Quote:

Here here!

A person with some sense and some logic.

I applaud you.

Public housing development in jeopardy
Saturday, August 19, 2006
By PATRICK VILLANOVA
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Plans for the construction of the Gloria Robinson Court Homes, the newest public housing development in Jersey City, have stalled because the developer, Ingerman Affordable Housing, failed to begin construction by Aug. 1, public housing officials said recently.

The new townhouses are to replace the A. Harry Moore high-rise complex on Duncan Avenue. The development would be mixed-income, consisting of low-cost housing as well as market-rate units, officials said.

But the Ingerman Group missed the agreed-upon start date of Aug. 1 and now has until Sept. 3 to start work or risk the termination of its contract with the city, said Maria Maio, executive director of the Jersey City Housing Authority.

If Ingerman fails to move forward with the project, the Board of Commissioners would likely vote to terminate the contract at its September meeting, she said.

"Our intention is to move ahead with or without Ingerman," Maio said.

Several phone calls to the Ingerman Group were not returned and Maio refused to say why the developer didn't start construction.

Four of A. Harry Moore's seven buildings have been demolished in preparation for the new housing and three remain standing. Roughly 360 families have been relocated, while about 250 families are still living at the old development, she said.

"There's a lot of disappointment," said Sylvia Wright, a resident of the development for 29 years and chairwoman of the Resident Management Corporation, the complex's leadership group. "They sold them (tenants) a hope and a dream, and now there's a pile of dirt blocking their windows. We were lied to."

And conditions at the half-demolished development are horrible, added Marilyn Carrero, a tenant still living at A. Harry Moore.

"We feel like we're in jail - locked up!" Carrero said.

as07302 - your post reminds me of the time I registered to vote in JC. Jerry McCann was signing people's applications at a neighborhood association. Some old timer complained to him that he couldn't afford to buy any of the new houses going up (the one's behind Lombardis, I think). McCann's response was - Neither can I, that's why I live in Greenville.

Speaking of Jerry McCann - how about a tee shirt for JC:
We may not have a mayoral mansion, but we always have a cell reserved at Rahway.

Wow! Demanding affordable housing sounds like fun!

I'm gonna move to Beverly Hills, CA next month and demand a $200,000 house in between two $5,000,000 mansions!

Afterall, it's a democracy right?! Sure, they'll let me demand it, but there ain't no way they're gonna build "affordable housing" there.

Why should they here? If you can't afford downtown JC, look for an area you can afford. Simple.

I couldn't afford a condo in Manhatten, so I moved to JC. I'm a "lefty" but what's fair is fair, if you can't afford the area.. move on.

I worked hard at school and work to be able to live in an area which is safer and nicer. There's no way I'm going to welcome affordable housing in my area. Enough crime is imported into downtown JC as is, no need to encourage it.

I want to be able to move to Greenwich, Connecticut one day.. but I won't till I can afford it.

People are always looking for free rides. Work for it!

First they make housing more expensive via a raft of nonsense such as overly restrictive zoning, landmarking, rent control, high taxes, etc. Then they meddle some more in the market by forcing set asides for a subset of the people who can't afford the high costs.

1. Can you give an example of overly restrictive zoning in downtown JC? I keep noticing these four story brownstones being chopped into 4 condos - which seems like devil may care zoning to me.

2. You left out at least two more policies that effect the cost of housing: deductability of mortgage interest and real estate taxes and the $500,000 tax exemption a couple gets if they live in a place for two or more years ($250,000 for singles).

Apparently not. These rooming houses seem to be more common than we realize. They only come to our attention when one gets busted. BTW - It looks like Adolph DID escape to South America after all.

