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Re: Healy administration, Vega recommend sweetening tax abatement for 77 Hudson
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Jersey City City Council gives initial approval to new tax deal for 77 Hudson St. developer

July 18, 2012, 12:41 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

A legal settlement between Jersey City and the developer of a Downtown luxury condo complex was given initial approval by the City Council today.

The settlement would end a lawsuit filed by developer K. Hovnanian in 2009 that argued the city showed ?bias? by not amending a tax-break deal for Hovnanian?s 420-unit 77 Hudson St. as the city did with a similar complex on Second Street.

Under the terms of the settlement, which was approved today by a 6-3 vote, the city would amended its 20-year tax abatement with Hovnanian by reducing the developer?s annual service charge to the city from 16 to 11 percent of its annual gross revenue for the first three years of the deal.

Hovnanian says sales at 77 Hudson St. have ?languished,? with more than 85 units unsold, according to the city.

The change would only affect units unsold as of July 18, 2012, according to the proposed settlement agreement.

Hovnanian asked for the amendment in 2009 to ?level the competitive playing field,? its attorney said at the time. The city, which denied Hovnanian?s request then, had previously granted a deal to the developers of the 269-unit Crystal Point condo building on Second Street that was identical to the one requested by Hovnanian.

Council members Steve Fulop, Rolando Lavarro and Viola Richardson voted against the settlement, which needs another council vote before it is finalized.

Corporation Counsel Bill Matiskoudis told the council on Monday that he wants to settle the dispute because he believes the judge in the case has indicated ?some favorability? toward Hovnanian?s claims.

The suit was originally thrown out at the trial-court level, a decision overturned by an appellate court, which sent the case back to the lower court for review.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... city_council_gives_4.html

Posted on: 2012/7/18 17:01
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Federal grant allows Bayonne and Jersey City to hire 24 new police officers
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Federal grant allows Bayonne and Jersey City to hire 24 new police officers

July 17, 2012, 8:18 AM
By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

Bayonne and Jersey City will be putting a total of 24 new cops on the beat courtesy of the federal government.

The Bayonne Police Department will hire nine new officers and Jersey City will hire 15 new cops with their shares of a $9.4 million federal grant.

Bayonne will receive $1,125,000 and Jersey City will receive $1,875,000 through the Department of Justice?s Community Oriented Policing Services program, officials announced June 25. Statewide, the $9.4 million will pay for 60 new police officers, officials said.

?I?m grateful for any help we can get during a tough fiscal time,? Jersey City Police Chief Tom Comey said. ?Right now we are just going to increase patrols because that?s where we think we have the biggest impact.?

For the first time, all new police officers hired with the funds must be military veterans with at least 180 days of active service since Sept. 11, 2001, officials said.

?This will allow our military veterans to transition back to civilian life. Just as they have served our country proudly, this will allow them to serve their respective communities,? Acting Bayonne Police Chief Ralph Scianni said.

Across the country, the program has put more than 120,000 police officers on the beat since 1995. New Jersey has received more than $400 million since the program?s inception, funding more than 5,000 officers, officials said.

?The COPS hiring program helps ensure that our police departments have the officers they need to keep our communities safe,? said Rep. Albio Sires, D-West New York.

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

Posted on: 2012/7/18 1:41
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Jersey City breaks ground on $87 million public-works facility
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Jersey City breaks ground on $87 million public-works facility

July 17, 2012, 4:29 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Jersey City broke ground today on the new $87 million headquarters for the city Department of Public Works and the Jersey City Incinerator Authority, a 150,000-square-foot facility on Linden Avenue East that will replace the two entities? aging Route 440 homes.

The new facility, expected to be completed in about two years, will lead to the demolition of the current homes of the DPW and JCIA, which will pave the way for the long-awaited Bayfront development on the city?s west side.

?This is something that was long overdue,? Mayor Jerramiah Healy said today. ?This is a great thing for our city.?

The 20-month construction project is expected to create up to 250 construction jobs. Once built, the facility itself will lead to lower energy costs thanks to architectural details such as solar panels and radiant floor heating, officials said.

The Police Department?s emergency services unit will also find a home on the lot, just east of Garfield Avenue.

The facility itself will cost $49 million to construct, while the rest of the price tag includes costs to acquire the property, according to Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis.

Morristown-based Honeywell, which owns some of the contaminated properties set to become Bayfront, pitched in $13 million to relocate the DPW and the JCIA, and the rest of the sum will be paid for via municipal bonds underwritten by the federal government, Matsikoudis said.

Bayfront is a planned transit village on 100 acres of chromium-tainted land on the west side that officials hope will be home to thousands of new residents. City officials are hoping it will replicate their success in redeveloping the city?s eastern shore.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... y_breaks_ground_on_8.html

Posted on: 2012/7/18 1:35
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Re: Healy administration, Vega recommend sweetening tax abatement for 77 Hudson
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Jersey City administration asks City Council to approve settlement providing tax break to end Hovnanian lawsuit

July 17, 2012, 9:21 AM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Jersey City officials are recommending that the City Council tomorrow approve a legal settlement with a developer who sued the city in 2009 after the council denied the developer?s request to amend its tax-break deal with the city.

Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis at yesterday?s council caucus urged the nine-member body to approve the settlement, saying he believes the city could lose the suit and end up with a far worse deal than the one contained in the settlement.

Hovnanian, the developer behind the 420-unit condominium complex at 77 Hudson St., in late 2009 requested the city revise Hovnanian?s 20-year tax deal with the city, saying it was having trouble selling units in a declining housing market.

The council denied the request and Hovnanian sued. A similar request by the developers of the 269-unit Crystal Point complex on Second Street was approved, indicating ?bias in favor of? the Crystal Point developer, a Hovnanian representative told the council in October 2009.

The city initially won the case, but the decision was overturned by an appellate court, which sent the case back to the lower court.

Matsikoudis said yesterday he believes the trial judge presiding over the case has indicated ?some favorability? toward Hovnanian?s claims, and Matsikoudis wants to settle.

Under the terms of the settlement, which the council is scheduled to approve at its meeting tomorrow at 10 a.m., Hovnanian?s annual service charge would be reduced from 16 to 11 percent of its annual gross revenue for the initial three years of the 20-year tax abatement.

The change would only affect the units unsold as of July 18, 2012, which the city says is more than 85.

77 Hudson St., which NJTV has named one of the best places to live in New Jersey, was the target of a federal investigation, with the feds in March 2011 indicting six people involved in the building?s construction on charges including unlawful payments to union officials and embezzlement. All have since pleaded guilty to various charges, and two were sentenced last week.

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

Posted on: 2012/7/17 15:04
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Re: Powerhouse Arts District developer wants to eliminate on-site affordable housing
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110 First St. developer proposes building 10 on-site affordable units, instead of 25

July 16, 2012, 4:43 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Jersey City has reached an agreement with the owner of a proposed Downtown tower to include 10 units of affordable housing in the long-awaited First Street residential and retail complex.

Lloyd Goldman, the owner of 110 First St., had agreed in 2008 to include 25 affordable units in the tower, the site of a former warehouse. But Goldman has been unable to find investors for the tower because of that requirement, and in May asked the city to reduce the required affordable units to zero.

The new agreement, which will require City Council approval, would also see Goldman contributing $1.1 million to the city?s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. In exchange, Goldman promises to commence construction on the 452-unit tower within six months.

Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis at this morning?s City Council caucus framed the new agreement as a win for the city, one that will transform a vacant lot on prime Downtown property into a long-awaited residential and retail complex.

?It is a vacant lot that only generates $150,000 a year? in property taxes, Matsikoudis said. ?If this is approved, it will generate $1.5 million (annually) for 10 years.?

In May, Matsikoudis asked the council to reduce the number of affordable units in the 110 First St. plan from 25 to zero, and to allow Goldman to contribute $2.5 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund so the units could be built elsewhere in the city.

Some council members balked, saying they didn?t want affordable units ?concentrated? in other areas of the city.

In response to council concerns, the city agreed to negotiate another deal with Goldman, resulting in the newest proposal that would require 10 units of affordable housing and the $1.1 million contribution to the trust fund.

At least one council member still objects. Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop said the agreement is ?not a good deal,? and noted that city Tax Collector Maureen Cosgrove voted against it at the July 13 meeting of the city Tax Abatement Committee, which approved the new agreement with Goldman by a 5-1 vote.

?This thing is flawed on many front,? Fulop said at this morning?s council caucus. ?This is a bad deal.?

Goldman's First Street properties - he also owns 111 First St. - are the location of two former warehouses, one of which housed an artists enclave until 2005. The city entered into a legal battle with Goldman to keep him from tearing down the warehouse that housed the artists, saying it was a historic structure that should be preserved.

110 First St. is the location of a separate warehouse that had already been torn down when the city reached its original settlement with Goldman.

The council is set to vote on the new agreement at its meeting Wednesday, which begins at 10 a.m. at City Hall, 280 Grove St.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... st_developer_propose.html

Posted on: 2012/7/17 3:11
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Re: Schundler to head new charter school scheduled for 2012
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State gives final approval on Jersey City elementary charter school to open in September, axes one proposed school in city

July 16, 2012, 9:52 PM
By Matthew McNab/The Jersey Journal

Beloved Community Charter School, a planned elementary charter school in Jersey City, received final approval from the state's Department of Education today and will open its doors in September to start the new school year.

Today's approval was the final step in a process that began in January 2011, when an exploratory committee was formed for the school, but took off when the 360-student school gained initial approval by the Department of Education in September 2011.

The school takes its name from a Martin Luther King, Jr. quote, Bret Schundler, the former state Commissioner of Education said.

