Dear friends and neighbors:
This is one of those times where I am begging you to attend a community meeting tomorrow (Thursday, 3/14) night at 7pm.
- Topic – Redevelopment Plan for the North End of Hoboken
- Location – Wallace School Cafeteria
Why should you attend? If your answer is “no” to any of the following questions:
- Do you want longer bus lines in the morning?
- Do you want a more crowded platform at the PATH station in the morning?
- Do you want more shuttles dropping off and lining up near the PATH?
- Do you want more kids on every recreational sports team so each child has less playing time?
- Do you want more cars leaving Hoboken when you do?
- Do you want a longer waiting list for Hoboken’s pre-k program?
- Do you want higher taxes?
The North end is a blank canvas currently zoned low rise (4 story, 80 feet) commercial and industrial. If the development community had their way, they would see it up-zoned to high-rise residential to maximize their profit and minimize development risk. Preliminary ideas we have seen suggest this and the possibility of a couple thousand residential units. There is nothing wrong with them wanting to do this or wanting to make a profit.
But we need to make sure that whatever is developed in that area works for Hoboken. And right what we know is that all of our core systems are at capacity:
- Our schools are in a facilities crisis with record increases in enrollment in lower grades that are working their way to upper grades.
- Port Authority is at capacity with long lines for the 126 bus, especially uptown.
- The uptown ferries now are close to capacity with long lines that sometimes get cut off at the 8:20 and 8:40 routes.
- The PATH train is at capacity and we share this capacity with Jersey City which is growing faster than we are (so we may lose capacity to them).
- And getting out of Hoboken by car via the north or south end is already nearly impossible, with massive development in each JC, Union City and Weehawken going to restrict us even further.
- We do not have enough field space to support the recreational needs for the growing number of children.
Additionally, we are a bedroom community and we lack a day time population to support our local businesses and adding more people who leave Hoboken during the day won’t solve this.
So come out tomorrow night and be the voice for our community. Provide a necessary balance to the discussion and tell the planners and your representatives that you are concerned that massive residential development may significantly, negatively impact the quality of life of residents today, and in the future. And that we need to make sure that any development will contribute to our local economy, will address transportation concerns, will contribute to and diversify our tax base, and will support the needs of our community.
For those reading this who have never been to one of these… you are not being represented. Simply put. I applaud all of the people who go – but I think we all agree it is often many of the same faces at each meeting and we need more and new faces. Who is significantly under-represented? Parents of young children and those of you who complain about long bus lines. I know you are all busy, but please find the time to come.
Sorry for rushing this out but there is a lot going on and I am running to my Revenue, Budget and Infrastructure subcommittee meeting that I Chair right now to review the first draft of our municipal budget that is being introduced next week.
Please come tomorrow (Thursday) night!
Please forward this to EVERYONE you think may be interested and feel free to reach out via email, text or phone (201-208-1674) about this or anything else important to you.
Best wishes,
TiffanieFisher
Hoboken City Council, 2nd Ward
Engage. Inform. Advocate.
“More Voices are Better”