Couple fined for 12-room house rental
Monday, July 31, 2006
By JACK HERMAN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
A Hudson County landlord named Hitler Rojas has pleaded guilty to running an illegal boarding house, Jersey City officials said.
Hitler - his first name, according to city officials - and his wife, Flora Rojas, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a number of building violations in Jersey City Municipal Court.
The Rojases, who also own property in Union City, admitted they'd turned a two-family house on Kennedy Boulevard into 12 single-room units - including some as small as 6 feet by 7 feet, according to David Donnelly, the coordinator for the Mayor Jerramiah Healy's Quality of Life Task Force.
The couple was ordered by Judge Nesle Rodriguez to pay $15,000 in fines, Donnelly said. They also returned back rent of up to six months to help their former renters find new housing, Donnelly said.
The couple rented the rooms for between $200 to $450 per month, Donnelly said.
They divided the house into four rooms on each of the three floors, including the cellar. Donnelly said the task force has been particularly adamant about stamping out illegal cellar units.
The task force originally responded to a complaint at the house on June 8. In addition to the illegal single-room units, they found a number of fire and safety violations, including the lack of carbon monoxide and fire detectors.
The fines could have totaled up to $50,000, but the owners immediately cooperated with the task force, Donnelly said.

A single person who makes $45K can live in a nice neighborhood in downtown JC. I did so when I moved here and also managed to save the max in my 401K and more on top of that. My apartment was small and dark but it was also in Paulus Hook.

So I met your criteria of single and making well less than $100K. Nevertheless, I saw and still see government meddling in the housing market as unwise (and obviously socialist) policy. First they make housing more expensive via a raft of nonsense such as overly restrictive zoning, landmarking, rent control, high taxes, etc. Then they meddle some more in the market by forcing set asides for a subset of the people who can't afford the high costs. The only result is that housing becomes even more expensive for most while a few people with an "in" get an unfair break.

Quote:

The captains of industry across the river would be laughing their asses off reading how a bridge & tunnel home owner in jersey city is whining about having to live next door to middle class undesirables and how they are ruining his ?ritzy east coast lifestyle?
Too funny.

Quote:

Nothing like labeling anyone who differs with your opinion a Bolshevik to make for an intelligent discussion!

Affordable Housing = Middle Class Housing
Middle Class pay taxes unlike the rich and the poor.

Quote:

Nah, squeegee boy, your colonialist pitch won't sail here, you'll simply be mugged off wasteman:shag your wares elsewhere, Dimbrit plonker

Quote:

With descriptions like "'nice' but pathetically underpaid idiots" already dropped in this thread, we might as well keep the ball rolling, right?

Have a great day!

Quote:


Nothing like generalizations that make for a great day...

Threads like these are great because soon enough out will come the conservatives spewing forth their holier-than-thou/i'm-above-it-all/me-me-me worldview. Always good for a chuckle or two!

Quote:

Aaaah, the State of New Jersey.

The State where a scofflaw is Attorney General, the State which is essentially bankrupt despite its high per-capita income and abundant industry. The Democratic Machine has run this state forever.

The state whose "mandate" carry little mandate with me.

It seems that a Trubrit and a Trupole and a Truitalian have been in a bit of odds with you jclist liberals lately?

Get the message?

Quote:

Newsflash: That's not democracy, that socialism. Worked well in Soviet Russia, where apartment rents you.

Quote:

They deserve it because we live in a democracy. If you'll read the original article posted, you might notice that affordable housing is mandated by the state of NJ. The unwashed middle classes you shun seem to have collectivized and, in the best socially-Darwinian sense, legislated their claim. If you don't want to live next door to them, I suggest you move -- someplace where your intolerant ideology has a bit more teeth.

Quote:

I love being antagonistic...I clearly got the best of you my friend!!!

Seriously though. My point is that there are clearly people who "CAN" afford to live in parts of JC, Manhattan, and Hobokan. Than there are people who "WANT" to live there, knowing they are paying more to live there, but choose to due to the demographics of the area.

My point is, there is NO control over this. Honestly, what are you or I really going to do beside BITCH on jclist.com about it. Nothing. Go make up a #OOPS#ed up saying and call me an ass. Still doesn't change the economics of this area.

Does it suck for some? Yes, will things most likely change? Probably not.

Oooooh...he's put little animated dinosaurs on it..coool!

Well I'd definitely want to live next to you...you're probably a captain of freakin' industry, aren't you?

