The City of Hoboken paved the way for high-rise development on the Stevens campus with its 2018 rezoning
FBW | June 24, 2026
n 2018, the City of Hoboken approved a substantial overhaul of the zoning code governing the Stevens Institute of Technology campus. A new “Edge Sub-Area,” extending along the eastern edge of campus from the Howe Center to the corner of Fifth Street and Sinatra Drive, permitted high-rise development east of Wittpenn Walk. This rezoning enabled the replacement of older, low-rise structures, including Hayden Hall, the Jacobus Student Center, and Davis Hall.
With the zoning’s new standards, Stevens completed a 392,000-square-foot project in 2022. The development includes two residential towers—19 and 21 stories tall—housing 930 undergraduate students, along with a three-story University Center Complex at their base.
On June 9, 2026, the Planning Board approved Stevens’ application of a new 13-story, 238,000-square-foot building to replace the existing four-story Davis Hall dormitory at the southern end of Wittpenn Walk (just north of Sixth Street). The lower floors of the new building will house classrooms and laboratories, while the upper six floors will provide 457 dormitory beds. The Board voted to approve the project following a two-hour hearing held at the conclusion of a special meeting. A resolution to memorialize the decision may be considered at the Board’s next meeting on July 7.
During the 2018 rezoning process, the Fund for a Better Waterfront (FBW) urged Mayor Bhalla and the City Council to include Stevens’ waterfront parcels—currently a surface parking lot and the Griffith Building, a small maintenance facility—in the rezoning plan. FBW proposed that, in exchange for increased development rights on campus, these parcels be designated as open space, completing the final link in Hoboken’s envisioned continuous public waterfront park. The City rejected FBW’s proposal, thus squandering a unique opportunity.
The 2018 zoning amendments also require Stevens to submit an annual Parking and Transportation Demand Management Report (TDM) each November to the City’s Director of Community Development, Planning Board, and Zoning Officer. Rather than requiring project-specific traffic studies, the TDM report evaluates parking supply and transportation demand strategies across the campus. Its goal is to reduce parking demand and mitigate traffic impacts on surrounding streets.
According to the most recent report dated November 2025, Stevens has a campus population of 9,682 and maintains 893 parking spaces. Major parking facilities include the Babbio Garage (431 spaces), Eighth Street Lot (134), and River Lot (175). The zoning code requires that the number of parking spaces be at least 0.8 times the number of parking permits issued.
To reduce parking demand, Stevens has implemented a number of measures. Faculty, staff, and non-resident students may apply for parking permits only if they live outside Hoboken, while city and campus residents are generally ineligible, with limited exceptions. The university operates an on-demand shuttle system operated by Via, offers free permits for carpooling employees, promotes the Hoboken Citi Bike program, and provides incentives for transit use.
The Stevens campus is bounded by Hudson Street to the west and Castle Point Terrace to the north, an area known for some of Hoboken’s most prominent single-family homes. Accordingly, the 2018 zoning limits height and density near these residential areas.
However, not all campus projects have proceeded smoothly. In February 2025, Stevens’ proposal to rebuild its tennis courts at the northern end of campus drew fierce opposition from nearby residents at Castle Point Terrace. Alarmed by the proposed flood lights and night-time tennis, adjoining property owners hired an attorney to challenge the project. Eight Planning Board hearings dragged on from April through November 2025. Ultimately, a settlement was reached in which Stevens agreed to remove the lighting and make other concessions.
In contrast, the June 9 Planning Board hearing for the new Davis Hall lasted just two hours, featured only three expert witnesses, and drew little public attention.
FBW has long criticized the Stevens surface parking lot on the river side of Sinatra Drive as a blight on the waterfront. Since 2000, FBW has supported a development plan for the corner of Fifth Street and Sinatra Drive—on the same block as McLean Hall and the Babbio Center—that would relocate the surface parking into an expanded Babbio Garage. This approach aligns with FBW’s broader goal of preserving the waterfront as continuous public open space while allowing private development on upland blocks west of Sinatra Drive.