"It was named after his idea of a 'beloved community,' where people care about uplifting the greater community," he said. "The education plan reflects that and parents will be happy with the school. They'll do an excellent job."

Schundler, the Mayor of Jersey City from 1992 to 2001, was named the state's Commissioner of Education on March 13, 2010. His tenure in that position was short-lived though, as he was fired on August 27, 2010, after a botched question during a grant contest hearing cost the state nearly $400 million in federal funding.

Schundler previously helped open Golden Door Charter School in the city in 1998, while he was serving as mayor.

Schundler's association with the school was announced in December, when he said his company Charter Facility Acquisition, LLC, had bought the former Greenville Hospital building on Kennedy Boulevard from LibertyHealth System.

Although Schundler said developing that building is currently on hiatus as they find a developer to convert it, the building is still planned to open to students in September 2013.

Schundler said Beloved's Greenville Hospital location may not be the only school there in the future; Schundler said the complex is large enough for two or more charter schools.

This September, Beloved CCS will open its first location to students from kindergarten through second grade at 508 Grand Street?the former home of Schomburg Charter School, which had been in operation on Grand Street since 2000. The school plans to expand and add more grades with each subsequent school year.

The state revoked Schomburg Charter School's charter on May 19 and shut down the school June 29. At the time of its closure, Schomburg underperformed almost every school in the district.

Beloved has ambitious plans to expand outside of those two locations. In its mission statement on its website, the school lists its goal to eventually expand to cover every grade, from elementary school to high school, with facilities across the city.

In addition to approving Beloved CCS, the state's Board of Education decided the fates of two other Jersey City charter schools. Jersey City Global Charter School was granted an additional planning year, while DREAM Preparatory Academy was denied final approval.

Jersey City Global Charter School, a planned 486-student elementary school in the city, received another planning year before final approval. Global Charter School applied in October 2011, along with four other elementary schools in Hudson County, but was the only one to be approved, with its application passed in January 2012.

According to the state's list of applicants from last October, Global Charter had previously submitted a proposal to the state that was rejected.

However, two of the other schools, Mosaic Charter School in Jersey City and Military Charter School in West New York, appeared on a shortlist in May for pre-qualified charter applications to be reviewed under the state's new guidelines, which were created earlier in the month.

Global Charter is currently accepting applications, but does not appear to have a school in place yet; the contact information for the school lists a multi-family home on Summit Avenue as its home address.

DREAM Prep, a planned 500-student arts-centric charter high school, was founded by Chris Tisdale, a Jersey City native and teacher at Schomburg. The school filed its application in March 2010 and had its charter approved by the state in October 2010.

It was scheduled to open its doors to freshmen this September, with the upper classes being phased in during subsequent school years; the school's webpage announced last September it would start taking applications for the school despite the lack of an actual school to open.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... es_final_approval_on.html

Posted on: 2012/7/17 2:09
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On the waterfront - Coalition calls for greater public access to NY Harbor
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On the waterfront - Coalition calls for greater public access to NY Harbor

by E. Assata Wright
Reporter staff writer - July 15, 2012

Look ? but don?t boat, fish, or swim. That?s what the federal government seems to tell residents who live in the waterfront communities of Hudson County and New York City, according to a nonprofit organization that?s trying to increase access to the local waterways.

According to the NY-NJ Harbor Coalition, the New York Harbor is home to the busiest port on the East Coast, historic national parks and landmarks, and more than half a million acres of shoreline, and critical habitat. Despite this, the coalition organizers argue that public access to the water is limited, iconic parks and landmarks are crumbling, maritime commerce is impeded, and the region?s biodiversity and ecology are suffering.

When taken together, these factors make it difficult for local residents to fish, boat, or swim, as is common in other waterfront communities.

Most residents of such communities as Jersey City, Bayonne, the Bronx don?t think of themselves as ?shore communities,? according to NY-NJ Harbor Coalition President Roland Lewis, largely because they have very little interaction with the waterways that surround them every day.

ADD A BRIDGE QUOTE

Thus, the NY-NJ Harbor Coalition ? a New York City-based coalition of 11 regional organizations ? is now trying to get local residents to pressure federal legislators to back laws that will restore the New York Harbor. The coalition is currently circulating a petition.

?What the Harbor Coalition intends to do is to knit together common interests [among our] Congressional delegation and U.S. Senators and have an agreed upon platform that will get greater funding for the area from the federal government,? Lewis stated.

The waterway as backyard

The New York-New Jersey Harbor Coalition formed to galvanize public support in the fight to secure the federal dollars needed to fund water and shoreline restoration projects. Lewis said that similar resident-led campaigns were successful in securing millions of dollars in federal money for environmental projects in the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, and Long Island Sound regions.

For those who doubt that a revitalized harbor is possible in the filthy waters of, say, the Hudson River, the Kill van Kull, the Harlem River, or the Gowanus Canal, Lewis points to ongoing work that is already being done by the member organizations that form the coalition.

Various coalition members are currently hosting a summer long series of boating and catch-and-release fishing events the New York Harbor to introduce residents to the local waterways. The events include kayaking, canoeing, ?hidden harbor tours,? paddle boating, and cruises. There are even a few swimming events; earlier this month, for instance, there was an ?Eight Bridges Swim? in the Hudson River that began at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge near the Catskills and finished at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, one members of the coalition, also has an Open Waters Initiative, through which the organization is building accessible public docks so local residents can have greater access to the water. As a companion to the new docks, the alliance is also creating a database of educational, commercial, and historic boats that use the New York Harbor.

And on Saturday, July 14, the alliance was scheduled to hold a free City of Water Day ? essentially a waterway festival ? that featured music, boating, food, and fun along the in the harbor from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

?With the new Community Eco Docks and vessel database, the alliance?s Open Waters Initiative is going to transform waterfront neighborhoods that for years have not had access to the water,? said John Watts, chairman of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, said recently.

Changing perceptions

?The hope is that we are able to change people?s perceptions about the local waterways and their relationship to the waterway so they begin to enjoy it as an extension of their backyard and start to demand that our coastline be preserved and better protected,? said Lewis.

NY-NJ Harbor Coalition is led by a steering committee of 11 advocacy and membership-based organizations, including the Environmental Defense Fund, the Hudson River Foundation, Ironbound Community Corp., New Jersey Audubon, NY/NJ Baykeeper, NYC Environmental, Justice Alliance, Regional Plan Association, Trust for Public Land, WEACT, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, and National Parks Conservation Association.

To learn more about the coalition?s work to revitalize the New York-New Jersey waterway and increase public access to local waters, visit www.HarborCoalition.org

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... ndary_stories_left_column

Posted on: 2012/7/17 2:02
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Re: Powerhouse Arts District developer wants to eliminate on-site affordable housing
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Fair compromise? - 110 First St. development to have 10 affordable units on-site. But are they enough?

by E. Assata Wright
Reporter staff writer - July 15, 2012

For the first time in more than three decades, affordable housing units could be built in downtown Jersey City, thanks to a compromise deal reached last week between city officials and the owner of vacant land at 110 First St.

The 10 rental units that have been promised are, however, a step down from the 25 affordable units that had originally been planned for the 452-unit project.

This development has become a flashpoint of controversy because of the property owner?s insistence in recent months that the affordable units be dropped from the project altogether. It now remains to be seen whether the 10-unit compromise will be approved by City Council members who wanted to hold the property owner to the original agreement.

Attorneys for Lloyd Goldman, the owner of 110 and 111 First St., last week reached a deal with the city?s Tax Abatement Committee to begin construction on a residential rental development at the 110 site, which is currently a vacant lot. Under an earlier settlement agreement reached with the city, Goldman had originally agreed to have 25 units of affordable housing units included on-site as part of the development.

The 110 lot has remained vacant for six years and this project has not broken ground, according at Goldman attorney Robert Cavanaugh, because developers who were going to partner with Goldman on the project balked at the requirement that 25 affordable housing units be built on-site.

?Three developers have already walked away from this project. We?re now working with our fourth developer,? said Cavanaugh. ?The affordable housing requirement was not the only reason developers have back out, but it was one of the reasons they gave for not working with us. They said they either couldn?t get financing or they just couldn?t get the numbers to work out in a way that had some benefit for them.?

Earlier this year Goldman began negotiating in closed-door meetings with the city?s corporation counsel to have the 25 affordable housing units dropped from the project in exchange for giving a $2.5 million contribution to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. (Goldman has already made one $2.5 million contribution to the trust fund, which helped fund the construction of the Summit Heights development.)

The City Council refused to approve this deal in May after it was pointed out that affordable housing units created from the trust fund are disproportionately built in Wards F, D, and B, with no affordable housing units built in Ward C or downtown in Ward E. The Summit Heights development is, for example, located in the Jersey City Heights in Ward D.

This revelation has led some members of the council to call for a more even distribution of affordable housing throughout the city, rather than concentrations of it in certain communities.

?Is there anything in this agreement that requires that the $2.5 million be used to create affordable housing near this development?? Ward B Councilman David Donnelly asked in May when Goldman tried to have the affordable housing units nixed from the 110 First St. development. ?I think the way to do affordable housing is not to concentrate them in one community, but to spread them out throughout the city.? Cities, he added, fare best when they are ?economically diverse and mixed.?

Old agreement

At the center of the debate are two sites on First Street that were once 110 First St. and 111 First St., the latter of which was once home to the ill-fated 111 First St. artists? studios.

More than 10 years ago Goldman waged a bitter legal battle to evict and otherwise remove artists from the 111 First St. lofts, which had been home to artists? studios since the 1980s. After the artists were forced out, Goldman fought an equally bitter legal battle with the city for the right to demolish 111 First, which the city said was an historic property.

