Advanced Knee Pain Treatment in Perth Amboy, NJ

Happy Tuesday, and welcome to another edition of Rent Free. This week's stories include:

But first, our lead story on a case of apparent eminent domain abuse in New Jersey. There, the city of Perth Amboy is using incredibly flimsy blight allegations to seize an apartment building and a family-owned tire shop from owners whose families came to America to escape communism.

In Perth Amboy, Property Rights Take a Back Seat to 'Redevelopment'

Honey Meerzon's parents are Jews from the Soviet Union, who moved to the United States in the 1970s to escape religious discrimination. Luis Romero's parents fled Fidel Castro's Cuba when he was eight years old.

The two ended up as neighboring business owners at the corner of Smith and Herbert Streets in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. It's there that Romero has been running his family's tire shop, Quick Tire, for the past 20 years. Meerzon has owned the four-unit rental property next door for the past 10.

Now, these two children of refugees from communism are having their businesses taken from them by the all-too-American process of eminent domain.

You are reading Rent Free from Christian Britschgi and Reason. Get more of Christian's urban regulation, development, and zoning coverage.

Email(Required)

Last month, the City Council of Perth Amboy voted that Meerzon and Romero's properties were not, in fact, comfortable homes or a successful business, but are rather blighted hazards.

Because their two buildings are too close together, too close to the street, and have some (since-collected) litter and stray cats in the backyard, the city says it is now entitled to take the properties.

Meerzon and Romero strongly object to the idea that their properties are in any way blighted. They argue that the city's report claiming otherwise is riddled with erroneous complaints and fatal factual errors.

Nevertheless, the city has moved forward with seizing their properties, which sit right on the edge of a massive city-facilitated warehouse project.

Both property owners now face a looming deadline at the end of May to file a lawsuit challenging the seizure.

"They refuse to answer our calls. They refuse to answer any of our lawyers," says Meerzon. "They're waiting for us to go to superior court to monetarily drain us until we have no choice but to take whatever they offer us."

Neither Perth Amboy's mayor nor any members of the City Council responded to Reason's request for comment.

Both Meerzon and Romero see a dark irony in their properties being seized by the city, given their family's backgrounds.

"[My parents] said this is the only way you get on your feet. You have to take a risk, you have to make an investment, you have to leave a legacy for your children," Meerzon tells Reason. "This is what happens to the legacy they dreamt of having coming here."

"The reason [my parents] left Cuba is the system how it was, they just come to your home, say 'we want this property. You have to get out,'" says Romero. "Here it's done legally."

Read the entire story here.

The White House Proposes Steep Cuts to HUD

The Trump White House's budget proposal released earlier this month proposes steep cuts to federal housing programs. The administration is asking for a 44 percent cut to current funding levels for the next fiscal year, according to an analysis from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

The $26 billion in proposed cuts would significantly reduce funding for rental assistance programs administered by HUD.

It would also zero out funding for the Community Development Block Grant program and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program.

Also on the chopping block is the Pathways to Removing Obstacles (PRO) to Housing program (a.k.a. "baby YIMBY grants") that was intended to reward cities for reforming their zoning codes. Read some of Reason's criticism of that program, and its poorly targeted grant awards, here and here.

Baltimore Takes Up Zoning Reform

On Monday, Baltimore City Council members introduced a package of bills to allow more homes on less land.

The proposed reforms, which have the backing of Mayor Brandon Scott, would allow between two and four homes on land currently zoned for single-family units, permit taller single-stair buildings, and eliminate off-street parking requirements, reports The Baltimore Banner.

"Nothing stands more clearly in our way than our own laws of prohibition and division," said Councilman Ryan Dorsey at a Monday news conference announcing the reforms, per the Banner. "The bills being introduced today are the first, modest step to correcting course."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Proposes Encampment Crackdown

On Monday, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom urged cities and counties to adopt a model ordinance targeting homeless encampments written by his office.

The model ordinance would prohibit "persistent camping" in a single location and camping on sidewalks. It would require that local governments "provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter prior to clearing an encampment."

The Supreme Court's 2024 Grants Pass decision gave local governments more freedom to clear encampments and cite the homeless for sleeping in public, even when there are no local shelter beds available.

