50G's won't buy silence
Aug 01, 2003 | 58 views | 0 
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A front-page headline in the July 18th edition of a local daily paper caught my eye. The headline is "$50G won't buy city's silence." The first thought that came to my mind was, "What is the acceptable amount that would silence the city?"
The mayor of Jersey City just went on record that he was rejecting the developer's offer of $50,000 to drop the city's lawsuit against a nearly completed apartment complex on the Hoboken-Jersey City border. Then the mayor is quoted in a box under the headline. The quote is "I believe a settlement offer to the city has to be more realistic and capable of having a like impact upon our residents."
The second thing that came to my mind was that both the developer and the mayor are in agreement that this project is going to have a negative effect on the surrounding areas. The only thing in question is the mount of money that the developer must come up with in order to soften the negative impact.
One obvious negative impact is that the buildings block panoramic views previously enjoyed from parks, homes and public streets in Jersey City Heights. Another negative impact has to do with sewerage collection system's capacity -- actually it's lack of capacity. This nearly completed project (which consists of two 17-story towers) is located in a flood zone. A mega-project that is built in a flood zone that has a highly problematic sewer system will definitely have a negative impact on a community -- a negative impact that does not come with a price tag.
So, the third thing that came to my mind was that no amount of money in the world can compensate for the damage to the community and to the quality of life to residents of the surrounding area. Yes, I agree with Mayor Cunningham that $50,000 is a pitiful amount of money. But, I am concerned that he has put the idea out there that there is an acceptable amount that could make the problems that this project will cause go away. The developer cannot "right this messy wrong" by giving an agreed-upon amount of money to the city. The resulting mess produced this project will still be with us.
Augusta Przygoda
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