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The NJ Turnpike Authority (NJTA) Board of Commissioners unanimously approved (8-0) a memorandum of understanding with the City of Bayonne to begin the $6 billion Newark Bay Bridge project, part of the larger turnpike widening effort, at today’s meeting.

By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View

In December, they announced that they would not increase the number of lanes between the bridge and the Holland Tunnel, which was widely viewed as the worst part of the multi-year, multi-billion dollar project. However, many still want the overall project halted.

During public comment, John Reichman, a member of EmpowerNJ, endorsed Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s (D) proposal that would have Kris Kolluri – who recently said the turnpike widening would go over the $10.7 billion budget – run both NJ Transit and the NJTA.

“We recognize the governor stated the bridge should be replaced. But that doesn’t mean the bridge should be doubled in size,” Richman, also an attorney, argued that changing the plan would “remove threat of litigation.”

“Four lanes of bridge traffic will merge into two lanes, causing a massive bottleneck … It makes no sense to tear down the existing highway.”

Reichman believes that the Newark Bay Bridge could be salvaged via repairs as opposed to being outright replaced.

“We’re always going to stand with the NJTA’s capital construction projects,” NJ Alliance for Action Senior Vice President Chris Hartman said in favor of the project.

“I’m really pleased … the Turnpike Authority is revisiting at least some of the over $10 billion expansion. It’s a little unclear if it’s a revisiting or a cosmetic rhetorical revisit. We hope it’s the latter … The one bridge option looks incredibly good,” David Pringle, also of Empower NJ, said.

On that point, Holly Cox contended that the Newark Bay Bridge can be repaired for around $260 million, which would extend it’s life for approximately another four decades.

She also questioned the NJTA Environmental Impact Statement, arguing that the increased pollution from new bridges would especially harm communities of color.

“We have to stop making the climate crisis worst,” she declared.

Environment NJ Director and Empower NJ committee member Doug O’Malley noted Jersey City Mayor James Solomon has been against the expansion for years and Sherrill should follow suit.

“It’s very much at odd of the important priorities of Governor Sherrill … like improved air quality … There needs to be a true examination and pause on the plan,” he argued, criticizing the MOU item with Bayonne on their agenda.

Hudson County Complete Streets Executive Director Emmanuelle Morgan wanted the project paused. She said they didn’t consider alternatives.

“We in Jersey City have the highest rates of asthma … in the state. This project is simply too large for the scale of our county and too expensive for our state,” she declared.

Jersey City Ward E Councilwoman Elena Little also praised Kolluri and, like many others, panned the plan.

“Adding lanes of traffic creates a phenomenon known as induced demand … There’s much better uses for the $11 billion, including but not limited to mass transit,” she argued.

Assemblywoman Katie Brennan (D-32) praised the NJTA’s work during the recent snowstorm and also praised Kolluri before advocating for the one bridge solution.

She elaborated that this effort would save money and not impact public health as much, also highlighting that she introduced a bill to expand the Hudson Bergen Light-Rail, which would create many high paying union jobs.

“We applause the Turnpike Authority for advancing this critical initiative,” Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey (ACCNJ) Government Affairs Director Abby Adams began, speaking in favor of the proposed ramp connections.

“These improvements will … reduce congestion and support the continued growth of our port facilities,” she stated, noting that the expansion is necessary for public safety reasons and will also create thousands of labor jobs.

“Why are we throwing more money after bad money? … We must focus on durability,” began Better Blocks NJ Co-Founder Eric Allen Conner.

He further stated that the Turnpike expansion would hurt the quality of life and the growth of Jersey City.

“The public advocates and elected officials are all uniformly concerned about a bridge … with expanded lanes. “You’re going to have the same bottleneck Work with us … We’re not going away,” Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla (D-32) said.

Next, an MOU between the NJTA and Bayonne was discussed. In a nutshell, it would have the NJTA provide portions of structures demolished to the Bayonne Historic Preservation Commission for display.

They will also provide continuing community access to a municipal park during construction. After construction is completed, they are supposed to create a waterfront walkway too.

The memorandum passed unanimously without debate before the meeting abruptly concluded after about two-and-a-half hours.

BAYONNE, NJ - Bayonne City Council President Gary La Pelusa has confirmed that he will seek reelection to his Third Ward seat, this time, on a ticket headed by his council colleague, and

With a brief break in the middle, La Pelusa, first elected in 2006, is completing his fourth term on the city council.

Representing the Third Ward, La Pelusa has served as council president for the last four years. He is a longtime member of the Bayonne Democratic Committee, a post he has held since 2004 and is founder of the Gary La Pelusa Association, a non-profit group dedicated to informing the public, helping create a better quality of life and helping others in need while recognizing deserving individuals for their dedication and hard work in the community.

Professionally, La Pelusa has grown a successful landscaping business and leads efforts to keep Hudson County's park's greenery looking it's best.

“My biggest issue is stabilizing taxes,” La Pelusa said during an interview with TAPinto Bayonne “I also enjoy helping people.”

