Jersey City's 99 Hudson Soars As USA's Third Tallest Condominium

There’s a lot of hype about Hudson Yards, the recently opened complex that spawned a new Manhattan neighborhood. Rightfully so. It’s a game changer.

But the Hudson has two sides—New York and New Jersey. So far, there’s little fanfare about that other luxury tower, 99 Hudson—a 79-story condominium in Jersey City, directly across from the World Trade Center. It’s yet another prodigious example that Hudson River real estate is booming.

Soaring 900 feet, the in-progress skyscraper is billed as the tallest building in New Jersey and the “third tallest condominium” in the United States—in the class of Manhattan’s architectural icons. Such claims are virtually always disputed, but there’s no doubt it stands out on the Hudson’s other side. And judging by initial imagery, sometimes New Jersey views are better than New York City views.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/keithflam ... condominium/#4302f4666690

Jersey City woman faces 30 years in prison after guilty plea in fatal stabbing

By Corey W. McDonald | The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY — A woman who was facing murder charges for stabbing a man in the face and chest has pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and faces up to 30 years in prison, authorities said.

Lateefah Rabb, 36, was initially charged with murder, aggravated assault and weapons charges stemming from an incident in October 2017, when she stabbed Carl Salisbury in an apartment on Academy Street — once on the left side of his face, twice in the back and three times in the chest.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/04/jers ... ea-in-fatal-stabbing.html

Jersey City kicks off campaign to get every resident counted in 2020 census

By Ron Zeitlinger | The Jersey Journal

Jersey City officials, claiming millions in federal funding is on the line, kicked off its countdown to the start of the 2020 U.S. Census Monday morning by unveiling a census message board outside City Hall.

The “I Count Because ...” chalkboard gives people a write why the census is important to them. The answers included “because Ward F matters” and “because we need great libraries” and “because JC’s bigger than Newark.”

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/04/jers ... unted-in-2020-census.html

Public should not expect legal opinions at JC council meetings

Jersey City Assistant City Attorney Norma Garcia told the Jersey City Council at the March 27 meeting that the city’s legal counsel will no longer answer legal questions raised by the public during council meetings.

Garcia said it was the job of her department to write ordinances and resolutions, but not to defend or to offer opinions about their content.

This announcement came near the end of the public meeting when many members of the public had left. But the declaration raised concerns among at least four council people about the legal department’s unwillingness to respond to the public’s questions.

https://hudsonreporter.com/2019/03/29/ ... s-at-jc-council-meetings/

A giant food hall is set to open in one of N.J.'s hottest neighborhoods

By Joe Atmonavage | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A food hall featuring 13 different vendors is set to open next week in one of fastest-growing corners of Jersey City.

Inside the 30,000-square foot main atrium of Harborside, a 4.3 million square-foot office complex set along the Hudson River with views of Manhattan, there will be fast-casual dining options ranging from lobster rolls to Neopolitan pizza to Korean barbecue.

The food hall, dubbed District Kitchen, will open March 25, according to their website.

https://www.nj.com/food/2019/03/a-gian ... ottest-neighborhoods.html

More than 600 Jersey City school district employees would be laid off under initial BOE budget

By Corey W. McDonald | The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY — More than 600 school district employees would be laid off and residents’ school tax would increase by 10 percent under a proposed budget that was sent to the county for approval Wednesday night.

The Board of Education, facing a $120 million budget shortfall and “draconian” reductions to state aid, presented a preliminary budget that — if adopted in May — would see 450 instructional staff positions, including teachers and teacher’s aides, and 260 central administration and non-instructional staff positions eliminated throughout the district.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/03/more ... eliminary-boe-budget.html

New York City’s Food Hall Trend Migrates to the Suburbs and Beyond

Food halls are opening in locales well outside Manhattan and Brooklyn

In recent years, Manhattan and Brooklyn real-estate developers and culinary professionals have embraced the food hall, the dining concept that offers a gourmet take on the food courts of suburban malls.

Now, in a twist on the trend, food halls are opening in locales well outside those two boroughs, including in the suburbs.

Bell Market bowed last year in a historic Holmdel, N.J., building, with offerings that include wood-fired pizza and sushi hand rolls. Queens Crossing, a mixed-use project in Flushing, introduced an Asian-themed food hall in 2016, building upon what was previously a modest array of dining options at the development.

Food halls are planned everywhere from the South Bronx to another location in Flushing. And in Jersey City, N.J., an ambitious 12,750-square-foot hall, District Kitchen, is set to open March 25 at Harborside, the waterfront office development.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york- ... bs-and-beyond-11553009829

‘Massive’ $120M budget shortfall is subject of special Jersey City BOE meeting

By Patrick Villanova | The Jersey Journal

The Jersey City Board of Education will hold a special meeting Wednesday afternoon to determine how to plug a $120 million hole in the 2019/2020 budget.

