Powerhouse Arts District

Looks like we are staking some of the cultural future of Jersey City on the fact that the zoning rules for the Powerhouse Arts District require space for artists' lofts and galleries. Artists are feeling the squeeze, however, when looking for spaces to show their art.

Look, I'm not complaining about those rules - they will help. But the people taking advantage of those rules - the developers - are also the people forcing the cost of living north, with is pushing many artists out of the community.

This gets to the crux of what makes JC so interesting: are we quickly selling out on the way to establishing ourselves among the many communities that make up the New York Metro Area? Are we getting the Williamsburg Condos without the Williamsburg art and cultural community?

Or will we manage, as one of New Jersey's seminal cities, to become both a cultural and financial center for New York-area New Jersey-ans?