Jersey City council lifts hospital-use restriction to let medical center sell land; union and residents press for guarantees on affordable housing and jobs

The Jersey City Municipal Council on Wednesday voted 7-2 to adopt Ordinance 25-097, removing a restriction that limited a parcel at the Jersey City Medical Center campus to hospital use and allowing the hospital to sell the land for redevelopment. The vote followed a public hearing that drew labor and resident comment and a city staff explanation of the restriction’s history.

The restriction-removal vote clears the way for the hospital to monetize a portion of its land and use its share of proceeds for capital projects. Nevins McCann, a long-serving member of the Jersey City Medical Center board, told the council the hospital bought the property from the city eight years ago for $24,000,000 and that it will split sale proceeds with the city "50/50." McCann said the hospital needs the funds to build a parking garage and asked the council to approve lifting the restriction so the hospital can "continue to build what is necessary to serve the people."

The vote matters because lifting the restriction makes the parcel legally marketable to private developers. Some residents and labor representatives warned that the developer likely to build on the site — identified in public comment as Kushner Real Estate — is expected to propose mostly market-rate…