Can James Solomon’s housing affordability agenda carry him in the Jersey City mayoral race?

James Solomon is running for mayor of Jersey City on Dec. 2 on a platform built around rent caps, stricter affordability rules for developers, and an aggressive push to turn underused public space into community hubs.

The Jersey City councilman argues that the city has tilted too far toward speculative development and luxury projects.

“The biggest thing renters need is stability,” Solomon said in an interview with The Jersey Vindicator. “If we create a cap on how much rent can go up on an annual basis, then we’re going to be able to keep more tenants in their homes.”

Rent caps and 20% affordable housing

Solomon’s housing plan leans heavily on tools that cities elsewhere have embraced. He wants to require that large new developments set aside 20% of units as affordable housing and cap how much landlords can raise rent each year.

The exact unit threshold — whether the rule would kick in at 50 units, 100 units or something in between — would be set once in office, he said, but the focus is on bigger projects that have reshaped the skyline while leaving many longtime residents squeezed.

“We’ve talked about large projects,” Solomon said. “Projects of 50 or more, 100 or more. That’s the range of projects we’re looking at. We don’t have the exact number yet.”

On rent, Solomon said New Jersey’s “just cause” eviction protections don’t mean much if landlords are free to raise rents 15% or 20% in one shot, effectively pricing tenants out while complying with the law.

“Right now the landlord can say, ‘Our lease is expired, I’m going to increase the rent by 15% or 20%,’ and then the tenant says, ‘I can’t pay that, so I’m going to leave,’” he said. “If we create a cap on how much rent can go up on an annual basis, we keep more tenants in their homes.”

Income-based tiers and a shot at ownership

Solomon’s version of affordable housing is income-based, with multiple tiers that aim to cover both the very poor and what he sees as a squeezed local middle class.

He described one tier of roughly $1,000 a month — “affordable for a family that might be making $35,000 to $40,000 a year” — and a higher tier around $1,700 a month for households earning about $60,000. Higher-income families would have access to market-rate units, he said.

Preference for the lowest-income units would go to current Jersey City residents, likely those who have lived in the city for at least a couple of years.

“Other people can still apply, but the Jersey City residents will have preference,” Solomon said, noting that the city can only control units funded with local dollars. State and federal programs, he said, come with their own rules.

He also wants to revisit the city’s homeownership programs, which he argues have been swamped by the reality of Jersey City’s housing market.

“The current homeownership program doesn’t really work because it’s too expensive to buy a house in Jersey City,” he said. “If I provide someone with $100,000 in down payment assistance, they’re still not going to be able to buy a house. So we’re going to redo the plan in a way that actually meets the market.”

Vacancy tax and small business help

On commercial corridors, Solomon is eyeing another tool: a vacancy tax aimed at landlords who leave storefronts empty for years while waiting for higher-paying tenants.

“We think landlords shouldn’t be able to hoard spaces, keep them vacant, hoping that 10 years from now they can get a better lease,” he said. “We want them opening those doors to the community.”

He said the city would need state authorization to impose a vacancy tax. In the meantime, he wants to build a more hands-on small business office to guide owners through permitting and grants — a contrast, he argues, with a current system that forces entrepreneurs to navigate City Hall largely on their own or rely on individual council members.

“Right now there really isn’t much city support for small businesses,” he said. “There’s no one place for the businesses to call. We want it to be very clear: you call this office, this person will help you.”

He said permitting delays can be devastating, with some businesses paying rent for months before they’re allowed to open. He wants the city’s economic development agency and Urban Enterprise Zone funds to be used more directly for capital, rent support and startup costs.

Food insecurity

Solomon ties Jersey City’s visible food lines and food pantries to national economic policy, arguing that the federal government has “built an economy that works for the wealthy and the well-connected and not for working people.”

But he also outlined local steps, from supporting supermarkets in food deserts to using grant programs to help bodegas and small groceries stock affordable fresh produce. He floated the idea of low- or no-interest loans to help store owners modernize and city-backed purchasing at scale to bring down prices.

“All of these are ideas I’m open to,” he said, adding that getting there will take some time and coordination.

Youth programs, schools, and public spaces

Solomon acknowledges there are gaps in youth programming across the city, especially in lower-income neighborhoods and during winter months, when outdoor spaces are less usable.

“There simply aren’t enough programs citywide, and there are definitely disparities,” he said. “We do not have enough open, free or affordable spaces for kids, particularly during wintertime.”

He said as mayor he would also play a more active role in school board races, pushing for better phonics instruction and expanding after-school and summer job programs for young people.

“When kids are younger, it looks like recreation centers and classes,” he said. “When they’re older, it looks like summer jobs and after-school jobs.”

To address quality-of-life issues, Solomon said the city needs a thoughtful approach that includes tickets for smoking and drinking in parks, better trash collection and more aggressive efforts to make crosswalks safer.

“It is dangerous to cross a crosswalk in Jersey City, and that’s wrong,” he said. “We have a plan on both better enforcement and better infrastructure.”

Solomon has also pledged to hire 100 more police officers, with an emphasis on traffic enforcement and community policing by foot and bike patrols.

Liberty State Park

Solomon, who has opposed efforts by Liberty National golf course owner Paul Fireman to carve off pieces of Liberty State Park, said he backs the state Department of Environmental Protection’s current master plan for the park — a mix of passive and active recreation that he says aligns with its original purpose.

“What makes Liberty State Park special is it’s free and green,” he said. “Big stadiums are going to fundamentally change the nature of the park.”

Asked about the arts, he points to the long-planned restoration of the Loew’s Jersey Theatre and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s planned move to the Powerhouse Arts District, but says the city has fallen short on artist housing and support for local organizations.

“We have great organizations,” he said, naming groups like Art House, Nimbus and Pro Arts. “We want to invest city dollars into them. We created the Arts and Culture Trust Fund. We want to expand on that,” he said.

Grading the current mayor

Solomon gives the current Fulop administration a “C-plus,” praising large projects like the Bayfront redevelopment and a planned light rail extension, but criticizing the city’s budget, basic services, and record on affordable housing.

He praises the prison reentry work of his opponent, Gov. Jim McGreevey, but argues his focus doesn’t match the city’s day-to-day needs.

“We need a city government that does a better job of filling potholes and picking up trash,” Solomon said. “At the end of the day, I think I’m going to win because voters believe in my vision for the city, and they trust my leadership.”

In the first three to six months, he said, residents shouldn’t expect miracles, but they should expect to see him.

“The biggest thing they’re going to feel is my presence around the city,” he said. “It’s going to feel like you have a mayor who is working hard and cares in a way that you haven’t felt in a long time.”

Editor’s note: The Jersey Vindicator asked Gov. McGreevey for an interview, but he declined, saying he didn’t have the time..