The Jersey City Municipal Council voted to introduce ordinance 25-109, authorizing the city to enter a lease-purchase agreement with Jackson Square Office LLC for a nine-story office building on Block 22502, Lots 36–37 in Jackson Square. The vote was taken as part of a set of first-reading ordinances the council introduced for subsequent consideration; council members asked for additional financial and programmatic detail before final adoption.

Council members questioned developers and administration staff about whether the new building would reduce the city's current rent burden for agencies that operate from leased offices across the city. One council member said, "$5,200,000 in rent over 30 years is a lot of money," and asked what specific offices would relocate to the Jackson Square building. City staff and project representatives described an initial plan that could house a mix of autonomous agencies (EDC, MUA, JCRA), overflow space for departments such as Health and Human Services, and public uses including a senior benefits/wellness center and youth programming, but they also said the precise tenant list was not finalized.

Project representatives, including a presenter identified as Greg, said the city would lease the whole building (rather than preleasing floor-by-floor) and that the latest plan included several municipal uses and public programming. Greg said the plan would include space for the EDC and the MUA, public space for seniors and youth, and overflow offices for other municipal departments; he added that the administration is open to council input on final uses. The administration confirmed it met with the Economic Development Corporation in July but said it had not met the new SID leadership; councilmembers asked staff to consult the SID and community groups and to provide a clearer fiscal breakdown showing which currently leased spaces the city expects to consolidate.

Councilmembers expressed concern about financial transparency and the building's purpose within the broader Jackson Square civic-center vision. Several members said the project's stated goal is to complete Jackson Square's civic elements — arches, medallions and park space — and that the office building is part of a larger redevelopment effort; others pressed for concrete numbers to judge whether the lease-purchase would save taxpayer money compared with the current dispersed rent costs the city pays.

The council introduced the ordinance for first reading; introduction means the council will hold future hearings and votes before final adoption. Council members requested that administration return with a detailed analysis showing which city leases would end if offices moved to the new building, the projected net rent or lease payments over time, and confirmation of community engagement with the SID and other stakeholders before final consideration.