Jim McGreevey Blasts Pompidou Museum Plan Amid Jersey City's High Rents, Taxes

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Former NJ Gov. Jim McGreevey, who plans to run for Jersey City mayor, said Friday that the city shouldn't focus on bringing a satellite museum to the city from Paris while the city suffers from issues such as large increases in rents and taxes.

McGreevey issued a message Friday, saying, “Jersey City cannot afford the prospect of the Pompidou satellite location in Jersey City. There are greater and more pressing concerns facing Jersey City, including: property tax and rent stabilization, the reconstruction of the Charlie Heger Ice Rink at Pershing Field, recreational facilities for our youth, as well as grappling with the need to repair our schools."

He said the museum will increase costs for which the taxpayers will foot the bill.

He said the location of the museum, expected to open in 2026, will incur repair costs and other costs. He said that while the state has appropriated $58 million to Jersey City and the Jersey City Redevelopment Authority, the funds haven't been used yet.

"The cost of operation of Pompidou, which may cost between $5 million and $15 million, will also fall to Jersey City and the Authority," McGreevey said Friday. "These costs only add to the already sizable burden that falls to taxpayers. Jersey City must refocus its efforts on issues that directly affect its residents and working families."

He said:
• Property taxes rose by 42 percent from 2021 to 2023, with the average residential tax bill increasing from $7,409 to $10,560.
• The total number of taxes collected by the City has more than doubled since 2013. The greatest increase came in the years 2022 and 2023, with raised taxes increasing by over$350 million in those two years alone.
• According to the New York Times, August 2023, Jersey City had singularly the greatest change in rent, year-over-year, of 23.3 percent for a one-bedroom apartment, placing th cost at $3,390.
• According to ApartmentAdvisor National Rent Report, the median monthly rent for one bedroom in Jersey City was $1,649 in 2021 and, in 2024, is currently $3,073, which is an increase of over 86 percent during that period.

"The Pompidou satellite location is an unnecessary cost to Jersey City and will worsen the potentially vulnerable financial position in which the City currently is," McGreevey said. "We must live within our means.”

The Pompidou will be conducting an event in Jersey City next week. Read more here.

Patch has written extensively about the rent increases in Jersey City and Hoboken. READ MORE: Tenants Fight Back As Rents Soar In Jersey City And Hoboken