Lawyer is helping to shape Monticello Ave.'s rebirth

Tuesday, May 22, 2007
By ROSE DUGER
JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

Carol Harrison-Arnold is changing the face of Monticello Avenue.

As president of the Monticello Community Development Corp., the 50-year-old attorney has emerged as a driving force behind plans to revitalize a weathered commercial zone into a thriving hub for shopping and dining.

Through the expertise of Harrison-Arnold and other community leaders, the corporation took on the mammoth task of researching area needs, gaining state planning grants and writing a redevelopment plan, then shepherding it through the labyrinth of local government.

Just last month, the Jersey City City Council adopted major portions of the redevelopment plan, a major milestone in this multi-year effort that began with a vision of what Monticello Avenue could become.

"We really hope that within five years Monticello Avenue is a viable commercial district, like it was 30 years ago," Harrison-Arnold said, noting that the area once teemed with shoppers ferreting out fashions at trendy boutiques.

"It was the premier place to shop for clothing and accessories. Businesses left as the area became depressed and many remain vacant. We want to make it a destination once again."

For donating her legal expertise and energy to improve Monticello Avenue and other areas of Jersey City and Hudson County, Carol Harrison-Arnold has been named The Jersey Journal's 2007 Everyday Hero/Newspapers in Education Awards honoree in the Community Service category.

Since moving to Jersey City in 1989, Harrison-Arnold has been a constant force for positive change in the community, taking on leadership roles at Jersey City's Church of the Incarnation and serving on the boards of the Hoboken Charter School and the Jersey City Episcopal Community Development Corp.

The mother of two became active with the Lincoln High School PTA several years ago when her daughter, who later transferred to Hoboken Charter School, was a freshman. Today, mom remains involved there to help the kids in the community.

"She goes above and beyond what she needs to do as a community member," said Lincoln High School Principal Michael Winds. "She has brought a proactive style to our parents council, bringing in programs for both students and parents. She's always a cheerleader for the school."

Lawyer is helping to shape Monticello Ave.'s rebirth
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A native of upstate New York who grew up in Brooklyn, Harrison-Arnold earned her bachelor's degree in politics at New York University before going on to the University of Virginia School of Law.

Back in 1989, when looking to leave New York and shopping for property in Jersey City, Harrison-Arnold and her husband, Roland, were impressed by Astor Place, off Monticello Avenue.

"We liked the stability of the neighborhood and the value for the house," she recalled. "It looked like a neighborhood that was coming back to life."

The couple became involved in the Astor Place Neighborhood Association, helping to plan events to bring the neighborhood together. Soon, Harrison-Arnold - who owns and is an attorney with the legal and insurance consulting firm CHA Consult run out of her home - became vice president.

But when arson claimed the interiors of five beautiful brownstones at the corner of Park Street and Astor Place, Harrison-Arnold and others became local activists determined to save the character of the neighborhood.

Appalled by prefabricated houses that had already been erected at their corner, Harrison-Arnold used her legal expertise to successfully lobby for nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax status, which opened the door for county, state and federal funding to preserve the historic facades of the brownstones.

Through the group's work, the brownstones have not only been preserved, but the beautiful structures have now been converted into subsidized housing.

With that victory under her belt, Harrison-Arnold turned her attention to Monticello Avenue.

Dismayed by the downward spiral that had gripped the district and left stores vacant, she and several other activists took on the mammoth task of securing funds, researching and crafting the redevelopment plan.

A key milestone occurred in 2004, when the MCDC won acceptance into the National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street Center, opening the door to state funding.

Charlene Burke, vice president of the MCDC, credited Harrison-Arnold's leadership qualities as a key driver of the group's success.

"We wouldn't be where we are today without her, and I stress that emphatically," Burke said. "She has been at the helm for a number of years now and has certainly steered us through the redevelopment plan situation, which has been a long time."

The redevelopment plan calls for an arts center that will not only present cultural offerings but also offer classes for children, a "restaurant row" with indoor and outdoor cafes, a supermarket, and shops and loft-style housing.

For Harrison-Arnold, the area's promise will be enough of a reward.

"I feel that I've been blessed with the opportunities I've had and have been able to take advantage of," she said. "I give back because I enjoy doing it."