Please help save 20 and 22 Smith St, which Hudson County Improvement Authority voted to acquire for demolition to make way for expansion of the County's Vroom St parking.

The destruction of these 2 beautiful, unique houses would be a loss to our city's history, our cityscape and our already short housing supply, far outweighing the few parking spaces we would get in exchange. The quality of the brickwork and details of these houses are simply irreplaceable today. It is very rare in Jersey City to find houses of this period and quality which have not been desecrated by ill-advised renovations, let alone the intact block of three formed by #18, #20 and #22. 

In the NJ.com article of October 23 2024, a County spokesperson is quoted saying that the required number of parking spaces had not yet been determined. Surely an analysis of needs and an examination of alternatives and options should be conducted before deciding to condemn these houses.

One of America's greatest tragedies was the destruction of many historic downtowns for the sake of the automobile. Much of the specialness of Jersey City and Hudson County is thanks to the fact that we did not go that route as far as did other urban areas. Let's continue to prioritize our heritage and the quality of our urban environment over car storage.