A beloved modernist library branch from 1962 in a rapidly growing neighborhood. Faltering heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (HVAC) due to decades of deferred maintenance. Ballooning costs to modernize the HVAC system due to asbestos and other complications that make renovating a mid-century building financially prohibitive. Soaring summer temperatures leading to shortened hours of operation, and eventually full closure. This story may sound familiar, but it is not the story of the Five Corners Library in Jersey City. It was the quandary faced by the Brooklyn Heights library branch in 2015 [Brooklyn Heights Blog; Brooklyn Eagle].
Before its closure, the aging 69-year-old Five Corners Library branch of the Jersey City Free Public Library (“JCFPL”) was one my wife and I visited regularly with our children. We saw the deplorable condition of the branch first-hand—our children were often disappointed by unexpected closures at this branch, and we all would frequently endure uncomfortably warm conditions as the mechanical systems struggled to keep up with the weather.
It was for this reason that in a recent article about land sales we mentioned it as a prime candidate for a land deal that could fund and deliver a brand-new public library space. In fact, this is precisely how New York City’s government was able to deliver a happy ending to the woeful tale of the Brooklyn Heights branch under Mayor Bill de Blasio. A developer purchased the branch for $52 million in 2016 and paid to reconstruct the library into the largest neighborhood branch library in Brooklyn. Forty million dollars of the $52 million funded repairs at existing branches and three entirely new ones [Brownstoner]. A 38-story tower was built on-site with 136 condos. And 114 low-income housing apartments were also paid for by the developer within the same community district [Brooklyn Public Library; Bklyner].
Given the outrage that tax hikes have caused in recent months, we need to have an honest conversation about what it will take to fund the library services that Journal Square residents deserve in their neighborhood. The opportunity may be fleeting, so having these discussions is urgent. There are four potential scenarios facing the library:
- Short-term and temporary fixes due to the budget crisis
- Complete renovation and rehabilitation of the existing facility
- Replace the existing facility as part of a land sale that leads to redevelopment
- Relocate the branch to a new location permanently
Short-Term and Temporary Fixes
Based on comments made by Councilman Zuppa at the recent Journal Square Community Association meeting on the future of Five Corners library, the library might cost as much as $2.5 million annually to keep open. Short-term measures would involve sporadic closures, temporary relocations to other spaces in the neighborhood, and extensive use of the mobile library van.
Complete Renovation and Rehabilitation of the Existing Facility
And recent reporting from the Jersey City Times indicates that HVAC replacement for the facility would cost at least $1.5 to $2 million before any required engineering services and structural changes to the asbestos-ladden facility [Jersey City Times]. Rehabilitation of other facilities with asbestos have easily exceeded $10 million, such as the county-owned Brennan Court House and JCFPL’s Main Branch, and required multiple years of structural work. A Community Development Block Grant (“CDBG”) could have been used to partially fund some of this work; unfortunately, the administration and Jersey City Council is looking to allocate a million dollars of that funding to buying a plot on Glenwood Avenue for a small community garden. The CDBG funds can be used on public facilities like public libraries [Hudson County View].
Replace the Existing Facility as Part of a Land Sale that Leads to Redevelopment
Councilman Tom Zuppa is exploring this option with parties interested in negotiating such a deal according to testimony from JCFPL Director Hill. Unfortunately, a new library at that location is the better part of a decade away between planning, permitting, and developing the property. And aversion to any change – especially from community organizations worried about losing access to critical community space – risks preventing a solution where the city gets both a new library and a new development that provides housing and desperately needed new tax revenue.
What alternatives are there to provide the residents of Ward C with access to a vital public space? Temporarily, at least, it seems the library might relocate to a nearby church. But another potential solution has emerged based on an inquiry from Councilwoman Eleana Little — repurposing the planned Pompidou site, which was meant to be deed-restricted as a cultural venue, as a new public library branch with space to spare.
Relocate the Branch to a New Location Permanently
Back in March of this year, Mayor Solomon announced plans to scrap the “white box” that KRE received a 30-year PILOT agreement valued at $150 million for in favor of constructing taxpayer-subsidized housing on the site of the proposed cultural venue. Since then, no further details have been announced but Councilman Zuppa seemed to indicate that negotiations between KRE and the Solomon administration have precluded using this space as an option to house public amenities like a branch of the public library.