It appears that the only "bright moment" that you had was missing the abortion bucket. Get back to making your hammer and sickle, you hubcap-stealing neanderthal.

Of course, the sad thing about this thread is that a couple of people think that persons making $50k or less DESERVE to live in an area that they can't afford. Why?...why do they deserve it?

There's 14 square miles of Jersey City for teachers, firemen and other "nice" but pathetically underpaid idiots to live in. MOVE THERE and gentrify it. Let the natural equilibrium of economics continue unhindered, without trying to cheat.

"WHAAAA!.....IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE!.......WHAAAA!" get a squeegee and hit the off ramps, you Bolshevik rabble.

Quote:

"Trubrit" huh? Definitely not Too Bright are you, as your moronic rants show you're the only wanker with your misread Darwinian faux-economics.

I'm sure most Homeland Brits would consider you an embarassment to their public school system, typical of the ex pat tosspots foraging in the financial waste of our chromium boneyard pits.

"DUH?"

Quote:

Appropriate name, now shove it where the sun don't shine, Mr. "...ritzy east coast lifestyle..."

Quote:

Oh really? I do wonder which book by Darwin you mean. I've read a few of them, and I don't remember there being anything in them about economics. I must not have read "that book" that you read.

Affordable housing should not mean housing for people who are making $30,000 and have 2 kids, but for single people who ARE NOT making in the six figures and don't have $100,000 to put down on a one bedroom condo.

The median income (household income) in Jersey City is $42,000. At todays rents & prices, there are very few available apartments in Jersey City that someone making $40,000 - $50,000 can qualify for let alone afford.

Yes, only $42,000 a year. And most are hard working and not the ghetto folks most are so afraid of from the projects.

Of course if you read the NY Times & NY Magazine, you would think that everyone is a single white collar corporate professional under 35 making $250,000 a year and that if they make less or in the five figures than they don't deserve to live anywhere in this region.

Lets not even discuss buying since that is out of the question given Prices + Property Taxes + HOA fees.

First thing should be to extend the Earned Income Tax Credit to single individuals making less than $75,000 a year.

Midwest? I was thinking more of Russia - I think they still back your politics out there.

Personally, I'd have reservations about puting my kids infront of your (hypothetical), lefty-pauper-teachers....I mean, If they can't pay their rent - what exactly are they teaching our kids for?

Of course - they could always take the train, and live somewhere that was economically viable...DUH!

There are serious consequences to not having "affordable" housing in a modern urban city. They're not talking about building housing projects next to your brownstone. How are you going to have a community if your firemen and teachers can't afford to live here?

The day I find myself surrounded by only elitist snobs like a couple of the posters on this thread is the day I'll gladly move to the Midwest as well.

I agree with the fact that lefties suck!!! Listen, you can't save the world. Its very simple. If you cannot afford to live here, MOVE.

That is why they have the great ol' Midwest. For people who cannot afford the ritzy east coast lifestyle...

I sincerely hope that there is NOT sufficient affordable housing in Downtown Jersey City.

You lefties don't get it do you? Half of the complaints on this web site pertain to low income scumbags, ruining the peace and habitability of 07302.

If you want cheap rent - move to Newark you commie bastard! I've worked hard for my brownstone and I don't want some tosser living next door.

Racial diversity is bliss, but enforced economic diversity is hell! Especially when people like you think cheap housing should be handed out to every welfare-grubbing loser. Read that book by Darwin - you might learn a thing or two.

One way of providing more affordable housing is to use means criteria for the city's remaining rent controlled units. Landlords who balk at renting to tenants in need of low rent housing should then have their properties assessed as if the units were decontrolled.

Is there enough affordable housing? Jersey City conducts survey to see if they meet state requirements


Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 07/28/2006

AFFORDABLE HOUSING – Some of the affordable Grant/Myrtle homes on 123-125 Myrtle Ave. that Jersey City Episcopal Community Development Corporation is currently building.
How many affordable housing units are there in Jersey City?

