The Jersey City Independent "

We read the JJ so you don’t have to:

- Oral arguments in the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association’s (PADNA) lawsuit to limit the size of the planned Toll Brothers development in the PAD begin today. The Toll project calls for 950 units housed in three towers of 30+ stories. The original Powerhouse Arts District Redevelopment Plan, passed in 2004, called for limiting new projects to 10 stories to preserve the historic warehouse vibe of the neighborhood. The Council amended the Plan in April to allow Toll’s project to proceed. The list of groups filing as “friends of the court” or joining the lawsuit reads like a who’s-who of downtown community activism: the Harsimus Cove Association, the Historic Paulus Hook Association, Van Vorst Park Association, Newport Neighborhood Assn, Civic JC, Pro Arts, and “a representative” of Hamilton Park Association are all involved. Read more from the PADNA’s website.

- In related news, Sonia Maldonado and Robert Vivien are in a legal battle to decide who has the right to call his or her group the “Newport Neighborhood Association.”

- The property owners owed nearly $19 million by developer Peter Mocco are starting to worry that he isn’t good for it. The city’s last offer to Mocco for the property owned by Ronald, Lynn and Katherine Kerrigan was $3.8 million. The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency — which took the property by eminent domain in ’04 and gave it to Mocco as part of the Liberty Harbor development — lost a fight to get a new trial last week, and they are planning an appeal.

- Earl Morgan takes a look at how the city has handled — or not handled — abandoned properties. The city is apparently “cracking down” on the properties (the JJ says there are 500+ in JC), and hearings for nine buildings are scheduled for Dec. 19, and a second batch of them are expected to go to hearings in January. The buildings either get bulldozed or redeveloped, with the ‘dozer the most likely option.

- A third person — an 18-year-old homeless man — was arrested in conjunction with last week’s “old-lady cart” homicide case in the Heights. HudCo prosecutor Edward DeFazio says there was evidence that people had been drinking in the house, and that an argument led to the homicide, but not surprisingly he is not giving the public any more detail than that. And the paper doesn’t explain what the 18-year-old’s connection to the case might be. Let’s hope this one’s on the up-and-up.

- The front-pager today: A 41-year-old man was shot near Lincoln Park on Friday night and has died. There are precious few details about the case thus far.

- Sam Pesin of the Friends of Liberty State Park has an interesting letter to the editor today, regarding the JJ’s claim earlier this month that the Liberty Science Center hasn’t been a great neighbor to the city. Pesin applauds the bailout/bridge loan to the Center, and gives a couple of interesting facts. The Center “helped spearhead” the “Destination Jersey City” campaign, which was undertaken to generate more tourism, but looks like a bit of a cash drain to us. The Center also investigates contaminated water, presumably from around the city, under a program sponsored by Pfizer.

In this weekend’s Reporter:

- The Reporter talks to Lou Manzo about his decision to run for mayor. Manzo says he was indeed waiting for Sandra Cunningham to announce if she would run (she’s said she will do so in January), but with her camp non-committal, he went ahead and threw his hat in. He also takes a slightly-veiled shot at Cunningham, telling the Reporter: “Anyone who is a potential candidate in this race and has not made a final decision is causing potential candidates for council to hesitate. And that hesitation is helping no one.”

- In the same story, Frank Scalcione says he will run for an at-large seat instead of the Ward E seat, in light of Steven Fulop’s decision to try and retain his Ward E seat.

- The Reporter disappoints with a lame almost-advertorial for the m650 Flats, a new condo development on Montgomery St. near the Beacon development.

- In his Between the Lines column, Al Sullivan briefly tackles the mayoral race, noting that Fulop’s chances to win that office were undermined by former Mayor Bret Schundler, who is running, and by Cunningham, who may run. Citing “reports from merchants on Central Avenue,” Sullivan says Schundler already has a full slate of candidates, and will announce in January.

In statewide news:

- The Senate’s Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee will hear arguments about proposed law to legalize medical marijuana. The Star-Ledger reports that the bill’s vetting will be “contentious process that will spill into an election year.”

- The repeal of the state’s death penalty turns one.

- Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney is calling on Rutgers president Richard L. McCormick to resign in the wake of the problems and scandals that have been revealed about the athletic department. And Star-Ledger columnist Mark DiIonno tackles the history of the football/RU relationship.

- Columnist Paul Mulshine questions the conventional wisdom that Chris Christie has the GOP nod for governor wrapped up if he decides to run.

- A series of hearings are underway across the state to shed light on the ways the state’s criminal justice is flawed, hear suggestions on how to improve it, and improve the process of re-integrating ex-offenders to society upon release.

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