To the Editor:
Most of the factories around Kearny and Harrison are long gone and replaced with luxury apartments. Residents like me can’t afford to pay $1,795+ a month to live in luxury. With these changes happening in our area, homeowners and apartment owners are raising the rents. And if you can’t afford the raises, lawyers will be happy to send you an eviction notice through the mail and force you to leave your home.
Chances are you will have to go to another municipality and you won’t be welcome back here. This bad situation is happening to a lot of lifelong residents. It’s even happening in East Newark where the old Clark factory will be replaced by what else — another luxury building.
Do we really need more of these? East Newark is small as it is and this may add up to 600 new residents. Having that many people in a .13-square-mile town doesn’t sound all that wise. What our towns really need is affordable housing, senior citizen housing, places blue-collar workers can afford. We also need stricter rent control, for the sake of the residents who have lived here all of their lives, like me, and who will no longer be able to afford to be a part of this great community.
Bobby Crawford
Kearny
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.