The Powerhouse Arts District in Jersey City that has been two years in waiting is a step closer to reality.
The district was originally proposed in a report by the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a Washington D.C think tank that studies urban land use and was commissioned by the city to develop a plan to revise an eight-block area near Exchange Place known as WALDO (work and live district overlay).
WALDO was designated as an area where abandoned warehouses and factories would be transformed into artist live/work spaces, arts and entertainment related-retail and exhibition spaces to create a center that would attract income to the Downtown area, particularly from businesspeople in Newport and Harborside.
However, WALDO never came to fruition because of a lack of development. Developers felt hemmed in by restrictions dictating the type of housing and retail to be built in the district, particularly the requirement that 51 percent of residential units should be reserved for artists.
As a result, panel members of the ULI spent six days in March 2002 visiting with business and property owners and local artists, studying WALDO and the general Downtown area, and consulting with city’s Planning Department and other city officials to come up with the Powerhouse Arts District report.
The report proposed that developers allot at least 10 percent of housing units to low to moderate income households, with some housing set aside for artists, and that current occupants and business owners have first rights to buy or rent any subsidized live work space. The report also recommended that the city should adopt a redevelopment plan that would make improvements to the Powerhouse Arts District.
Before any redevelopment could occur, there had to be a study of the physical and economic conditions of the area to determine if it is in need of redevelopment. In April 2002, the City Council adopted a resolution to authorize a study of the area to determine if it needed redeveloping.
Presentation of redevelopment study
After two years and much anticipation from the Jersey City artist community, the study report was presented last week at a special meeting of the Planning Board held in the City Council chambers.
Maryann Bucci-Carter, supervising planner for the city, presented the study in front of the board. Bucci-Carter read from the study that outlined the physical survey of the area, a block-by-block analysis, the criteria for determining the need for redevelopment, and a review of the features of the study area. Also included in the report were a map of the area and a list of each block and lot numbers of the locations, with a physical description of the specific property.
The report states, “The Study Area, not including rights of way, contains approximately 12.5 acres of real property [and] is industrial in character. The area has older or no sidewalks, which are overgrown with weeds in many areas. Many of the roadways are in such deplorable shape that they appear to be unpaved with no curbing or utility service.”
There are three areas demarcated in the map that encompass a majority of land from Washington Street to Manila Avenue. Bucci-Carter and the Planning Department also presented a booklet of photos showing various locations in need of redevelopment, such as abandoned houses, lots and structures.
Harold Seide, an attorney for Lloyd Goldman, the owner of 110 First St. and 111 First St., which fall within the study area, objected to the redevelopment plan on the grounds that it would deter developers from starting new projects.
However, Elizabeth Onorato and Edward Fausting, both artists who have studios at 111 First St., presented to the Planning Board a large-scale printout of over 70 photos they took of the building to show why a redevelopment plan is vital to the Powerhouse Arts District area.
The photos depicted a building plagued by a lack of decent plumbing, and with broken windows and other damages. Onorato and Fausting made the case that this building and many others in the area are in disrepair and would benefit from redevelopment.
A crowd of approximately 50 people attended the Planning Board meeting, many of whom were local artists who came to hear the presentation of the report.
The Planning Board announced at the meeting that another meeting will be scheduled for June 15 at the Jersey City Museum to hear more public comment about the study and consider recommending that the City Council adopt a redevelopment plan at an upcoming City Council meeting.