After several rollercoaster months that included the cancellation of a much-heralded art museum, a Jersey City community organization is slated to host a public meeting about a new proposal that would save the shelved Pompidou project.
During their September 11 meeting, Jersey City’s Council voted 6-2-1 to advance an ordinance that would revive the Pompidou x Jersey City Museum. The revamp comes as Governor Phil Murphy officially pulled the plug on the planned facility over the summer, which had been slated for the vacant Pathside property and was originally announced to open this year.
The New Jersey Monitor recently reported that the state’s Economic Development Authority had written to the Paris-based Centre Pompidou saying that it would no longer fund the museum. The Authority had doubts about the financial viability of the Jersey City Pompidou project, citing a $19 million hole in the museum’s operating budget.
In response, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop’s ordinance proposes a deal that would grant a 30-year tax abatement to the 808 Pavonia Avenue development in exchange for space to house the Pompidou. Jersey Digs reported on that project when it was approved just about two years ago.
The Pavonia Avenue plan, being spearheaded by Kushner Real Estate Group and New York-based Silverstein Properties, calls for towers of 55 and 49 stories that are both set to sport three-story podiums. The entirety of the project is slated to include a total of 1,189 units, although there is no affordable housing component.
The development also includes some amenities for the community, as a “street connector” will be built between Pavonia and Van Reipen Avenues to facilitate an “art walk” spanning the project. The remainder of the space will span Kennedy Boulevard and create areas dubbed Magnolia Plaza, The Town Square, The Art Space, and The Dog Park.
It is that portion of the project that would house the Pompidou under the proposed Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with the developers. The art museum would occupy 100,000 square feet in one of the towers that the city would own under the deal, which would span for 30 years.
There would be no changes to the approved plan in terms of density or height if the ordinance were to be enacted, but the city would collect significantly less in taxes under the deal. Fulop also touted union and local labor requirements totaling $50 million that would be created when building out the cultural arts space as part of the agreement.
Fulop says the agreement would be the first tax abatement given out by Jersey City in seven years, but residents undoubtedly still have questions about the plan that was only announced days ago. That’s where the Journal Square Community Association comes in, as they have scheduled a town hall-style meeting with the mayor on September 21 to review the plan.
The Saturday meeting, being held at 11 a.m. inside the Hudson County Community College student center at 81 Sip Avenue, could provide residents with the last chance to educate themselves about the plan before it’s enacted. The City Council could vote on final passage on the ordinance as soon as their September 25 meeting.
