Page 22 - RE-NJ

20 MARCH 2026
The Jersey City skyline
REACHING OUT
Extending a hand to Solomon, Jersey City developers
call for more housing to solve budget, affordability woes
The historic but long-vacant St.
John’s Episcopal Church in
Jersey City is finding new life
under a plan to bring 82 apartments
to the site — including 11 affordable
units — through a mix of ground-up
construction and the restoration of
the Summit Avenue landmark.
Its developer, Ben LoPiccolo, said the
project is only possible with funding
support from the city. And it’s exactly
the type of partnership that he feels is
key to solving its housing crisis.
“Moving forward, that’s the kind of
balance that we need to strike with
the city — to really find a place where
we could meet in between, where
we can make the numbers work,”
said LoPiccolo, CEO and founder
of BLDG-UP. “We want to create
affordable housing. We want to create
as much housing
as possible, but
there are going
to be some
needs on our
side in order to
make our pro
formas work and
for the projects
Ben LoPiccolo
to pencil out
— whether they’re subsidies or tax
abatements or expedited permitting
to just make it easier to build in
Jersey City.
“Whatever it takes, it’s extremely
important to keep up with demand,”
By Joshua Burd
he added, “because no matter how
you look at it, if you don’t build
enough housing, it’s just going to get
more and more expensive.”
It’s a core belief for LoPiccolo — both
as a developer and as board president
of the Jersey City Apartment Owners
Association — one that’s now central
to their outreach to the city’s new
mayor, James Solomon. The group
has also been vocal in pitching itself
as a resource, he said, noting that it
can offer professional support and
ground-level insights on everything
from rental rates in individual
neighborhoods to traffic and public
safety.
Finding common ground may not be
so simple, especially after Solomon
railed against developers last year
during his campaign to succeed
longtime Mayor Steve Fulop, part
of a strategy that focused largely on
improving affordability for longtime
residents. That’s not to mention
the $255 million budget deficit that
Solomon highlighted soon after taking
office in mid-January, a crisis that’s
likely to dominate city politics for
months to come.
Still, the Jersey City Apartment
Owners Association feels it’s part of
the solution.
“The JCAOA is eager to collaborate
with Mayor Solomon to drive more
investment in Jersey City to help