Better Blocks NJ
@betterblocksnj.bsky.social
Better Blocks NJ advocates for better urban land use so New Jerseyans can build more housing, businesses, parks, and transit to sustain our vibrant communities. https://betterblocksnj.org/
Better Blocks NJ@betterblocksnj.bsky.social · 6d agoJersey City's Planning Board approved 753 units at Holland Gardens — up from 719, with 310 income-restricted units, a new 102-unit senior building, and JC's first mass-timber structure housing a public library. Project was originally announced in 2023. betterblocksnj.org/2026/07/30/p...
My favorite proposed Meadowlands trails access project is the long-standing plans to connect the Tonnelle Ave HBLR station to the Meadowlands Exposition Center and the surrounding commercial district. Increase HBLR access & ridership and provide a missing link between Secaucus and North Hudson.
Colleen Wilson@colleenonthescene.bsky.social · 7d agoDoes the Meadowlands have to be a bifurcated island of wetlands versus sports complex? The Regional Plan Association says no — and presents a vision for a walkable campus that improves flood resiliency, expands trails and connects it to surrounding communities. Is it feasible? More in my story.
Jersey City's Planning Board approved 753 units at Holland Gardens — up from 719, with 310 income-restricted units, a new 102-unit senior building, and JC's first mass-timber structure housing a public library. Project was originally announced in 2023. betterblocksnj.org/2026/07/30/p...
Holland Gardens Redevelopment: 753 Units Approved in Jersey City
Jersey City Planning Board approves 753-unit Holland Gardens redevelopment, increasing affordable housing and boosting community benefits.
betterblocksnj.org
New Details about Jersey City Housing Authority’s ‘Transformative’ Plan for Holland Gardens In 2023, Jersey City announced that the 3.31-acre site of the ‘outdated’… https://betterblocksnj.org/2025/03/12/new-details-about-jersey-city-housing-authoritys-transformative-plan-for-holland-gardens/
New Details about Jersey City Housing Authority’s ‘Transformative’ Plan for Holland Gardens
In 2023, Jersey City announced that the 3.31-acre site of the ‘outdated’ 192-unit Holland Gardens complex would be “reinvented with innovative approaches to increase affordability, create homeownership opportunities, and add critical on-site services for historically underserved residents.” Now, nearly two years later, those plans have made substantial progress toward coming to fruition. Several of the details appear to break new ground for Jersey City.
betterblocksnj.org
The e-bike registration law is dumb for many reasons, but one of them is that if this is the hassle people have to go through to register something that puts around at 20mph, then what incentive is there to *not* get a 40mph rocket? Not my thing personally, but some people will go that route now.
Colleen Wilson@colleenonthescene.bsky.social · last wk.“I’ll be damned if I’m paying the State of New Jersey again, I paid it six years ago.” NJ e-bike riders livid over double sales taxing from MVC, which is now offering refunds. More on that, other issues coming up at MVC and more unanswered questions. [new post with corrected link]
@jerseycitynj.bsky.social there should be absolutely zero tolerance for double parking on Jersey Ave between Newark and Montgomery. It creates a mess for everyone and buses end up getting stuck because they can’t maneuver around the illegally parked car. @safestreetsjerseycity.org
“The dramatic increase in PATH’s weekend ridership demonstrates that when public transportation is a viable option, people choose to ride. We hope NJ Transit takes note and works towards making similar improvements to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to achieve 10-minute off-peak headways.” —Jack McKee
Better Blocks NJ@betterblocksnj.bsky.social · 2w agoPATH Weekend Ridership Smashes Modern-Era Records After Service Improvements Ridership surges 26% in June, after JC & Hoboken stations get 7-10 minute headways all day on weekends and direct Journal Sq-33 St service is reintroduced. betterblocksnj.org/2026/07/21/p...
The new e-bike bill in NJ went into effect this past weekend. A reminder our January blog post in opposition to the law — NJ's e-bike law is confusing and goes counter to our climate and transportation goals. https://rpa.org/news/lab/saying-no-to-new-jerseys-e-bike-law
Saying "No" to New Jersey's E-Bike Law
Regional Plan Association works toward a better future for the tri-state region
rpa.org
PATH Weekend Ridership Smashes Modern-Era Records After Service Improvements Ridership surges 26% in June, after JC & Hoboken stations get 7-10 minute headways all day on weekends and direct Journal Sq-33 St service is reintroduced. betterblocksnj.org/2026/07/21/p...
