More expensive rents are creeping in and affordable housing options are being pushed out. Rapid development and urban revitalization can be a double-edged sword.Last week’s Tuesdays in Hoboken examined the impact that the coming of the light rail train will have on the city’s west side, revitalizing a neighborhood previously filled with blighted factories and unkempt trailer parking lots.
This week, The Reporter continues south along the light rail tracks into the city’s projects and old neighborhoods to talk with residents about the pressures and changes caused by the skyrocketing real estate around them.
A 50-year community
In the 1950s, like the Irish and Italians before them, Hispanics came to Hoboken seeking jobs and a close-knit community surrounded by others of their culture. A big lure for Hispanics, especially Puerto Ricans, was the factory jobs that used to abound in the 1950s and the 1960s. Several local factories even placed ads in Puerto Rican newspapers promising good jobs and cheap apartments.
Puerto Ricans were reportedly 40 percent of the Hoboken population in 1970, but by the 1990 census, this had decreased to 20 percent. In the most recent 2000 census, Puerto Ricans represented only 12 percent of the local population. So where are the minorities going?
Rising real estate prices and the decline of blue-collar jobs in town are said to have driven them out.
Hoboken’s southwest side
But there is still a mix of affordable housing on the west side of town, including the 50-year-old federally funded Hoboken Housing Authority projects.
Tuesday’s Walk began at the corner of Seventh and Jackson streets, no more than 20 feet from where construction workers were toiling on the light rail tracks. It was early afternoon, and school had just let out. More than in any other part of town, the sound of children playing filled the air.
Just past Pino’s towing yard, which is due to close shortly to be replaced by 204 units of market-rate housing, is the Jubilee Family Life Center at 601 Jackson St.
The center, which is directly across the street from the Hoboken Housing Authority, is a $1.5 million, three-story 9,000 square feet facility that hosts after-school tutoring, teen and children’s youth groups, and summer programs for the children that live in public housing. On this Tuesday, dozens of children from the projects were busy drawing pictures, and working on art projects.
What is noteworthy about this project is that it was done with little political interference. It was created by the All Saints Community Service and Development Corporation, associated with the All Saints Episcopal Parish on Seventh and Washington streets, to unite the so-called "newcomers" on the east side of town with the historically low-income neighborhoods on the west side. The center opened in April.
At the 1998 Zoning Board hearing for the project, Catherine Harris, a lifetime resident of Hoboken and a member of the All Saints Parish, expressed her reasons for supporting it. “Maybe if we do this,” she said. “We’ll be an entire community, and not one spilt in half.”
Laurie Wurm, director of All Saints Community Service and Development Corporation (ASCSDC), says it’s important not to have a gap between the city’s affluent and low-income populations.
"The All Saints Community Service and Development Corporation was incorporated seven years ago with the intention of trying to bring together the white-collar and blue-collar segments of the city in collaboration on behalf of the children,” she said.
But while there is some progress on the west side, there are also many who have their concerns.
Struggling to stay in Hoboken
Across the street Jubilee Center is the Hoboken Housing Authority headquarters. The HHA oversees the 1,353 units of federally-subsidized housing in southwest Hoboken. They report to the federal department of Housing and Urban Development.
In the post-World War II period, slum clearance became an important government priority in helping the poor get better housing. Title 1 of the 1949 Housing Act created the Urban Renewal or Slum Clearance Program. It was publicly intended to relieve the post-war housing crisis as soldiers returned, families grew, and immigrants came. It was during the late 1950 and early 1960s that most of the 21 Hoboken Housing Authority buildings were erected.
While the tall brick buildings aren’t going anywhere in the near future, there are residents who worry about the changing neighborhood.
Near the corner of Fifth and Jackson streets, Juan, 42, a long-time Marshall Street resident, said he worries about the effect of gentrification. He said he feels like the minorities whose families have been here for decades are being pushed out of Hoboken.
"We have a historic community of proud people who no longer can afford to live in neighborhoods they have for many, many generations," he said, "and I think that is a problem. Outside of the projects, there really aren’t many other options."
There is even a long waiting list to get into the projects.
Maria, 42, a Jackson Street resident who was sitting near a table of locals playing dominoes, said that another problem in keeping a minority contingent in town is that there is no new Puerto Rican migration.
"People can’t afford to move here," she said. "So every time some moves out, they aren’t replaced by someone."
Virgil Nieves, 41, who is active with the Church of God of Prophecy at 319 Jackson St., said that while there is still a cohesive Hispanic community with new development, there are challenges. The Church of Prophecy has services in Spanish and has a 150-member congregation.
"The beautification adds a nice shine," said the 32-year Hoboken resident, "but we can’t afford [the new condos]. That’s why I think we need less condos and more affordable housing."
Fourth Ward Councilman Christopher Campos, who is of Puerto Rican descent and grew up in the projects, now represents the neighborhood where the projects are. He said that it is important to nurture a diverse community.
"It’s not good for anyone in Hoboken to have an island of poverty surrounded by areas of wealth," said Campos. "One of Hoboken’s biggest strengths has always been its diversity, and as the neighborhood evolves, we have to find ways to seamlessly integrate the residents [of the Housing Authority and affordable housing] with the residents that are moving into the recently constructed condos."
He added that a program like the Jubilee Center is one is one way to bridge that gap. Another, he said, is to actively pursue affordable housing that is interlaced with the luxury condos.
He pointed to the recent approval of a developer’s agreement that promises to bring 90 units of two- and three-bedroom affordable housing into the city’s rapidly developing northwest area.
"For the past 15 years, development has gone largely unchecked," said Campos. "This has meant that while the number of new developments has gone up, the number of affordable housing options has dwindled. When this happens, it’s the families with low incomes that are penalized."
Past the projects
Following Harrison Street south, there are plenty of signs of revitalization completely surrounding the Hoboken Housing Authority. Nearby, at 101 Marshall Drive, there are two 17-story residential towers with 326 units being built.
Within sight of the 101 Marshall St. project, the Second Street Light Rail Station is nearing completion. The coming of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail brings skyrocketed property values, and there is a promise of a commercial and residential renaissance for the once forgotten industrial area. The 21.5-mile light rail train line now runs from 45th Street in Bayonne through Jersey City to southern Hoboken, and will ultimately continue north into Bergen County.
The light rail is making projects like the new three-story 80,000 square-foot “Business Center” at 50 Harrison St. possible. The building, which opened several weeks ago, was originally a Cut-Rite wax paper factory that was built in 1935. In the past 70 years, the factory was home to Scott Paper Towels, My-T-Fine Pudding, and a women’s clothes manufacturer.
Now the former factory will be home to 56 Class A office suites ranging from 650 square feet to 1,650 square feet. They will be leased to small firms, businesses and professionals, just another sign of the changing neighborhood.
For previous articles in the "Tuesdays in Hoboken" series, click on www.hobokenreporter.com.