Anyway, the supporters of the ordinance did make a good case for the development plan, and were clearly looking out for the best interests of the neighborhood. Seems like a pretty divisive issue and there was no way everyone was going to be happy.

I'm not doom and gloom about it-- I'll support it and hope for the best. My biggest concern, as noted by Council Person Osborne, was whether the area was getting enough compensation. Either way, it will be an improvement to the street. I'll trust the supporters who seem confident that this was a good deal for the area and hope that they're correct.

The people who spoke during public comments were overwhelmingly against the ordinance. By my inexact count it was roughly 2 to 1 against the ordinance with literally 100% of the people in favor of the ordinance being active members of the HPHA or the lawyer for the developer. Many of the "pro" speakers mischaracterized the argument as "15 stories vs. Empty Lot" as opposed to "15 stories vs 6-stories." Some dismissed the opponents of the ordinance as "Gulls Cove" residents (a false generalization). It was also obvious to everyone in the room that the non-speaking attendees in the crowd were overwhelmingly against the ordinance.

To be fair, people who are against an ordinance are far more likely to speak up at a city council meeting than those in favor. But if I had to put money on it, I'd hazard a conservative guess that 55-60% of Paulus Hook is against this ordinance. However, the HPHA is officially in favor of it, so that's all that matters. The neighborhood association's support gives the council persons the political cover to say the "neighborhood" supports it, reality be-damned.

Municipal democracy at work.

City Council votes to allow 15-story building in Downtown Jersey City

By Michaelangelo Conte | The Jersey Journal
on October 10, 2014 at 8:05 AM

After hearing more than a dozen Downtown Jersey City residents speak against an ordinance that would allow construction of a 15-story building in a neighborhood where seven stories is the limit, the City Council voted 5-to-3 Wednesday night to allow the building to go up.

"On the whole, I think it is good for Jersey City and good for the neighborhood there, so I vote aye," said City Council President Rolando Lavarro, who cast the deciding vote to allow for construction of the building.

The redevelopment area along Van Vorst Street south of Sussex Street had been zoned for office and residential use and had a height limit of seven stories. The amendment allows for additional uses such as retail, cafes, restaurants, etc. The city has given the developer an additional eight stories in exchange for various infrastructure and neighborhood improvements.

The area borders on historic Paulus Hook and a few representatives of that area's neighborhood association spoke in favor of the amendment. Speakers opposed to the amendment received loud applause from those in the packed council chamber.

Nakone Toure told the council members, "You buy with an expectation and now that expectation is changing."

She complained of traffic in the area already being heavy and said she has been getting calls from real estate agents asking her to sell."

James McCann, a representative of the developer, touted the project for its plaza for passive recreation with retail space lining it. He also noted that the building is set back to minimize the impact of its height, will have a restaurant, a dog run and parking spaces that residents can rent if available.

"This a fairly abandoned part of Paulus Hook," McCann said. "You will have more people in the neighborhood, which makes that part of the neighborhood a little more safe, probably a lot more safe. This is not a historic district. It never was a historic district. It borders on a historic district and that makes a big difference."

Council members Candice Osborne, Michael Yun and Richard Boggiano voted against the ordinance while Lavarro, Joyce Watterman, Chico Ramchal, Diane Coleman and Daniel Rivera voted in favor. Frank Gajewski did not attend the meeting

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... il_votes_to_allow_15.html

Quote:

I wasn't there, but based on that voting breakdown, I think it would be safe to assume that the two votes against approval were Boggiano and Yun. They seem to enjoy showing their "independence" by being contrarians.

I was not able to attend the discussion on the above amendments for the 15 stories structure on Sussex and Van vorst which the council approved with a 5-2 vote. Can any one who attended this meeting give us a summary on what happened. Who voted in favor and who opposed the ordinance ?. There was only a brief article in the Jersey Journal today with little details.
Thanks