31and to ensure our safety. In the spring

5:45:34of 2025, the director of the city's

5:45:36office of emergency management and

5:45:38homeland security inspected our

5:45:40buildings. And in his report, he asked

5:45:43whether a front desk concierge can do

5:45:45the job of a security guard. He wrote,

5:45:48and I quote, "A security guard can act

5:45:50as a concierge, but a concierge cannot

5:45:54perform security guard duties." End

5:45:56quote. A concierge can at least get up

5:45:59from the desk and act. If a concierge

5:46:02can't stand in for a licensed guard, a

5:46:03camera certainly that can't act at all

5:46:06is a worse substitute.

5:46:09Tonight, we brought evidence. The

5:46:11security page we handed you has a QR

5:46:13code on it. Scan it and you'll see 56

5:46:15seconds from a camera in the hallway of

5:46:17a Jersey City apartment building. A man

5:46:20walks down the hall and bends down at

5:46:22one apartment door. He stands with his

5:46:25head pressed against the next door,

5:46:26listening for about half a minute. Then

5:46:29he walks down the hall and stops at a

5:46:31third door where you can still see his

5:46:32feet in the edge of the picture. The

5:46:35camera recorded every second of it in

5:46:37sharp focus, but nobody asked the man

5:46:39what he was doing, and nobody warned the

5:46:42families inside. You could line up every

5:46:44neighbor on that floor in front of that

5:46:46camera to ask it for help, and it would

5:46:48record all of them, but do nothing.

5:46:51The part of chapter 218 that covers

5:46:53security cameras leaves it to the owner

5:46:55whether anyone watches those cameras

5:46:57live. It requires the owner to keep the

5:47:00recordings for a week so the Department

5:47:02of Public Safety can use them in an

5:47:04investigation. The ordinance treats the

5:47:07camera as a record for investigators

5:47:09after something happens. That's

5:47:11reaction, not preparation. That's

5:47:14reaction, not prevention.

5:47:17The guard that chapter 218 requires

5:47:20patrols the building. And in the

5:47:21ordinance's words, the guard quote shall

5:47:24undertake all actions necessary to

5:47:26assure the personal safety and privacy

5:47:28privacy, sorry, too many British

5:47:30colleagues of the residence.

5:47:32A guard on patrol walks up to that man

5:47:35and asks what he's doing. A guard calls

5:47:37the police while he's still at the door.

5:47:41As long as the exemption stays in the

5:47:42code, an owner can ask this city to

5:47:45accept cameras and a front desk where

5:47:48the law requires a guard. Please keep

5:47:51the guard requirement and repeal the

5:47:53exemption possibility in section 2181D.

5:47:57Thank you.

5:48:02>> Next speaker 5.21, Sonia

5:48:11Good evening, members of the council. My

5:48:13name is Sonia Keshna. I've lived at 100

5:48:15Warren Street for over 12 years. My

5:48:18husband and I pay our rent on time, fill

5:48:21out every city form that we get, run two

5:48:23businesses, pay our taxes, and volunteer

5:48:26for three organizations here in Jersey

5:48:28City and nationwide. Tonight marks my

5:48:3155th time speaking in front of you. I

5:48:35don't consider any of this special. I

5:48:37wanted to say it's normal. I think it is

5:48:39normal. I think what's not normal is

5:48:42that we have to spend our nights here at

5:48:45city hall. Um, we don't get paid for

5:48:48that time. Um, we all have to be back at

5:48:50work tomorrow really, really early. So,

5:48:54but I guess you all know by now that we

5:48:57all here, the people behind me deeply

5:49:00care about this community, about this

5:49:02city. Um so first I wanted to recognize

5:49:06and truly that we truly appreciate where

5:49:08the city has stood by us. For example

5:49:11with RUPS and with uniformed security in

5:49:14superior court. We know many of you on

5:49:17this council and now also in other city

5:49:20departments want to see real solutions

5:49:22just as much as we do and we are

5:49:25grateful for your support we've received

5:49:27so far. That's exactly why we want to

5:49:30keep working together to cross the

5:49:32finish line. What is also true is that

5:49:35right now the law is being broken in our

5:49:38buildings every single day, generating

5:49:41violation reports every single day that

5:49:45add up to over a million dollars every

5:49:48single day across our buildings. So just

5:49:51think about how much money that would be

5:49:54for community gardens and for mental

5:49:56health initiatives in this city.

5:50:00But because those fines remain

5:50:02uncollected and also because the

5:50:04promised special committee meetings and

5:50:06municipal court dates keep getting

5:50:08pushed back by months, progress stalls.

5:50:12We don't want to see law-abiding

5:50:15residents squeezed while landlords

5:50:17continue to break the law. We want to

5:50:20see our shared efforts succeed.

5:50:24I think that together we can't let up

5:50:26now. We need your help to drive home

5:50:29what is needed right now. Let's get

5:50:32those committee meetings and the reports

5:50:35back on schedule. Help us to hold those

5:50:38court dates firm. Collect what the city

5:50:42is owed and help us feel safe again in

5:50:46our homes. I don't right now. I can tell

5:50:48you that. especially after that video.

5:50:50We really count on you. Thank you.

5:50:57>> Our next speaker, 5.22, Shannon.

5:51:07>> Good evening. Um, my remarks tonight are

5:51:10going to center around appreciation for

5:51:12important support that the council um

5:51:14has given us and why it matters.

5:51:18In my work, nothing at all is more

5:51:21important than safety. We make decisions

5:51:24all day, every day, using safety as our

5:51:27guiding principle. In my home, sadly,

5:51:31there is a different story.

5:51:34Recently, I got my car serviced um at a

5:51:38shop in um Jersey City. And

5:51:40unfortunately, one of the employees took

5:51:43my private information

5:51:45um from the computer, the shop's

5:51:48computer, and proceeded to sexually

5:51:50harass me. I repeatedly tried to contact

5:51:53the owner of the business, but she never

5:51:56u responded to me. Given that this

5:51:59employee had access to all my personal

5:52:01data, including my home address, I was

5:52:04scared.

5:52:06Uh, I ended up filing a police report

5:52:08and I'm happy to share that JCPD was

5:52:11fantastic. As she was taking my

5:52:13information, the police officer said to

5:52:16me, "That is scary that he has your home

5:52:19address, but your building has security,

5:52:21right?"