PATH Weekend Service Improvements Drive 26% Ridership Surge YoY
Discover how recent PATH service improvements boosted weekend ridership by 26% in June, highlighting the impact of transit-oriented development.
betterblocksnj.org
Are PILOT agreements the cause of Jersey City's budget crisis? We dug ran the numbers. The answer is not really. City Hall will have to find more revenue as PILOT agreements expire but taxpayers might get some relief as school taxes should stabilize. betterblocksnj.org/2026/07/20/h...
Nobody makes tough topics easy to understand quite like Nick Zurawski. Speaking about selling surplus city land land and the city's budget woes, Nick asks, "If you didn't have a deficit and you didn't have the land, would you go $80 million in debt to buy it?"
We can't have a calm, reasonable discussion about the Jersey City budget because it was politicized from the start. I get why, they wanted to get ahead and throw the old mayor under the bus. But in February, they released this, which is a polemic: cdnsm5-hosted.civiclive.com/UserFiles/Se...
Sell City Land to Lower the Tax Hike: A Better Path Through Jersey City’s Budget Crisis Dozens of residents spoke out against a planned 20% (now 15%) tax hike at the June… https://betterblocksnj.org/2026/07/01/sell-city-land-to-lower-the-tax-hike-a-better-path-through-jersey-citys-budget-crisis/
Sell City Land to Lower the Tax Hike: A Better Path Through Jersey City’s Budget Crisis
Dozens of residents spoke out against a planned 20% (now 15%) tax hike at the June 25, 2026 meeting of the Jersey City Municipal Council. The public demanded that City leadership re-examine potential revenue sources, alternate means of funding, and any other proposal that could ease the burden on city taxpayers. One suggestion that emerged is the possibility of Jersey City selling parcels of city-owned property as a way to increase revenue.
betterblocksnj.org
Affordable Housing at Canal Crossing, Solomon’s PILOT agreements, and the Jersey City Budget There is much to admire in the planned redevelopment at Canal Crossing, a… https://betterblocksnj.org/2026/06/29/affordable-housing-at-canal-crossing-solomons-pilot-agreements-and-the-jersey-city-budget/
Affordable Housing at Canal Crossing, Solomon’s PILOT agreements, and the Jersey City Budget
There is much to admire in the planned redevelopment at Canal Crossing, a post-industrial brownfield site that was subject to a decades-long environmental cleanup. Multiple Jersey City mayors have envisioned turning the 111-acre site from a chromium contaminated wasteland into a new, walkable neighborhood with easy access to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. The plan to build thousands of mixed-income housing units at the Canal Crossing site was first conceived during the Healy administration, and the current urban design and zoning for the site dates to the Fulop administration.
betterblocksnj.org
1. This was clearly illegal from day 1. 2. The city still has lots of ways to slow this down for years. 3. I don't trust HRH. 4. The best way to have a hospital on site is to subsidize it with market rate housing.
Better Blocks NJ@betterblocksnj.bsky.social · 2mo agoJersey City's council was warned by the city's own planning division that banning senior housing at the Christ Hospital site would invite a lawsuit. They passed it anyway. Now a court has struck it down as arbitrary and capricious. What comes next? betterblocksnj.org/2026/06/13/c...
Jersey City's council was warned by the city's own planning division that banning senior housing at the Christ Hospital site would invite a lawsuit. They passed it anyway. Now a court has struck it down as arbitrary and capricious. What comes next? betterblocksnj.org/2026/06/13/c...
Court Strikes Down Ban on Senior Housing on Christ Hospital Site
A judicial ruling has rolled back a downzoning that was passed last year to block redevelopment of the Christ Hospital site. Last December, then-councilmen Richard Boggiano and James Solomon propos…
betterblocksnj.org
Good morning! Early voting kicks off today, and ICYMI, we published our voter guide yesterday with all our primary endorsements for NYS Senate and Assembly, in districts stretching from NYC to Buffalo + our pick in the NYC Council District 3 contest. Read it here. www.streetspac.org/2026_nys_pri...
👏🚌 Great job Hoboken. Wish Jersey City public comms wasn’t so car-brained about road closures and actually explained bus detours. All the downtown buses were running down Grove St due to the World Cup stuff. Scared of car drivers getting angry at any change, while bus riders are chopped liver.