His goal, he added, is to continue steering the city in the right direction and attracting more tax rateables, while also making sure the city approves the “right development and attracts the right businesses.”

“I want to see the city built up in the right way but not take away from what we already have.”

While Bayonne still has a lot of business, La Pelusa reflects, much has changed over the last 30 to 35 years, with many mom-and-pop shops making way for warehousing and bigger businesses.

The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor lost thousands of jobs when the military base closed in the 1990s, many of which have been recouped by new warehousing such as the UPS facility.

“We’re looking at possible warehouses for the IMTT property,” La Pelusa said. “This will bring in tax rateables and will also allow us to remediate a really contaminated area.”

While not always on the same page as his colleague, Councilman Neil Carroll, La Pelusa agrees there needs to be more affordable housing and believes this will become possible as the city brings in new industry which will be required to put money into a fund for that purpose, providing additional units for disabled, veterans and the poor.

La Pelusa pointed to a significant change from when he ran for office for the first time in 2006.

“When I first ran, we had a $25 million deficit; last year we had a tiny surplus,” he said. “While we still face new challenges with the cost of healthcare and retirements, we don’t have a huge budget deficit. We have new rateables and a boon of real estate we didn’t have in 2006.”

Another important difference from 2006, he said, is his experience.

“I’m not the young guy learning, now I have institutional knowledge I can use,” he said.

“I know how to get things done and raise money for the city. I want nothing but success for Bayonne. I’m not moving. I live here; I have a house here. While I don’t expect to be on the council forever, I want to make sure the city is running great when I finally leave.”

Running on the same ticket with Booker was not a difficult decision, he said.

“I’ve served on the council with him, I know him personally and how much he cares about maintaining the quality of life here. He’s lived here all his life, and I know he wants what’s best for the city.”

The basics:

A groundbreaking last month marked a milestone moment for the Garden State’s booming film/TV sector and the City of Bayonne. The Dec. 16 ceremony marked the start of construction for 1888 Studios, a 1.6 million-square-foot movie and television production campus that includes 23 state-of-the-art smart stages, 10 acres of basecamp, an on-site five-story parking garage, 22-acre water backlot and more. The name pays homage to New Jersey native son Thomas Edison – 1888 was the year he patented the first motion picture camera in N.J.

Togus Urban Renewal LLC leads development of the project. Gensler oversaw the design – meant to evoke Golden Age Hollywood.

1888 Studios will sit on the Bayonne waterfront, near the Bayonne Bridge at the former Texaco site. The 58-acre parcel will become New Jersey’s largest film and television production campus as well as one of the largest in the nation.

In every way, the project offers the chance for revitalization – including for the state’s film legacy and Bayonne’s ongoing redevelopment. “The story began right here in New Jersey, 140 years ago when Thomas Edison filed the patent for the first motion picture camera in 1888 – forever changing how the world tells stories,” said Arpad “Arki” Busson, chairman, 1888 Studios. “We’re proud to honor Edison’s legacy with our campus name. “Bayonne has always been shaped by ambition and innovation – from Rockefeller’s Standard Oil and bustling port to the Horsley brothers founding one of America’s first independent movie studios in 1907.

“The city has long been a gateway for ideas and stories that connect people across the world. Now, with 1888 Studios, Bayonne reclaims its role as a global connector, this time at the forefront of entertainment.”

A Paramount deal

Paramount has signed on as the anchor tenant at 1888 Studios. The landmark 10-year lease agreement represents a commitment to occupy more than 285,000 square feet at the facility and establish a major production hub.

“Our landmark partnership with Paramount signals to the world that New Jersey is ready to lead,” said Busson.

Jimmy Davis, who recently departed as Bayonne’s mayor after 12 years in office, has played a major role in the city’s renaissance and redevelopment – and was instrumental in bringing 1888 Studios to his native city.

“If you know me, my famous line is, Bayonne is the center of the universe,” said Davis. He prepared no notes for his remarks, because he has lived this; growing up just four blocks from where the studio is being built. “And I’m serious when I say it. You can go anywhere in the world – and if you mention you’re from Bayonne, someone in another country is going to look at you with a crooked smile and go, ‘Do you know the so-and-so family from Bayonne?’”

A city’s transformation

But Davis said that something needed to be done because the city was struggling.

“The City of Bayonne is steeped in American history,” he explained. “And there was no way in my lifetime was I going to stand there and watch the City of Bayonne die. And slowly but surely over the last 12 years, we have transformed this city. And there’s a lot of people involved to get that done.”

Davis recounted meeting Busson several years back when he first showed interest in building the production hub on the former brownfield site, which housed an oil refinery that closed in the 1980s.

“My answer to him was, this is the best place in the world to be, because it’s the easiest to secure,” said Davis, noting the location on the waterfront surrounded by the Kill Van Kull and Newark Bay. “Just look at how you came in. It’s the only way you’re coming in. You’re surrounded by water. And you are now in the center of the universe.”