5:52:23>> It's a fair assumption, isn't it, that a

5:52:25building of our size and the um level of

5:52:29luxury that our landlord would want

5:52:32everyone to believe exists. Of course,

5:52:35all of the ordinances with regard to

5:52:37safety would be followed. But as you all

5:52:39know, we have no uniform security

5:52:42despite that being required. Our lobby

5:52:44doors are sometimes locked, sometimes

5:52:46not. When they're not, anybody can waltz

5:52:49right in. Side doors, garage access

5:52:52frequently open. and our poor overworked

5:52:54concier staff have no choice but to

5:52:57leave the desk frequently to um do their

5:53:00work during their shifts, attend to

5:53:02things, organize package and simply use

5:53:04the bathroom. So in short, no,

5:53:07we don't have security

5:53:11in anatomy. A um a a hock is a big toe

5:53:16and when it's deformed it swells and um

5:53:21mutilates the entire foot right now. Our

5:53:24building's lack of security sticks out

5:53:26like a hex in this community. It's

5:53:29glaring, painful, and dangerous anomaly

5:53:31that can't be ignored any longer. While

5:53:34our landlord collects our rent every

5:53:36month, they leave us completely exposed.

5:53:39This is always concerning and it's

5:53:41especially unnerving to me right now

5:53:42given the sexual harassment I faced. We

5:53:46appreciate council's efforts at blocking

5:53:48our landlord's attempt to shortcut our

5:53:51safety. It makes a huge difference to

5:53:53all of us because safety matters every

5:53:55day everywhere.

5:53:57Thanks.

5:54:02>> Next speaker 5.23 John.

5:54:06>> He gives up his time. 5.24 Mel.

5:54:10>> He gives up her time.

5:54:12>> And 5.25 Michelle.

5:54:14>> I will take my time.

5:54:17>> Good evening. Michelle Harsh, president

5:54:20of the Portside Towers West Tenant

5:54:22Association.

5:54:23During the September 10th meeting,

5:54:26Councilman Griffin asked Corporation

5:54:28Council a question regarding the

5:54:31currently available chapter 218

5:54:33exemption provision from uniform

5:54:36security. He asked, "What happens if

5:54:38this landlord gets an exemption? What

5:54:41happens to our law?" He said, "Other

5:54:43landlords would follow the president and

5:54:45our law is null and void." Councilman,

5:54:49thank you for your question.

5:54:52Your council answered that the city has

5:54:54to treat all entities fairly and

5:54:56equally. She said that under the current

5:54:58law, when a building asks for an

5:55:00exemption, we have to go through that

5:55:02process and we have to explain our

5:55:04decision-making.

5:55:06But please note, repeal answers those

5:55:09questions as long as the exemption is on

5:55:12the books. Any owner of a large building

5:55:14can apply and the city has to inspect,

5:55:17decide, explain, and then defend its

5:55:20decision in court. The owner of both

5:55:22portside buildings applied in November

5:55:242024 for an exemption from uniform

5:55:27security. The city inspected and denied

5:55:30the exemption in April 2025.

5:55:33In June 2025, the owner sued the city,

5:55:36and the city's lawyers have now spent

5:55:39more than a year defending that denial

5:55:41in court. The exemption gives every

5:55:44large building owner a way to take the

5:55:47city to court for saying denied. This

5:55:51council has already written the fair

5:55:53version. In 2020, the council required

5:55:56security in every senior and disabled

5:55:59housing building of 60 or more

5:56:01apartments. That provision of chapter

5:56:04218 says, quote, "The owners of all such

5:56:07facilities must provide security,

5:56:10whether uniformed or not, at all times,

5:56:12no exemptions."

5:56:15That is one rule for every owner with

5:56:17nothing to apply for and nothing to

5:56:19litigate. The same rule protects the

5:56:22city in an emergency. Jersey City has

5:56:25about 290,000

5:56:27residents and the police department

5:56:30can't be in every large building at

5:56:32once. Chapter 218 puts a licensed guard

5:56:36on site in every building of a 100 or

5:56:38more apartments day and night at the

5:56:40owner's expense. Every exemption moves

5:56:43that job back to the police and to the

5:56:46taxpayers who pay for them in a year

5:56:48when the mayor has told residents the

5:56:50city is facing a $255 million deficit.

5:56:54Councilman Griffin, will you sponsor the

5:56:57amendment as noted on our handout which

5:57:00keeps sorry which repeals section

5:57:02218-1D?

5:57:05And will one of you sponsor Kevin's

5:57:07amendment? Although Gilmore, thank you

5:57:09for saying yes so that every tenant can

5:57:11see their unit's full rent history.

5:57:14Please introduce both at your October

5:57:167th meeting. Thank you. It would be

5:57:18great to get that repealed.

5:57:25Next speaker 5.26, Jessica T.

5:57:38>> Jessica. Okay.

5:57:39>> T.

5:57:41Okay. Good evening, council members,

5:57:44city staff, and fellow residents. My

5:57:46name is Jessica Ta, and I am a Ward B

5:57:49resident of Jersey City. I'm here

5:57:51tonight to put my deep commitment to

5:57:53this city on the record. While I have

5:57:56lived in Jersey City for just 11 years,

5:57:58my roots here run back generations. My

5:58:00grandfather grew up here and his parents

5:58:03owned a pharmacy on what was then

5:58:04Jackson Avenue. My cousins were active

5:58:07members of Temple Bethl in the

5:58:08boulevard, where a room is named in

5:58:10honor of my family. Though I moved here

5:58:12by chance from Brooklyn, looking for

5:58:14more space and a close-knit feel without

5:58:16losing the diversity and vibrancy that I

5:58:18appreciated in Brooklyn, Jersey City did

5:58:21become to feel like home. Living on the

5:58:23west side, I do feel the warmth of a

5:58:25small town within a dynamic city. When I

5:58:28moved here with my 2 and a halfyear-old

5:58:29child, many asked which charter schools

5:58:31I would apply to. My answer was simple,

5:58:34none. as a product of traditional public

5:58:37schools from local neighborhood schools

5:58:38on Long Island to high school in

5:58:40Wilmington, North Carolina. And as a

5:58:42professional who's worked in education

5:58:43since earning my mers in social work

5:58:45from Hunter College, I am fiercely

5:58:47committed to public education as a vital

5:58:50public good. Our schools should be

5:58:52places where students, teachers, and

5:58:53staff truly thrive. Achieving that

5:58:56requires two fundamental elements:

