As Jersey City barrels toward the November 4 election, housing affordability has become the defining issue on the ballot.
A recent questionnaire from the Jersey City Times, posed to former Governor Jim McGreevey and Councilman James Solomon, zeroes in on how each candidate would tackle the mounting pressures of rising rents, rapid development, and the shrinking availability of homes for residents earning below the city’s area median income of $94,813.
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The Core Question: Who Can Keep Jersey City Affordable?
At the heart of the Times’ questions sits a simple but urgent concern: can people who live and work here still afford to stay?
As shiny new towers rise and investment pours in, many lower- and middle-income residents feel squeezed out of neighborhoods they’ve called home for decades.
By asking McGreevey and Solomon how they’d create housing for households earning below the median income, the publication isn’t just profiling candidates.
It’s pushing a public conversation about what kind of city Jersey City will become over the next decade.
Why the Area Median Income Matters
The figure of $94,813 isn’t just a statistic—it’s the benchmark that shapes who qualifies for affordable housing and what “affordable” actually means.
When the median income rises, as it has in Jersey City, it can mask the reality for longtime residents whose wages haven’t kept pace with soaring rents.
Affordable housing policy often hinges on income tiers tied to that median number—60%, 80%, or even 30% of AMI.
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That’s the difference between a firefighter, teacher, restaurant worker, or senior on a fixed income being able to stay in the neighborhood, or having to move farther away from jobs, schools, and social networks.
Balancing Development and Affordability
Both McGreevey and Solomon face a familiar dilemma: how do you embrace growth without pushing people out?
Jersey City has seen a development boom that’s transformed the skyline and waterfront, but it’s also intensified fears of displacement in longtime communities.
The Times’ questionnaire highlights one of the city’s central tensions—leveraging private development to expand the tax base and modernize infrastructure, while ensuring that growth remains inclusive and doesn’t become a code word for gentrification that erases working-class families.
Inclusive Growth as a Campaign Litmus Test
The excerpt doesn’t detail each candidate’s specific tools—whether inclusionary zoning, deeper affordability requirements, public–private partnerships, or expanded tenant protections—but the emphasis is clear: voters want to know not just whether a candidate supports affordability in theory, but how they plan to deliver it in practice.
Will the next administration double down on market-rate development with limited affordability set-asides, or will it demand more from developers in exchange for tax abatements and zoning bonuses?
Those are the tradeoffs the questionnaire is nudging into the open.
Housing Policy as a Community-Wide Conversation
The Times isn’t just collecting quotes; it’s creating a forum for residents to evaluate competing visions for Jersey City’s future.
By publishing these questions and encouraging readers to subscribe for deeper coverage, the outlet is building civic literacy around an issue that impacts everyone from renters to homeowners and small businesses.
Community members get to ask the tough questions: Where will new affordable units go?
How will they be financed? What protections will be in place for existing tenants? And how will the city ensure that historically marginalized neighborhoods have a real voice in shaping development?
What This Means for Residents, Newcomers, and Visitors
As the debate over affordability and development intensifies, it intersects with every part of city life—from planning and zoning to tourism and business investment.
For visitors browsing Jersey City hotels or locals weighing where to stay in Jersey City during a move, the availability and cost of housing shape how accessible different neighborhoods really are.
The city’s evolution also affects how we experience its many city districts, from the waterfront to the Heights and Greenville.
As policies shift, so do the character, diversity, and small-business ecosystems that make up the list of beloved things to do in Jersey City, from parks and galleries to restaurants and community events.
Connecting Policy to Daily Life in Jersey City
For commuters and newcomers, housing policy even ties into getting to Jersey City. Transit-oriented development and the proximity to PATH stations or light rail shape how people get around.
The distribution of affordable units near major routes matters, too. It changes how folks handle work, school, and family life—sometimes in ways you wouldn’t expect.
With the November 4 election coming up, the big question hangs in the air: will Jersey City’s next leader actually create a housing plan that keeps things livable for workers, families, and seniors—not just for luxury tenants or investors?
The Jersey City Times has put that challenge out there. Now, it’s really on residents to read up, get involved, and vote for the kind of city they want—a place where growth and affordability can, hopefully, go hand in hand.
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Here is the source article for this story: In Their Own Words: McGreevey and Solomon on Affordability and Development
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