The New York Times has had its eye on Jersey City for quite awhile now, and last week they took a serious look at Jersey City’s downtown, Journal Square, and Bergen Lafayette neighborhoods. The article is a tour de force looking at the city’s rapid gentrification through the eyes of Kathryn Moore (President of the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association), Jonathan Kushner (President of the KRE Group, which is redeveloping JSQ), Oona Jackson Moore (President of the Van Vorst Park Association), John Sabochick (co-owner of Jersey City Fishstand), and Mayor Steven Fulop. A few interesting tidbits/quotes:
In 2015, the average price for a condo downtown was $685,161, nearly three times as high as in Journal Square, where the average price was $233,800. And the average rent for a one-bedroom downtown was $2,465 a month last year, compared with $1,593 a month in Journal Square, according to data provided by JCity Realty.
40% of Jersey City’s schools fail to meet state standards. The graduation rate of 73% lags behind the state average of 90%.
“I used to see more diversity — much more diversity — and I see less of it now. I’m all for development, but I want to see a balance where you don’t see people being displaced.” —Oona Jackson Moore, President of the Van Vorst Park Association.
Although the article hits on a lot of important themes — such as crime, rapid gentrification, and education — it misses the opportunity to put public pressure on the epic failure that is the Port Authority Path system. With so many new developments and residents moving in, how will the Path trains manage to transport everyone to-and-from New York City when they can barely do it today. That’s a question that no one seems able — or willing — to address. —NYT
(Image: NYT)
Oona Jackson Moore, President of the Van Vorst Park Association, says she used to see more diversity but less today. I have been living in Jersey City for 12 years and I am not sure what she means. I live in the McGinley Square section of Jersey City (just south of the Journal Square Path station) and pass through Grove Street and downtown areas to get to my neighborhood. I have never seen more diversity than what I see today. The main ethnic groups in my huge neighborhood are Philippinos, Indians, Koreans, Coptic Egyptians, Muslim Egyptians, Moroccans, Latinos, African-Americans, Sub-Saharan Africans, Pakistanis, people of European extraction, gay, straight, trans. What does she mean by seeing less diversity? There is an undertone as if to suggest that perhaps she is unhappy with certain groups moving into her neighborhood. Too many Caucasians moving in or what? Neighborhoods change, they evolve. Harlem used to be all Italian and Jewish then it became African-American and now it is attracting everyone. Real estate is finite, people need a place to live. Young people take risks and move into neighborhoods that were once deemed unsafe. New faces with different ethnic features appear on the landscape. It makes for an interesting life.
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