Betterwaterfront archives.
Help us continue over 3 decades of advocacy by including FBW in your year-end giving.
Fund for a Better Waterfront (FBW) was founded on the belief that the waterfront belongs to the people. For the last thirty years, we have been dedicated to our vision of a contiguous public park along the Hudson River. We have achieved a large portion of that goal in Hoboken and are dedicated to [...]
Connect the Waterfront 2023 – Sponsorship Opportunities
The Fund for a Better Waterfront depends on the funds we raise at our one big annual fundraising party - CONNECT THE WATERFRONT - each year. Sponsoring the event is a great way to support our work, promote your company, and show your customers your strong commitment to the community. The event, which features [...]
Hoboken Rail Yard redevelopment plans that failed to materialize
1999 John J. McMullen, the owner of the New Jersey Devils hockey team, sought to obtain the air rights over the Hoboken rail yard to build a 3.3 million square foot complex containing a 18,500 seat arena. 2008 Hoboken Mayor David Roberts hired Fox Fowle (later renamed fxcollaborative) [...]
Connect the Waterfront Tickets (private access only)
Your tickets will not be mailed to you. Your name will be on a list at the door. If you prefer not to attend our event in person, you can make a donation instead by clicking on this text. This year’s theme, The Final Stretch, is [...]
Celebrating 30 years: FBW Milestones
Celebrating 30 years: FBW Milestones 2017-2020 FBW works with the City of Hoboken and local groups to secure Union Dry Dock for an additional three acres of the riverfront park, fighting off attempts to make it a ferry refueling/repair depot. 2011-2020 FBW, the City of Hoboken and neighborhood residents [...]
Councilwoman-At-Large Jabbour at the September 4th, 2019 City Council meeting.
Councilwoman Emily Jabbour on why it's important to give the City of Hoboken the tools it needs for the creation of a fully connected public park on Hoboken's waterfront. More videos
Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher at the September 4th, 2019 City Council meeting.
Tiffanie Fisher, Councilwoman for Hoboken's 2nd ward, speaks about her vote to give the City of Hoboken the authority to acquire Union Dry Dock as a public park. More videos
Michael Russo, Hoboken Councilman, 3rd Ward, at the City Council meeting September 4, 2019.
Councilman Russo speaks about why he voted to give the City of Hoboken the authority to acquire Union Dry Dock as a public park, and why he has long supported the vision of a fully connected public park along Hoboken's waterfront. More videos
Hoboken resident Tina Hahn addressing the Hoboken City Council 8/2019: “NY Waterway knew Hoboken’s plans”
Hoboken resident Tina Hahn addressing the Hoboken City Council 8/2019: "NY Waterway knew Hoboken's plans for the waterfront."
Attorney David White debunks NY Waterway talking points
Attorney David White, an FBW Board member, addresses the Hoboken City Council on August 7, 2019 regarding ordinance to acquire Union Dry Dock. More videos
The Legacy of Central Park: How Downing, Vaux and Olmsted Set the Standard for American Parks
Olmsted & Vaux original design for Central Park FBW | August 30, 2018 It is hard to imagine what New York City would be like without Central Park. The enormity of the vision that created Central Park profoundly changed the nature of Manhattan and development of urban parks across [...]
2009 NJ Transit study identifies 5 sites more suitable for ferry facility than Union Dry Dock
FBW | May 15, 2018 NJ Transit has repeatedly sought to acquire the prime real estate at Hoboken’s north waterfront -- the Union Dry Dock site -- for a ferry maintenance facility. This state agency first attempted this in 2012 but backed down after fierce opposition from the community [...]
Photos from the April 20, 2018 Rally to Protect our Waterfront
Rally held at Maxwell Place Park in Hoboken to protest proposed NY Waterway diesel depot at former Union Dry Dock site Children leading the charge to protect their playgrounds from being polluted with dieselfumes. Mayor Ravi Bhalla who organized the event being interviewed by the press. Noelle Thurlow, the head [...]
Master Plans, Official Maps and “Paper Streets”
Detail from the Commissioner's Plan of 1811 for Manhattan. This plan was laid out over a hundred years before the last parcels were developed at the northern end of the island. This article is an excerpt from Reclaiming the Waterfront, A Planning Guide for Waterfront Municipalities published by the Fund for a Better Waterfront [...]
The Mapping of Urban America
Map of the City of Hoboken from the late 1800s showing the expansion of Col. John Stevens original street grid for Hoboken of 1804. This article is an excerpt from Reclaiming the Waterfront, A Planning Guide for Waterfront Municipalities published by the Fund for a Better Waterfront in August 1996. [...]
The Public Trust Doctrine
Excerpt from Putting the Public Trust Doctrine to Work, Coastal States Organization. In 1820, a New Jersey man was collecting oysters along the shores when he was challenged as a trespasser by the upland property owner. The dispute reached the New Jersey Supreme Court, where a justice expressed surprise [...]
The decline of public planning
Excerpt from Reclaiming the Waterfront - A Planning Guide for Waterfront Municipalities by the Fund for a Better Waterfront, Craig Whitaker contributing author, published August 1996. After the Second World War, many Americans left the city for the suburbs. For much of this suburban development, municipal land planning functions have been [...]