From the Jersey Journal:
Time for developers to start playing ball in Jersey City
A preliminary draft of Jersey City’s recreation master plan offers policy makers and residents a stark account of the city’s recreational and open space inventory, which is lagging in nearly every measurable indicator.
The city needs to increase its current 145 acres of open and recreation space by 213 acres to just meet the basic needs of a city its size. The report also claims the city is dramatically lacking in its number of athletic fields to support the population of children and adults.
In addition, the city’s current inventory of 65 parks needs a serious and expensive facelift. “Virtually all of the existing parks are in need of repair and also need to be improved to meet code compliance,” the report states.
The price tag for the renovations alone is roughly $75 million, which doesn’t take into account the millions more in acquisition costs associated with bidding out developers for land.
The expensive price tag probably spells disaster for a large portion of the blueprint, unless the city can come up with innovative ways to provide some cash.
One of the major recommendations calls for the city to ask for more public benefits from developers, a request that is long overdue.
The last decade has seen enormous residential and commercial growth in Jersey City, spurred by the city’s policy of using tax abatements to lure developers. The city’s political elite have correctly argued that these tax breaks provide more revenue to the city coffers than traditional taxes.
But what is the public benefit of the tax abatements?
If increased revenue was the answer, why did those residents not protected by these coveted abatements – mostly low-to-middle class – receive an 18 percent spike in taxes this year?
What about affordable housing? Got $400,000 for a one-room condo? Meanwhile, the city’s minority base has largely been left out of boom, leaving another generation lagging behind in the job marketplace – unless you consider earning less than a living wage without benefits a public benefit.
The City Council and the mayor have used the abatements to fund their pet projects in their wards or help fill up their campaign coffers, but not to demand developers help with public projects like parks and ball fields.
“We have dropped the ball in this area, but it’s something that we are working on now,” said a high-ranking city official, noting that Liberty Harbor North, Hamilton Park and the Jersey Avenue redevelopment all call for open space.