The release of the model ordinance was accompanied by the governor's release of $3.3 billion in voter-approved funding for supportive housing and treatment programs.

Local governments in California are complaining that the governor is blaming them for inaction on homelessness while not providing them with enough funding to address the problem, reports the Associated Press. Advocates for the homeless argue that encampment clearances are punitive and merely separate the homeless from social service providers.

Quick Links

Spotted some YIMBY propaganda in the Meridian Hill park bathrooms pic.twitter.com/NYBcVLzSGO

— Christian Britschgi (@christianbrits) May 12, 2025

A house in Perth Amboy that sold for $825,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Perth Amboy area between May 5 and May 18.

In total, 12 residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past two weeks, with an average price of $517,863. The average price per square foot was $286.

The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded from the week of May 5 to the week of May 18 even if the property may have been sold earlier.

10. $400K, single-family house at 639 Elizabeth Street

The sale of the single-family house at 639 Elizabeth Street in Perth Amboy has been finalized. The price was $400,000, and the new owners took over the house in April. It was built in 1929 and has a living area of 963 square feet. The price per square foot was $415. The deal was finalized on April 28.

9. $413K, single-family home at 44 Erin Ave.

A sale has been finalized for the detached house at 44 Erin Ave. in Perth Amboy. The price was $412,500 and the new owners took over the house in April. It was built in 1915 and the living area totals 1,575 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $262. The deal was finalized on April 23.

8. $439K, single-family residence at 210 First Street

A 1,456-square-foot detached house at 210 First Street, Perth Amboy, has been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in April and the total purchase price was $438,600, $301 per square foot. The house was built in 1896. The deal was finalized on April 29.

7. $445K, condominium at 806 Holly Drive

The sale of a condominium at 806 Holly Drive, Perth Amboy, has been finalized. The price was $445,000, and the new owners took over the condominium in April. The condominium was built in 1993 and has a living area of 1,578 square feet. The price per square foot was $282. The deal was finalized on April 21.

6. $450K, single-family home at 283 Silzer Street

A 1,296-square-foot single-family home at 283 Silzer Street in Perth Amboy has been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in April and the total purchase price was $450,000, $347 per square foot. The house was built in 1919. The deal was finalized on April 16.

5. $570K, single-family residence at 775 Central Place

The property at 775 Central Place in Perth Amboy has new owners. The price was $570,000. The house was built in 1890 and has a living area of 1,520 square feet. The price per square foot is $375. The deal was finalized on April 21.

4. $610K, single-family house at 64 Commerce Street

The property at 64 Commerce Street in Perth Amboy has new owners. The price was $610,000. The single-family residence was built in 1899 and has a living area of 2,426 square feet. The price per square foot is $251. The deal was finalized on April 28.

3. $700K, single-family home at 447 Smith Street

The sale of the single-family residence at 447 Smith Street, Perth Amboy, has been finalized. The price was $700,000, and the property changed hands in April. The property was built in 1955 and has a living area of 1,800 square feet. The price per square foot was $389. The deal was finalized on April 22.

2. $740K, single-family house at 46 Coddington Ave.

A 2,439-square-foot single-family residence at 46 Coddington Ave. in Perth Amboy has been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in April and the total purchase price was $740,000, $303 per square foot. The house was built in 2022. The deal was finalized on April 22.

1. $825K, single-family residence at 624 Colgate Ave.

The property at 624 Colgate Ave. in Perth Amboy has new owners. The price was $825,000. The house was built in 1944 and has a living area of 2,912 square feet. The price per square foot is $283. The deal was finalized on April 29.

Real Estate Newswire is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to generate analysis of data from Propmix, an aggregator of national real-estate data.

The Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency is moving forward with a plan to overhaul the city’s Department of Public Works facility on Fayette Street via a public-private partnership with a redeveloper.

The project was prompted by an administrative consent order from the state Department of Environmental Protection requiring the city to remediate a municipal landfill that was closed in 1974. The landfill is on the 20-acre DPW site. The city agreed to complete the investigation and remediation by May 7, 2027.

Under the plan, Marmont Perth Amboy LLC will remediate the landfill on the Fayette Street property and, with city and state approval, use the clean parcel to build a 205,000-square-foot cold storage facility. Remediation work is expected to begin in the fall.

