Has anyone in this neighborhood read the law about declaring an area "in need of rehabilitation"? On eof the provisions of this is that the city can create a "RAD" (Revenue Allocation District). A RAD is used to pay for the improvements within the district. The money for the RAD comes from the increased tax revenue that the city realizes as a result of the improvement. That is why the city is increasing the size of the Area from just Journal Square to an area probably 10 times the size of Journal Sq.

If you read the law, the city is going to use the RAD to sell bonds. THe proceeds of the bonds will be used to "improve" the neighborhood. If history is any quide, the improvements are not being done for the current residents. They are being done for the developers that want to build there. But, when they put in the trolly line or the new sewer, the city is going to say that everyone in the "area in need of rehabilitation" is benefiting. With that, they will increase your property taxes.

The reason they are going to do that is because they need that increased tax revenue to pay for the bonds that they floated under the RAD law.

Bottom line is that the city isn't doing this because it cares about its current citizens. It is looking to do this so that its current citizens can help pay for the work that these new developers want to undertake, but can't get the financing for.....thank goodness I don't live in Journal Square.

Watch out!!!

Quote:

a) One problem with McNair discussions is that detailed McNair student data is not widely available. Example: where were the McNair ninth-graders attending in eighth grade?

Assuming a lot of them came from the public schools' honors middle schools: what schools were the McNair ninth-graders attending before they got tracked into the honors middle schools?

b) I think there are a fair number of Newport parents with children at Cordero. A few years ago, I attended a birthday party for a child at Newport, and several of the parents had children at Cordero.

My assumption is that, if several Newport residents had kids at Cordero in 2005, the number must be higher today, now that awareness of the high quality of the pre-K program and the respectable quality of the kindergarten has gotten around.

c) In the long run, it seems to me that the Hilltop area ought to do really well. The view to the west is really gorgeous. The city and developers need to figure out some mechanism to protect existing west-ward views as much as possible and maximize the percentage of new residential and commercial units that have great views.

So few of the people in Newport have school aged children. Are affluent people in general scared of sending their kids to Jersey City elementary and middle schools? I guess the yuppies just flee to the suburbs when their kids are about to enter elementary school? McNair Academic doing so well must mean that something is working.

It is interesting that so few people in Newport or in the new developments use the schools in Jersey City.

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Hilltop neighbors get peek at Square renewal plans

Wednesday, October 01, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Home seizures and overtaxed city services led the list of concerns Monday night when two Jersey City officials briefed members of the Hilltop Neighborhood Association on plans to redevelop the Journal Square area.

"Absolutely, scout's honor," Planning Director Robert Cotter told a nervous questioner who asked if he could guarantee homes wouldn't be taken as development plans move forward.

Joined by Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Robert Antonicello at the meeting, held in the basement of St. Joseph's Church, Cotter gave an overview of several signature projects slated for the struggling center of the city.

The biggest of these projects is a $400 million, mixed-used development planned for the block next to the Journal Square Transportation Center.

Earlier this year administration officials rejected terms of a 30-year abatement the developer - MEPT Journal Square Urban Renewal, LLC - had sought. But MEPT has submitted revised plans to the city, lowering the cost of the project, officials said.

Antonicello said he expected construction to begin this year or early next year.

The city officials also mentioned plans to place office and/or residential buildings along Summit Avenue where the Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, and Verizon building now sit.

One resident in the 100-person crowd asked about increased city services, including new schools, to accommodate the newcomers.

Pointing to the Newport development as an example, Antonicello said urban professionals buying Jersey City real estate consume surprisingly few city services. At Newport, the city collects $35 million in taxes each year and shells out only $10 million in services, he said.

The city will unveil an overall plan for the area in about three weeks, Antonicello said. The goal is to have the City Council adopt an "area in need of rehabilitation" plan by the end of the year, he said.

Association President Richard Boggiano questioned the wisdom of erecting a parking facility across the street from the administration building on Newark Avenue that's emerged as part of the plan being developed by Belle Mead consultant Anton C. Nelessen. "They are crazy," Boggiano said. "No, not in our area."

Kelley Sander, an associate planner with Nelessen's firm, said yesterday the idea is to consolidate several city parking lots with county parking already on-site. But "there's no firm proposal," she said.