Jersey City Councilperson Reports Rent-Control Crisis Downtown

James Solomon to Release Report on Downtown Rent Control, Tuesday, 5 pm

JERSEY CITY, NJ – Responding to Jersey City’s housing-cost crisis, Ward E Councilperson James Solomon will release an in-depth report on the troubling state of rent control Downtown. The report, which follows a six-month grassroots effort by Solomon’s office and a team of unpaid local volunteers, documents a pattern of skyrocketing rent increases, profit-driven tenant displacement, and landlords who flout disclosure requirements without consequence.

Along with team members and Jersey City residents, Solomon will introduce the report at a 5:00 p.m. press conference on Tuesday, April 30 on the steps of City Hall, 280 Grove Street, Jersey City, NJ.

“Our analysis suggests there are over 1,000 rent-controlled units in Ward E alone – more than any other source of affordable housing in these neighborhoods”, says Solomon. “But the City maintains no comprehensive list of which buildings actually offer residents rent-control protections. We cross-referenced public tax records to come up with our own list, spent months knocking on doors to hear from tenants first-hand, and combed through 1,290 mostly handwritten unit rent records from landlord rent registration rolls obtained through the Open Public Records Act.”

“The analysis led to a stark conclusion,” he adds. “The system of rent control in Jersey City is broken.”

The full report, its key findings, and its recommendations will be released at 5pm on Tuesday.

James Solomon represents downtown Jersey City as the Ward E Councilperson. He’s focused on a building a just city, with affordable housing and improved mass transit, bicycling, and pedestrian infrastructure. He is also an adjunct professor of political science at Saint Peter’s University, New Jersey City University, and Hudson County Community College. He’s married to Gabrielle Ramos-Solomon, and they have a beautiful daughter, Camila Nicole Solomon.