The nine-member school board that presides over the 30,000-student district will vote on an interim budget for next school year and send it to the county superintendent for approval.

The district is set to lose $27 million in state aid next year, more than what was originally anticipated when the city enacted a payroll tax to help offset the state funding cuts. But the Jersey City Public Schools are also expected to lose about $6.5 million in state funding because an increase in enrollment in local charter schools, Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas said.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/03/mass ... sey-city-boe-meeting.html

Jersey City school board votes to allow members with conflicts of interest to vote on teachers union pact

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY — The school board voted Thursday to allow its members who were supported by the local teachers union to vote on the new union contract, which could be finalized later this year.

The approved measure is known as the doctrine of necessity, which is invoked when a quorum of the board has conflicts of interest that prevent it from voting on a specific matter. Absent Thursday’s action, only four board members would be able to vote on the teachers union contract because the other five have conflicts. The contract expires in June.

Thursday’s measure was approved with little discussion by a 7-1 vote, with Matt Schapiro voting no. He is one of the non-conflicted members.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/03/jers ... -teachers-union-pact.html

Only in Hudson County? 2 school superintendents getting paid $200K+ to sit at home

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal

Hudson County has 10 school superintendents right now and two of them are getting paid six-figure salaries for not working.

Jersey City’s superintendent, Marcia V. Lyles, who was dismissed by Jersey City’s school board in January but is still getting paid her $231,000 salary, plus benefits. The board can’t fire her without getting the state involved, so it is keeping her on the payroll until her contract expires … in June 2020.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/03/only ... -200k-to-sit-at-home.html

Jersey City school board appoints another new member

By Patrick Villanova | The Jersey Journal

The Jersey City Board of Education appointed its newest member Thursday, one week after Luis F. Fernandez Jr. announced his resignation from the nine-member panel.

During a special meeting at School 26, former Board of Education employee Gevonder Dupree was tapped to fill the seat vacated by Fernandez. The board voted 7-1 in favor of her appointment, with Matthew Schapiro as the lone dissenting vote.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/03/jers ... s-another-new-member.html

Jersey City council wants passage of Liberty State Park Protection Act

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY — The City Council is urging state lawmakers to pass the Liberty State Park Protection Act, a bill aimed at halting private development at the 1,200-acre state park located in Jersey City.

The nine-member body unanimously approved a resolution at its Wednesday meeting asking the state Legislature to pass the bill (A-4903), an act applauded by longtime park advocate Sam Pesin. Pesin has spent decades fighting plans to add commercial ventures to the park.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/02/jers ... -park-protection-act.html

For third time since July, a Jersey City school board member resigns

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY — Another Jersey City school board member has quit the board early, becoming the third resignation from the nine-member body since July.

Luis F. Fernandez Jr., who was elected to the board in 2016 and had 10 months left on his term, resigned effective immediately in a letter he emailed to board members Thursday morning.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/02/for- ... board-member-resigns.html

Testimony ends in ethics hearing for Jersey City school board VP

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY — Jersey City’s school board vice president, Lorenzo Richardson, testified at an administrative law hearing Friday morning that he believed he was acting properly when he filed a legal complaint against district officials in 2016.

Richardson testified he thought he had the authorization of the then-board president, Vidya Gangadin, and then-board counsel, Ramon Rivera, when he filed the complaint against them. State ethics laws bar board members from taking actions against their boards.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/03/test ... city-school-board-vp.html

The new $480M Wittpenn Bridge construction is a year behind. Why? It’s complicated.

By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Lift bridges -- those hulking steel spans that have a center section that rises and lowers to let boat traffic pass -- are complicated structures. A new one being built in Hudson County is so complex, it is off its original construction schedule by at least a year.

The new Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge was originally scheduled to open to traffic this year. Instead, the lift section of the bridge that was supposed to be hoisted in place last year is still sitting on a barge, waiting. And officials project it won’t be open to traffic until 2020.

https://www.nj.com/traffic/2019/03/the ... -why-its-complicated.html

Jersey City council approves new cop contract

JERSEY CITY — A new contract with the city’s roughly 700 police officers received nearly unanimous approval by the City Council last week, ending one dispute between the Fulop administration and the city’s police force.

The contract comes nearly two years early — the previous pact between the city and the Jersey City Police Officer Benevolent Association was set to expire in December 2020. But the Jersey City POBA was challenging the older agreement in court, an appeal the union has agreed to end with approval of the new contract.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/02/jers ... ves-new-cop-contract.html

Pay hike for Jersey City public safety director puts him in $200K club

JERSEY CITY — Jersey City Public Safety Director James Shea joined a very exclusive club this year when he became one of three city workers to make more than $200,000.