5:58:58robust resources and disciplined,

5:59:00responsible management. We cannot

5:59:03deliver the quality education our

5:59:05children deserve unless the board of

5:59:06education and the city council actively

5:59:08collaborate and align our resources

5:59:10effectively. After decades of grassroots

5:59:13organizing to strengthen Jersey City

5:59:15public schools, I'm running for the

5:59:16board of education to bring that

5:59:18advocacy directly to the decision-making

5:59:20table. I care deeply about our students,

5:59:22educators, and staff. And frankly, the

5:59:24level of support they currently receive

5:59:26is unacceptable. As a trustee, my top

5:59:29priority will be student- centered

5:59:30governance that supports our frontline

5:59:32educators while also remaining fiercely

5:59:34accountable to the taxpayers who fund

5:59:36our system. Continually raising the tax

5:59:39levy year after year without seeing

5:59:41corresponding improvements in reading

5:59:42scores, math proficiency, or graduation

5:59:45rates is simply unsustainable. We must

5:59:47demand real efficiency and results for

5:59:49every taxpayer dollar spent. Throughout

5:59:52my years as a supervisor, colleagues

5:59:54have known me as a collaborative

5:59:55solutionsoriented leader. If we are

5:59:57serious about improving educational

5:59:59outcomes, we can no longer afford to

6:00:01operate in silos. If elected to the

6:00:03board of education, I pledge to work in

6:00:05close partnership with the city council

6:00:07as well as county and state leaders to

6:00:10maximize funding opportunities, practice

6:00:12rigorous fiscal discipline, and protect

6:00:14our homeowners and renters from

6:00:16unnecessary tax burdens. Together, we

6:00:19can deliver the highquality public

6:00:20education our children deserve with the

6:00:23taxpayer stewardship our community

6:00:25expects. Thank you and I look forward to

6:00:27partnering with you all.

6:00:32>> Next speaker, 5.27, Chloe.

6:00:36>> Good evening, council members in the

6:00:39city, staff, and fellow residents. My

6:00:41name is Khloe Williams, and I'm a

6:00:42lifelong Jersey City resident, a proud

6:00:45resident of Ward A, a graduate of Jersey

6:00:47City public schools, and currently a

6:00:49candidate for Jersey City Board of

6:00:50Education. I'm here because if I have

6:00:53the privilege on serving the board of

6:00:54education, one of the relationships I

6:00:57really hope to build is a strong and

6:00:58positive working relationship between

6:01:00the board of education, the city

6:01:02council, and our community. I don't

6:01:04believe our schools and our city should

6:01:06operate and govern without communicating

6:01:09without with one another when we are

6:01:11serving the same children, the same

6:01:13families in the same city. One place I

6:01:15would like us to explore is how we can

6:01:17share resources and services more

6:01:19effectively. For example, we can look at

6:01:22whether shared services partnerships

6:01:24could help the city and the school

6:01:25district coordinate recreation,

6:01:27cultural, and artistic programming,

6:01:30family resources, and other services

6:01:32that sometimes overlap. We can also look

6:01:35at ways to work with community

6:01:37organizations, businesses, mentors, and

6:01:39other partners so that the resources

6:01:41already available in Jersey City reach

6:01:44more students and families. That

6:01:46approach would also be mindful of our

6:01:48taxpayers and what families are already

6:01:50dealing with. I don't want the first

6:01:52answer to every new idea or program to

6:01:54automatically be raising taxes. Before

6:01:57asking residents for more, I believe we

6:01:59should look at where we can share

6:02:01services, reduce duplication and costs,

6:02:04make better use of the resources we

6:02:05already have, and build partnerships

6:02:07that allow us to accomplish more

6:02:09together. I think about the things we

6:02:11had growing up. I remember super

6:02:13Saturdays when I was a student in the

6:02:15district. Programs like that gave kids

6:02:18something positive to look forward to,

6:02:20something to participate in, and another

6:02:22opportunity to learn, socialize, and

6:02:24just be kids. I would love to explore

6:02:26how we can bring opportunities like that

6:02:28back. Not necessarily by recreating

6:02:31everything exactly the way it was, but

6:02:33by asking what Super Saturdays could

6:02:35look like for the generation of Jersey

6:02:37City students. Maybe that means

6:02:39recreation, gaming and technology, the

6:02:42arts, sports, mentoring, workforce

6:02:44exposure, cultural programming, or

6:02:46family activities. I believe the board

6:02:49of education, the council, city

6:02:51departments, and community organizations

6:02:53can accomplish more when we're actually

6:02:55talking to each other, sharing resources

6:02:57where it makes sense, and working

6:02:59together. If I do have the opportunity

6:03:01to serve, I want to have those

6:03:03conversations. I want to build those

6:03:05relationships. I want us to find ways to

6:03:07connect the resources that already exist

6:03:09in Jersey City to the children and

6:03:12families who can benefit from them. At

6:03:14the end of the day, whether we're

6:03:15serving on the council, the board of

6:03:17education, or somewhere else in the

6:03:19community, we're serving the same city.

6:03:21Thank you for your time.

6:03:26>> Our next speaker, 5.28, Jessica,

6:03:30>> Jessica S, not here.

6:03:335.29, Melissa

6:03:38530 Karina

6:03:435.31 Leo

6:03:49you Leo

6:03:51>> not Leo Jack here

6:03:52>> you're Jack come on up Jack

6:03:54>> 5.32

6:03:58>> Jack McKe thank you for hearing me I'll

6:04:00be as brief as possible there's a

6:04:02resolution on uh on your docket I expect

6:04:05your support. We appreciate your

6:04:07support. We appreciate everyone that's

6:04:08come out to Canvas. We're continuing.

6:04:10We've seen uh great progress. New Jersey

6:04:12Transit CEO Chris Galori announced $250

6:04:15million for HBLR last week and uh I

6:04:19would further specify um I really really

6:04:23hope for your support with whatever

6:04:25needs to be done to get a station in

6:04:2618th Street. This is something that if

6:04:28you'd asked me two months ago, is it

6:04:30possible to get a station 18th Street in

6:04:32Jersey City? I would say yeah maybe

6:04:34someday and uh the tides have changed

6:04:36and it looks like we have an opportunity

6:04:38there. Um

6:04:40and uh work with zoning, work with

6:04:42planning, work with the administration

6:04:44and uh it's something that's crucial to

6:04:46stop the stop the the march of the

6:04:49jitneys that end up at uh Grove Street

6:04:51and also in the same situation in

6:04:53Hoboken. We're doing the same thing

6:04:55there, trying to prevent uh development

6:04:57from outpacing transportation's ability

6:04:58to get people around and clogging our

6:05:00streets, polluting our air, and uh

6:05:02thanks for all your support. I had so

6:05:04much fun tonight.

