Oh no! Not an eyesore! How unbelievably awful!

They probably couldn't get their permits from JC's Department of Buildings.

The dilapidated block of Journal Square in Jersey City has become an eyesore.

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Today's views: When will Journal Square turn around?

by The Jersey Journal
Thursday September 18, 2008

The dilapidated block of Journal Square in Jersey City has become an eyesore.

When will the bombed-out looking eyesore in the center of Jersey City's Journal Square become the thriving residential and commercial enterprise the city promised? Today's Jersey Journal editorial, which compares this dilapidated block to something out of Dresden after the Allied bombing in World War II, demands answers.

With today's economic climate, what faith can people have that the investment to improve the area will come through, the Journal asks.

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Scene in WWII? No, the Square

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Remember when Jersey City officials said that work on the Journal Square eyesore block that once housed KFC and the Hotel on the Square would begin this summer? Monday will be the first day of autumn.

There is a chain-link fence around this derelict property next to the PATH Transportation Center. It contains the shells of several buildings still standing and a brick-and debris-lined pit where some structures were razed. It could pass for a movie set depicting a devastated block after the London or Dresden bombings of World War II.

Usually, there is filthy water - or some other liquid - leaking from the broken bricks, running under the fence and staining the sidewalks of the pedestrian area near the Christopher Columbus statue and the often broken fountain. When the temperature dips, this runoff will turn to ice that will require placement of barriers.

Deep into the fall season, there will be the usual attempt to hang festive holiday lights on the trees near the dark pile of rubble that was once shops and offices. Trying to brighten the area is truly putting lipstick on a pig.

Supposedly there are plans for a $500 million project that will include twin residential towers, offices, shops, and some parking. It would be a two-year project.

The last thing the public heard was that there were ongoing negotiations for a proposed 30-year tax break for the development that would provide payments in lieu of taxes to the city of 10 percent of gross annual revenue.

With this week's Wall Street maelstrom, seeded by the subprime mortgage industry collapse, and the improbability of moving condo units or high-priced rentals, there are new questions. Chief among these is how will all this affect the Journal Square project? How much longer do city residents live with the ugliness?

This newspaper made this request earlier this month, and now repeats it: It is time for City Hall to tell the public where this project is going. How about it, mayor? How about it, City Council?