unpublished, April 2, 2000

Dear Editor:

"Only the Little People Pay Taxes" got Leona Helmsley into lots of trouble but that appears to be Mayor Bret Schundler's creed. Schundler and his staff are in favor, over neighborhood objections, to revising the height of buildings in the Jersey Avenue Redevelopment Plan to accommodate the scale of Millennium Towers. For those who aren't aware, that project is a colossal twin tower 43-story luxury apartment complex with shopping and a huge restaurant at the mouth of the Holland Tunnel. The inadequate infrastructure, the narrow streets, and the already congested roads can not support this project between Grove and Jersey Avenue at 18th Street. Serious air quality pollution and electro magnetic fields are also of no concern to the developers nor the Schundler administration.

The current owners, Unified Diversified LLC purchased the land in August 1999 for $1.5 million and $977,000 of back taxes and interest due the City. The previous owners never paid a dime of taxes on the property since 1991! It was never sold in a lien sale since the previous owners claimed that the land was contaminated. At our last meeting with the developers and Councilman DeGise, UDC claimed the contamination was a few barrels of oil buried in the ground so it was no big thing.

UDC still hasn't paid a dime in back taxes but they've already applied for a 20 year tax abatement for this 551 unit luxury apartment building with a shopping mall etc! For a project that the developers claim will cost over $150 million, they still haven't paid the back taxes due of $1,065,000 as of April 5th. What makes the City think they'll ever pay the tax abatement?

Now you say, how can that be when the City will sell a lien on my house on June 15th if I don't pay my May 1st tax bill? It's Schundler politics. It's about political contributors like Colin Danzis who appears to be part of this deal. He was the major player behind the easement for the Jersey Ave and Johnson Avenue parcel, which 55 Lotdev-LLC got before they had even bought the land. That easement made the property valuable, so I'd guess it's a quick flip and millions in easy profits for Danzis and his partners. Also he's the attorney for Schundler's Golden Door Charter School, at $380/hour to the tune of $108,000 before the school even opened. Danzis also represented the JC Police department in their sexual discrimination case, which they lost, but legal fees approached $800,000. As you can see, it pays big to be in Schundler's inner circle.

By the way, Unified Diversified didn't pay their taxes on March 24th but they were granted an extension to April 24th. Then technically the City goes to court to apply for title to foreclose on the property. Makes you wonder why a developer would not pay up rather than continue paying 18% interest when supposedly you're about to spend $150 million+ on a project. Maybe they expect Schundler to forgive the taxes and let the little people pay? Or is it another quick flip once UDC gets the height variance from the City?

The Planning Board will resume the JARD/MT plan height variance hearing on Tuesday April 25th at 6pm at City Hall.

So when you're scrounging to get the money together to pay your tax bill, with a tax increase, by May1st, remember Schundler, in that "only the little people pay taxes".

Mia Scanga
Jersey City