City Still Grappling With Hoboken Yard Development Plan

HOBOKEN, NJ — What will the future hold for one of Hoboken’s most attractive commercial areas? That’s the question officials and residents will grapple with next week at a public meeting on the high-profile Hoboken Yard redevelopment plan.

The plan, previously approved by the City Council in 2014 after a long history of public involvement, may bring a pair of new high-rise buildings to the area near Hoboken Terminal and Observer Highway, as well as improvements to Warrington Plaza and a portion of the terminal.

However, the plan has recently seen several proposed alterations yet again, prompting calls for renewed public hearings.

• See related article: Debate Intensifies Over Hoboken Yard Plan, Proposed High-Rises

Those possible changes include an amendment that some city officials have said will result in less overall development and fewer residential units for the area. The proposed amendment also recognizes the proposed location of the Rebuild by Design flood protection structure, which will lie within the redevelopment area.

Other changes may now include clauses that would designate 20 percent of all new residential units constructed as part of the project as affordable housing units, and bring a “European-style market” to the train terminal, according to a joint statement from council members Mike DeFusco and Vanessa Falco (see more details below).

On Monday, Nov. 25, NJ Transit, which owns much of the property in the redevelopment area, and LCOR, the designated developer, will hold an open house/information session in the waiting room at Hoboken Terminal. Several Hoboken officials – including council members Tiffanie Fisher and Peter Cunningham – have been urging community members to attend.

Representatives from NJ Transit and LCOR, as well as select professional services firms, will be available from 6 to 8 p.m. to discuss proposed changes to the plan.

• See the proposed redevelopment plan
• See the traffic study review for the plan

Councilwoman Fisher – who has questioned claims that the revised plan will mean “less development” – recently wrote that the Hoboken Yard project was the issue that originally inspired her to think about running for office.

“I sat in the audience in late 2014 when the City Council approved the current plan for the Railyards,” Fisher recalled. “You could tell there was a lot of thought put into the plan, including putting commercial uses close to the PATH terminal and residential further away, but it was obvious the city did not have the benefit of as experienced advisers as NJ Transit and LCOR had.”

According to Fisher, the revised proposal that was passed on first reading by the City Council in September includes:

• Bulk & Design Requirements - “Includes language that provides city control over design, setbacks, etc. – to be addressed in the redevelopment agreement and site plan application. Requires a shadow study be completed as part of redevelopment agreement and site plan process. Minor modification of language regarding the Clock Tower view corridor: removed the word ‘parts’ in reference to Observer Highway. Limits multi-family uses to Site 2 only.”
• Future Potential Development - “To address concerns regarding the intent of this section, the name of this district that had included approximately 1 million square feet of future buildings has been changed to ‘RBD/ NJT Constrained Area – No Build Zone.’ Buildable square footage references have been eliminated. Uses are limited to open space uses (active or passive park, walking trails, public art space, etc.)
• Sustainable Design & Flood Resiliency – “Replaced ‘construction of a minimum LEED certified’ with ‘construction of minimum LEED Silver.’”
• Variance Relief – “Removed the language that allowed the Planning Board (instead of the City Council) to grant future variances.”

According to an email from Hoboken Councilwoman Jen Giattino, the planning board will be reviewing the amended LCOR redevelopment plan on Tuesday, Dec. 3. It will be their responsibility to determine whether or not the amended plan is consistent with the master plan reexamination, she said.

• See related article: New Twists For Redevelopment Plan Near Hoboken Terminal

AFFORDBALE HOUSING/EUROPEAN MARKET

On Tuesday, Councilwoman Vanessa Falco announced she plans to introduce an amendment that will designate 20 percent of all new residential units constructed as part of the project as affordable housing units, doubling the 10 percent previously discussed.

“As a proud, lifelong resident of Hoboken, I’ve seen the cost of living skyrocket in our city over the past few years and watched as neighbors have been forced to relocate their families,” Falco said. “This is the largest redevelopment plan in our city’s history and it is critical new projects like this bring their fair share of affordable housing units to Hoboken.”

Falco said that the Hoboken Yard plan will set the tone for future development agreements in the Mile Square City.

“I’m confident after transparent community conversations, we as a local government will soon adopt a plan that properly rehabilitates and invests in the neighborhood surrounding our terminal,” Falco said.

In addition to the affordable housing amendment, DeFusco said that a plan has been secured to build a “European-style market” during the first phase of construction at the train terminal.

“Over the past four years, I have brought all stakeholders together to actualize a plan that will bring a world-class market to Hoboken Terminal,” DeFusco said. “Transforming underutilized space at Warrington Plaza will bring innovative new businesses into Hoboken and improve the overall commuting experience for tens of thousands of people every day. I’m proud that we have made concrete progress to advance this plan to create new jobs, tax revenues and opportunities to push our city forward.”

The amendments are scheduled to be introduced to the City Council during their Dec. 4 meeting, with a final vote tentatively scheduled for Dec. 18, according to DeFusco and Falco.

REDEVELOPMENT IN HOBOKEN: HOW IT WORKS

Here's how redevelopment plans happen in Hoboken, according to Mayor Ravi Bhalla:

"In any redevelopment project, there is an overarching redevelopment plan that provides for a broad framework of a certain redevelopment area. Once a redevelopment plan is created and passed by the council, the plan is transferred to the mayor's office and either signed into law or vetoed. Once adopted, my office then negotiates a redevelopment agreement(s) that provides for specifics of building height, setbacks, open space, traffic circulation plans, community givebacks, and more details. These negotiated redevelopment agreements are then presented to the council for consideration."

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