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Council expands Exchange Place Alliance special improvement district after public meeting
Summary
The council approved an ordinance expanding the Exchange Place Alliance Special Improvement District to include additional downtown streets after a public meeting; proponents said expansion funds trash pickup and capital projects.
The Jersey City Municipal Council adopted an ordinance to expand the Exchange Place Alliance Special Improvement District (SID) to include sections of Marin Boulevard, Christopher Columbus Drive, Morgan Street, Bay Street and several adjacent blocks.
Donald Pepe, attorney for the Exchange Place Alliance, and Diedra Crockett, the alliance’s executive director, told the council a public meeting attended by 44 people had been held to describe the expansion and answer questions; they said no substantial opposition surfaced at the preliminary meeting and asked the council to approve the expansion.
Speakers from the Powerhouse Arts District and residents thanked the alliance for outreach but asked for clearer language about which property classes would be assessed and how fees would apply. A resident asked the ordinance to specify the property class types that would be assessed to help owners and tenants understand obligations.
Council members said the expanded SID would fund supplemental trash collection, cleaning services and capital projects, including streetscape work and improvements near the Ice House Building on Washington Street. The ordinance passed on final reading with seven votes in favor and two abstentions; the clerk recorded Councilpersons Baggiano and Council President Waterman as abstaining, giving a final vote of 7‑0‑2.
The ordinance’s passage allows the SID board to levy assessments and pursue the capital and maintenance projects described in the proposal. The council said it will monitor the alliance’s work and follow up on residents’ requests for clearer billing classifications.