Goldman and the city eventually settled. Goldman was allowed to demolish 111 First St. and develop both the 110 and 111 properties in exchange for numerous concessions to the city.

Among the agreements Goldman made was to include 25 affordable housing units in his 35-story development at 110 First St. and contribute $2.5 million to the affordable Housing Trust Fund. (Separate affordable housing units and artists? lofts are planned for the new 111 First St. development.) The planned development at 110 First St. would have a total of 452 units, including 427 market rate apartments. The 110 First St. development received a tax abatement from the city and obtained site plan approval.

New agreement

Under the new agreement reached last week with Goldman, he and a developer will build a 35-story, 452-unit residential project at 110 First St. The development will have 442 market rate rental apartments and 10 affordable housing units on-site. Goldman will contribute $750,000 to the city?s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which will be used to create 15 additional affordable housing units off-site.

The project will also include 343 parking spaces and 16,597 square feet of retail space.

?I spoke to [Councilwoman At-large] Viola Richardson and she said we absolutely had to have some affordable housing on-site,? said Cavanaugh. ?She was instrumental in getting on-site units back in the project.?

This compromise agreement must still be approved by the full City Council. It could be on the agenda at one of the council meetings later this month.

Meanwhile, a proposed law introduced last month by council members Steven Fulop and Rolando Lavarro Jr. that would require affordable housing trust fund projects to be built in the same wards as the developments that generated the contribution has been shelved while the council weighs how best to disperse affordable housing throughout the city.

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... ndary_stories_left_column

Posted on: 2012/7/17 1:54
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Re: Epps for Jersey City council?
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Healy courts ex-Superintendent Epps as running mate
Will controversial search for his replacement cast shadow over 2013 race?

by E. Assata Wright
Reporter staff writer - July 8, 2012

Will the controversy surrounding the selection of Dr. Marcia Lyles as the next Jersey City superintendent of schools still resonate with voters heading to the polls in May 2013 for the mayor and council elections?

By that time, Lyles will be completing her first year on the job, and the rancor surrounding her selection may have receded into the background as more immediate issues take center stage in the campaign.

But it was confirmed last week that the reelection campaign of Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy has approached former superintendent Dr. Charles Epps to run on his slate as an at-large City Council candidate.

This suggests the Healy campaign believes voters will still be fired up about the school board?s selection of Lyles. Allegations that school board members were pressured to hire Lyles, and anger that the board did not include acting school superintendent Franklin Walker as a finalist, could damage the campaign of Healy?s opponent, Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop.

For the past three years, Fulop and his allies have made education reform and overhauling the local school district a priority, which he planned to use as a centerpiece of his 2013 mayoral campaign. Since 2010, Fulop has put together and endorsed three Board of Education slates, all of which were elected.

Fulop?s candidates largely campaigned on the promise that Epps needed to be removed and replaced following a national candidate search. Last year the school board negotiated a separation agreement with Epps that paved the way for a national search for his replacement, culminating with the selection of Lyles.

The Epps factor

Last week several Healy allies confirmed that Epps has been approached to run for one of three at-large seats on Healy?s slate. Efforts to reach Epps for a comment were unsuccessful.

Epps was the superintendent of schools in Jersey City for 18 years and presided over a period of high dropout rates and low test scores in the district. Despite this, Epps continues to have many supporters among parents who believe he was unfairly blamed for some of the district?s problems and unfairly forced out as superintendent.

?[Epps] can win, especially in this atmosphere,? said one Healy ally last week, referring to the acrimony surrounding the superintendent search process. ?He can do well in several parts of this city.?

?Epps is open to it. We?re talking to him,? confirmed another Healy ally. ?He?d do very well in Society Hill.?

A spokesperson for Healy?s campaign declined to confirm whether Epps has been approached to run on the mayor?s ticket.

?We?re raising money, building a staff, and considering a council slate that will continue moving Jersey City forward,? said Joshua Henne. Healy?s full official slate might not be finalized and announced until after the New Year.

His inclusion as a council candidate next year could galvanize support for Healy?s slate.

?I think there are a lot of parents that would vote for him,? said parent Vanessa Symms. ?I might vote for him. I feel more comfortable with him than Steve Fulop. So, yeah, I think that would be a good idea putting him on the ticket. And I campaign for people I like, too. I?d support Healy if he did that.?

A number of parents who supported Epps and Walker echoed this sentiment last week.

Superintendent issue ?not going away?

Some longtime Fulop allies say they are reconsidering their support for his 2013 mayoral run in light of how the superintendent search process was handled by the school trustees he endorsed.

?I absolutely promise you this will still be an issue next year,? said Josephine Paige, a downtown resident who recently wrote an open letter to Fulop on why she has withdrawn her support from his campaign. ?This issue is not going away. It is not dying. The actions taken by the board is not going away. He is going to lose other support because of this. I?m the one who has spoken out thus far. But as more information comes out there will be other people rethinking their support of Steve Fulop.?

Another Fulop supporter, who asked that his name not be used, also said he is ?seriously reconsidering? his support of Fulop ?in light of what has happened with the school board over the last two months.?

Lyles? affiliation with the Broad Superintendents Academy, he said, ?is not in the best interests of the Jersey City public schools,? and he believes that Fulop played a behind-the scenes role in her selection. The Broad Academy is funded by private backers who favor school choice options, including charter schools and vouchers. This affiliation with controversial school choice options has led critics of Broad Academy to question whether its graduates are firmly committed to public education. Such criticism has been leveled at Lyles, although at a public forum in Jersey City last month she described herself as a public school advocate.

Fulop has repeatedly denied that he lobbied for Lyles to get the superintendent job. And despite the loss of some political support, the mayoral contender is undeterred.

?Good government, which puts the residents first, is good politics and I wouldn?t change anything,? Fulop said. ?I don?t base decisions on what is good for my election or what?s politically easy. If I was looking to my campaign, I would do what most other elected officials do, which is do nothing and hope for re-election. But I believe we can have an impact and the status quo is not acceptable. The [Board of Education] candidates said they would look for transformational change. They said they would do a national search. They are following through on what people elected them to do.?

He said he ?admired? the board for ?fighting for what?s right? and said Healy?s involvement in education at this time is little more than a political ploy for votes

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... ndary_stories_left_column

Posted on: 2012/7/17 1:50
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Bank on it - Micro-lending model coming to JC
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Bank on it - Micro-lending model coming to JC
by E. Assata Wright
Reporter staff writer - July 8, 2012

An international organization founded by a Nobel Prize laureate and known for giving very small loans to micro-businesses hopes to expand into Jersey City.

If successful in attracting the seed money it needs to open a Jersey City office, the organization, Grameen America, could eventually help food cart vendors, flower salespeople, hair dressers, and other small entrepreneurs get the capital they need to get their businesses up and running.

Representatives from Grameen America are currently reaching out to foundations, nonprofits, community-based organizations, the business community, and other potential donors to get seed money needed to open a lending branch in Jersey City.

The organization needs about $83,000 in hand to get going according to Howard Axel, director of National Donor Relations for the organization.

A spokeswoman for Grameen America would not give a timeline for when the organization would like to be up and running in Jersey City.

8 million borrowers and counting

Grameen America, a New York-based nonprofit, is trying to achieve in the U.S. some of the goals achieved in Bangladesh by the Grameen Bank in the mid-1970s. Conceived by Muhammad Yunis, an economics professor at the University of Chittagong, the Grameen Bank Project began in 1976 to offer small loans and what Yunis called ?microcredit? to poor, rural entrepreneurs who were not able to access these services from traditional banks.

Between 1976 and 1979 the Grameen Bank Project made very small loans to poor would-be businesspeople based on trust, rather than collateral or traditional standards of credit worthiness. Borrowers were required to join community-based peer groups that helped them meet their repayment goals. Despite the poverty of these entrepreneurs, the bank had a loan repayment rate that was above 95 percent.

As of October 2011, Grameen Bank had given loans to more than eight million borrowers, most of whom were women. By that year the borrowers had a repayment rate of 96.67 percent. In 1983 Gramen became a formal bank, with 10 percent of the equity owned by the government of Bangladesh, the remaining 90 percent of which is owned by the borrowers, who are now bank depositors. Today, the bank has approximately 2,565 branches in 81,379 villages.

Yunis would go on to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for this work in 2006.

Adapting the model stateside

In 2008, Yunis decided to adapt the Grameen Bank model for the U.S. The lending model here works differently than it does in Bangladesh. Here, Grameen is not a bank but rather operates as a nonprofit organization.

Businesspeople are given loans of roughly $1,000 to start and are required to meet weekly with small peer groups that help them meet their repayment schedules. As in Bangladesh, borrowers need no collateral or credit history to receive a loan. Most loans are repaid within six months to a year. After repaying their initial loan borrowers are eligible to receive another loan for a larger amount.

?A lot of the businesses we make loans to are home based businesses where the business owner is trying to take that next step,? said Axel. ?You might have someone who is doing hair styling in their home and they want to be able to go into a salon. Well, to do that they typically need to rent space within a salon. So the Grameen loan might cover the cost of that rental. Or, in most cities there are all kinds of fees and licenses one needs to operate a business. Our loans can help cover the costs of those licenses and fees.?

Grameen America borrowers have a default rate of about two percent, according to Axel. Borrowers are required to go through a five-day financial literacy training and are also required to have a savings account.

The organization currently has branches in Omaha, Nebraska, Indianapolis, Indiana, in addition to the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. The organization is currently planning to open additional branches in Jersey City, New Jersey, California, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.,

Most borrowers report that they used their initial Grameen loan to purchase inventory needed for their business operations.