City officials are building a database to gauge the amount, which is part of an effort to determine how many new units need be built to meet the new state affordable housing requirements.

The Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), a state organization that sets guidelines for municipalities to meet their affordable housing obligations, stated that affordable rental housing in New Jersey should not cost more than 28 percent of a person's income.

COAH is now requiring municipalities to provide one affordable housing unit for every eight market-rate units built and for every 25 jobs created. Previously, municipalities were assigned a specific number of affordable housing units to be built within their borders.

Currently, Jersey City requires developers of market-rate housing to contribute $1,500 per unit to the city's affordable housing trust fund. Then, the city can build more affordable housing.

Doug Greenfeld, supervising planner for the Jersey City Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce, is heading up a team of city officials who are conducting the count of affordable housing units in the city.

Greenfeld said it's going to be a large task.

"Because we have had so much development in Jersey City, the work to compile all information needed is greater than expected," he said.

Checking and more checking

Greenfeld said garnering the information requires viewing lists of affordable housing projects already constructed and those in the pre-construction phase, and cross checking them to come up with an accurate number.

Greenfeld said that having a count would let the city receive credit against their future affordable housing obligation.

Greenfeld and other officials need to put together a "housing element," a part of the city's master plan that looks at the amount of affordable housing needed between 1987 and 2014.

Among the information required is a projection of future construction and future jobs and employment trends from Jan. 1, 2004 to Jan. 1, 2014.

Also, the city has to put together a "fair share plan," a detailed proposal of the means it will employ to provide more affordable housing.

Meeting the need



Jersey City is one of 287 municipalities in New Jersey that is certified by COAH to provide affordable housing without being subject to litigation from developers, known as "builders remedy lawsuits," to exclude that housing from their projects.

A projection done last year by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) states that between 2000 and 2030 there will be an increase of over 60,000 new residents in Jersey City. While many of those residents are expected to move into market-rate housing, there will be even more who will be looking for dwellings that won't drain their budgets.

That need is also not lost on politicians, who depend on a base of middle and low-income residents for taxes and votes.

Mayor Jerramiah Healy weighed in on the issue recently.

"We need to keep our longtime residents in the city. It's nice to have new residents move in and to see new development, all of which brings new ratables," said Healy. "But our older residents, many of whom aren't wealthy, are the backbone of the city."

The median income of families in Jersey City, according to the 2000 Census, is $41,639.

Healy balked at the suggestion to increase developers' contributions to the city's affordable housing trust fund from $1,500 per unit of market rate apartments built to a higher dollar amount.

"It would be great if we could get $30,000 per unit from a developer, but there needs to be a balance," said Healy. "We want affordable housing, but we don't want to chase developers out of the city."

Trust fund up to $6M



The affordable housing trust fund is now up to $6 million.

City Councilman Steven Fulop, who represents Downtown Jersey City where housing and rental prices are the highest in the city, lamented the lack of affordable housing in the area.

"I would seek 'inclusionary zoning,' because there's not a lot of land left in Downtown," said Fulop. "Inclusionary zoning" is zoning regulations that create incentives or requirements for affordable housing development.

Arnold Cohen, policy coordinator for Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, a statewide association of more than 250 affordable housing and community development corporations, said Jersey City needs to meet the need for affordable housing.

"Affordable housing should be all across the city, not just in certain sections," said Cohen. "Thirty percent of all growth in Jersey City should be affordable housing."

Increasing the stock



At Tuesday's Planning Board meeting, several affordable housing projects received approval, including an 83-unit Jersey City Housing Authority project on Duncan Avenue, in which 74 units will be affordable.

John Restrepo, real estate director for the Jersey City Episcopal Community Development Corporation, received the board's approval at the meeting of two affordable two-family homes on Orient Avenue.

Restrepo has overseen a number of affordable projects in Jersey City. He said bringing more affordable housing to the city is a difficult process.

"A lot of work is negotiations with private owners and making sure all the funding sources are in place," said Restrepo. "But it is important to continue to pursue this effort. I remember a newspaper one time reporting on a project I was working on, and within a week I received over 120 inquiries."