Schepisi calls out Jersey City

for playing by own rules on affordable housing

TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi blasted Jersey City today for giving affordable housing preference to local residents when other communities across the state aren’t allowed that benefit.

“Jersey City receives tax breaks subsidized by state taxpayers, receives over $400 million in extra school funding as a result of exempting luxury developments from paying property taxes, and yet has no state mandated obligation to build any affordable housing,” said Schepisi (R-Bergen).

“While Jersey City recently has approved over 37,500 new units of housing, very few of these units included affordable housing – resulting in surrounding suburban communities being burdened with higher numbers of affordable housing to make up the difference.  Now Jersey City demands affordable housing with special preference to local residents when all other municipalities aren’t allowed the same luxury.

“The towns I represent and those surrounding Jersey City are saddled with the city’s affordable housing obligations piled onto to our own.  We pay the nation’s highest property taxes to subsidize their schools while the state underfunds our own; and Jersey City has the audacity to give tax breaks to developers and businesses with thirty-year reprieves from paying property taxes so they can continue to do as they please and still receive over $400 million in extra school aid.  The gall is unconscionable,” continued Schepisi.

Two weeks ago the Jersey City Council adopted an ordinance that gave local residents a preference in newly constructed affordable housing.  Local preference for affordable housing is not permitted in municipalities across the state, but Jersey City is exempt because it receives urban aid from the state.  The city is infamous for giving businesses tax abatements to increase state aid.

“Jersey City should not be allowed to play by their own rules while communities across the state go bankrupt fighting unjust obligations that can’t possibly be satisfied without increasing property taxes.  Meanwhile, the city gets state aid that affords local tax breaks for developers who build affordable housing.  Everywhere else there has to be a property tax increase, not a tax cut.  It’s simply unfair and unjust.”

Over forty municipalities in Bergen, Gloucester, Morris, Essex, Somerset, Mercer, Passaic and Hudson counties have passed a resolution urging action by the legislature on affordable housing to stop such discrepancy.  The resolution also supports two Schepisi sponsored bills to ban affordable housing litigation until the end of the year, and creating a special commission to review affordable housing and find solutions to the problems.