To make way for access to the property for commercial use, the redeveloper must relocate buildings on the DPW property, many of which have fallen into disrepair. The redeveloper will:

Perth Amboy would then generate payments in lieu of taxes from the redeveloper for the cold storage facility.

“This is a classic example of turning trash into cash,” said Perth Amboy Mayor Helmin Caba. “We will generate new revenue, while replacing municipal buildings that are outdated and, in some cases, dilapidated. This is a tremendous win for city taxpayers.”

As part of the plan, just under an acre of green space in the abutting Keasbey section of Woodbridge Township has been incorporated for site access. Woodbridge has agreed to allow Perth Amboy to annex the parcel to make the redevelopment plan a reality.

“We have a terrific relationship with Mayor Caba and his team in the City of Perth Amboy,” said Woodbridge Mayor John E. McCormac. “We are working together on a number of redevelopment projects at our common borders so if we can help them in any way we certainly will. Local governments should work together like this.”

According to Grand View Research, a market research and consulting company based in San Francisco, the U.S. cold storage market size was valued at $36.91 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.3% from 2023 to 2030.

Growth can be attributed to technological advancements in packaging, processing, and storage of perishable food products and temperature-sensitive items that maximize efficiency and reduce costs. Cold storage operators across the supply chain are investing in urban and suburban micro-fulfillment centers to meet the demand for speed and quality.

A house in Perth Amboy that sold for $680,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Perth Amboy area between April 7 and April 20.

In total, 12 residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past two weeks, with an average price of $438,917, or $258 per square foot.

The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded from the week of April 7 to the week of April 20 even if the property may have been sold earlier.

10. $335K, single-family home at 153 Chauncey Street

The sale of the single-family house at 153 Chauncey Street, Perth Amboy, has been finalized. The price was $335,000, and the house changed hands in March. The house was built in 1909 and has a living area of 1,336 square feet. The price per square foot was $251. The deal was finalized on March 21.

9. $349K, single-family residence at 335 Florida Grove Road

The sale of the single family residence at 335 Florida Grove Road in Perth Amboy has been finalized. The price was $349,000, and the new owners took over the house in March. The house was built in 1906 and has a living area of 2,712 square feet. The price per square foot was $129. The deal was finalized on March 27.

8. $355K, single-family house at 526 Hartford Street

The 1,378 square-foot detached house at 526 Hartford Street in Perth Amboy has been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in April and the total purchase price was $355,000, $258 per square foot. The house was built in 1919. The deal was finalized on April 1.

7. $362K, single-family home at 556 Amboy Ave.

A sale has been finalized for the single-family residence at 556 Amboy Ave. in Perth Amboy. The price was $362,000 and the new owners took over the house in March. The house was built in 1929 and the living area totals 1,554 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $233. The deal was finalized on March 20.

6. $490K, single-family house at 38 Laurel Street

The property at 38 Laurel Street in Perth Amboy has new owners. The price was $490,000. The house was built in 1947 and has a living area of 1,152 square feet. The price per square foot is $425. The deal was finalized on March 20.

5. $551K, single-family residence at 169 Hall Ave.

The 3,300 square-foot single-family residence at 169 Hall Ave., Perth Amboy, has been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in April and the total purchase price was $551,000, $167 per square foot. The house was built in 1910. The deal was finalized on April 1.

4. $575K, single-family home at 219 First Street

The property at 219 First Street in Perth Amboy has new owners. The price was $575,000. The house was built in 1911 and has a living area of 1,620 square feet. The price per square foot is $355. The deal was finalized on April 1.

3. $575K, single-family residence at 881 Rowson Ave.

The sale of the detached house at 881 Rowson Ave., Perth Amboy, has been finalized. The price was $575,000, and the new owners took over the house in March. The house was built in 1969 and has a living area of 1,692 square feet. The price per square foot was $340. The deal was finalized on March 20.

2. $650K, single-family house at 376 Park Ave.

The property at 376 Park Ave. in Perth Amboy has new owners. The price was $650,000. The house was built in 1899 and has a living area of 1,568 square feet. The price per square foot is $415. The deal was finalized on March 20.