6:05:09I don't think I can say the same. Uh

6:05:12next speaker, 5.33 is a dupe of 5.3.

6:05:15Next 5.34, Katherine

6:05:38My name is Katherine Moore. Uh, you guys

6:05:42put out a resolution today, 26-615.

6:05:46It um states, "The municipal council

6:05:48does not believe the additional six

6:05:50stories provided in the exchange for the

6:05:52additional 5% affordable on-site units

6:05:55will have any detriment on the

6:05:57surrounding area concerning density,

6:06:00height, or light, and air. Furthermore,

6:06:03the council is adopting this change as

6:06:05an addition to the 20story 15%

6:06:08affordable option, giving the developer

6:06:11compensation for the additional

6:06:13affordable housing. I just want to say

6:06:16that

6:06:18without a setback

6:06:21um on all four sides at the ninth floor

6:06:24which is written into the transition

6:06:26zone specifically

6:06:28uh it needs to be moved in to be

6:06:30included in the bonus because without

6:06:33that you are destroying the air and the

6:06:36light that will be going into the

6:06:38buildings that are already existing on

6:06:40all four sides. So,

6:06:43um it's it's not like this is an empty

6:06:46lot with there's nothing else around it.

6:06:48There are people and

6:06:50they need to have uh light as well and

6:06:53they need to have air as well. And you

6:06:54can have it st st st st st st st st st

6:06:55st st st st st st st st st st st st st

6:06:55st st st st st st st st st st st st st

6:06:55st st st st st staggered going up and

6:06:57then at each setback you can create

6:07:00terraces and on those terraces they can

6:07:04charge more money for the 10th floor to

6:07:06look at the perfect view of the Hudson

6:07:09River because that block that lot is

6:07:12very important because it's a corner lot

6:07:15and it doesn't have anything in in front

6:07:16of it and it's a destination and so

6:07:19anyone who has apartments on those

6:07:21terraces on the ninth floor, the 20th

6:07:23floor or even on the rooftop is going to

6:07:25have a clear view because all the other

6:07:28highrises have put in stepbacks. And why

6:07:32this one doesn't include that, I just

6:07:34don't know. If you want a high density

6:07:36area, it does. You need to have those.

6:07:39>> It's not in the bonus. It might be. It

6:07:42also says it's supposed to be 125 ft

6:07:44tall, but the bonus doesn't say it has

6:07:46to be 125t tall. It says it can be 200.

6:07:50So that ninth story setback has to be in

6:07:54the bonus because you already have it

6:07:56for the second story, the third story,

6:07:58the 20 20th story, and the 27th story,

6:08:01but you need it in the ninth story. You

6:08:04has to be written into it because every

6:08:06single illustration that we've seen of

6:08:09that property does not show a ninth

6:08:12story setback. And the city planning

6:08:15built this specifically for this

6:08:17developer. So that's spot zoning. The

6:08:21only people that are going to build

6:08:22there is that one guy. Nobody else. So

6:08:25we really would like a little bit more

6:08:26transparency and we want that air. We

6:08:29want that light. We want civility and we

6:08:32would like to have a little bit of

6:08:33respect for the buildings that are

6:08:34already existing there and all the

6:08:36residents. So thank you. Sorry. Are you

6:08:40done?

6:08:40>> Yes.

6:08:41>> Okay. I didn't mean to.

6:08:42>> Okay. So um we discussed this Katherine

6:08:45on Monday and um

6:08:49the language is in the existing RDP for

6:08:51the uh 9th floor setback. That language

6:08:54is not being changed. So both both the

6:08:5820s story option and the 27tory story

6:09:00option they both will include that ninth

6:09:03floor setback.

6:09:05And if and I I heard your concern that

6:09:08um it it is in what we are voting on. It

6:09:12is it it may not be in their plans and

6:09:14that means their plans don't conform

6:09:16with the redevelopment plan amendment

6:09:18which is an issue that we can take up

6:09:20with with the developer and their

6:09:22attorney. But it the language that

6:09:24you're asking for is very much already

6:09:26in the redevelopment plan amendment.

6:09:28>> It's not a question and answer.

6:09:30>> We're not going to go back and forth,

6:09:31but you you all can take that offline.

6:09:35We we we will make sure that that

6:09:37setback is included. Okay.

6:09:40Yes. Thank you.

6:09:43Next speaker 5.35 Kevin.

6:09:56On August 27th, seven parking tickets

6:09:59under one man's name were listed as

6:10:01quote DL suspended unquote. On September

6:10:0421st, I watched that man drive into the

6:10:07city hall parking lot. The driver was

6:10:09Jersey City Councilman Joel Brooks. That

6:10:12same day, I looked up one of the

6:10:14tickets. NJ Courts displayed a warning

6:10:16that a driver's license or registration

6:10:18suspension had been issued for one of

6:10:21his tickets. That ticket was paid the

6:10:23next day. The records show 14 tickets

6:10:26dating from January 2024 through August

6:10:292026.

6:10:31Four were paid on September 13th,

6:10:33totaling $284.

6:10:3610 more were paid September 22nd,

6:10:38totaling $812.

6:10:41That's nearly $1,100 altogether. To be

6:10:45clear, these began as parking

6:10:47violations. But once NJ courts says a

6:10:51driver's license or registration has

6:10:53been issued uh registration suspension

6:10:55has been issued, the question is no

6:10:58longer

6:10:59uh where somebody was parked. The

6:11:01question is whether the driver in the

6:11:02vehicle were legally permitted on the

6:11:05road when I observed them driving. The

6:11:07online portal cannot answer that.

6:11:10Certified MVC records can.

6:11:13This matters because Brooks now votes on

6:11:15Jersey City's parking rules. the same

6:11:18rules residents are expected to follow.

6:11:21During his campaign, Brooks took Streets

6:11:24Pack Vision Zero pledge, promising, and

6:11:27I quote, "I will obey all traffic laws."

6:11:31End quote. That is why today I am

6:11:34calling on Jersey City to launch an

6:11:36independent investigation,

6:11:38obtain the certified NBC records,

6:11:41determine exactly what happened, and

6:11:43publicly release the findings. Then the

6:11:46city can determine what action, if any,

6:11:48is warranted. IV mailed you and your

6:11:52staff documentation.

