Since the idea for an arts and entertainment district for Jersey City emerged in May 2000, it has been on the verge of collapsing.
Now the city prepares to take another look at planning a successful Work and Live District Overlay (WALDO) one week after the management company of its key property, at 111 First St., posted notices on the doors of 20 tenants to leave the property by the end of March.
The management company running the building did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The former cigarette factory, a block-long rectangular building, has served as a studio space for many artists for a decade. But over the past few years, artists fear that their presence is not wanted in light of the rapid commercial development in the surrounding area that has naturally increased the value of the property.
What happens with 111 First St. is bound to affect the decisions made by the owners of surrounding factory buildings, who have not started leasing space yet.
Like many of the tenants at 111 First St., the targets of the letter did not have long-term leases, but were stuck with month-to-month leases since their original one expired. Devon Management, the company that handles the factory-turned-studio-space, has not allowed tenants to renew leases for some time, creating a “holdover” status that has made people timid.
Trouble for tenants began immediately after one artist filed charges against another artist for assault in July 2001. (The case was later thrown out.)
Since then, the management company has stirred things up inside the building through a series of measures.
First, Devon has made it clear that tenants are not allowed to live in the studio spaces because the building does not meet the required housing codes. Although none will admit it, artists have claimed that some tenants reside in the space. Devon has been refurbishing the building so residency can be permitted, but at slow pace, tenants said
At the end of last year, the tenants were told that the building would close at 10 p.m., placing a curfew on when artists could work. After meeting with several tenants, Devon withdrew the curfew. Barely recovered from that scare, however, the newest notice to vacate the premises has put another shot of fear-induced adrenaline into the roughly 180 tenants in the building.
“It’s a disturbing sight to us to have 20 tenants getting evicted,” said William Rodwell, president of the tenant’s association at 111 First St. “We feel very vulnerable that our turn might be next.”
Rodwell said he was not sure why these tenants, who are on month-to-month leases, were chosen.
The new mayoral administration has voiced its support for WALDO from the very beginning, but has made few strides in alleviating the tenants’ fears. However, an international urban planning firm coming to Jersey City next week has resurrected hope in city officials, city planners, and the community at large.
Using a $100,000 state grant, the city has contracted the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a non-profit research organization, to conduct a week-long analysis of the WALDO district by interviewing scores of people in the downtown area from a variety of professions.
“While the formulation of plans for the district have been handled in-house, we have sought outside counsel to provide an unbiased view of the feasibility of our plans for the WALDO area,” Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham said.
Unbiased study awaited
The original intention of the WALDO area was to create a downtown arts and entertainment district that would bolster tourism, commerce, and diversity in the financial district. The WALDO ordinance guaranteed artists, who had to be certified by the Jersey City Arts Commission, affordable housing opportunities in a three-block radius between Marin Boulevard and Washington Street. Aside from 111 First St., some of the seven proposed factory buildings for artist studio space included the A&P Building on 144 Bay St., Cooke Warehouse on 140 Bay St., and 110 First St.
Furthermore, city officials hoped that storefronts in an arts-related commercial district would evolve on the ground floor of each factory building. But the only sign of community interaction within this district occurs during the fall Jersey City Studio Arts Tour, where hundreds of residents and visitors walk through the studios. Nearly a year after the ordinance designating WALDO passed, no progress has been made.
The ULI study will begin with a cocktail reception at the Harborside Atrium on Monday at 5:30 p.m. After a week of interviewing financial professionals, real estate brokers, artists, architects, and planners, the organization will present its conclusions at a 9 a.m. gathering at City Hall on Friday, March 8.