1. $680K, single-family house at 372 Ridgeley Street

The sale of the single family residence at 372 Ridgeley Street in Perth Amboy has been finalized. The price was $680,000, and the new owners took over the house in March. The house was built in 1974 and has a living area of 2,520 square feet. The price per square foot was $270. The deal was finalized on March 25.

Real Estate Newswire is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to generate analysis of data from Propmix, an aggregator of national real-estate data.

Josh Rosenfeld

Correspondent

SOUTH AMBOY — The South Brunswick High School softball team entered the NJSIAA Central Group 4 opening-round clash with Perth Amboy on Thursday, May 29, as an underdog by seeding only.

After all, the Vikings had pinned a five-inning,11-run setback on Perth Amboy just last week and any sense of home-field advantage was abandoned when the fixture was moved to the artificial turf of South Amboy.

The seventh-seeded Panthers (13-10) scratched out runs in the first and second innings but 10th-seeded South Brunswick (9-14) took the lead with a three-run third inning, expanded its cushion in the fourth and sixth, before capitalizing on three errors to break the game open with a six-run seventh that handed it a 12-4 triumph.

South Brunswick will travel to second-seeded East Brunswick in the sectional quarterfinals at noon Friday. The Bears have won two of three meetings between the two, although it was the Vikings that halted East Brunswick’s 12-0 start with a 5-4, 10-inning decision on May 1.

South Brunswick squandered a golden opportunity in the first inning as its first two batters walked and Perth Amboy intentionally walked slugger Amanda Buttitta to load the bases, but came away empty.

“Kudos to them, they came out ready to play, and we knew it,” South Brunswick coach Heather Wells said of her opponent. “We had to try and match their energy. These kids understand that when we get behind, we have to chip away. When we’re feeling like we’re down we just have to make one move at a time and not think too far in advance.”

The Panthers scratched out a run in the first as Edith Luciano walked with two out and scored on a single up the middle by Nicole Cepeda. Perth Amboy added another in the second as Jaslyn Collado walked and scored on Edith Luciano’s single up the middle, but not before to Kaitlyn Trela relieved Buttitta in the circle.

“Katie came in and had a nice, cool head and Amanda had a tough day today,” said Wells. “She came in nice, cool and picked her up. Amanda was nothing but gracious giving her the ball. Katie’s been ready to go every time I’ve used her the past few weeks so she stepped up ready to go, no hesitation. She did a great job today.”

Trela, South Brunswick’s No. 2 hurler, pitched all six innings of last week’s victory and was familiar with Perth Amboy’s formidable lineup. The junior took control of the contest, yielding four hits and two walks, one intentional, while striking out nine over the final 5 2/3 frames.

“I kind of knew what to expect in terms of the batters, I knew who to throw to and where based on what I saw last time,” Trela explained. “I really just got a lot of calls from the ump. I was hitting my spots consistently and he was calling the strikes and I got the outs.”

The Vikings took the lead for good by striking for three runs in the third on a run-scoring double by Gianna Lagomarsino and a two-run triple by Emma Galella.

Trela retired seven in a row before Izabella Pardo led off the fifth with home run to right on a misplayed fly ball. Perth Amboy’s only other run off of her came in the seventh when Kiarelys Santiago bunted for a single and came all three way around to score on a throwing error.

South Brunswick meanwhile sprinkled in runs, scoring on a wild pitch in the fourth. Trela singled and scored from second on a botched fielder’s choice in the sixth, while Trela, Gracie Jairdullo and Galella each singled in a run as the Vikings took advantage of three Perth Amboy errors in the seventh to increase the margin to 12-3.

The loss ends a terrific season for Perth Amboy, which captured the GMC Blue Division title and had an eight-game winning during one stretch.

“It’s an honor, it shows what hard work and dedication is for these girls,” Perth Amboy coach Patricia Bennett stated. “We wouldn’t be champs if these girls didn’t practice all year long. They’re doing the extra work because they want a future in softball. Having that is a blessing.”

South Brunswick faces a quick turn-around with Friday’s noon start at East Brunswick. Wells assures there’ll be ready.

“It’s fun, we’ll leave school tomorrow early, the kids are excited,” Wells offered. “You have to leave everything on the field, there’s nothing left. If we do that tomorrow, regardless of what the score is, we’re going to be happy. You have to leave everything out there.”