e-eff wrote:
Thanks JC-i, and adding Neener's neighbor's robbery makes it quite a horrible weekend.

Next DTJC meeting is on Monday 9/11, if you can make it please come, 7 pm at Grace Church on Erie.

GrovePath wrote:
Historic building gone
Saturday, August 19, 2006
By JENNIFER MARKOWITZ
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City said it issued stop-work order

Jersey City lost one of its oldest houses when two 19th-century buildings were recently demolished on Sherman Avenue.

The house closest to the street, built in the 1870s, was demolished legally over a week ago and the second structure, of Dutch-influenced architecture and believed to have been built 20 to 40 years earlier, was illegally destroyed on Wednesday, city officials said yesterday.

After the demolition of the first structure the city issued a stop-work order to prevent the destruction of the older building when it was discovered that it may be more than 150 years old, said Barbara Netchert, acting director of the city Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce. A city ordinance prohibits demolition of houses more than 150 years old without the approval of City Council.

Because the age of the building was in doubt, the city issued a stop-work order until it could be determined, but demolition went ahead anyway, Netchert said.

The property owner, Bob Sacks of Sacks Realty, could not be reached for comment yesterday. Calls to his attorney were also not returned.

Netchert said the city is now trying to determine what to do next.

Jacob Morgan, who lives next to the demolished site, said he first saw demolition notices about a month ago.

"I am unhappy because that house cannot come back again," he said. "It was a greedy act to knock down history."

Joshua Parkhurst, president of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, said that he would like to see construction of a similar building.

"A stop-work order is not enough. We have laws, but people just break them," he said. "More needs to be done to preserve history."

Pisces1979 wrote:
ummm..... they did not advertise this meeting well. If they had, then I bet you would have a lot more people, it is mostly the people over by broadyway and sip avenue that will be affected, because the trucks are going to take shortcuts through residental streets.

jc_insomniac wrote:
Quote:

Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham pulled Jersey City out of the program because he didn't think the $2 million the city received was worth the hassle - or the label of a "distressed city."

Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop said he agrees.

"I think the distressed cities program shows a lack of pride," Fulop said. "And from my point of view Jersey City is not a distressed city.

"The first thing we should pursue is cost-cutting, which hasn't been done at all to any great degree," he added.

I agree that the city needs to cut costs, but since this is something that our current administration doesn't seem to prioritize, I believe that the $8M state aid is worth the silly label that will be slapped on JC. Besides, our city has been called worse.

The best part about receiving the aid, besides the obvious, is the necessary checks and balance that will be instituted as a condition for receipt of the monies:

Quote:

The biggest drawback to receiving the aid, now called "Special Municipal Aid," is that hiring and promotions would have to justified to and approved by the state Local Finance Board, Healy said.

What could be better than the admin having to justify its hiring and promotions? How quickly can we get this aid?

Chama wrote:
Greetings to all fellow forum members!

I've been reading a lot of the postings in jclist.com for the past few weeks and decided to join the forum. We will hopefully become official residents on downtown Jersey City in June (we are purchasing a condo 3 blocks away from Hamilton Park, can't wait to move!!). We were not familiar with the downtown area of Jersey City until over a month ago, when we went for an 'Open House' tour with some friends. We really liked the area and were fortunate enough to find the kind of condo we were just looking for.
The forum has been a wonderful and colorful source of information to learn more about the community, resources, politics, and the idiosyncrasy of the residents. I look forward to participating in the forum discussions myself.

As a 'soon-to-be-resident' to the area I wanted to get a feel for what things you like the most about downtown Jersey City, and what things you like the least. What excites you about this place? What worries you? Just to get you started, we presently live in midtown Manhattan, in an area that is not really residential. It is very convenient to get to work (we walk everywhere pretty much) and get to see all kinds all people, any time of the day or night. However, the noise on the streets (like garbage and demolition trucks during the day and late night) is simply unbearable! The taxes are killing us, and forget about thinking of buying a condo here (and I can't stand the co-op philosophy on residential buildings). The city is just too busy and too noisy for us. We are longing for a more residential, quieter, charming place to live, where we can find a sense of community and stability... and, of course, with a convenient commute to NYC.

Anyway, feel free to share your thoughts, and any advice on how to prepare for our new 'home' city will be greatly welcome. Thanks so much in advance!!