Jersey City tables 27-story Powerhouse tower plan, revokes support for a cannabis grower and splits 5–4 on $100K contracts

JERSEY CITY — The Municipal Council on Wednesday night tabled a Powerhouse Arts District redevelopment amendment tied to a taller tower at 127 Morgan Street, revoked local support for one cannabis cultivator, approved two new cannabis firms, and split 5–4 on a pair of community-engagement contracts during a meeting that ran about five hours.

Hudson TV reviewed the official Jersey City TV recording and the city’s posted vote sheets.

1. Powerhouse / 127 Morgan plan tabled

Council tabled Ordinance 26-079 — an amendment to the Powerhouse Arts District Redevelopment Plan — before the public hearing on second reading. Ward E Councilwoman Eleana Little moved to table and bring the item back as a first reading; Council President Denise Ridley seconded. The motion carried 8–0, with Ward F Councilman Frank E. Gilmore briefly absent on that roll call.

The amendment would create a Block 13002 “Transition Bonus,” including an option for developments with 20% or more on-site affordable housing to rise as high as 27 stories (275 feet above design flood elevation), with the top story limited to amenity use. A 20-story option applies when the affordable set-aside is under 20%. The petitioner listed on the ordinance fact sheet is Exchange Towers, LLC.

A companion resolution (26-630) that would have set out council’s reasons for adopting a 127 Morgan option inconsistent with the Planning Board’s recommendation — including a taller building with 20% on-site affordable housing — was withdrawn and never voted.

Little said on the record that the table was “not an attempt to kill the project,” and that members “very much do want to see a project move forward” after “a few tweaks.”

Residents who spoke later still pressed school capacity. One speaker asked where children from 127 Morgan would go to school, saying the site sits in the PS 16 zone and calling that school among the city’s most crowded.

2. Cannabis: one revoked, two new, one pulled

Council revoked local support for Glue Lagoon Farms, LLC’s Class 1 cultivator license, 9–0 (Res. 26-654). After the first unanimous vote, members briefly rescinded that tally so reasons could be stated on the record, then approved the revocation again 9–0. On the re-vote, members cited site-control problems, including that the business does not currently have a location and that its lease is ending.

Council also approved, 9–0:

• Grass House Company, LLC — Class 2 manufacturing, Class 3 wholesale, and Class 4 distribution (Res. 26-652)
• Green Sky Grow LLC — Class 1 cultivator microbusiness (Res. 26-660)

Several Class 5 retail renewals passed. Councilwoman-at-Large Mamta Singh recorded “not voting” on multiple renewals, telling the clerk on one of them that there are “too many dispensaries in Jersey City.”

The renewal for The Cannabis Place 420 Corp. (Res. 26-659) was withdrawn. During public comment, a UFCW Local 360 representative said the company was “not bargaining in good faith.”

3. 5–4 on $100,000 in engagement contracts

Two professional-services awards split the council 5–4:

• Tara Dowdell Group, LLC — on-call community engagement, not to exceed $40,000 (Res. 26-641)
• Mercer Planning Associates, LLC — on-call community engagement and planning, not to exceed $60,000 (Res. 26-642)

Yes: Ward B Councilman Joel A. Brooks, Little, Singh, Ward D Councilman Jake Ephros, Ridley.
No: Ward C Councilman Thomas Zuppa Jr., Gilmore, Councilman-at-Large Rolando R. Lavarro Jr., Councilman-at-Large Michael O. Griffin.

Supporters said the city’s infrastructure department is backlogged and understaffed, and that the contracts are already budgeted “not to exceed” awards paid only for work performed. Opponents said the city should be careful with every dollar and use council offices and existing city staff for outreach instead.

A public speaker mocked the awards as “luxury listening,” saying residents already speak at meetings and that the city has “a spending problem.”

4. Immigration-fraud protection, and Exchange Place SID pulled again

Council approved 9–0 a resolution aimed at protecting residents from immigration-services fraud and the unauthorized practice of immigration law (Res. 26-628).

Exchange Place Alliance Special Improvement District assessment-roll and budget resolutions (26-632 and 26-633) were withdrawn 9–0. Corporation counsel told the council that within the past 36 hours a judge had reconsidered and reversed an opinion that had invalidated an ordinance expanding the SID’s boundaries, so the expanded boundaries and the posted assessments were again lawful — but members still pulled the items after telling the public at Monday’s caucus that the hearing would not go forward. The clerk said there would be no public hearing on those items that night. (Hudson TV reported Tuesday that the administration had said at caucus it was pulling the items over a legal defect.)

The long-running ordinance to buy 128 Glenwood Avenue for park or open space (26-077) remained on the deferred/tabled list.

Sources: Jersey City TV recording of the Oct. 7 Municipal Council meeting; CivicWeb agenda and item vote sheets for Oct. 7, 2026. Featured image: Jersey City TV / City of Jersey City.

Hudson TV asks: Should Jersey City keep tabling big downtown redevelopment changes until school seats are mapped — or move faster on housing and vote the Powerhouse amendment?
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