The City of Hoboken keeps the public in the dark concerning development proposals for the Garage B site

FBW | July 21, 2025

New Jersey has enacted laws to give the public confidence that municipal contracts are awarded fairly, based on objective criteria, and in plain view of the public, minimizing opportunities for corruption or undue influence. The City of Hoboken, however, has refused to share with the public information concerning the five proposals that it received to develop the Garage B Redevelopment Area. At its July 9 meeting, after the City had opened and evaluated sealed bids, the City Council considered a resolution that would allow the City to negotiate an agreement with Skylight Real Estate Partners — for them to be designated the redeveloper of the garage site located between Hudson and River Streets south of Second Street.

After this resolution was published in the July 9 agenda package, the Fund for a Better Waterfront (FBW) filed an OPRA request seeking the proposal submitted by Skylight. On July 14, the City denied FBW’s request. Subsequently, FBW filed an appeal with the New Jersey Government Records Council based on Local Public Contracts Law (LPCL, N.J.S.A. 40A:11-1 et seq.) that requires the bidding process to be transparent and open for public inspection. 

Several members of the City Council also expressed frustration that the administration had not shared details about the Skylight proposal and the competing bids. Council members also felt that the process was being rushed and needed time for due deliberation. At the July 9 meeting, the Council voted to “carry” the resolution to its August meeting. 

From its inception, FBW has been involved in city planning and development issues. As a result, the organization criticized the City’s proposal to allow building heights up to 250 feet (roughly 25 stories) in the Garage B Redevelopment Plan. These heights are incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood, including historic 3 to 5-story structures and newer buildings along the waterfront that are limited to 125 feet in height, except for the W Hotel. The 125 foot standard at the waterfront was the result of a vigorous public debate and two referenda in the 1990s about how Hoboken’s waterfront should be developed. FBW played a central, influential role in that debate. 

Garage B, the largest parking structure in Hoboken, was a product of a misguided urban renewal effort of the 1960s that resulted in the wholesale demolition of the 3 blocks between Hudson & River from First to Fourth Streets. Hoboken is known for its lively streetscapes. Garage B and the other Marineview buildings on these blocks have had the opposite effect, deadening the streetscapes with blank walls and building setbacks. The building heights for Marineview Towers was a radical departure from Hoboken’s historic low-rise row buildings. The upcoming  redevelopment of this area is an opportunity to correct these problems. But the Redevelopment Plan adopted by the City last March failed to establish a clear vision, leaving it up to developers to provide a plan.

According to its website, between November 2021 and October 2022, Skylight Real Estate Partners acquired the following multi-unit properties: The Riello and Infinity both in Edgewater, Hudson Lights in Fort Lee, Everly in Roseland and Grand Adams in Hoboken. Due to a lack of development experience in New Jersey, Skylight brought in Russell Tepper (formerly of Mill Creek Residential Trust and Matrix Development Group) as a partner in March, just four months ago.