In a video posted on YouTube, Brooklyn caterer Nicole Gates, owner of Soul Sister Cuisine, said she used a $1,500 Grameen loan in 2009 to ?purchase my tents, my grills, and all the other different equipment I needed to do my [first] outdoor fair?Every little bit counts. Even that little bit of money can get you over the top. Grameen did that for me.?

When Gates made her YouTube clip she had already repaid the initial $1,500 loan and was working on her second Grameen loan.

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... ial_coverage_right_column

Posted on: 2012/7/17 1:42
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Re: Madox, 198 Van Vorst Street
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The Madox, Jersey City's first residential 'green' development, set to open in October

The Hudson Reporter
Jul 16, 2012 | 327 views | 2 | 2 | |

JERSEY CITY - The Fields Development Group has announced that the company is on track to open what the company says will be Jersey City's first "green" residential property in October. The 131-unit development, known as the Madox, is currently being built at 198 Van Vorst St. in the Paulus Hook neighborhood.

The eco-friendly, seven-story building for is expected to receive Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) Certification at the silver level and is being built in accordance with U.S. Green Building Council guidelines for sustainable buildings. According to the Fields Development Group, the Madox includes energy efficient design and sustainable materials that are expected to create an environmentally-sensitive urban living environment.

The building will also boast a 100 percent smoke-free environment, a rarity in most apartment buildings.

LEED points are achieved throughout the planning and development process.

Once complete, the USGBC (US Green Building Council) reviews the documentation and renders a certificate of completion and grants the level of certification, in this case goal of a Silver Rating.

Green elements being incorporated into Madox include a PV Solar Array and vegetation on the roof, electric car charging stations, and systems to reduce water consumption by over 45% and energy consumption by 14 percent.

The building will also be under contract for at least two years to provide 35 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.

Madox will also offer an abundance of outdoor space with a landscaped courtyard with outdoor children's play area.

"Now more than ever, residents are conscious of their surrounding environment and have shown an increased desire to live in buildings which are energy efficient, sustainable and LEED Certified," James Caulfield Jr., a Fields Development Group principal, stated in a release. "Madox will offer a unique blend of artistic living and common spaces, exciting indoor and outdoor amenities and responsible development practices that will inspire people to set down roots here."

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... te_lead_story_left_column

Posted on: 2012/7/17 1:38
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Jersey City, Hoboken in 'Best Places to Live'
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NJTV shines spotlight on Jersey City, Hoboken in 'Best Places to Live'

July 09, 2012, 12:07 PM
By Michael Scrivner/The Jersey Journal

If they didn't already know it, Hoboken and Jersey City residents can now be assured that the areas in which they reside are among the best places to live in the state, according to the people at NJTV.

NJTV is scheduled to premiere "Best Places to Live" tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. and the show's focus is on locations in Hoboken and Jersey City.

Host and New York Daily News Real Estate Editor Jason Sheftell takes viewers through the vibrant immigrant history of the area and explains how different influences have made Hoboken and Jersey City some of the best places to live.

The show features visits to Liberty State Park, the 77 Hudson Building and Liberty House restaurant in Jersey City along with Hoboken Terminal, the Elysian Cafe and Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken, home to TV's "Cake Boss," Buddy Valastro.

"Best Places to Live" barely scratches the surface of exciting locations in both cities, but Hudson County residents can expect more coverage in the future.

"We chose Hoboken and Jersey City because we felt it was a rich story to start with and our crew was very well-acquainted with the area," series creator Alan Goldsher said in a statement.

Currently NJTV plans to film a Hoboken-centric episode for "Best City to Work" and other episodes of "Best Places To Live" are expected to return to Hudson County in the future.

The Hoboken/Jersey City "Best Places To Live" episode will air tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. and again on Friday, July 13 at 4:30 a.m., Sunday, July 15 at 5:30 p.m., Monday, July 16 at 4:30 a.m. and Sunday, July 22 at 2:30 p.m.

Comcast subscribers can tune into NJTV on Ch. 23 for standard definition or Ch. 261 and 800 for high definition. Cablevision subscribers can see the episode on Ch. 8.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... s_spotlight_on_jerse.html

Posted on: 2012/7/9 16:57
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Re: Jersey City gun buy-back program
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Jersey City's gun buyback program takes 42 handguns, 8 rifles, 5 shotguns off street

July 09, 2012, 9:38 AM
By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

Jersey City's gun buyback program took 42 handguns, eight rifles, five shotguns and five BB guns off the city's streets on Saturday, June 23, according to police officials.

Roughly $7,600 was paid to those turning in the guns, the money coming from donations from residents and businesses, including $10,000 from funds forfeited to the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, officials said.

Mayor Jerramiah Healy launched the city's gun buyback program, dubbed Operation LifeSafer, in 2005. That year police recovered more than 900 guns. Last year, 310 guns were taken off the street in three buyback events. Discounting the BB guns, 55 firearms were collected this year, Police Lt. Edgar Martinez said.

"We are pleased with the continued success that our gun buyback program has had in getting guns out of homes and off the street, where they could potentially be used in violent crimes," Healy said. "No taxpayer dollars are used to fund this program, which since 2005, has resulted in the collection of nearly 1,300 firearms."

The city paid the people who turned in weapons $100 for every rifle and shotgun, and $150 for every handgun and automatic weapon. The program allows people to turn in the guns with amnesty and anonymity, officials said.

The latest effort to get guns off the streets was funded by money left over from last year's buyback events, which were held on two occasions. Money remains in the fund and a second buyback may be held later this year. The guns are destroyed after police check to see if a weapon had been used in a crime or was stolen.

This year's Operation LifeSafer's gun collection locations were at Ocean Avenue Baptist Church at 735 Ocean Ave, St. Joseph Parish, 511 Pavonia Ave., and First Weslyan Church, 201 Woodlawn Ave.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... _gun_buyback_progr_2.html

Posted on: 2012/7/9 15:57
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Re: Red light traffic camera
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Candid camera
Do red light cameras really improve traffic safety?

by E. Assata Wright
Hudson Reporter staff writer
Jul 08, 2012

The intersection of Columbus and Jersey avenues is among 14 in Jersey City that are outfitted with cameras designed to document drivers who run red lights.

Do those notorious red light cameras around Jersey City and other cities really lower car crashes ? or lead to more accidents than standard traffic signals? That is a question that?s being hotly debated by motorists who have been ticketed after allegedly being caught on camera running red lights.

A recent decision by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to suspend the issuance of tickets at 63 intersections in the state outfitted with red light cameras initially led to relief among drivers who have been fined after being caught running lights. The suspension of the program was particularly felt in Newark, where all of that city?s red light cameras will stop issuing tickets until the system can be recalibrated and improved.

But the suspension of the red light camera program provides little amnesty to Jersey City drivers. Of the 13 red light cameras that have been in operation in Jersey City, only one ? at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Communipaw Avenue ? has been suspended. The remaining 12 cameras in Jersey City remain in full effect and drivers who run red lights at these intersections will still receive tickets and fines.

Indeed, last week the city announced that yet another Jersey City intersection has been outfitted with a red light camera. This camera at this intersection, at Newark and Wallis avenues, began a one-month warning/trial period on July 5. During this trial, the camera will take still photos and video footage of cars that speed through red lights. Violators will receive written warnings in the mail, but will not be fined during the trial period. After the trial period ends on August 4 motorists will start receiving fines for violations.

Cities love ?em, drivers hate ?em

Municipalities love the controversial cameras. They generate quick cash (the municipality splits the proceeds with the state) and force speeding drivers to slow down ? without the need for police personnel to monitor dangerous intersections and write tickets. This year alone, Jersey City expects to bring in $2 million from fines issued through its network of red light cameras, after fees and expenses, according to a city spokeswoman. Reliance on red light cameras also allows the police department to redeploy officers from traffic duty to other functions.

But many drivers say the camera systems are unfair. They claim the camera systems unjustly target people who were in an intersection during a yellow light and also ticket drivers who entered an intersection on a green light, but who then had to wait for oncoming traffic to pass before they could make a left turn.

The presence of cameras at notorious intersections has, some drivers say, forced them to change where and how they drive.

?I no longer take my old route to work,? said one motorist who has been fined twice after being caught running red lights. ?Now I go through residential neighborhoods where I have more stop signs and fewer red lights.?

This motorist claims his tickets were issued when the traffic lights were yellow, not red.

Other drivers admit the camera systems have led them to treat yellow lights as if they were red ? a bad habit that can lead to more rear end collisions.

?I stop on yellow,? said resident Monica Foy. ?I got a ticket last year. I was taught that if you are already in the intersection when the light turns red you keep going. I believe that?s what I did when I got my ticket?The same thing happened to my boyfriend. Now I won?t take the chance.?

According to the NJDOT there is a formula that is supposed to determines the length of time a camera-equipped traffic light should be yellow. This length of time differs from the standard length of time at regular traffic signals that do not have cameras. Throughout the state, traffic signals equipped with cameras may need to be re-set so that drivers are not getting tickets for driving through yellow lights.

Overall crashes down?

There are roughly 86 intersections statewide that are equipped with cameras that monitor traffic signal violations. The cameras are part of a five-year pilot program that went into effect in 2009 and, according to the NJDOT, ?aims to determine whether red light cameras promote safety by reducing the frequency and severity of crashes at intersections that have a history of motorists running red lights.?

But some motorists question whether the camera systems ? which are currently being tested out in 25 New Jersey municipalities ? prevent accidents or cause them.

The NJDOT maintains the cameras have reduced accidents and, possibly, saved lives.

?Under the five-year pilot program we have to provide an annual report on all of the data, both summonses as well as crashes,? said NJDOT spokesman Tim Greeley. ?We have to look at rear-end collisions, as well as the much more dangerous and, possibly, fatal side crashes.?

