Jersey City’s City Council made two high-profile decisions at its meeting this past Wednesday.
At its April 13 meeting, the City Council adopted changes to its ordinance regulating bicycle use within city limits, so that the city can impose fines of up to $1,000 on outside bike-share companies that fill up public bicycle racks.
The ordinance was viewed as attempting to cut down on bikes from a Hoboken bike-share program that have clogged Jersey City racks.
Councilwoman Candice Osborne said the ordinance avoids costly legal action the city would have otherwise needed to take to keep outsid bike share programs from using public racks in Jersey City.
The change to the ordinance prohibits any commercial firm from using the public racks.
“While I believe we have the law on our side, this ordinance will allow us to avoid the need to take the matter to court,” she said.
“We do not want public spaces used for commercial purposes.” – Candice Osborne
____________
“It’s not that we would not welcome an agreement to allow those bicycles in Jersey City,” Osborne said. “But we do not want public spaces used for commercial purposes.”
City Attorney Jeremy Farrell said the issue is larger than merely having another bike sharing program hogging the public racks. Jersey City currently has an exclusive agreement with the Citi Bike program. He said Jersey City would violate its agreement with Citi Bike if the city allowed a competing bikeshare to operate there.
Osborne said it might be possible to get Citi Bike to agree to allow some Hoboken bicycles to operate in Jersey City, provided Hoboken allowed Citi Bike comparable arrangements in Hoboken.
But she said Hoboken would not agree to this arrangement.
Osborne said public bicycle racks have been installed around Jersey City for the use of Jersey City residents, not a corporate bicycle share program. Any agreement would involve installing additional racks.
Councilman Michael Yun, who represents Jersey City Heights, said he was originally concerned that the ordinance might discourage Hoboken residents from riding into Jersey City Heights to do business.
But once he learned that the fines would be imposed on the bicycle companies, not individuals, he supported the measure.
“This is mostly an issue downtown, but I will support my downtown colleague on this matter,” Yun said.
It’s all or nothing on historic Loew’s Theater
In the ever-escalating war for control of the historic Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theater, the City Council has voted to redirect a $2 million developer donation, originally earmarked for theater upgrades, somewhere else.
The city lost its legal battle last year in Superior Court, with the court ruling that the Friends of the Loew’s, a volunteer group that oversees the theater, had a valid contract with the city to continue managing operations. The city tried to take control of the theater in 2014 in order to create a performance arts center, using professional contractors and entertainment managers.
Since losing in court, Mayor Steven Fulop’s administration has been draining promised money from the theater, including a $500,000 open space grant from Hudson County that has since been redirected to construction of the $30 million Berry Lane Park in Ward F.
The $2 million was money promised for upgrades by KRE as part of a 30 year tax abatement allowing it to construct three towers in Journal Square.
But Councilman Richard Boggiano said the money is needed by the historic theater to repair the roof in order to reduce its continued degradation.
Farrell said the $2 million should be part of a complete upgrade to the theater. Council member Diane Coleman said the theater can’t be repaired one piece at a time.
The Friends of the Loew’s contend that the city failed to live up to promises it made a decade ago to do some of the work on the theater. The council back then voted to have the work done. Because of the failure, the Friends of the Loew’s say, the theater has deteriorated and the group doesn’t have the resources to completely renovate the theater.
Boggiano said it was wrong to steer the money away from Loew’s after it has been donated to the city for use to repair the theater.
“The money was for the Loew’s and this bickering, or should I say this pettiness, by certain individuals, has to stop,” Boggiano said. “The money should be turned over and roof and other repairs started.”
The move to redirect money means the theater risks additional deterioration that could end up with Jersey City being forced at some point to demolish the building.
Part of the battle is over operations at the theater. While the city said the Friends of the Loew’s could be among those allowed to put on performances at the theater, the city would like to shift control of operations to a professional entertainment management company. The Friends of the Loew’s would become one of a number of community groups involved in the theater.
The court ruled last year that the contract that the Friends of the Loew’s has with the city for operations remains in effect until 2021.
The redirecting of money appears to force the Friends of the Loew’s to relent at risk of having the theater deteriorate to a point when it can no longer be renovated. In that case, it might become the site instead for future commercial or residential development.
Loew’s is located in the heart of Journal Square directly across from the Journal Square PATH station.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.