Jersey City Mayor Talks Arts, Noise, and Taxes at Pet Shop Town Hall

The Monday night crowd at Pet Shop, on the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza, wasn’t there for the DJ. They were there for a different kind of mix — one of ideas, complaints, and hopes about the future of Jersey City’s creative scene.

Mayor James Solomon sat on a modest stage, flanked by the bar’s neon glow, as arts event promoters Leslie Ogoe and Sasha Sano of Dine and Vibe moderated. The topic: Arts and Culture, and everything that comes with it. Noise ordinances. Empty storefronts. The price of a liquor license. And, eventually, the uncomfortable question of who pays for it all.

Solomon opened by pointing to an executive order he signed in January, just days after taking office — cutting parade and cultural event fees. “Supporting art and culture is a cornerstone value of our administration,” he said. He also defended keeping the Arts and Cultural Trust Fund intact, despite the city’s nine-figure budget deficit. “There were calls for us to basically take that money and put it into the budget,” he recalled. But doing so, he explained, would have only saved about a million dollars while wiping out the fund entirely.

Empty Spaces, Big Ideas

Ogoe raised a concern that’s been on the minds of many local artists: too many empty storefronts, too few places to create. “There are so many empty spaces in the city,” she said. “And there are so many people that want an opportunity to use that space. I think it would create something amazing.”

Solomon acknowledged the challenge. City-owned land is valuable, he said, so the administration can’t just give it away. But he pointed to possible support for organizations that build their own spaces — name-checking Neighbor Studio in Bergen-Lafayette, which drew applause — and committed to creating more city-owned community spaces, including a community center in Journal Square and an arts and recreation center on the South Side.

He also floated the idea of the city acting as a “matchmaker” — connecting artists with potential spaces and sponsors. “If you let us know, we can try to be a little bit of a matchmaker,” he said.

The Noise Question

Sano shifted the conversation to something that hits close to home for anyone living near a bar: noise. Despite Jersey City’s reputation as a party town, he noted, some residents still complain about late-night sound. Could the noise ordinance change?

Solomon was careful. “This is not what we’re looking to do: We’re not trying to shut down businesses and culture,” he said. He added that the city can talk to landlords and provide “basic education” for new residents who might not be used to the nightly hum of the pedestrian plaza.

One woman asked about balancing business and culture with newcomers who move in next to a bar and then complain. Solomon acknowledged the tension, using the Puerto Rican Day Parade as an example. “Every year I get complaints,” he said. “You gotta deal with it for one weekend. We can tell people in advance.”

Another attendee raised the odd situation in McGinley Square, where the area’s zoning doesn’t permit a liquor license — despite, in her words, having “a lot of energy.” Solomon agreed the ordinance seemed outdated. “I don’t see any reason why we should have an ordinance like that,” he said, before criticizing New Jersey’s state liquor laws, which limit the number of licenses and make them enormously expensive. “We want to work with our legislators at the state level to get that changed.”

Making It Easier to Open

Solomon also talked about cutting red tape. He said the city is working to streamline the process for opening a business and lowering fees, and that the city website — set to be revamped in three to six months — will highlight grassroots organizations and events. “We want to highlight all the great grassroots organizations and events,” he said.

When someone asked about bringing bigger chains like Trader Joe’s to fill retail voids, Solomon pushed back. “We’re in a better place if we support our homegrown businesses,” he said, drawing applause. (A Trader Joe’s is already on its way, he noted.) He also reiterated the city’s interest in encouraging businesses along Ocean Avenue, with support from the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation.

The Hard Question: Who Pays?

Then came the question that always looms over Jersey City’s future: taxes. A woman asked whether the city could implement a local income tax to shift the burden from property owners to those with higher incomes.

Solomon’s answer was honest but layered. He explained that New Jersey mandates an equal property tax rate on all owners — a structural constraint that limits the city’s options. He didn’t dismiss the idea outright, but he didn’t promise it either. The conversation moved on, but the tension in the room was unmistakable: how do you fund creative spaces, community centers, and police and schools, without pricing out the very people who make the city interesting?

What’s Next

For now, the administration’s commitments are: protect the Arts and Cultural Trust Fund, keep cutting fees, and work on making it easier to open a business — including potential changes to state liquor laws that would need buy-in from Trenton.

Residents who want to stay involved can watch for updates on the city’s website revamp in the coming months. And for those who care about local art spaces, Solomon’s “matchmaker” offer is on the table — reach out to the mayor’s office if you have a space or a project in mind.

It was a listening session, really. And for a city that’s growing as fast as Jersey City, listening might be the most important thing an administration can do.