user1111 and denibleu - did we not just elect to the city council a Greenville resident, and further, one who lives on the street, Van Nostrand that you reference above?

why not have people also contact him? this is what he campaigned on and he has always come across as a passionate, concerned and really hardworking person - I believe he promised / committed to being the hardest working council member. give him a shot.

The light rail is a good first step and while locally it seems to be a poor competition to two 24/7 subway systems, mass transit in the United States shuts down between midnight and 1am in most other areas anyway. I think for some people, the light rail is good enough (or at least was good enough before the Christie NJ Transit cuts reduced off peak service and raised fares).

The 6th Street light rail proposal would also help bring light rail service to parts of the heights which would further inject an increase in demand in the neighborhood.

The transferring from one train to another can be overcome. After all plenty of people live off the G train and that doesn't go to Manhattan. Likewise, there will always be some demand for access to the light rail either for people willing to transfer (for lower rents) or people who don't need to go beyond the light rail's reach. However, the light rail network as it stands now will never compete with 24/7 subway access. A 7 train extension, if it were to include a stop on top of the Palisades, would be a huge boon for the heights (as well as Union City), not just for direct access to the city and Queens, but because presumably as part of the subway system, it would operate all night long.

In the long term, a new subway connection between Jersey City and lower Manhattan is inevitable. This might mean a whole new line or it might mean adding tunnels to the exist Newark to World Trade Center line. But the bottom line is even with the best intended expansion plans of the Port Authority, demand will outstrip capacity sometime in the next few decades.

Personally, I think a great option would be extending the 2nd Avenue subway westward with transfer available underground at Exchange place, and then continue west along Grand Street, south through Greenville and the west side of Bayonne (since the east side of Bayonne has a light rail) and then over the Bayonne Bridge to connect with the abandoned North Shore Line.

speaking of rail transportation in the Heights...

Anyone have access to a map of where the Trollies used to run in JC Heights? I was given a picture of my place back in the late 40's, which showed trolly tracks running down Oakland Ave. The catanery was gone, so I assumed the trollies were already out of service on that line.

agree with most, what needs to happen Greenville residents need to vote, seems like the only people who voted in the last election for city council are the Country Village residents. Also Greenville residents need to contact this guy and never stop contacting him, he is out of touch with the community.

Ward A (Greenville) Councilman
Michael Sottolano
City Hall, 280 Grove Street
Room 206
Jersey City, NJ 07302
Tel: (201) 547-5098
Fax: (201) 547-4678
email: SottolanoM@jcnj.org

Also other people from other areas need to contact him as well and let him know that he is doing an awful job. All the crimes and traffic accidents (hit and run) that happen in Greenville will only spill over to the surrounding areas if people walk around feeling as long as its not happening here, I don't care.

There are various issues preventing Greenville from rising out of the ashes.
The first is the high level of crime in some areas. The area north east of Bayview Cemetary is a war zone. Drive up Ocean Ave or MLK Drive, and even in the middle of the day there are drug dealers hanging out on corners and walking up to cars making transactions. Shootings occur on a weekly, if not daily basis.
Another major problem is that Greenville is really five or six neighborhoods thrown together that have no real connection to each other. The area south of Bayview Cemetary is fairly nice, but the future of the neighborhood is in doubt because the city plans to build the new JCIA/DPW building right on the edge of that area. There is also regular drug activity on the corner of Ocean and Winfield.
The area from NJCU to Danforth is nice as well. Then you have Society Hill on the Hackensack River, and Port Liberte on the Hudson. These communities are basically closed off from the rest of the community, and the residents rarely get involved with local community affairs outside their gates.
Then you have Country Village, very much a little hidden community tucked away in the southwest corner of Greenville. It's a very nice area. This is where Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano lives.
This brings me to the last major problem: Sottolano himself. He does absolutely nothing for anyone outside of Country Village. I am pretty active in my community and I have NEVER, EVER seen him interacting with those residents who live outside of Country Village. Basically, he works for his neighbors in Country Village, and ignores everyone else.
What Greenville needs more than anything else is a new Councilman who will address the needs of residents outside of Country Village. Sottolano has had his chance, and has squandered it. He may be a nice guy, but he has been completely ineffective as an advocate for his Ward.

