Healy: Supermarket, not school, on Heights lot
Thursday, April 06, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey Mayor Jerramiah Healy has reversed course and now says he supports building a Stop & Shop supermarket on a vacant lot in the Heights that has been the subject of intense debate over the past few years.

On Tuesday, Healy pressed state officials - including Jersey City Superintendent of Schools and Assemblyman Charles T. Epps, Jr. - not to build a school on the nearly 3-acre parcel.

Until now, Healy has publicly advocated building housing on the site, bordered by Laidlaw, Jefferson and Summit avenues.

But during Tuesday's meeting, the mayor came down squarely on the side of building the superstore proposed by Stop & Shop.

"We here in Jersey City could use a state-of-the-art market," Healy said yesterday. "The SCC (state Schools Construction Corp.) has planned a preschool for that site and we'd have to find another site for a grammar school. That would be disastrous - no ratables, no jobs."

Healy attributed his change of heart to an agreement by Stop & Shop not to include a pharmacy and florist in the proposed new store, which would have directly competed with some Central Avenue businesses.

Recognizing the need for new schools, Healy said he urged the SCC - the agency charged with building schools in poor districts - to explore taking over shuttered Catholic schools.

Healy was joined at the meeting - held at the SCC's Washington Street offices in Downtown Jersey City - by Epps, D-Jersey City; state Assemblyman Lou Manzo, D-Jersey City, and SCC honchos.

Epps put the burden on Healy to come up with alternative sites within 30 days.

"If they can't, then we can go back to the table," said Epps, who along with Manzo represents the 31st District.

The new stop and shop building was going to be a larger store with more parking. I do not know if the new building would fit on the current lot Stop and Shop occupies. If it could fit there would be no parking which would be no good since it could not generate a profit. Also they could keep this current Stop and Shop open while the new store would be built. If they built on the current lot the store would have to close for a long time.

I like the idea of the new Stop and Shop but would prefer a school to be built there if it would prevent development of the reservoir. Since the city owns the reservoir it would be cheaper to build there then to spend $7 million on the empty lot next to the reservoir. I hope Jersey City politicians do not destory another part of Jersey City's history as well as unique landmark if a school is built on the current Reservoir site. The Resevoir will benefit the citizens of the city. If a school is built next to the Reservoir the students can get hands on learning for science classes.

Since land is getting expensive would it make sense to build more floors and start building up on the current land the schools occupy?

I totally agree that the Schools Construction Corp. should condemn and take over that site that Stop & Shop wants to build on. Why can't they just renovate the existing Stop & Shop.