Shea’s pay received a 2.5 percent boost to $200,200 for 2019, making him the third highest paid person on the city’s payroll. Only Police Chief Mike Kelly and Fire Chief Steve McGill make more, at $213,454 each.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/02/pay- ... uts-him-in-200k-club.html

4 Dickinson High students accused of hacking computer system, changing grades

Four Jersey City high school students have been charged after authorities say they accessed the public school district’s computer system and changed grades for some students, The Jersey Journal has learned.

According to a source in the school district, board of education members were notified by email Friday afternoon that four Dickinson High School students had been arrested earlier in the day. Jersey City school officials and a spokeswoman for the police department did not return requests for more information.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/02/4-di ... stem-changing-grades.html

Cops cleared in criminal case are battling Jersey City over back pay

JERSEY CITY — Two Jersey City cops cleared of criminal charges in October are embroiled in a new legal fight over whether the city should have to pay them two years of back pay and reimburse their legal fees.

The cops — Lt. Kelly Chesler and Officer Michael O’Neill — have sued the city to get paid, but the city has called the lawsuits “premature” and wants a judge to dismiss them.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/02/cops ... y-city-over-back-pay.html

Man in prison for 2007 murder in Downtown Jersey City will get new trial

A man serving a 30-year prison sentence for killing a man inside a Downtown Jersey City luxury high rise will get a new trial after the state’s appellate division ruled that jurors were not told they could consider the possibility the killing was in self-defense.

The appellate decision, which was issued Thursday, means Zia Berisha will again stand trial for the murder of Michael Marro Jr., 39, who was found dead in his Warren Street home on Nov. 6, 2007.

Berisha’s trial attorney’s “failure to request a jury instruction on this defense prejudiced defendant’s right to a fair trial,” the appellate court ruled.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/02/man- ... y-will-get-new-trial.html

After 16 Years of Construction, American Dream Mall Will Finally Open. Will it Work?

Shopping malls might be living a nightmare, but New Jersey’s American Dream Mall is trying to do something bigger, better and more entertaining. Will it succeed?

The American Dream Mall—once given a deadline to open in 2014 when the Super Bowl was played in New Jersey—has become the butt of many Northern New Jersey residents’ jokes. It’s been empty for years, little more than a garish, multi-colored eyesore to the drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike.

But finally, after 16 years of starts and stops, missed deadlines, three developers, five governors and a major retail contraction, current developer Triple Five claims the $5 billion American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, N.J., will open its 3.1-million-square-foot center in April. That includes 1.5 million square feet of retail, the largest indoor amusement park in the Western Hemisphere, an indoor ski lift, a DreamWorks-branded indoor waterpark, a Cirque du Soleil venue and a National Hockey League-sized ice rink. Subsequent phases call for two hotels and a convention center.

“There’s a lot that you can see with your eye to let you know this thing is coming soon,” said David Townes, a senior director of retail at Cushman & Wakefield whose office is next to the American Dream site in the Meadowlands Complex.

But even as it nears the finish line, not everybody’s convinced the American Dream Mall will really come to fruition. (At least not on the April timetable.)

“We’ve been told this story a gazillion times,” Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who recently criticized the project on Twitter, told Commercial Observer. “I gloss over these dates on when they’re projected to open.”

https://commercialobserver.com/2019/02 ... inally-open-will-it-work/

For fourth time, Jersey City school board votes to get rid of superintendent

JERSEY CITY — Maybe the fourth time will be the charm?

The Jersey City school board on Monday passed its fourth resolution since Jan. 31 that tosses Marcia V. Lyles as the district’s superintendent.

The vote was unanimous, with the board’s lone supporter of Lyles, Matt Schapiro, absent. There was no discussion.

The board’s repeated votes to get rid of Lyles come as her allies accuse board members of deposing her illegally.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/02/for- ... id-of-superintendent.html

Murphy signs bill to boost New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15

By KATHERINE LANDERGAN -  Updated 02/04/2019 02:24 PM EST

Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation Monday that will gradually raise New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15 an hour for most workers by 2024, making it the fourth state to approve a policy that not long ago was considered a pipe dream in Democratic circles.

“It is a great day to make history for New Jersey’s working families,” Murphy said in an auditorium in Elizabeth that was bursting with supporters and had the feel of a pep rally. “We’ve talked long enough about putting New Jersey on a responsible path to raising the minimum wage. Today we start on this path.”

This bill signing culminates more than a year of negotiations and is a major victory for Murphy and the state’s Democrat-controlled Legislature. It also puts New Jersey on a growing list of blue states — California, Massachusetts and New York, as well as the District of Columbia — that have authorized such a jump in the minimum wage.

https://www.politico.com/states/new-je ... minimum-wage-to-15-836467

Expungement must be a part of new pot law | Jersey Journal editorial

When it comes to proposed marijuana legalization legislation, we stand with the mayors of the state’s two biggest cities in their demand that automatic and immediate expungement for certain past convictions be included.