The Light Rail can only do so much, in terms of gentrification. People who are "gentrifiers", ie have some money and promote the opening of businesses such as restaurants and retail, do not want to have a multi-leg commute. They also prefer access 24-7 ... the Light Rail stops at what, 1:00 am? I like the Light Rail for a quick trip if I'm going somewhere up river, but it's not really that convenient for commuting if you work in Manhattan, which so many people do.

The Heights really needs a PATH station. The Hoboken PATH lines should terminate in the Heights. People can still exit in Hoboken and connect to whatever rail they need to connect to. I cannot imagine a PATH station in the Heights being totally out of reach financially, in the next decade or so.

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1. Harrison is less competitive because its much further away.

2. If you haven't noticed, Harrison is beginning to have a rebirth centered around the PATH station as locations around Jersey PATH stations have become more expensive.

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When the Light Rail was first proposed properties in Bayonne on both sides of the proposed route appreciated 20% before the line was built.
Greenville and the Heights won't see any significant development until the downtown neighborhoods become built up to the point that there are no more significant opportunities for developers.

And what about the Heights we were always out of the loop when it came to public transportation. Even on the east side of the Heights with close access to the Light Rail; that area is still trying to gentrify very slowly but what seems to be surely. Getting to the Square is easy but beyond that you would have to take another bus. And if you lived on the Western Slope the Central Ave. bus would make the rounds down there just a few times a day, now we have nothing down here. But it is still a nice residential neighborhood with few absentee landlords. Thats the key to a decent community having the landlord/property owner living on the property otherwise you have that old game "while the cat's away the mouse will play" And just to add; the far south west corner of J.C. including Country Village is still a nice suburban looking area kept up in a nice fashion almost Bayonne like. So yes community involvement matters. You have to force Jersey City's hand to get things done fighting them tooth and nail. Go to your block association meetings, and be a pain to the Mayor's office with constant phone calls if need be. (201) 547-4900. Let them now you exsist.

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so....this would explain the Harrison renaissance?

*crickets*

Team up with Bayonne to plan a new subway line.

I suggest following the route marked out in black here:

Everyone seems very confused as to why some areas are successful and others are not. Its the PATH. Build a subway form Greenville to Manhattan and there will be renaissance there as well.

For the last two decades, Jersey City has been undergoing a renaissance of sorts. Development is booming. Financial firms are relocating into our commercial space. New residents are moving in because of our strong transportation infrastructure and short distance to Manhattan.

These are all good things. They are good for Jersey City and good for our residents. But that doesn?t mean the prosperity of one part of our city should mean neglect for others.

That brings me to Greenville.

Goldman Sachs isn?t building towers in Greenville. Manhattanites aren?t relocating to apartments in this part of Jersey City. When you think about the Greenville section of Jersey City, you often think about the crime rate and the poor quality of life. The empty storefronts and damaged sidewalks.

Now I?m not saying all of these problems are the government?s fault. Our community needs to take responsibility and come together to stop the crime and keep kids off the streets. Community policing is a great place to start ? but it is a long ways off. We can and must do other things. I know if we come together and attack this quality of life problem on several fronts we can solve it. We can take back Greenville.

With this in mind, I recently organized a group of volunteers and took to the streets ? specifically to Van Nostrand Ave.

The reason for this particular block is that there is a park in the middle of it with a pretty recognizable name, Muhammad Ali Park. The only people that remember that the park is named for great boxing legend are the ones who attended the ribbon cutting back in the 1980s. Most people nowadays simply see a rundown park where a concrete slab lies on about two empty lots with a basketball hoop, a chess board and litter throughout. The sign that once read Muhammad Ali Park isn?t even visible anymore.

Now this isn?t to say Muhammad Ali Park hasn?t been the topic of revitalization discussions. Unfortunately, there hasn?t been any action on these plans aside from a new gate being put up. Jersey City?s website ? specifically, the page of Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano ? lists this park under a ?park renovation? header. He is touting an achievement where nothing has been done. And we can?t blame the economy or cutbacks for the failure to refurbish this park. Grant money has been awarded ? grant money that most neighbors are unaware of. These are good people looking for a safe place their kids can play after school. Why isn?t the over $400,000 in grant money being spent?

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Until we start investing in Greenville, Jersey City will continue to be weak.
http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... rong-as-its-weakest-link/