Each November, Greeley said, the department issues a report that looks at summonses and crashes at intersections that have had operational red light cameras for at least one full year. (Cameras and intersections that have been in effect for less than a full year are not included in the annual report.)

The November 2011 report, which included data from only two intersections, ?total crashes are down 45 percent?right-angle crashes are down 57 percent, and same direction crashes are down 50 percent. When crash severity is factored into the equation, the overall cost of these crashes ?was reduced by an estimated $149,000.?

The report concluded that while the cameras appear to have a beneficial impact on the number, severity, and cost of crashes, the NJDOT believes ?the date [is] too limited to draw any meaningful conclusions at this time.?

The 2011 annual report did not include data on any of the intersections in Jersey City since none of them had been in operation for a full year when the report was drafted. The 2012 report will have more crash data for Jersey City.

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... ey_city_story_left_column

Posted on: 2012/7/8 4:30
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Epps for Jersey City council?
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Jul 08, 2012 | Hudson Reporter

Epps for Jersey City council?

Perhaps seeking to take advantage of dissatisfaction with the way the Jersey City School Board selected its new superintendent, and to hammer home the fact that the school board has close ties to his mayoral opponent Jersey City Councilman Steven Fulop, Mayor Jerramiah Healy may be seeking to get former Schools Superintendent Charles Epps to run on his ticket as a council candidate.

Healy appears to be seeking ways to take advantage of cracks in the Fulop for Mayor campaign, including possibly enticing former Fulop allies to his camp.

?It?s a great move,? said one political observer said

Recently, in what some call another brilliant move, Healy showed up at a fundraiser for state senator and Union City Mayor Brian Stack, who prior to this had been thought to be leaning towards supporting Fulop?s mayoral bid.

?Of course, I?m going to go there,? Healy said. ?He is the state senator for half the city and I should have a good relationship with him and Senator [Sandra] Cunningham, who represents the other half of Jersey City.?

Healy, who still has yet to put together his organization for reelection, has been seen to date as the underdog, but many believe that Fulop may be running out of steam, and that Healy may be able to pull off his reelection bid after all.

?All he has to do is get into a run off with Fulop to stand a chance of winning,? said one source, claiming that people will rally to Healy if they see him as a viable choice, especially if it means they can protect their patronage jobs.

Healy may also be reaching out to Assemblyman Sean Connors as a possible Ward D candidate, putting pressure on Fulop, who is seen weak in some of the outlying parts of the city. This may be why a meeting between Fulop and Connors is being brokered.

Rift over sheriff?s hiring

A political rift appears to be opening between some Hudson County mayors, the county executive and Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari.

While it is unlikely that the rift will get so wide as to cause Democrats to seek another candidate for sheriff, the fight is over the hiring of investigators and whose choice that should be. Many of the mayors and apparently also the county executive appear to want some say in the hiring of these non-union and non-civil service positions, while the sheriff apparently believes that as sheriff hiring is his prerogative.

Schillari, who is supported strongly by state Senator and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, has made some political enemies ? including apparently state Sen. Stack, who apparently thought a Union City resident was going to be a deputy sheriff. But for the most part, this is a battle over priorities, and few are predicting Schillari losing his seat over this.

The Hoboken mayoral

The once united opposition to Mayor Dawn Zimmer seems to have fallen onto hard times as next May?s election looms.

?Everybody wants to be mayor, but nobody can be if everybody runs,? said one political source.

While the most obvious choice for running against Zimmer is state Assemblyman Ruben Ramos, not everybody is in his camp ? and he would need a united front to win.

Councilman Michael Russo apparently supports Ramos, but this has put him at odds with his very close associate Councilwoman Terri Castellano, who apparently thinks she would make a viable candidate ? and indeed she would.

Frank Raia, who has run for mayor previously, and has served on the Board of Education in the past, is rumored to have the support of Councilwoman Beth Mason. But Raia has not yet made up his mind if he intends to run for mayor or city council.

Mason and Raia became fast allies during the special election for Fourth Ward when they helped Tim Occhipinti overthrow Councilman Michael Lenz.

?They?ve agree to work together and have a friendship, and they will support the same candidates for mayor and council and the Board of Education,? a source close to Mason said. ?But who that candidate is, it hasn?t been decided yet.?

There is even some support from the business community for Freeholder Anthony Romano, who said he would not run in an election where there were too many candidates.

But anti-Zimmer people say there will not likely be a divided field for next May?s election, and that eight people that include Ramos, Raia, Mason, Russo, Romano, Castellano, Democratic Chairman Jamie Cryan, and Occhipinti are meeting regularly, and out of these meetings will emerge a slate for November?s Board of Education election as well as choices for mayor and council next May.

Rumors of firings in West New York unfounded

Someone began a rumor that West New York Mayor Felix Roque went on a firing spree this week, saying he allegedly removed people from the city's administrative office, the Department of Public Works, and the Police Department. And while sources confirmed that employees were in fact let go or left, it was for reasons other than the rumored political slaughter, including retirement.

Gov. Christopher Christie made reference to Roque?s legal troubles without mentioning his name in his weekly radio show in late June. Christie stated that any mayor should step down when he or she is indicted for a crime.

Although Roque and his son have been charged with allegedly hacking into their political opponents? website, no indictment has yet been issued ? and most likely won?t be issued, if at all -- until after the summer.

?Things slow down in the summer,? one source said.

But don?t expect Roque to resign even if indicted ? especially if he honestly believes he didn?t do anything wrong

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... ns_lead_story_left_column

Posted on: 2012/7/8 4:20
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$120,000 to rent space for police brass in Journal Square
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Jersey City paying additional $120,000 to rent space for police brass in Journal Square

July 05, 2012, 4:57 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Jersey City will pay an additional $120,164 annually to lease the fourth floor of a Journal Square office building for Police Department brass.

The Police Department started moving from its headquarters at 8 Erie St. today, as part of the city?s efforts to streamline operations. Its new home at One Journal Square Plaza, owned by developer and former Democratic bigwig Joseph Panepinto, also houses other city offices on its second and third floors.

Taxpayers had been on the hook for paying $667,292 annually to rent the second, third and a portion of the fourth floors of One Journal Square Plaza, located at Kennedy Boulevard and Cottage Street.

The addition of the entire fourth floor, for a total of 10,924 additional square feet, brings annual rent of the office space to $787,456.

Among the police departments that moved to Journal Square yesterday are the offices of the chief and the police director and the internal affairs unit.

The move will save the city money, according to a memo Business Administrator Jack Kelly sent to City Council members on May 16. The council approved the new lease conditions the following week.

Eight Erie St., which is set to be sold Brunelleschi Construction of Jersey City for $1.9 million, is ?functionally obsolete? and requires major capital improvements, Kelly writes in the memo.

Operation expenses for the Erie Street facility are $150,000 annually, while the city expects to generate more than $300,000 in property taxes from the site once the Brunelleschi development is complete, he adds.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ty_paying_additional.html

Posted on: 2012/7/5 23:50
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Re: 'Jersey Shore' Spin-Off in Jersey City
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Posted on: 2012/7/4 4:39
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Re: OSHA fines four at Jersey City construction site
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Jersey City contractors fined $100,000 for unsafe conditions on worksite

June 30, 2012, 1:21 PM
By Stephanie Musat/ For The Jersey Journal

Two Jersey City-based contractors, along with two other contractors were issued citations and fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration this week for exposing workers to hazards while working on a 20-story building in Jersey City following a December 2011 inspection.

Altura Concrete Inc. and Nathil Corp., both of Hasbrouck Heights, and White Diamonds Properties LLC and Blade Contracting Inc., both of Jersey City, face total proposed fines of $463,350.

General contractor White Diamonds Properties, with seven employees on-site, has been issued citations for two willful violations involving failing to protect workers from fall hazards, as well as citations for five serious violations related to improper storage of compressed gas cylinders, unprotected rebar and failing to have drawings for shoring/reshoring on-site.

The citations carry $95,400 in penalties.

Masonry contractor Blade Contracting, with 21 employees on-site, has been cited with three serious violations for failing to protect workers from fall hazards, properly use a scaffold and inspect scaffold components for defects. The citations carry $11,550 in penalties.

The companies have 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
According to the OSHA communique, the companies also received citations for nine serious violations. Among them were failing to provide personal protective equipment, provide a cap for anacetylene tank in storage, store cylinders in an upright position, separate oxygen and acetylene tanks, and provide fall protection for workers installing ribs, provide protection from protruding rebar, maintain shoring/reshoring plans on-site, provide railings on stairs.

"A project of this magnitude clearly needs an aggressive injury and illness prevention plan in place to prevent falls and other hazards," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York in a statement. "When management and workers together proactively identify and eliminate hazardous conditions, workers are better protected."

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ty_contractors_fined.html

Posted on: 2012/7/4 4:05
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Re: Red light traffic camera
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Jersey City to activate red-light cameras at Newark Avenue and Routes 1&9

July 03, 2012, 4:30 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Despite state officials suspending most of New Jersey?s red-light cameras, Jersey City is forging ahead with the controversial program by adding cameras to a ninth city intersection, at Newark Avenue and Routes 1&9.

The city, which started implementing the program last year, plans to install the cameras at more than three dozen locations citywide. The latest set of cameras will catch motorists speeding through the red lights at the foot of Newark Avenue, by the Wittpenn Bridge.

Cameras installed last March at Kennedy Boulevard and Communipaw Avenue were suspended on June 19, along with more than 60 statewide, after the state determined the yellow lights at the intersections may not be timed correctly.

Cameras installed at the other seven Jersey City intersections were permitted to continue operating.

