Mayor Solomon Launches ‘Building for Working Families’: A Housing Agenda That Delivers
MAYOR SOLOMON LAUNCHES ‘BUILDING FOR WORKING FAMILIES’: A HOUSING AGENDA THAT DELIVERS
Agenda Launched with the Canal Crossing Project – A Housing Development With 20% Affordable Homes, Including Rents of $1,000 and Under
JERSEY CITY, NJ (June 4, 2026) – Mayor James Solomon today launched ‘Building for Working Families’ — an agenda for building housing that focuses on keeping Jersey City affordable for working families by maximizing the number of affordable homes, using union labor, and creating agreements that benefit the entire Jersey City community – not just the wealthy.
The agenda is anchored by the Canal Crossing Project in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood, which brings to completion decades of community advocacy for environmental remediation of land polluted and abused by corporations. The community won that fight, and now we are delivering a housing project with 20% affordable units, rents of $1,000 and under, union labor, and major investment in a new park. This is the future of how we build a Jersey City for working people, and the fulfillment of a promise to those who fought for that land.
“The Canal Crossing Project is a model example for what Building for Working Families looks like. Instead of the wealthy always winning, we will build affordable housing and bring benefits to our neighborhoods,” said Mayor James Solomon. “I don’t take money from developers, and that’s how you know whose side I’m on. I’ve seen what happens when you build a city only for the wealthy — families priced out, communities left behind, and no one held accountable. That won’t happen under my watch,”
A Mandate for Affordability
Jersey City is facing an affordable housing crisis. Previous administrations failed to meet the moment by prioritizing luxury only development – and neglecting affordable housing. The result: working Jersey City families are being pushed out of their home by one of the most expensive rental markets in the nation, including over 3,000 Black Jersey City residents in the last decade. Today, more than half of Jersey City residents are rent-burdened, and of the more than 74,000 units approved in the last decade, only 3,300 or 4% are considered affordable.
Under ‘Building for Families’, every housing development asking for city support — starting with Canal Crossing — will be evaluated against one guiding question: does it create the affordable housing working families need to stay in this city?
‘Building for Working Jersey City’ will include:
- Maximizing Affordable Homes: Building for working families means housing that working people can actually afford. Every development project approved under the Solomon Administration will seek to maximize number of affordable homes, at levels of real affordability, that each project can feasibly deliver. The Canal Crossing Project includes 20% affordable housing — over 100 new affordable units — with some rents of $1,000 and under.
- Maximizing Union Labor: Housing projects in Jersey City must benefit the working people who build and staff those buildings. The Solomon Administration will seek deals that include prevailing and living wages, like those in the Canal Crossing Project, where feasible based on each project’s financials.
- Maximizing Community Benefits: 'Building for Working Families' means communities benefit when major housing projects are built. While each project will look different, the Solomon Administration will ensure every deal responds to the needs of the community — new schools, parks, recreation facilities, or commercial space. The Canal Crossing Project will deliver a brand-new 33,000 square foot park (Garfield Park), nearly 20,000 square feet of new commercial and retail space, the initial extension of the Morris Canal Greenway connecting to Berry Lane Park, and transit-oriented development immediately adjacent to the Garfield Avenue light rail stop. All park and greenway improvements will be paid for by the developer and completed before the project fully opens — a commitment the Solomon Administration secured through hard negotiation that the previous administration had failed to lock in.
Fast Facts About the Canal Crossing Project
Number of Units: 508 units at mixed affordability levels
Affordable Units: 102 (20% of total) including some rents of $1,000 and under, and affordably priced 3 bedroom units for families
Commercial Space: ~20,000 square feet
Community Benefit: Brand new 33,000 square foot park – Garfield Park
Transit-oriented: Building immediately adjacent to the Garfield Avenue light rail stop
Union Labor: Union labor under a 100% union labor agreement and prevailing wages required for all service workers
Honesty & Transparency for Jersey City
For too long, Jersey City's biggest housing decisions were made behind closed doors by leaders that took developer campaign money. The result: politically connected donors benefited, while working families were left behind.
Mayor Solomon is taking a fundamentally different approach. He does not accept campaign contributions from developers doing business with the city. He brings to every negotiation a single test: does this deal deliver what Jersey City actually needs, or just what the developer wants?
Canal Crossing is the proof. The previous administration left both Garfield Park and the Morris Canal Greenway extension as open-ended promises. The Solomon Administration reopened those terms and secured a binding commitment that the developer will pay for both improvements and complete them before the project opens for occupancy.
"I don't take money from developers because I work for the people of Jersey City — not the people building in it," said Mayor Solomon. "Every deal that crosses my desk will be measured against what the city is owed, not what's easiest to give away. That's what an honest broker does, and that's the standard every future agreement will be held to."
In the coming weeks, the Solomon Administration will announce additional reforms to bring transparency, accountability, and a fair return to Jersey City taxpayers in how the city structures major development agreements.
Next Steps
The Solomon Administration will seek approval for the financial agreement for Canal Crossing at the June City Council meetings, with first reading on June 10 and second reading on June 24.
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Nathaniel Styer
Communications Director | City of Jersey City
[email protected]