A central theme throughout the groundbreaking was the establishment and enhancement of the state’s production tax credits program. The major incentive initiative has led to a surge in production and spending here, as well as the construction of brick-and-mortar studios, such as 1888, Lionsgate (Newark) and Netflix (Fort Monmouth).

The confluence of those developments has placed New Jersey at the epicenter of this space, which has been a key priority for the Murphy administration over the last eight years. And that trend is likely to grow in the coming years as these major studios take shape and open – and more productions make their way to the Garden State.

Project stakeholders say that 1888 Studios will bring a $1.2 billion investment to the city, county and state. The development will create 2,300 union jobs during construction and generate an additional 2,000 union jobs once it’s open.

“This is a reshaping of Bayonne and Hudson County,” said Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, who added that Hudson County has become a major destination for filming in recent years. This studio takes that to the next level. “This is a great day for Hudson County.”

This is a reshaping of Bayonne and Hudson County. – Craig Guy, Hudson County executive

“Some of you in the back are saying New Jersey is now Hollywood East – fake news,” said Sen. Raj Mukherji, D-32nd District, a prime sponsor of the legislation signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy June 30 that strengthened and enhanced provisions of the New Jersey Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program. “This is the birthplace of film. As Arki noted, Thomas Edison invented the motion picture camera here in New Jersey. His Black Maria in West Orange was America’s first film studio.

“We came first. And we’re not Hollywood East. Hollywood was and will now again return to its rightful place as New Jersey West. And Paramount as anchor tenant and its investment means excellence in cinematic storytelling will be built here in Bayonne – here in Hudson County.”

‘Stories travel farther than our borders’

Mukherji stressed that film is one of the strongest engines of American cultural influence and soft power.

“Because our stories travel farther than our borders,” said Mukherji. “It shapes how the world sees us. And, most importantly, why others throughout the world want to be like us. And that influence isn’t accidental. So, when those stories are filmed here, the cameras are not just pointed at scenery – they’re pointing the world at New Jersey. They’re pointing the world at Hudson County.

“This is a port city. We’re going to be exporting our creativity to the world, and the world is going to be watching New Jersey.”

A beginning and an end

The groundbreaking also marked the final day for New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan, who departed the post he held since February 2018 for the Murphy administration. Sullivan was another key stakeholder in the process to bring this mega production hub to the Garden State, along with the state’s broader efforts in the film/television space. The NJEDA oversees the state’s film commission and administers the aforementioned tax credit program.

“What a great milestone and a great way to begin to mark the end of the Murphy administration and the governor and first lady’s time in office,” said Sullivan. “This project is such a special project for Bayonne, for Hudson County, for New Jersey. And it has come as a result of so much work over many years.”

Sullivan thanked all the partners for their efforts in bringing this project to life.

“This has been a very, very long time coming – and a lot of work and a lot of vision,” said Sullivan. “Think about when you first found this site, what this was – and what it will be. To take what was an oil tank and convert a brownfield – shoutout to [New Jersey] DEP [Department of Environmental Protection] Commissioner Shawn LaTourette – into what is going to be a generator of, to the senator’s point, stories that will be told all around the world. To turn that liability into an asset; to turn this site into an economic engine is an accomplishment second to none, and one that I’m really proud to be associated with in a small way.”

‘We’ve got it all going on here’

First Lady Tammy Murphy has also played an instrumental role in the state’s film/TV efforts. She stressed how the administration maintained a vision to reclaim New Jersey’s production legacy and show off the state’s ample assets with the rest of the world.

“This is what we should be doing in New Jersey,” she said. “We should share our incredible mountains, our wetlands, our beaches, our casinos, our cities. We’ve got it all going on here – and everybody knows it. So, why not bring film back? And boy, has it been an adventure.”

The governor echoed those sentiments about all that New Jersey has to offer in this space.

“From day one – this goes back to our campaign, now 10 years ago – we saw film, television and digital,” said Murphy. “It is who we are. It’s where Edison patented that famous motion picture camera in 1888, where he had a studio, where we ooze with talent. We’re a pro-union state, the quintessential union state. We’ve got a location second-to-none. The innovation economy is who we are.

“This to us was a no-brainer. And when you do the math, you get about $7 of economic benefit back for every dollar you put into an incentive package. And it’s, in many cases, immediate. It’s not just the bricks-and-mortar that we’re celebrating today. But it is Steven Spielberg making ‘West Side Story’ and the impact in that diner, in the coffee shop, the dry cleaner — the civic pride.”

The governor said that this project in Bayonne represents another chapter in world-class film and television production here in the Garden State.

“This project will generate thousands of new jobs, support small businesses, spark economic growth in Hudson County, and bring creators and storytellers from around the globe to our communities,” said Murphy.

Busson added, “Created for movie makers by movie makers, 1888 Studios will be a world-class home for the industry’s greatest storytellers – offering scale, state-of-the-art technology, and a creative environment unlike any other. In today’s world, as we become increasingly aware of life’s fragility, storytellers and content creators are more essential than ever.”