The Jersey Journal asked the city whether it should halt any implementation of additional red-light cameras until the state concludes its investigation of the program.

"The study being conducted by the state involves certain cameras and the timing of the yellow signal,? said city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill. ?The only that has been temporarily suspended pending the review was the red light camera at Communipaw Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard, and ultimately the state authorizes the activation of all new cameras.?

City officials stress that increasing public safety is the top priority for the red-light camera program, though they concede the cameras may be responsible for as much as $3 million in revenue this year.

A 30-day warning period for the red-light cameras at Newark Avenue and Routes 1&9 begins on Thursday. Motorists will be cited $85 for running a red light there starting August 5.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... y_to_activate_red-li.html

Posted on: 2012/7/4 3:53
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Rappers Chris Brown, Drake get offer to settle differences on Jersey City kart track
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Rappers Chris Brown, Drake get offer to settle differences on Jersey City kart track

July 03, 2012, 2:01 PM
By Aiyana Cronk/The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY ? Pole Position Raceway, an 80,000 square-foot indoor karting facility in Jersey City, has offered rappers Chris Brown and Drake a non-violent way to settle their differences ? a kart race for charity.

"Chris (Brown) and Drake are both such talented individuals and they have huge young adult followings," said Karen Davis-Farage, owner of Pole Position.

"They are magnets in their own right and the attention that they have gotten after their (June 14) nightclub fight is all negative. Our offer to them will help to bring this into a positive light."

Drake and Brown's representatives did not return calls for comment on Pole Position's offer, and Davis-Farage said she's still hoping to hear from them.

Pole Position is offering a "Grand Prix" race to Brown and Drake with two practice rounds and a final main event race, with all admission proceeds being donated to a charity of the winners' choice.

Celebrity boxing promoter Damon Feldman has reportedly offered Drake and Brown $1 million each to duke it out in a boxing ring, but Davis-Farage says Pole Position's offer makes more sense.

"At the end of the day, it's not about the money," she said. "Making them fight again isn't the attention you want to bring to the public. Here at Pole Position they can have fun and settle their differences in a positive light, all while gaining skills in karting."

"Whether or not Chris and Drake take us up on this offer, Pole Position is truly a place for safe, positive messaging and fun for children and adults."

For more information about Pole Position Raceway, 99 Caven Point Rd., Jersey City, visit www.polepositionraceway.com or call (201) 333-7223.

Recently Ice Tea and his wife, Coco, were at the karting facility for their reality TV series "Ice Loves Coco" and 50 Cent spent a day there do to an MTV interview and try out the track.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2012/07/post_233.html

Posted on: 2012/7/4 3:50
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Jersey City Museum opens
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Jersey City Museum opens doors to warm reception after being closed since 2010

June 30, 2012, 10:01 PM
By Stephanie Musat/ For The Jersey Journal

It was sort of like a homecoming for Jersey City resident Marco Consuela, who spent hours wandering around the Jersey City Museum before it closed in 2010.

Consuela, an artist himself, used the exhibits on display in the museum to help his ?creative juices flow.?

He was devastated when the museum closed due to financial difficulty.

?I couldn?t believe that in an art town like Jersey City, a museum could close. It felt like part of my city was being taken from me,? he said.

But it?s back - at least on Saturdays - and that alone, makes Consuela, along with the hundreds of people who came in for the re-opening collection, very happy.

The reopening exhibit, "Masters of the Collection," showcases watercolors by August Will and landscape pieces by Charles Linford that will include depictions of Hudson County in the 19th century.

?Our goal is to reorganize and rejuvenate August Will?s collection,? said museum treasurer, Mark Rodrick. ?This show is being curated anonymously, however we will announce future curators publicly.?

When the Montgomery street facility was purchased in February of this year by the Jersey City Medical Center it was slated to be used exclusively for hospital administrative offices.

After some negotiation and discussion it was decided that the second and third floors would be remodeled for offices and the first floor galleries would be kept for the museum to use again.

?The JCMC has been so generous with allowing us to lease the first floor and be part of the fabric of the Jersey City community once again,? said Rodrick. ?We want the overall community to be able to know how wonderful our collection is.?

As museum-goers wandered around, pointing at their favorite watercolors and discussing the historical images, it brought back a sense of community that was void after the museum closed, said Jersey City resident Tanya McFadden.

?We were absolutely missing something when the doors closed, and I am, for one, relieved that it?s back.?

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... y_museum_opens_doors.html

Posted on: 2012/7/2 5:46
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Re: Developers break ground for new Boys & Girls Clubs facility in Downtown Jersey City (18 Park)
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Ground broken for new Boys & Girls Clubs home in Jersey City residential-retail highrise development

June 28, 2012, 2:38 PM
By Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal

Developers broke ground yesterday on a new home for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County that is slated to open in the fall of 2014.

After 30 years at its current facility in an adapted warehouse, the new custom quarters are part of a new 11-story, residential and retail development, with 422 rental apartments, to be called 18 Park in Jersey City.

The development is in the 80-acre Liberty Harbor Redevelopment District, an undeveloped site next to the Marin Boulevard Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Station.

Gary Greenberg, the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, said the ribbon cutting in 15 months will be a ?jaw dropping? experience for the children, who attended yesterday?s ceremony.

?This is not an institutional type of setting. The Boys and Girls Club is probably one of the most beautiful Boys and Girls Clubs in the country,? said Greenberg. ?It is going to be fully integrated into the residential building, and that is the amazing thing.?

Greenberg said the new facilities will include a new gymnasium, dance studio and a preschool with classrooms that could be used by a future school.

?We have always been welcoming to development and investment, and it is the only way this city or any city or state can hope to compete and survive during these times,? said Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy.

Development partners Ironstate Development Co. and Kushner Real Estate Group entered a deal with the Boys and Girls Club to buy the existing building at 1 Canal St. and are seeking site approval to build a 660-unit residential building there, said Hoboken based developer David Barry, owner of Ironstate.

Barry said the developers have also established a $5 million endowment to benefit the Boys and Girls Club.

18 Park will include 550,000 square feet of studio, one- and two-bedroom residential apartments, 10,500 square fee of ground level retail space, and 230 parking spaces.

Amenities at the development will include an outdoor swimming pool, planted garden on the roof, a recreation room and 24-hour concierge service.

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

Posted on: 2012/6/29 6:00
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Surf City Restaurant & Megabar
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Surf City Restaurant & Megabar
1 Marin Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07302
http://www.facebook.com/surfcitybar
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New Jersey City restaurant and megabar Surf City aims to be more laid back than noisy predecessor

Published June 27, 2012, 8:53 AM
By Daniel Reyes/The Jersey Journal

A new bar on the Jersey City waterfront is opening tomorrow and is looking to add some more sparkle to the Jersey City nightlife scene.

Surf City Restaurant & Megabar, on Marin Boulevard, is touting California surf-inspired food and picturesque views of the Manhattan skyline.

High-powered developer Peter Mocco, owner and developer of Surf City, and nightlife impresario John Argento said they have made every effort to distance Surf City from the Sand Bar, which formerly operated on the site.

The Sand Bar closed its doors in 2007 after numerous violent incidents and noise complaints from neighbors.

"We went out of our way to make it as 'un-Sand Bar' as possible," said Argento, who joked that Surf City will be "steroid- and Ed Hardy-free."

Argento and Mocco also operate Zeppelin Hall Restaurant and Biergarten on Liberty View Drive, and they are looking to bring a similar atmosphere to Surf City.

Surf City boasts a small beach, and there are plans for the occasional live performances, but nothing to the extent of what Sand Bar used to offer, which Argento calls "fist-pumping, techno nonsense."

With four bars - including a dedicated frozen drinks bar - multiple fire pits and no cover charge, Argento and Mocco are calling the restaurant-bar "Key West attitude, New York latitude."

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

Posted on: 2012/6/28 2:56
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Re: Proposal to tie affordable housing dollars to wards where development generates them
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Jersey City City Council tables ordinance restricting use of Affordable Housing Trust Fund cash

June 27, 2012, 8:28 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

The Jersey City City Council tonight postponed a vote on a measure that would restrict use of funds from the city?s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, a week after the top city attorney said the proposed ordinance is vulnerable to legal challenges.

The measure, pushed by Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop, would distribute affordable housing throughout the city instead of concentrating the units in Ward F.

Fulop tonight expressed ?disappointment? that the ordinance was tabled, though he voted in favor of postponing the vote.

The measure is ?a solution to create more diverse communities and stronger communities,? he said tonight.

Developers required to construct affordable-housing units can contribute to the AHTF instead of building the units on site, and those funds can then be used to build the affordable units anywhere in the city.

According to a city analysis, 72 percent of AHTF funds are used to build affordable units in Ward F, followed by 12 percent in Ward D, three percent in Ward E and one percent in Ward A. No funds were used to build units in Ward C.

Fulop?s proposal would have required that the AHTF funds be used to build units in the same ward as the development that generated the funds. It would also have required developers who receive money from the trust fund to hire city residents for at least 25 percent of their workforce.

That requirement makes the proposed ordinance vulnerable to legal challenges, according to Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis.

In a June 21 memo to the council, Matsikoudis said the city would have to prove in court that it has ?significant problems with unemployment and poverty? that are directly related to non-resident workers.

Matsikoudis adds that the city-worker requirement would be ?impossible to meet.?

?Any attempt to punish or fine a developer for failing to meet an impossible mandate would be illegal,? he writes.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... city_council_table_3.html

Posted on: 2012/6/28 2:43
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Lipski leaving Jersey City Economic Development Corporation
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Lipski leaving Jersey City Economic Development Corporation for assistant principal position

Hudson Reporter - E. Assata Wright
Jun 26, 2012

JERSEY CITY - Steve Lipski, chief executive of the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation (JCEDC), has resigned his position to accept a job as an assistant principal in the Harrison School District.