6:12:02Our next speaker, 5.36, Bruce, I think

6:12:05he left.

6:12:08>> 5.37, Dante.

6:12:10I'll take

6:12:12>> 5.38, Doris.

6:12:175.39 I think Mary left too.

6:12:225.40 Billy left.

6:12:26>> 5.41.

6:12:29>> Are you here? Yes, there's Ogre.

6:12:32We see you. Ogre.

6:12:33>> Hello. Good evening, council. Yeah, I I

6:12:36I hope I can do this. I'm half asleep,

6:12:39but uh good evening and it's so great to

6:12:42see you all tonight.

6:12:44Uh well, I'm talking on 26-079.

6:12:51Um

6:12:53and the reasons why I didn't leave

6:12:56because I'm traveling in the next 3

6:12:58weeks, but um I'll try to be as quick as

6:13:03possible. So, um I was on mayor's

6:13:06transition committee for the arts and I

6:13:09was a chair, right? And uh huh happened

6:13:26and uh information equality of

6:13:29distribution of spaces and grants were

6:13:33the most important topics on the

6:13:36committee. So I would like to ask a

6:13:39question.

6:13:40While some nonprofits uh get 30 50%

6:13:45because taxes are going up and rent is

6:13:48going up, some get more and more free

6:13:52real estate.

6:13:54I have one question. Why?

6:13:59127 Morgan was made possible through

6:14:02significant resoning and additional

6:14:04development rights in a city where real

6:14:07estate is extremely expensive. The

6:14:11resulting art space is s substantial

6:14:15public benefit. The question is not

6:14:18where Jersey City needs more art spaces.

6:14:22Yes, we do.

6:14:24The question is

6:14:26why we distribute we distributing art

6:14:30spaces to the same organizations who

6:14:33already got the benefits

6:14:36when I advocate for national endowments

6:14:39for the arts every year in Washington

6:14:42DC. I I don't expect for the funds to go

6:14:47to my organization to Jersey City

6:14:49Theater Center.

6:14:52Um there's a of course public process

6:14:55where grants go nationally to all

6:15:00different organizations

6:15:02when opportunities are negotiated

6:15:05privately and other organizations are

6:15:08never informed that they exist uh that

6:15:12opportunities exist. We create less

6:15:15competition, less equality, less quality

6:15:20of the arts and less diversity is a

6:15:24result. And who loses? People. I am not

6:15:28asking uh anyone to take away a benefit

6:15:32already awarded. I am asking the council

6:15:36to establish a fair policy in the future

6:15:41for the

6:15:41>> Your time is up, Ogre. Thank you.

6:15:43>> Yeah. for the public distribution for

6:15:45all.

6:15:47>> Just thank you. Thank you, Olga. Just to

6:15:50clarify for the record, the city is not

6:15:52designating any recipient of the public

6:15:54benefit arts space. There will be an

6:15:56RFP. Um, you know, certainly I I think

6:15:59it's public knowledge that there is one

6:16:01arts organization that has been really

6:16:04um aggressively prepos prepositioning

6:16:07themselves and obviously hopes to get

6:16:10that art space. Um but it it is going to

6:16:13be an RFP process. In addition, we have

6:16:15written in the redevelopment plan

6:16:18amendment language that you know if if

6:16:20the initial selected tenant um ceases to

6:16:24inhabit that space for for any reason,

6:16:26the developer will have to do another

6:16:28RFP process. Um the the the benefit does

6:16:32not end with that organization. It's a

6:16:34public art space in perpetuity.

6:16:41Next speaker. 5.42. Jordan

6:16:46>> 5.43. Yes. Oh, he's here.

6:16:49>> He's here. He's here.

6:16:50>> Thought somebody said he left.

6:16:56>> Good afternoon. My name is Jordan Ley. J

6:16:59O R D A N L E A H Y. Live on Hudson

6:17:03Street in Ward E and I publish reportj

6:17:06jerseycity.com.

6:17:08Every day I rely on the bike lanes to

6:17:10take my kids to and from school. When I

6:17:14report an Amazon, UPS, or FedEx vehicle

6:17:17blocking the bike lane in person to an

6:17:20officer or over the phone, the response

6:17:23I usually get back is, "Are they

6:17:25loading? I've never seen a ticket

6:17:28issued. What I hear from the responding

6:17:31officer is, "It happens." And they

6:17:34declined to take it. On separ September

6:17:3716th, I emailed Director Ambrose and

6:17:40Lieutenant Ragland a direct question

6:17:43under section 242-7.1.

6:17:46Is there a threshold written or

6:17:49unwritten that a vehicle has to exceed

6:17:51before a ticket is issued when a vehicle

6:17:55is loading in the bike lane? nor is any

6:17:58stop in the lane outside the ordinance

6:18:01listed exceptions citable regardless of

6:18:05how long it lasts.

6:18:08The department spokesman replied with

6:18:11one sentence, "If the vehicle is

6:18:13identified as being illegally parked in

6:18:16the bike lane, officers will issue a

6:18:18summon."

6:18:20That doesn't answer my question, though.

6:18:22And the word parked matters. The

6:18:25ordinance doesn't say parked. It says

6:18:27drivers shall not drive or park in the

6:18:29bike lane. And it lists three

6:18:31exceptions. A parking maneuver where

6:18:34parking is allowed, entering or leaving

6:18:37a roadway or getting around a block

6:18:39vehicle. But under the state law

6:18:42NJSA391-1,

6:18:45parking is defined as a vehicle standing

6:18:47or waiting that is not actually engaged

6:18:50in receiving or discharging passengers

6:18:52or merchandise. By that definition, a

6:18:55delivery truck unloading in the bike

6:18:57lane isn't parked, so enforcement won't

6:19:00issue a ticket.

6:19:02I wrote back the same morning and

6:19:04pointed out the difference, attached the

6:19:06ordinance, and asked for clarification.

6:19:10I've yet to receive a response.

6:19:13I'm going to send the email right now to

6:19:16all of you forwarding the email. And my

6:19:20ask is very simple.

6:19:23First,

6:19:25will occupying a bike lane for any other

6:19:27purpose other than the ordinance three

6:19:30exceptions be issued a ticket?

6:19:34Second, if the answer is anything other

6:19:37than yes, what are the circumstances

6:19:40that that vehicle will not be cited a

6:19:41ticket?

