FBW | January 14, 2026

Dear Editor: 

In 2000, Hoboken’s population was 38,577. By 2020, it had grown to over 60,000, a 57% increase! Hoboken remains one of the most densely populated cities in the country. This growth and density has presented many challenges as well as opportunities. This week, Emily Jabbour will be sworn in as Hoboken’s new mayor, and we look forward to her promise of working with all to make our community a better place.

From its inception in 1990, Fund for a Better Waterfront (FBW) has worked with an exceptional team of professionals: planners, architects, attorneys, engineers and landscape architects. We have six recommendations concerning Hoboken’s future development based on their sage advice and guidance.  

  1. Start with a Plan – Our 1990 Plan for the Hoboken Waterfront has profoundly shaped the development of Hoboken’s waterfront, including open space at the water’s edge that clearly belongs to the public. Front doors and windows face the street and the waterfront park. Following this plan has led to the creation of lively streetscapes and development that respects the scale and historic character of the town. The best thinking in urban planning and design should guide us as our city continues to grow. The failure of other waterfront municipalities to our north and south to establish plans before allowing residential and commercial projects to move forward has led to poorly conceived, often chaotic development.
  2. Emulate Hoboken’s character – Hoboken is an urban village that has largely preserved its turn of the 20th century character. This is what has made this town such a desirable place in which to live, work and visit. Future development should be viewed as an extension of this “village” ambience and neighborhood character.  There are far too many examples in our region of poorly planned projects that are largely developer-driven. But the City has the opportunity to hire urban planners who know how to establish plans that, in effect, create new neighborhoods on an appropriate scale. Hoboken needs to embrace the professional expertise that will help us achieve these goals. FBW’s Plan for Lower Hudson Street (posted on our website: betterwaterfront.org) provides a recent example of a comprehensive plan that respects the surrounding scale and character of that neighborhood.
  3. Make Hoboken more affordable – Since 1988, the City of Hoboken has required development projects of ten units or more to set aside 10% of the units for low and moderate households. To address the affordable housing crisis, the City should consider City-wide measures that could be implemented in the near future. (Redevelopment plans in Hoboken typically take 12 or more years to be built). The 10% provision is the minimum level that most New Jersey municipalities require. A number of municipalities have set the percentage of affordable units higher, some as high as 20%, including Jersey City, Newark, Princeton and Montville Township. The City also needs to prevent further tax increases that have made Hoboken less affordable to both tenants and home owners.
  4. Create open space that is clearly public – For the past 35 years, FBW has advocated for a fully connected public waterfront, a goal that is now within reach. The principles that have made Hoboken’s waterfront park successful need to be applied elsewhere. Sinatra Drive provides a clear delineation between the public space along the waterfront and the private development on upland blocks. The best parks are bounded by public streets. The development that surrounds our public spaces is equally important as the open space itself. Attempting to create public open space on private property, even with public easements, is problematic. Attempts to privatize or monetize parts of our public parks should be avoided at all costs.
  5. Develop a comprehensive, city-wide parking strategy – All five existing municipal garages are coming to the end of their useful lives. Before garages are taken out of service, the City should build new municipal garages at the south and north ends of town, capturing cars before they spill onto Hoboken streets. 70% of Hoboken’s municipal garage capacity exists on lower Hudson Street. (In the six-block area between Hudson, Sinatra, First and Fourth Streets there are 1,805 spaces in the three municipal garages and another 1,890 in privately managed garages.) Shifting several garages to the perimeter of town, with shuttle service provided, would encourage a more transit-oriented development with lowered parking requirements near Hoboken’s regional mass-transit hub.  
  6. Increase Hoboken’s canopy tree coverage – According to Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer, 13% of Hoboken is covered by its tree canopy. The U.S. average canopy coverage for urban areas is 27%. Canopy tree coverage provides many practical and aesthetic benefits including as a flood mitigation measure. A single, mature London plane tree (there are several hundred at Hoboken’s South Waterfront) can intercept 3,000 gallons of stormwater annually. The extensive root system of large trees also assists in rainwater infiltration. The City has missed many opportunities to expand its tree canopy coverage in its new public parks. The current redevelopment of Warrington Plaza and Hudson Place includes few shade trees.  

Ron Hine
Executive Director, Fund for a Better Waterfront

What You Can do to Support FBW

Share this story (Choose your platform below)
Subscribe to Our Bi-Monthly Newsletter
Contact Us — Your thoughts & ideas are important to us
Make a Donation Today!

Related Links

Plan for the Hoboken Waterfront
A Plan for Lower Hudson Street
Is a 25-story development project appropriate for the Garage B site?
As climate change heats up our planet, Hoboken falls short on its tree canopy coverage
What is the key to Hoboken’s success as a vibrant urban community?
Seeing Hoboken through Jane Jacobs’ eyes
Active streetscapes are the key to successful urban neighborhoods