The Jersey City Municipal Council on Tuesday voted down an ordinance that would have approved a 30‑year tax exemption and financial agreement for a mixed‑use project at 30 and 40 Newport Parkway (ordinance 25‑1‑26).

Opponents — including residents, community groups and public‑education advocates — argued the abatement would strip school and other tax revenue from the municipal tax base and represented an excessive, long‑term giveaway to a well‑capitalized developer. Speakers said the developer’s investment claims (roughly $30 million in renovations across hundreds of units) looked like standard asset maintenance and not the kind of high‑risk development the abatement statute is intended to incentivize.

Supporters said the agreement would preserve or increase a small number of low‑income units and prevent immediate loss of affordability that could occur when an existing state exemption expires in 2028. Proponents said rehabbing the towers and converting some units to deeper affordability would create near‑term benefits for low‑ and very‑low‑income households.

Council debate focused on whether the short‑term preservation of some affordable units justified decades of foregone tax revenue and potential long‑term loss of rent control protections for other market‑rate units. Several speakers and council members questioned whether the city was being asked to subsidize ordinary capital maintenance.

Final vote: ordinance 25‑1‑26 was defeated (recorded as 1 yes, 6 no, 1 abstain). Councilperson Saleh voted yes; one council member abstained. In public comment several speakers urged the council to hold developers to stricter public‑benefit tests and to prioritize the school tax base.

Next steps: The applicant may return with a different proposal or negotiate with city staff; opponents urged audits and third‑party verification of affordable unit occupancy and the applicant’s financial claims.