6:19:44Lastly,

6:19:45Jersey City adopted vision zero with a

6:19:48goal of zero traffic deaths and serious

6:19:50injur injuries in 2026. That's this

6:19:53year. If the city is committed to vision

6:19:57zero, but continues to let UPS

6:20:01>> Thank you.

6:20:01>> Time is up.

6:20:04>> Next speaker. 5.43 Esther. I think she

6:20:08left.

6:20:105.44 44 Elena

6:20:15Little

6:20:185.45

6:20:19Edgro

6:20:24>> 5.46 Leslie.

6:20:33Um, hi. I'm Leslie Bailey. I'm here

6:20:37representing a group of over 450 Jersey

6:20:40City parents and would like to comment

6:20:42on the amendments to the Powerhouse Arts

6:20:44Redevelopment Plan. I had another speech

6:20:47prepared for this evening, but then this

6:20:50morning, I guess yesterday morning, I

6:20:51read the revised amendments to the

6:20:53Powerhouse Arts Redevelopment Plan that

6:20:56bypass city planning. The revisions call

6:20:59for even more density, even more

6:21:02population growth in our neighborhood.

6:21:04After members of this council have met

6:21:07had multiple conversations with

6:21:09community concerns about neighborhood

6:21:11services buckling under the pressure of

6:21:14rampant development.

6:21:16It was enough to make me throw up my

6:21:18hands and say to my husband, there's no

6:21:20hope for our son and his public

6:21:22elementary school future. We have to

6:21:24leave Jersey City.

6:21:27But he reminded me I need to keep

6:21:28fighting. I need to stand up for our

6:21:30community where he and I have been

6:21:32quietly building a life for our family

6:21:33for 13 years, trusting that the city

6:21:36would continue to make that possible.

6:21:39Every weekday, we take our four-year-old

6:21:40son to the bus stop at 7:50 to start his

6:21:43journey to Danforth Avenue. We walk with

6:21:45the four-year-old girl from the

6:21:47apartment just next door as she heads to

6:21:49the bus to PS3. We wave hello to the boy

6:21:52across the hall as he leaves for the

6:21:54PS16 annex. And then we drop our

6:21:5610-year-old at the PS16 main building.

6:21:59Our three apartment microcosm of Palace

6:22:02Hook is an example how of how the bu

6:22:04boundless development has impacted your

6:22:06existing residents. Four young children

6:22:09who live 15 ft from each other are sent

6:22:13to four different buildings across

6:22:15spread miles across the city because of

6:22:18severe overcrowding.

6:22:20It's a pattern that repeats itself

6:22:22inside every apartment building in the

6:22:23PS16 zone and will soon repeat itself

6:22:25across all of downtown.

6:22:287,194

6:22:29units is the current units under

6:22:32construction, not just planned and

6:22:33approved, but under construction in our

6:22:35zone. How many classrooms? Zero. Where

6:22:39are the schools?

6:22:42It is no exaggeration that the

6:22:45classrooms are so packed there's little

6:22:46room left to walk past desks. that

6:22:49students have 10 to 15 minutes to eat

6:22:51lunch, that our six and sevenyear-olds

6:22:53aren't allowed to run at recess because

6:22:54there are too many kids, and that there

6:22:57are nine school buses full of three and

6:22:59four year olds lined up every day

6:23:01causing traffic and impeding businesses.

6:23:03It's a reality infrastructure that

6:23:05hasn't kept up with development. So when

6:23:07you reread this ordinance or you

6:23:10consider any future amendments to

6:23:11redevelopment plans across the city,

6:23:14please remind yourself of page 92 of the

6:23:16master plan where it reads, "Upgrade

6:23:19community facilities and infrastructure

6:23:20to accommodate population growth and

6:23:23address changing needs and ensure major

6:23:25institutions can continue to thrive. And

6:23:27please make sure you're being

6:23:29responsible for your current residents.

6:23:32Thank you.

6:23:37Next speaker 5.47 Wayne.

6:23:44>> If I may briefly, um, thank you so much

6:23:46for your comment. I take very seriously

6:23:49the concern about, uh, the lack of

6:23:51classroom space downtown. Uh, we did

6:23:54bring this up with the deputy mayor and

6:23:57asked if this site could be considered

6:23:58for a school. We were told this site was

6:24:00not appropriate for a school, but we are

6:24:03actively meeting with developers for

6:24:04other sites and seeking to get a school

6:24:07built downtown.

6:24:14Um, I'm Rowena Oryino, a longtime

6:24:17resident of Jersey City. I have a

6:24:19background in architecture and

6:24:21construction management. uh currently

6:24:23pursuing a master at Boston Architecture

6:24:26College for urban planning and

6:24:28sustainability. I'm here to address the

6:24:31pattern of awarding high value

6:24:33municipality

6:24:34uh properties, zoning or uh variances

6:24:39and transition zone privileges to a

6:24:42recurring handful of private highdensity

6:24:44developers.

6:24:46While grassroot cult uh culture

6:24:49institutions are left searching for

6:24:52space, Jersey City's identity relies on

6:24:55a balance between

6:24:57the smart development and deeprooted

6:25:02civic infrastructure, not a landscape

6:25:04dominated by strictly by private

6:25:06commercial monopolies. in its vision of

6:25:09equity for all. The economic and social

6:25:13returns of community focused cultural

6:25:15entities which produces localized

6:25:19programming, cross-cultural dialogue,

6:25:21and youth outreach will deliver a

6:25:24permanent social dividend in the fabric

6:25:27of Jersey City's master plan. Handling

6:25:31handing over key parcels without a

6:25:34robust holistic approach

6:25:37starves local nonprofits of the physical

6:25:40space they need to survive and to serve

6:25:43Judge City residents.

6:25:45avoiding

6:25:47monopolization.

6:25:49Uh the risk of creating an entrenched

6:25:53loop where the same private interests

6:25:55continuously secure favorable municipal

6:25:58treatment, effectively locking out local

6:26:01institutions that have a proven

6:26:04multi-year track record of serving the

6:26:06Jersey City community. I sincerely urge

6:26:10officials to formally prioritize or set

6:26:14set aside space for local nonprofit

6:26:17cultural uh curators in major

6:26:21redevelopment zones ensuring a variety

6:26:24of voices, institutions, and

6:26:27organizations are actively integrated

6:26:30into the city's long-term master plan

6:26:32rather than bypassed. Thank you.