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka held a joint appearance last week vowing that they won’t allow marijuana dispensaries in their cities if stronger social justice provisions aren’t included in the legal pot legislation that eventually becomes law in New Jersey.

https://www.nj.com/opinion/2019/02/exp ... ey-journal-editorial.html

Payroll tax is the best option to fund Jersey City schools | Opinion

According to the new school funding formula, Jersey City is dramatically overfunded, but when you look around at our public schools that doesn’t seem to be the case. Our students are being provided with a high quality education, because we want to ensure the best possible outcomes for every child. The district spending is not extravagant or careless. Still, over the course of the next seven years the school system will be weaned off of $175 million in state aid. This will give the city three options going forward.

We could’ve left the school district to fend for itself. Force them make due with a third of their current budget, and leave them to cut programs and stagnate their technology adoption. We could’ve raised property taxes to replace the lost state aid with local funding, which would have added another anchor to an already overburdened tax. Instead, we chose the third option – to take advantage of statewide legislation which allowed the city to establish a payroll tax. It was the only option that would not hurt our schools or burden the citizens of Jersey City.

The payroll tax is designed to benefit the people of Jersey City. Its revenue will go strictly to our schools, investing in our future and allowing us to continue offering a quality education to the children of our city. It is a minimal one percent tax so the impact on individual businesses is miniscule but in total, it will bring in enough money to offset the lost state aid. Lastly, and possibly most importantly, the tax would not apply to the payrolls of Jersey City residents. This is huge for our city, as it will essentially incentivize hiring from within the city.

Jersey City has become an extension of New York City. We are home to countless large corporations with people traveling to the city from all over North Jersey and Southern New York to work here. Over 90,000 people commute into Hudson County every day. Unfortunately, none of those people are contributing to our tax base. While they spend their days in Jersey City, their property taxes are going to their hometowns. The payroll tax allows corporations to contribute to our community and invest in our children, our future.

The tax does not apply to residents of Jersey City, it is not simply a one percent tax on a company’s entire payroll, but rather a one percent tax on the salaries of people not living in the city. The benefit to residents is two-fold, the money will fund the school district without raising taxes, and it encourages companies to hire from our community. These companies offer high wage jobs and encouraging them to hire more people from Jersey City will continue to bolster our local economy. When more people live and work in Jersey City, more money gets reinvested into local shops and businesses, keeping the money here is good for all of us.

When I first saw the numbers for the new school funding formula my mind was reeling. I was determined, however, to find a way to continue offering our district a sufficient budget without penalizing the people of Jersey City. Raising taxes was never an option, it would only make the area less affordable and hurt the children and families I was looking to help. Cutting the budget was not a viable option either, as that, again, would hurt the public and make the city a less desirable place to live.

The payroll tax was then and still is, our best option. It is estimated to generate roughly $80 million a year which will soften the blow of the state funding cut and allow us to continue offering high quality education to all of our children. This is a long term, sustainable solution, with multifaceted benefits for our community. A one percent tax on a portion of companies’ payrolls is not going to drive business out of our city. For corporations, the additional tax is a drop in the bucket, but for the school district, the revenue will be the water that keeps it afloat.

Sandra Cunningham is a New Jersey State Senator serving the 31st Legislative District. She resides is Jersey City.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/payr ... city-schools-opinion.html

Jersey City school board sinks to new low | Jersey Journal editorial

The Jersey City school board hit a new low Thursday night when members bowed to ugly pressure from the teachers union and fired Superintendent of Schools Marcia Lyles.

The ax fell just hours after it was learned that Lyles is suing the board and the union, charging her civil rights have been violated and alleging harassment and a hostile workplace, among other things.

Hostile is an understatement.

https://www.nj.com/opinion/2019/02/jer ... ey-journal-editorial.html

Murray Kushner’s KRE snags $258M loan for phase II of massive Jersey City project

Upgrading the PATH System

The general manager of the commuter line says the New York-New Jersey region depends on investments in infrastructure.

‘I went from numb to angry to crying.’ Katie Brennan rips latest decision by prosecutor not to pursue rape case.

Katie Brennan was driving to a meeting Wednesday afternoon when her attorney called to say it was all over: the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office had decided the man she accused of rape —a former senior official who worked for Gov. Phil Murphy — would not face criminal charges.

“I went from numb to angry to crying – wildly crying — on my way to a meeting,” Brennan told NJ Advance Media on Thursday. She immediately called her husband. “He cried,” she said.

https://www.nj.com/news/2019/01/i-went ... -to-pursue-rape-case.html

HCDO Chair Amy DeGise announces plans to resign from Jersey City BOE seat