JERSEY CITY – The city has released a list of 40 abandoned properties that have been deemed the worst in Jersey City.
While a few of the properties on the list sit next to empty lots, most are sandwiched between occupied homes and apartment buildings that are well-maintained. One downtown property that made the list, 227 Montgomery St., is adjacent to a low-rise that had flower pots on its front steps Tuesday afternoon. The overgrown weeds from another property, 331 1/2 Seventh St., are a sharp contrast to the clean porches of neighboring homes on the street.
Both 227 Montgomery and 331 1/2 Seventh St., which are owned by L & J Properties LLC, have doors and windows that are boarded up.
Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said the list was released to pressure the owners to improve their properties – or else.
“We want these property owners to know that we are serious about holding them accountable. And if they continue to allow their properties to be an eyesore for the community, we will utilize the means available to us to acquire and remediate these properties,” Healy said.
The 40 properties on the list, he added, receive the most complaints from neighbors and are often the sites of criminal activity.
Some of the properties on the city’s list threaten to undermine ongoing redevelopment and rehabilitation projects in some neighborhoods, a spokeswoman for the city added.
According to Healy’s office, the New Jersey Abandoned Properties Act allows cities to reclaim neglected abandoned properties through various means, including expedited foreclosure on properties that have unpaid property tax bills. – E. Assata Wright
Our Digital Archive from 2000 – 2016