6:26:36And I'm sorry, one more thing. No one,

6:26:39no residents of Jersey City ever want to

6:26:41hear again the previous administration.

6:26:44You bought it,

6:26:46fix it. We just move forward and do your

6:26:50best you can, but no more of that. It

6:26:52really is sucked.

6:26:59Next speaker 5.48 Jack left. 5.49 49

6:27:03Quinn.

6:27:09Hi everybody. I am a Ward F resident and

6:27:12you may remember seeing me a few times

6:27:13this summer speaking to the overcrowded

6:27:15and deteriorating conditions of many

6:27:18JCPS schools, including my children's

6:27:20own PS16 and Danport Avenue Early

6:27:23Childhood Center. Now that the school

6:27:25year has begun, PS16 students are indeed

6:27:28seeing class sizes of over 30 children

6:27:30crammed into physical classroom spaces

6:27:33that are intended for a much smaller

6:27:35group of young learners. I know that

6:27:37this body is not responsible for school

6:27:39construction, but when myself and other

6:27:41concerned parents stood before you in

6:27:43August, we asked that when developers

6:27:45bring projects for approval before this

6:27:47body to keep the lack of classrooms for

6:27:49our future in mind. And yet, the council

6:27:52is considering an amendment to the

6:27:54powerhouse arts district redevelopment

6:27:56plan that adds more density to our zone.

6:27:59And in fact, in the newest iteration,

6:28:01even more density than what the planning

6:28:02board approved without any mention of

6:28:05the school space needed to educate these

6:28:07new residents. Where are the schools?

6:28:11Over the past few months, I've just

6:28:13scratched the surface in learning how

6:28:14schools are built in New Jersey and

6:28:16Jersey City. In an informal conversation

6:28:19with an associate at Dresnner Robin, I

6:28:21learned that opportunities for public

6:28:23givebacks like schools are really only

6:28:25possible in our city when a developer

6:28:27wants to build at a higher density than

6:28:29would otherwise be permitted. Well, here

6:28:32we are. The master plan that's referred

6:28:35to in the amendment cites the need to

6:28:37upgrade infrastructure and services to

6:28:40keep up with population growth.

6:28:42Specifically, I quote, "The master plan

6:28:44supports efforts by the board of

6:28:46education and other private entities to

6:28:48improve school facilities and

6:28:50educational programs. Where is the

6:28:52school in this super density block 132

6:28:56that also has three-story buildings in

6:28:58R2 and R3 zones? As you look at this

6:29:01amendment and any others in the future,

6:29:03please consider the current number of

6:29:05units under construction that Leslie

6:29:07spoke to, their impact on the

6:29:09neighborhood, and your responsibility to

6:29:12ensure that essential services,

6:29:13including schools, are met. Thank you.

6:29:21>> Okay, that will conclude our public

6:29:23speaking portion of the meeting.

6:29:26Sean, I'd just like to address something

6:29:28that uh one of the uh public speakers

6:29:30brought up. Um had tickets, paid them,

6:29:35my license and registration were

6:29:37suspended. I paid those fees and I will

6:29:40not be on the road until I get written

6:29:42confirmation that all that's done. So,

6:29:46ripping off the band-aid now. Russ is

6:29:49going to ask questions. Saving you the

6:29:51time, Kevin. Um, and uh, that's all I

6:29:55have to say. Thank you.

6:29:58>> Any any questions or comments on

6:30:00petitions communication 6.1 through

6:30:036.42?

6:30:06Hearing none, there are no officer

6:30:08communications. Any questions or

6:30:09comments on reported directors 8.1

6:30:13and

6:30:15on to our claims. Council members going

6:30:18to take a vote on claims.

6:30:20With that, council person Brooks.

6:30:23>> Hi.

6:30:24>> Council person Zupa.

6:30:26>> Hi.

6:30:26>> Council person Efos.

6:30:28>> Hi.

6:30:28>> Council person Little.

6:30:30>> Hi.

6:30:31>> Council person Gilmore.

6:30:32>> Hi.

6:30:33>> Council person Singh.

6:30:34>> Hi.

6:30:35>> Council person Griffin.

6:30:36>> Hi.

6:30:37>> Council person Lavaro.

6:30:40>> And council president Ridley.

6:30:41>> I.

6:30:43>> Claims are approved unanimously. 90.

6:30:48I second that. On to our resolutions.

6:30:52Items 10.1

6:30:54through 10.13. 10.14 was withdrawn and

6:30:5910.5 and 7 were approved earlier.

6:31:01Council person Brooks.

6:31:04>> I vote I on all and I thank uh Mark uh

6:31:09one of the auditors for spending time

6:31:10going through all of the material

6:31:12weaknesses. Uh that was really helpful.

6:31:15Um, so to address something another

6:31:17speaker said, uh, that we don't know how

6:31:20to do our jobs, uh, we actually do spend

6:31:22time, you know, digging into the reports

6:31:24that we get. So I vote I on all. Thank

6:31:26you,

6:31:28>> Council Person Supa.

6:31:29>> But I on just on 10.8, I I was proud to

6:31:32sponsor that and appreciate Jack for

6:31:34bringing it to me. Um, the irony is not

6:31:36lost on me that I'm supporting a a

6:31:38resolution for better light rail in a

6:31:40ward that doesn't have any. That's why

6:31:42we need more light rail and better

6:31:43transit options, especially in Journal

6:31:45Square to reduce uh traffic and be more

6:31:47efficient with our travel.

6:31:50>> Council person Robs, I vote I on all.

6:31:54Thanks Councilman Zupa for putting

6:31:55forward the HBLR resolution. Thanks to

6:31:58the complete streets uh folks was happy

6:32:01to canvas. Happy to do it again. Um, and

6:32:05just on uh the tennis instruction, um,

6:32:09shout out to Marco in person fields uh,

6:32:12helping our young young ones learn

6:32:13tennis. So, I don't know.

6:32:16>> Council person Little,

6:32:18>> sorry, just to clarify, we're voting on

6:32:1910.1 to 10.13.

6:32:21>> Yes. And 10.5 and seven were voted on

6:32:24earlier.

6:32:25>> Correct. Thank you. Um,

6:32:29yes. I for all. I'm also proud to have

6:32:32signed on and endorsed the better light

6:32:34rail campaign and canvased for it. And

6:32:37I'm excited to hear that the Hudson

6:32:40County Complete Streets team has been um

6:32:44you know making continuing to make

6:32:45progress at the state level with New

6:32:47Jersey Transit and we will continue

6:32:49standing side by side with them and

6:32:51advocating.