This is a really, really bad look by both the city and Dobson. The latter should really know better. Filtering exists. Any additional unit of housing keeps rents more affordable for everyone.
Official Page for the City of Jersey City@jerseycitynj.bsky.social · 2mo agoThis is what building for working people looks like.
We're excited today to announce our endorsement of 27 candidates running in the June 23 primary election for New York State's Legislature–five for State Senate and 22 for the Assembly–in districts stretching from NYC to Buffalo. Read about all our endorsees here: www.streetspac.org/2026_nys_pri...
Glad to see Mayor Solomon carrying forward this initiative on Canal Crossing from the previous administration. Just a quick set of clarifications for readers because the mayor’s video is misleading: 1/4
Official Page for the City of Jersey City@jerseycitynj.bsky.social · 2mo ago$1,000 rents are coming to Jersey City at Canal Crossing. The Solomon Administration is doing things differently—prioritizing development that will keep the people who built Jersey City, in Jersey City.
I voted just now. Although I would prefer more competition and discussion of the issues, there will be two new Commissioners that are pro-safe streets and transit in Ron Bautista and Alex Valdez. And O'Dea has been good on many of these issues over a long time. Voting let's them know we're watching.
Better Blocks NJ@betterblocksnj.bsky.social · 2mo agoBus passengers are more than 70x safer per mile than car passengers. They save thousands of dollars a year. They log 30 million rides a year in Hudson County alone. So why are we still building parking decks? Today is election day. Read the case for BRT on JFK👇 betterblocksnj.org/2026/06/02/i...
Bus passengers are more than 70x safer per mile than car passengers. They save thousands of dollars a year. They log 30 million rides a year in Hudson County alone. So why are we still building parking decks? Today is election day. Read the case for BRT on JFK👇 betterblocksnj.org/2026/06/02/i...
Investing in Bus Rapid Transit for Hudson County's Future
Explore the urgent need for Bus Rapid Transit in Hudson County as residents demand better transit options on election day. Go vote!
betterblocksnj.org
Income-restricted affordable housing is both a lottery and a tax that goes by a "feel-good" name.
Central NJ Yimby 🏗️🚲🚇🇺🇸@princetonyimby.bsky.social · 2mo agoApparently there were 1,513 qualified applicants for the 9 below-market-rate apartments in the new 195 Nassau development in Princeton NJ.
We sent the Hudson County Commissioner candidates to go on record about housing, safer streets, BRT, and parks. Eight of the races are uncontested but four candidates submitted responses. Read where they stand on 🏠Housing 🚸Vision Zero 🚌BRT and 🌳County Parks betterblocksnj.org/2026/05/28/h...
Hudson County Commissioner Candidates Respond to Key Issues
Explore candidates' responses to Better Blocks' Hudson County questionnaire on key issues, ensuring you make an informed vote by June 2.
betterblocksnj.org
Hudson County Commissioner Candidates Commit to Housing, Vision Zero and More Last month, Better Blocks sent questionnaires to all Hudson County Commissioner Candidates across the nine seats up for election this year. Eight of those seats are uncontested. Four candidates responded: Bill O'Dea…
Hudson County Commissioner Candidates Commit to Housing, Vision Zero and More
Last month, Better Blocks sent questionnaires to all Hudson County Commissioner Candidates across the nine seats up for election this year. Eight of those seats are uncontested. Four candidates responded: Bill O'Dea (District 2 - Jersey City) Yraida Aponte-Lipski (District 4 - Jersey City) Ron Bautista (District 5 - Jersey City and Hoboken) Alex Valdez (District 9 - Harrison, Kearny)
betterblocksnj.org
Hudson County is developing county-owned parking lots near Journal Square into new housing, adding thousands of homes, including income-restricted affordable. We took a detailed look at the proposed sites, including one that hasn't been previously reported. betterblocksnj.org/2026/05/19/t...
1/ The former Muller Pasta Factory in Jersey City saw a revised housing proposal this week. Five towers with 3,200 apartments, 93K sqft of retail, a public promenade, and a playground. The site has sat empty for over a decade. Here's what you need to know about the new plan.🧵
Very disappointed in Cm. Zuppa for siding with Frank Gilmore and voting against an amendment for SteelTech but very pleased @eleanalittle.bsky.social for her strong comments in support and Council President Ridley. We should have emailed our support in getting housing on this lot.