Lipski, a former two-term Jersey City councilman for Ward C, has been head of the JCEDC since December 2010. In 2001 Lipski founded the CREATE Charter High School, which was closed by the New Jersey Department of Education in 2010.

"We very much appreciate the work Steve Lipski has done to help promote the economic development of Jersey City and all of his efforts in making resources available to businesses - especially the small businesses - of our city," said Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy.

There has been recent speculation that Lipski might run for his old Ward C seat in the upcoming May 2013 municipal elections. When asked two weeks ago about his political plans Lipski told the Reporter, "I haven't ruled it in and I haven't ruled it out."

An admitted recovering alcoholic, Lipski resigned from the City Council after falling off the wagon in 2008. In November of that year he was arrested in Washington, D.C. after he allegedly urinated on audience members during a concert by a Grateful Dead tribute band. He ultimately paid a $50, served a year on probation, and did community service. Since then, Lipski said he has focused on maintaining his sobriety. He added that he would only consider another run for office next year if it would not jeopardize his recovery. Councilwoman Nidia Lopez currently represents Ward C.

A semi-autonomous agency, the JCEDC is charged with promoting, encouraging, and assisting the industrial, commercial, and economic development of Jersey City. The organization tries to increase employment opportunities and the city's tax revenue.

The JCEDC has administered the City's Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) program since 1987, and has overseen the reinvestment of more than $129 million in UEZ funds since its founding. UEZ business enrollments have accounted for the creation of more than 28,800 full-time jobs and over $13 billion in private investments. The JCEDC also supports Jersey City's small businesses and microenterprises by providing technical assistance as well as access to loans.

Since Lipski was hired at the JCEDC the agency has been reorganized, with its Small Business Assistance Program being revamped and expanded. The organization assumed responsibility for Destination Jersey City, the city's official marketing organization.

Despite this, 2013 mayoral candidate Steven Fulop has proposed eliminated the JCEDC altogether and last year raised questions regarding Lipski's salary.

Lipski's initial salary at the JCEDC was $1, which was increased last year to $65,000. The agency had tried to raise his salary to $95,000 before Fulop complained.

http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/fu ... ce=lead_story_left_column

Posted on: 2012/6/27 3:55
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Re: Greenville: Hair salon erupts with screaming when robber shows gun & gets violent; Gunman arrested
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Jersey City man convicted in brutal robbery of beauty salon, faces life term

June 26, 2012, 6:55 PM
By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

A Jersey City felon faces up to life in prison after his conviction Friday in a brutal armed robbery of an Ocean Avenue salon in 2010, officials said yesterday.

"He has a very lengthy history and we do intend to move for an extended-term sentence," Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Seth Galkin said of Julio Marcelo, 40, of Neptune Avenue. "We feel that is appropriate based on the seriousness of this case and his previous convictions."

On the second day of deliberations, Marcelo was convicted of three counts of first-degree armed robbery and one count of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Galkin said.

On Nov. 23, 2010 Marcelo entered the salon wearing a black stocking over his head, pistol whipped a man until he was bloody and then robbed him and two women, Galkin said.

But during the robbery, the stocking mask got a run and two of the victims recognized Marcelo, according to Galkin, who said Marcelo had been in the salon for a shave on two previous occasions, Galkin said.

After the robbery the male victim spotted Marcelo outside the salon and pointed him out to police, Galkin said, adding that Marcelo still had the proceeds of the robbery on him.

The gun used in the robbery was not recovered but security video from the salon showed Marcelo holding a gun, Galkin said.

Marcelo, aka Antwan Monroe, was in prison from Sept. 4, 2002 to May 5, 2005 for drug distribution, a weapons offense, resisting arrest, and three counts of drug possessions, corrections records say. Galkin said Marcelo also has a record in New York.

There is an outstanding drug charge pending against Marcelo and prosecutors have not yet decided if they will first deal with the drug charge or sentence him for the robbery.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... y_man_convicted_in_b.html

Posted on: 2012/6/27 3:50
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three school board members have 'conflict of interest' in upcoming superintendent vote
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Jersey City man alleges three school board members have 'conflict of interest' in upcoming superintendent vote

June 26, 2012, 7:06 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Three Jersey City Board of Education members should not be permitted to vote to appoint a new schools superintendent because they received campaign cash from a hedge fund billionaire who backs controversial education reforms, a city man claims in a new court filing.

Riaz Wahid, 45, says in the filing that the contributions to the three BOE members ? Vidya Gangadin, Sangeeta Ranade and Marilyn Roman ? represent a conflict of interest that should preclude them from supporting Delaware woman Marcia V. Lyles, who sources say will become the city?s new schools superintendent.

Lyles is a graduate of the controversial Broad Superintendents Academy, and Wahid alleges that Livingston billionaire David Tepper ?directly? and ?indirectly? offers financial support for Broad. Tepper funds education-reform group Better Education for Kids.

Given Tepper?s $7,800 contribution to the three Jersey City school board members, and the $7,800 contribution from Jeffrey Kaplan, who runs Tepper?s hedge fund, the school-board trio should not be allowed to vote for Lyles? appointment, Wahid says.

?For me, it?s a clear conflict,? he said.

Wahid is set to appear in Hudson County Superior Court tomorrow to argue his case that Gangadin, Ranade and Roman should not be permitted to vote on Lyles? appointment at Thursday?s BOE meeting.

Ranade, who stressed that she speaks for herself and not for Gangadin or Roman, said she never met Tepper, and the trio only agreed to accept his donation after they stressed to his ?team? that they do not favor charter schools, school vouchers or public-school privatization.

As for Broad, which critics allege supports all those controversial items, Ranade said Lyles was very ?open? about her relationship with the academy.

?It was an opportunity for her to develop herself,? she said, adding that Lyles is ?an advocate of public education.?

Tepper spokesman Eric Shuffler said the charges are "a stretch."

There is a "broad" segment of the population that supports the reforms Tepper supports, Shuffler said, adding that it's "ridiculous" to allege that the BOE members can't support a Broad graduate because Tepper gave them financial support as candidates.

"Mr. Tepper's support and advocy for pro-education reform policies and candidates who benefit kids over the status quo are well known," he said. "These three candidates, in our opinion, are pro-education reform and they're pro-kids. Mr. Tepper was proud to support them."

Tomorrow?s hearing will begin at 3 p.m. in room 908 of the Hudson County Administration Building, 595 Newark Ave.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ty_man_alleges_three.html

Posted on: 2012/6/27 3:37
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Re: Powerhouse Arts District developer wants to eliminate on-site affordable housing
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THE NEW YORK TIMES - NY REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIALResized Image
By LAURA KUSISTO
June 24, 2012, 9:45 p.m. ET .

Tower Ruffles an Arts District

JERSEY CITY?When officials planned to remake a rundown warehouse district near Jersey City's waterfront into the latest luxury residential neighborhood, they promised to preserve it as a haven for the artists who populated the area by tucking cheap lofts into the new towers.

Instead, eight years later, the section?dubbed the Powerhouse Arts District?has been mired in lawsuits and seen little new development, illustrating the potential pitfalls of trying to tailor-make a neighborhood out of collection of buildings.

Negotiations are under way with Lloyd Goldman, one of Manhattan's most powerful real-estate investors, to strike a deal that would help him move forward with one of the district's first significant high-end projects: a roughly 500-unit tower at 110 First St.

Under the latest proposal presented to the City Council, Mr. Goldman wouldn't be required to include affordable-housing units in the new building. Some locals and the neighborhood's city councilman argue the deal would be the final blow to the struggling arts district.

"We're an artists' district by name only, especially if we get rid of the affordable housing," said Kevin Pollack, who lives in the area and sits on the board of the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association.

Mr. Goldman and city officials say the deal would bring long-awaited development to a lot that has sat vacant for more than six years. The tower would bring hundreds of new residents, construction jobs and tax revenue, and encourage other developers to move forward with their projects, they say.

"Originally, we were planning to have more affordable housing, but the economics didn't make sense?so we're planning to put up more off-site," Mr. Goldman said in an interview Friday. "We've been trying to get this so the economics makes sense, and it's getting close."

The controversy dates back to a 2004 rezoning of the former industrial neighborhood, which had been home to a Manischewitz matzo factory and a Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company warehouse. Over the previous decade, dozens of artists had taken over warehouse space in the gritty area, many of them possibly illegally. The central gathering place, 111 First Street, hosted studio tours.

When the city rezoned the neighborhood to allow more residents to move in, they also tried to preserve it as a hub for the artistic community. The original zoning included an unusual requirement that all residential units be live-work units catering to artists with high ceilings and freight elevators, and that 10% of the units be reserved for artists' affordable housing.

These restrictions, if they had been successful, could have upended the typical cycle, in which artists colonize gritty neighborhoods only to be driven out by new developments and rising prices. Robert Koch, a 50-year-old artist, moved seven years ago into a building at 150 Bay St., which has eight artists' lofts that were funded by the city.

"It's changed everybody's life. It's allowed us to focus on art," Mr. Koch said. His loft, with 14-foot ceilings and huge windows, is filled with his pottery, sculptures and paintings, and includes features like a slop sink. His neighbors include opera and folk-rock singers, he said.

But in many ways, he said the neighborhood has failed to live up to its initial potential. "It's not what we expected," said Mr. Koch. Jersey City's arts community "is vibrant but fragmented. There is no hub."

While the zoning may have helped some artists, developers such as Mr. Goldman said it also has created major obstacles.

