Photo credit and article by TAPinto.net | July 2, 2025
PATERSON, NJ – The City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution authorizing a nearly $4 million proposal to the New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) Authority to fund an emergency road restoration project for fiscal year 2025–2026.
The resolution allows the city’s UEZ Division to seek up to $3,982,743 to resurface 35 deteriorating streets within or adjacent to the city’s designated Urban Enterprise Zone. The project, officials said, is a first-of-its-kind use of UEZ funds to address critical infrastructure needs without burdening the city’s general operating budget.
“This is something that’s never been done in this city before,” Mayor Andre Sayegh said. “We’re identifying $4 million in Urban Enterprise Zone funding that we can use to resurface our roads. These funds are outside of where we normally find money—like CDBG or ARP—and it helps ensure we’re not taxing residents further.”
The project includes streets in all six wards. According to Sayegh, seven streets are in the First Ward, seven in the Second, four in the Third, five in the Fourth, four in the Fifth, and six in the Sixth Ward. Streets range from high-traffic commercial corridors to neighborhood roads in urgent need of repair.
Among the streets scheduled for resurfacing are Van Houten Street, Marshall Street, Plum Street, E. 15th Street, Shady Street, Beech Street, and W. Railway Avenue, among others.
Council President Dr. Lilisa Mimms emphasized the importance of the project and the collaboration behind it. “From there, there are an estimate of $4 million that will not have to be taxpayer dollars that we identified through Urban Enterprise Zone dollars,” she said. “They will cover streets in every single ward of the city that are needed.”
Still, the resolution sparked some discussion and concern over street eligibility and UEZ map compliance.
“I want to make sure that this funding is being used properly, within the legal boundaries of the UEZ program,” said Fifth Ward Councilman Luis Velez, noting that some of the included streets may fall outside of the official UEZ zone. “If we’re being creative here with resurfacing, let’s also be creative when it comes to cleaning, security cameras, and other improvements across all UEZ-designated areas.”
Third Ward Councilman Alex Mendez echoed that concern and asked if East 24th Street, a road he described as being in severe disrepair, could be added to the list in the future.
“East 24th and East 23rd streets are in really bad shape,” Mendez said. “If we’re using UEZ funds now, we should find a way to include these roads, too.”
Sayegh responded that while the current proposal reflects a finalized list, the administration is open to future changes.
“These are just recommendations,” Mimms said. “This vote does not prevent us from adjusting or submitting additional proposals.”
The project aims to resurface roads that are severely deteriorated and on the verge of closure, while also improving pedestrian and vehicle safety, reducing travel time, and boosting access to local businesses.
According to the city’s Department of Economic Development, the scope of work includes road milling and paving, setting up safe detours during construction, and monitoring the work to ensure it meets quality standards.
The final vote was 8 in favor and one absent.