Simply put, that does not have to be the case. And Councilman Zuppa and the rest of the Jersey City Council should not cede their authority to the administration on this point. New Jersey state law on PILOT agreements and redevelopment is clear:
Every approved project shall be evidenced by a financial agreement between the municipality and the urban renewal entity. The agreement shall be prepared by the entity and submitted as a separate part of its application for project approval. The agreement shall not take effect until approved by ordinance of the municipality. Any amendments or modifications of the agreement made thereafter shall be by mutual consent of the municipality and the urban renewal entity, and shall be subject to approval by ordinance of the municipal governing body upon recommendation of the mayor or other chief executive officer of the municipality prior to taking effect. NJ Rev Stat § 40A:20-9.
The city council ultimately decides whether a new PILOT agreement for affordable housing negotiated between Mayor Solomon and KRE should be approved. This is an opportunity to open the conversation back up to the people of Jersey City who, ultimately, may prefer 80,000 square feet of public space for a new library that permanently consolidates the Marion and Five Corners branches into a new, larger facility that is co-located with other cultural and community amenities that could better serve both the Marion and Journal Square neighborhoods.
Given neighborhood sentiments and aversion to change, this plan is likely a non-starter in this current political environment.
The Most Financially Beneficial and Growth-Oriented Solution
While we are very much in favor of allowing housing production to meet the high demand to live in places like Jersey City, the city does have to provide public services, like libraries, parks, and recreational spaces, as amenities for all its residents. Allowing the former Pompidou space to proceed to construction will create 80,000 square feet of usable indoor space, providing more flexibility in providing residents with space for community amenities – especially in a fast-growing neighborhood like Journal Square.
Perhaps the most beneficial long-term solution might see a large and permanent community space at 808 Pavonia opened to expand the JCFPL’s Marion Branch and temporarily serve Five Corners patrons while a brand-new library is built at Five Corners. This solution entails: 1) selling the current Five Corners branch lot on the condition that a new library is built as part of the new development (note: construction will take a while); 2) temporarily housing the library branch at another site locally; 3) moving the Five Corners brach to the community space that is currently funded to be built at 808 Pavonia; and 4) finally, returning the Five Corners library branch to its original location once construction wraps up.
Such flexibility should reopen the conversation on selling surplus city-owned land for any solutions-minded administration. Not only will land sales transactions bring in much-needed revenue to refill the city’s coffers and expand the tax base to limit the pain of future rate hikes, but they are an opportunity for residents to get access to state-of-the-art public spaces that can house new schools, libraries, and parks. Tens of thousands of residents can benefit from more (and nicer) public spaces being created as part of the redevelopment of former city-owned land.
A Note on Land Sales and Public Amenities
Some council members, notably Jake Ephros and Joel Brooks, respectively, decried land sales as neoliberalism and claimed a plot to auction off city-owned land for below-market prices as buyers will take advantage of the city’s financial straits. This is economically nonsensical. Even New York City, led by America’s most prominent socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani is proposing to sell surplus city-owned lots and development rights ($200 million worth) to put land to more productive use [Vital City]. And Jersey City has already successfully built new schools, public parks, and public library branches by partnering with private developers.
More importantly, the price land is sold at is not determined by the seller but by competition between buyers bidding on the land based on value. For valuable properties like the Five Corners library site, multiple parties have apparently expressed interest so the city is in a strong position to get a good price in such an agreement provided the city does not decrease its value by unfavorable zoning changes (conversely, the city can increase its value through more permissive zoning). An outright land sale is preferable to a ground lease because 1) the city gets upfront revenue from the land sale; 2) tax revenue moving forward; and 3) construction can proceed much faster due to easier financing arrangements when the property owner holds the land fee simple.
Conclusion
For an administration that prides itself on community meetings, there has been suspiciously little input on the best path forward to provide more space for the public in the heart of Jersey City beyond the Five Corners Library closure, which has brought the issue to the forefront. The city council can force the administration’s hand to reopen the conversation on building a new community space in Journal Square and redeveloping city-owned land so we can fix our budget problems and start building more public amenities for tomorrow before more of today’s aging facilities fail.
Whether the city ultimately rehabilitates the existing facility, relocates to a new location like the former Pompidou site, or redevelops the existing site as part of a larger mixed-use project, are all ultimately better than the current status quo of band-aids and temporary fixes. The community deserves rich cultural amenities and, in order to get those amenities, must have an honest and pragmatic conversation on what is possible, what the costs are, and what the benefits are of each approach.