Mr. Goldman, a real-estate investor with extensive holdings in offices, stores, hotels and apartment buildings, owned the warehouse buildings at 110 and 111 First St. for several decades. While he has preferred to keep a low profile, Mr. Goldman led a group that put up most of the capital to back developer Larry Silverstein's successful bid for the World Trade Center in 2001, just before the terrorist attacks, and remains an investor as Mr. Silverstein develops the site.

Mr. Goldman demolished 110 First St. in 2004, but razing 111 First St. proved more complicated. After fighting in court with the artists who lived in the building, they agreed to move out in 2005. Mr. Goldman also sued the city in nine separate lawsuits, in part arguing that the strict zoning regulations impeded on his right to build.

Under a 2006 settlement agreement, the developer was allowed to raze 111 First St. and build two large residential towers with about 1,000 units, a deal that also effectively forced the city to pull back on its zoning plan for all of the Powerhouse Arts District.

Mr. Goldman agreed, in part, that he would create 50 units of affordable housing at 110 First St., half of them on-site and half off-site. He agreed to give the city $1 million for the arts. He also won the right to build an ambitious tower designed by renowned architect Rem Kolhaas at 111 First St., which remains on the shelf.

But Mr. Goldman said the economic downturn has made a number of these requirements unfeasible, sending everyone back to the drawing board. The empty lots are still piled high with bricks and rusting metal pipes.

On other sites in the area, the dream of transforming the gritty industrial neighborhood into one of the most desirable in the city is just slowly getting under way. The city has given some concessions to other developers, including Toll Brothers, which is building a high-rise on the site of the former Manischewitz factory.

"Look, we're trying to encourage arts and artist to flock to this area of the city, but it's all about market conditions," said Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

Under the terms of a new deal that has been negotiated, Mr. Goldman would contribute about $2.5 million to build 25 cheaper units off-site, according to city officials. The developer already has subsidized the construction of 25 units in the Heights neighborhoods, farther from the waterfront, officials say.

However, in response to concerns from City Council members, negotiations are under way that could potentially keep some affordable units on-site, and officials say a deal is potentially just weeks away.

"We're going to reach an agreement that will satisfy?some council members' legitimate desire to see some on-site [affordable] housing," said William Matsikoudis, an attorney for the city.

In order for the project to move forward quickly after a long delay, Mr. Goldman would also receive an extension of a tax abatement for the project; still, he would have to begin construction within 18 months or the deal would reset to the original terms.

The deal needs approval from the City Council, and Steven Fulop, the councilman for that area, is strongly opposed to renegotiating the affordable housing component, which he said is the sole concession the city got from Mr. Goldman in 2006.

"The most important thing for me is that the city over the last nine years has shown no backbone," Mr. Fulop said. "It's created stagnation in that Powerhouse Arts District."
?Peter Grant contributed to this article.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001 ... 2.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Posted on: 2012/6/25 2:23
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Jersey City fire officials warn against use of spray-on sunscreen
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Jersey City fire officials warn against use of spray-on sunscreen near open flames

June 22, 2012, 2:41 PM
By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

A Jersey City fire official is warning residents about the possible danger of using alcohol-based spray-on sunscreen near an open flame after a Massachusetts man suffered second degree burns when his sunscreen ignited as he barbecued.

"Residents should exercise caution, especially now in the summer months when everyone is protecting themselves from the rays," Jersey City Fire Director Armando Roman said.

Roman said many people use sunscreen sprays rather than lotions because they are easy to apply, but "They should not be used when you are grilling food."

In late May Brett Sigworth applied Banana Boat Sport Performance spray before barbecuing, according to CBS Boston.

"I sprayed on the spray-on sunscreen, and then rubbed it on for a few seconds," CBS quoted Brett Sigworth of Stow, Mass. as saying. "I walked over to my grill, took one of the holders to move some of the charcoal briquettes around and all of a sudden it just went up my arm."

Sigworth's girlfriend and friends put him out but he suffered second-degree burns around his chest, ear and back, corresponding to areas he had applied the sunscreen.

In a statement to CBS Boston, the sunscreen producer said "We are concerned to hear about Brett's experience ... At Banana Boat, we take these matters very seriously and will begin a prompt investigation as we continue to strive to deliver products of the highest quality to our customers."

Banana Boat Sport Performance spray-on sunscreen lists more than one type of alcohol as ingredients.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... y_fire_officials_war.html

Posted on: 2012/6/25 1:57
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“Save the Hudson River Palisades Act”
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Kelly: Well-intentioned bill may be too late

Sunday, June 24, 2012

By MIKE KELLY RECORD COLUMNIST
northjersey.com

SOME LAWS are meant to protect us. Some are just too late, despite all the best intentions. |Such is the problem with a piece of legislation that was dutifully embraced by the state Senate committee that monitors New Jersey?s wounded environment. This bill is meant to stop the bleeding on what many environmental activists consider a massive scar ? the disturbing pace of development that threatens the majestic Palisades cliffs.

But this bill will be little more than a Band-Aid.

That?s not how its sponsor sees it. State Sen. Brian Stack, who also happens to be the mayor of Union City, was rightly responding to the cries of his constituents when he introduced the ?Save the Hudson River Palisades Act.?

Residents of Union City and other towns looked at the cliffs and feared that developers were cutting into the rock too much. So why not set up some legislative safeguards?

?The Hudson River Palisades have been defaced by development in recent years,? Stack said in a statement. ?We will never be able to restore them to their natural state, or to re-establish the stability and security of the cliff slopes, but we can act to prevent further deterioration of the structure.?

This is how representative government is supposed to work. An elected official sees a problem and then crafts a piece of legislation or endorses a policy program to solve it.

Stack?s bill seems to do just that. It lays down guidelines for how real estate developers and contractors can build apartments, shopping malls, offices or

other projects from the New York-New Jersey border in Alpine and along the Hudson through Fort Lee, Edgewater, North Bergen and even including pieces of Jersey City.

Most importantly, perhaps, the bill specifically prohibits builders from cutting into the slope of the Palisades cliffs or their base for most projects. In the case of exemptions for what the bill says are some public works projects and others involving water pipes or electrical, telephone and gas lines, the bill requires that developers consult with the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.

So what?s wrong here?

Let?s begin by consulting the calendar ? and then opening our eyes.

Little open space

Today, there is almost no open space left above or below the Palisades. There could be room for new projects if developers were able to purchase some older buildings and then tear them down to put up new projects. But the essential problem is that the Palisades have been targeted for massive development in just the last 20 years, mostly in Fort Lee, Edgewater and North Bergen.

Those new projects are not likely to be torn down, especially if new developers would be held in check by Stack?s new law.

Which brings us to the basic problem of this law ? namely, that it is a generation too late.

If this bill had been introduced in the late 1970s or even the 1980s, it would have had a substantial impact, especially in Fort Lee, Edgewater and North Bergen. But development in those towns exploded during the 1980s, as real estate investors scooped up almost every available swatch of land.

The result has been a mosh-pit of apartment buildings, shopping malls and town houses ? many of them expensive and offering scenic views of the Hudson River and Manhattan.

Huge cost

But the cost to the Palisades has been enormous. In several cases, developers have shaved back the cliffs, then installed unsightly wire mesh or coated the rocks to prevent boulders from rolling into the living rooms of million-dollar condominiums. That kind of surreal scene raises two obvious questions: If you need steel nets to catch falling boulders, why cut back the cliffs? And why build so close to the cliffs in the first place?

The answer is also obvious: Land along the Hudson is enormously valuable. Customers have proven they are willing to pay high prices for condominiums there. You can hardly blame developers for wanting to grab as much space as possible, even if that means cutting back the cliffs or building perilously close to the base and drop zone of boulders the size of tractor trailers.

With little guidance from the state, developers simply came up with their own solution ? steel nets and glue-like coating for loose rocks.

Stop-gap measure

As a stop-gap measure, the nets and coating seem to work. But as an artistic triumph or a monument to a natural wonder, these nets and synthetic coatings are the equivalent of replacing a violin with a banjo in the New York Symphony.

As if that isn?t bad enough, consider the avalanche of criticism last week of North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, who also happens to be a state senator.

?This ill-conceived bill is one of the worst pieces of legislation I have ever encountered,? Sacco said. ?It would halt nearly all development and take away the property rights of homeowners between Kennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue from Jersey City through North Hudson.?

Is Sacco taking public speaking lessons from Governor Christie? What?s with the venom?

Sacco went on to describe the proposal for the Palisades Interstate Park Commission to oversee land-use decisions as ?an enormous government overreach? that would ?hurt taxpayers, kill jobs, take away local control and would be disastrous to the economy of the region.?

He ended with this rhetorical coup de grace: ?This ridiculous bill has no chance of being enacted.?

Stack shot back with a few stones of his own.

?It?s Sacco who has obviously destroyed the Palisades,? Stack said. ?North Bergen is the poster child for the destruction of the cliffs.?

Stack said ?hundreds of people? in Sacco?s legislative district who ?are outraged by what?s going on have contacted me. This is about the people.?

One of those people, Peggy Wong of North Bergen, has organized the Coalition to Preserve the Palisades Cliffs. But she concedes she is fighting an uphill battle.

?A lot has been damaged,? she says.

Much of that damage occurred while Sacco was in charge of North Bergen. The township has scheduled a series of hearings over the coming months to assess several projects. Don?t count on too many restrictions for developers.

It?s too bad North Bergen does not have Stack?s legislation to look to for guidance. But that bill has yet to be voted on by the entire legislature and then signed into law by Christie.

This will take time.

But time has mostly passed by for the cliffs.

It may be too late.

http://www.northjersey.com/columnists ... elly_062412.html?page=all

Posted on: 2012/6/25 1:50
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