Artists district for Downtown moves closer to reality


Originally appeared in the Jersey Journal on Friday, February 14, 2003
By Jason Fink

The long-awaited dream of an artists district in Downtown Jersey City may be moving closer to reality: Plans for the first housing created specifically for that purpose appear to be coming to fruition.

Ever since former Mayor Bret Schundler first proposed what was then called Waldo -- an acronym for artists' Work and Live District Overlay -- the idea of transforming the gritty neighborhood of warehouses and former industrial plants into Jersey City's version of SoHo has been championed by artists, even as others have derided it as unworkable.

But now the concept of an artists enclave on the north side of Christopher Columbus Drive and just west of the waterfront has new life, thanks to a proposal to build an eight-story apartment building marketed specifically to artists.

"This is a historic moment," said Stan H. Eason, a spokesman for Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham, who has pushed to get the district -- now known as the Powerhouse Arts District -- off the ground. "Being that this is the first (project), it's important that it be successful."

The building at 140 Bay St., off Provost Street, will have 60 apartments and three units for commercial or office space.

The developer, Hoboken-based Greentree Construction, has agreed to market the apartments as much as possible to artists, with a range of special accommodations such as extra-wide hallways and freight elevators for moving large paintings and sculptures.

Fifty-four of the apartments will be priced at the market rate, but the Jersey City Development Corp., a non-profit entity set up to distribute Community Development Block Grants, will buy the remaining six apartments and rent them out directly to artists, probably around $500 to $600 a month for a studio.

A city agency will be responsible for maintenance and upkeep on those units and for finding tenants.

At a City Council meeting Tuesday night, with dozens of artists cheering and waving signs in support of the project, the council approved the transfer of $827,667 in CDBG funds to buy the units. The selection process for tenants is not yet known.

"I think it's definitely a good sign that the city is supporting affordable housing for artists," said Kathryn Klanderman, president of ProArts, a local artists organization. "How the particular selection process will be, I don't know. It seems a lottery would be fair."

The City Council also voted to introduce an ordinance granting a tax abatement to the developer, who will pay an estimated $286,000 per year directly to the city in lieu of real estate taxes.

City officials and artists are hoping the project is a herald of things to come for the area, which was the subject of a 2002 study by a national education and research firm, the Urban Land Institute.

It recommended the development of an arts community mixing market-rate and low-income housing with galleries, performing art space, restaurants and stores.

The City Planning Division, which commissioned the study, is putting the final touches on a redevelopment plan for the Powerhouse Arts District -- named for the hulking former electrical plant on Washington Boulevard.