Breaking news
FBW challenges state approval for high-rise towers on Hoboken pier
Mayor Zimmer is opposed to it. So is the Hoboken City Council. The neighborhood residents are up in arms over the development scheme. The Fund for a Better Waterfront (FBW) voiced its objections as did trustees at the Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy. Yet on December 2, 2011, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) granted a waterfront permit to the Shipyard Associates to build two 11-story towers on a pier at Hoboken’s north waterfront, a project dubbed the Monarch.(January 9, 2012) Read story.
Planning principles
Public vs. Private
The measure of success for a waterfront is that it unquestionably feels public. When at the water’s edge, there should be no question that you are in a public space – a public park. This public vs. private dynamic has played out dramatically along the Hudson River Waterfront. Where municipalities along the Hudson River Waterfront failed to map the public street system, developers built private enclaves right at the water’s edge — complete with guardhouses, fences and gates. Although the State of New Jersey requires developers to build their portion of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, it is often hidden behind gates, difficult to get to, and does not feel like a public park. Read story.
Take action
Kill the Monarch: Hudson County Planning Board Hearing
Please attend the Hudson County Planning Board hearing: continuance date to be announced shortly. The Board will rule on an application by the Shipyard Associates to build two eleven-story towers on a Hoboken pier. The County Board has jurisdiction on traffic and drainage impacts of an application. The Board also examines the application for consistency with the County Master Plan. The meeting will take place at 6:30 P.M. on the 3rd floor at 567 Pavonia Avenue in Jersey City.Read more.
From the archives
Victory for Hoboken Campaign to Stop Pier Development
The Shipyard Associates officially withdrew their proposal to build 120 luxury residential units on the North Pier in a letter dated December 19, 2000. The developer’s attorney, Ira Karasick, sent this letter to the Hoboken Planning Board citing concerns of Planning Board members and the community as contributing to their decision. The withdrawal of this development application represents a major victory for the Coalition for a Better Waterfront, Quality of Life Coalition and scores of Hoboken residents who waged a six-month long campaign to defeat pier development proposed for Hoboken’s waterfront. Read more.