Jersey City creates new SID for Monticello Avenue/Martin Luther King Drive area

Wednesday, December 14, 2011, 8:19 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY ? The City Council tonight unanimously approved the creation of the Jackson Hill Main Street Special Improvement District, a program that city officials hope will revitalize the Monticello Avenue/Martin Luther King Drive area.

The new SID will create a special tax totaling around $200,000 in 2012, to be paid by business owners in the area only.

Tyrone Rose, 46, who owns beauty-supply stores on Monticello Avenue and in the Hub, said the extra tax will be worth it.

The money -- some businesses will pay an extra $400 annually, others will fork over thousands -- will help pay for marketing, extra street cleaning and security, Rose said.

?It really gives us the basic resources that we need,? he said, adding that an improved business district will attract new, sorely needed businesses.

Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano said the SID marks ?a new beginning? for the area. Businesses may struggle coming up with the extra tax, but that will help create a sense of ownership in the district, Sottolano said.

?That type of ownership will certainly produce the results we?ve been hoping for for such a long time,? he said. ?This is a great start.?

The Jackson Hill SID is the fifth SID in Jersey City.