25-year tax break, $20M bonds granted to residential towers near mall
Despite opposition from two council members and several residents, and driven by a flood of union workers who turned out to express their support, the City Council on Wednesday approved a residential housing project on Marin Boulevard that will receive a 25 year tax abatement and $20 million in redevelopment bonds, according to local news reports.
The two-tower, 852-unit project on Marin Boulevard was approved by a vote of 7-2. Councilmen Richard Boggiano and Michael Yun voted “No.”
The long term tax break and bonds were a sticking point with both the dissenting councilmen and several residents.
The towers, proposed by developer Forest City, are planned to be 35 stories and 36 stories, with an estimated 420 and 432 residential units, respectively. Of the total of 852 units, 172, or 25 percent, will be affordable housing rental units.
The towers will be built on the former old Pep Boys location in the Metro Plaza shopping center in Downtown Jersey City near the mall. In lieu of paying regular taxes, Forest City will pay Jersey City 7 percent of its annual gross revenue from the $449 million project.
The abatement, originally planned for 20 years, was extended to run concurrently with the 25 year life of the bonds.
End of summer will bring “THAW” to Jersey City
On Tuesday Sept. 1, artist Beth Achenbach will open her photography exhibit “THAW” in Jersey City, a series of still life photographs taken of objects frozen in cold stasis. Achenbach is known for her up close style of shooting images, has posted a few of the new photographs on social media, and has created quite a buzz around town. From toys to natural objects she has captured the tiny worlds that form inside the density of ice, resulting in mesmerizing, surreal, and colorful images.
Achenbach came up with the idea for her new exhibit about a year ago. “I enjoyed the challenge of bringing this concept to reality. There was a lot of experimenting, first of all, because most objects float in water and I wanted them to be submerged. There was some amount of difficulty in using a camera while also handling items that were wet and cold!”
Curator Andrea Morin says of Achenbach’s photographs: “She draws the viewer in, challenging them to look at the subject from a new perspective; to look perhaps, a little closer and see things in a new light.”
The “THAW” exhibit is at LITM, 140 Newark Ave., (www.litm.com) a Jersey City restaurant known for filling its gallery-sized walls with different art exhibits every month. Admission is free and food and refreshments are available for purchase.
Opening reception for “THAW” will be Tuesday, Sept. 1 from 7 to 10 p.m. The photographs will be on view the entire month of September, including JC Fridays on Sept. 4, and during the Jersey City Art & Studio Tour on Oct. 2 and 3. You can follow the exhibit on Instagram @ThawPhotographyExhibit or visit Beth Achenbach’s website www.AchenbachArt.com.
Paralyzed marathoner is back on track
An accomplished marathoner and triathlete who has been featured on magazine covers, Glenn Hartrick was training for an Ironman in June 2014 when a car making an illegal U-turn struck his bike in New Jersey. He was paralyzed from the waist down.
Less than a year after his accident, the Jersey City resident returned to competition, completing the UNITE Half Marathon at Rutgers University through the use of a special hand cycle he received thanks to the efforts of MAPSO, his local triathlon club, and the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
On Sunday, Aug. 23, Hartrick will compete in the 2N’s “Anything is Possible” 5K race at South Mountain Reservation, Crest Drive, in Millburn. The proceeds will help defray Hartrick’s ongoing medical costs as well as raise awareness of injured athletes, helping them get back to the starting line.
The day’s events begin with a kid’s 1 mile Fun Run at 9 a.m., followed by a Wheelchair 5K at 10 a.m. and the main event, a 5K race, at 10:30 a.m.
To sign up for the race visit https://runsignup.com/GlennHartrick2Ns5K.
Correction: the Main Library is open
The Main Library in Jersey City, at 472 Jersey Ave., was erroneously reported (Sunday, Aug. 9) as closed for renovations. While undergoing major renovations for barrier-free access since October 2014, the Main Library remains open to the public and is only closed intermittently. When the Main Library is closed for renovations, the Bookmobile is parked directly in front of the building. Now that the pedestrian mall is permanent for one block on Newark Avenue in Downtown Jersey City, the Bookmobile will be stationed ‘on the green’ whenever its schedule brings it at or near Erie Street.
Hudson Hospice Volunteers offer training course
Do you want to do volunteer work that really makes a difference in the lives of the terminally ill and their families? Volunteer roles include companionship for the patients, emotional support for patient and family, errands, and telephone reassurance.
The Volunteer Training Program begins Tuesday Sept. 15 and consists of seven classes on consecutive Tuesdays until Oct. 24. Participants must attend all seven classes. The class schedule is mornings 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or evenings from 7 to 9 p.m.
For further information, call Sister Carol Van Billiard, O.P., at (201) 433-6225.
Free course on coping with family mental illness begins in September
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Hudson County (NAMI Hudson) will offer the acclaimed NAMI Family-to-Family education program consisting of twelve 2-½ hour classes for families and close friends of adults living with a mental illness beginning in mid-September. The classes will focus on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
The course will be given by family members of individuals with a mental illness and have been trained by NAMI as teachers of the Family-to-Family Program. The leaders truly understand what families go through and know how to help members learn about and cope with mental illness.
Many family members describe this experience as life changing. Participants will learn about family responses to the trauma of mental illness, symptoms, medications and side effects; practice problem-solving skills and communication techniques; develop strategies for handling crisis and relapse; and focus on self-care and coping with stress.
The course schedule is Thursday evenings, Sept. 16 through Dec. 2, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Jose Marti Freshman Academy, 1800 Summit Ave., Union City. The course is free but registration is required. For more information please call or email Carmen at (201) 310-5828 or garciacarmen524@gmail.com.
Magazine selects top 100 towns in NJ; just one is in Hudson County
New Jersey Monthly magazine has published the results of its 2015 Top Towns survey for the state, and Hudson County fared particularly poorly. In fact, only one town in the county made the list. Secaucus comes in at number 19, behind eight towns in Morris County and five in Bergen County, among others.
Rankings were cobbled together based on home prices and real estate taxes, as well as crime rates and student test results. Also factored in were lifestyle factors that included commute time, the presence of dining and cultural options, and the number of acute-care hospitals and live performing-arts theaters within 10 miles of the main zip code.
Ranking first on the list was Florham Park in Morris County. Although the rankings were based on 13 indicators across five categories according to the magazine, home prices seemed to weigh heavily, with two of the top ten towns reflecting median prices of about $1 million dollars, while another was more than $1.6 million. Only one of the top ten towns, Pequannock, had a median home price of less than $500,000.
The median home price in Secaucus, according to the survey, was $340,000, with an average property tax change since 2012 of -0.5 percent.
Towns with populations under 1,500 were not included in the survey.
How did Jersey City do? You’ll have to wait until Sept. 1 to find out, when rankings of all 510 towns in New Jersey will be available at njmonthly.com.