6:32:54>> Council person Gilmore.

6:32:57Council

6:32:57>> person sing.

6:32:58>> Hi. Council Person Griffith.

6:33:00>> Hi,

6:33:01>> Council Person Lavaro.

6:33:03>> Hi.

6:33:04>> Council President Ridley,

6:33:06>> I.

6:33:07>> Items 10.1 through 10 per 10.13 are

6:33:11approved unanimously. 90 10.14 was

6:33:14withdrawn.

6:33:16Onto our next set of resolutions. Items

6:33:1810.15 through 10.25.

6:33:22Um if if I may Sean um before we vote on

6:33:24these uh was the administration able to

6:33:28get confirmation

6:33:29I guess this question is two parts one

6:33:33whether it doesn't matter whether we

6:33:35vote for this or not 10.15 it'll still

6:33:38be held against us in the January 31st

6:33:42um

6:33:44uh timeliness assessment and and two

6:33:47whether we need to spend the majority of

6:33:49this $4 million by January ruary 31st to

6:33:52avoid losing future funding.

6:34:01>> Sorry, can you ask the one more time?

6:34:03>> Yeah, so maybe it makes more sense. We

6:34:05have to ask it in the opposite order.

6:34:07I'm sorry. Um,

6:34:12were you able to figure out whether we

6:34:14need to spend the majority of this $4

6:34:16million that we are accepting tonight by

6:34:20January 31st fully spent, projects

6:34:23closed out

6:34:25to avoid being

6:34:28penalized with

6:34:30lower grant funding in future years. So

6:34:35my understanding is we have to accept

6:34:37this funds in order to start the process

6:34:40of receiving applications to use this

6:34:42fund. I will double check on the

6:34:44timeline. Um but I don't believe it's

6:34:47the January 2027 timeline.

6:34:50>> Okay. Um cuz that's different from what

6:34:52we heard from other people in the

6:34:54administration. So that's just what I'm

6:34:56trying to figure out. Um but but in in

6:35:00your estimation

6:35:02so so we need to we need to vote on this

6:35:06tonight. We can't carry it till next

6:35:07meeting.

6:35:08>> My again my recommendation is I I think

6:35:12you should accept the phone.

6:35:16>> There is no harm in accepting it. Um

6:35:18just for us to decide how we want to use

6:35:22how how we want to go through the

6:35:23application process. If you delay

6:35:26accepting this, it will delay us opening

6:35:28the application process.

6:35:30>> Okay.

6:35:30>> Regardless of what the timeline is,

6:35:32which I will I'm happy to confirm with

6:35:34you.

6:35:35>> I mean, in my concern is that if we

6:35:39accept this 4 million now and are unable

6:35:42to spend it by January 31st, then

6:35:46our annual goes down from 4 million to 2

6:35:49million. and

6:35:52accepting this 4 million now ends up

6:35:54costing us 8 million over the next four

6:35:56years.

6:35:59>> I I

6:36:02don't have that information for you

6:36:03right now. Um I don't think I understand

6:36:05completely your question.

6:36:07I'm happy to bring that back to Director

6:36:10Diaz. Um he actually sent a very lengthy

6:36:14response to your email

6:36:17uh a couple of minutes ago. So um I'm

6:36:19trying to dissect that information. Um

6:36:23yes I I mean I can only advise that you

6:36:26know this is a resolution to accept the

6:36:28funds. I don't think there is any

6:36:31drawback for accepting the funds. Um and

6:36:34then we can determine whether or not

6:36:36this this timeline again I don't think

6:36:38it's the January 2027 but you're you

6:36:41would be delaying opening it up for

6:36:43applications.

6:36:45>> Okay. Council

6:36:51members, I'm going to be taking a vote

6:36:52on items 10.15 through 10.25.

6:36:56Council person Brooks,

6:36:57>> I know.

6:36:59>> Council person Zupa,

6:37:00>> I.

6:37:01>> Council person Ephos.

6:37:02>> Hi.

6:37:03>> Council person Little.

6:37:04>> Hi.

6:37:05>> Council person Gilmore.

6:37:07>> I.

6:37:08>> Council person Singh.

6:37:09>> I.

6:37:10>> Council person Griffin.

6:37:11>> Hi.

6:37:12>> Council person Labaro.

6:37:13>> Hi.

6:37:14>> And council president Ridley. I

6:37:16>> items 10.15 through 10.25

6:37:20are approved unanimously 90

6:37:23and on to the balance of our

6:37:25resolutions. Items 10.26

6:37:28through 10.36. Council person Brooks.

6:37:32Um, with 10.32, I'm really excited that

6:37:36uh we're going to potentially make

6:37:40progress on that uh redevelopment site

6:37:43um with the transition from NJCU to KA.

6:37:46I know there were some

6:37:49uh difficulties, delays in getting that

6:37:50off the ground, but um I I'm glad to see

6:37:54that that moving forward and I vote I on

6:37:56all. Thank you,

6:37:59>> Council Person Zupa.

6:38:05You say hi. I'm sorry.

6:38:06>> Hi, Council

6:38:07>> Person Ephro.

6:38:09>> Hi, Council Person Little.

6:38:11>> Hi,

6:38:12>> Council Person.

6:38:14>> Hi,

6:38:15>> Council Person Sing. Okay, Council

6:38:17Person Griffin.

6:38:19>> Uh, yes. So, in 10:32, I'm glad that

6:38:21they're opening up this um redevelopment

6:38:25plan and, you know, hopefully affordable

6:38:28housing can be added to that. Um,

6:38:31for some reason there's no affordable

6:38:33housing over there, you know, on or

6:38:36around a a college campus, uh, in the

6:38:39middle of a neighborhood. So, I vote I

6:38:40on all

6:38:42>> personal

6:38:43>> I.

6:38:44>> And Council President Ridley

6:38:47>> I.

6:38:49>> Items 10.26 through 36 are approved

6:38:52unanimously. 90.

6:38:54>> Motion. A motion to adjourn at 12:42

6:39:00a.m.

6:39:01>> was made by council person Gilmore. May

6:39:04I have a second?

6:39:05>> Second.

6:39:06>> Second by council person Griffin.

6:39:11On the motion to adjourn at 12:42 a.m.

6:39:14All council members present by

6:39:16acclamation, please say I.

6:39:18We are out of here at 12:42 a.m.