Hilton Hotel In Hoboken? Here’s What The Internet Thinks

HOBOKEN, NJ — The quest to bring a Hilton hotel to Hoboken marches onward, with many residents expressing support for the idea, but others saying that there are still questions that need to be answered.

On Wednesday, April 4 at 7 p.m., the Hoboken City Council is expected to vote on an ordinance that would conditionally designate KMS Development Partners as the redeveloper for the property located behind the Frank Sinatra Post Office near Pier A Park.

KMS had been lobbying to build a 20-story, full-service hotel at the location, which would also include an onsite restaurant and bar, a rooftop event space, an off-site valet guest parking and a fitness center.

The proposed height of the hotel was reduced to 17 stories after talks between local community members, officials and developers.

• See related article: Hilton Hotel Proposed For Hoboken Waterfront
• See related article: Hoboken Hotel Could Generate $21.4M A Year For City, Developer Claims

In a news release, developers said that the April 4 ordinance is a “critically important part of the redevelopment process and the next step towards making the proposed waterfront hotel a reality.”

The proposal also gained some recent, high-profile support from Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who said the new Hilton would be a “world-class” hotel.

“This project will bring so many benefits to the city, including banquet and convention space, a rooftop bar and $1.7 million in annual tax revenue, all while keeping with the charm and character of our great city,” Bhalla wrote.

According to KMS, which created a website specifically to tout the proposal and answer local residents’ questions, the new hotel would bring the following benefits to the city:

• "The new Hoboken Hotel would generate $21.4 million annually in the City of Hoboken in the form of total expenditures generated by guests spending outside of hotel and ongoing hotel operations"
• "The new Hoboken Hotel would support 120 Hoboken jobs through guest spending and by ongoing hotel operations"
• "The new Hoboken Hotel would generate $1,773,091 in real estate, hotel and school taxes annually to the City of Hoboken and the Hoboken School district"
• "The new Hoboken Hotel would generate $703,993 in new taxes to Hudson County"
• "The new Hoboken Hotel would generate $3,034,566 in new taxes to the State of New Jersey"

The site is also currently zoned for a hotel, and conforms to the Hoboken Master Plan, which specifically encourages the development of hotels in this area near the Hoboken Terminal as well as diversifying uses at the Post Office including moving the more “industrial” operations, developers said.

“The lot is greatly underutilized and as federal property it generates zero school and real estate taxes for the city,” developers stated.

Local advocacy group Fund for a Better Waterfront offered support for the proposed hotel on social media.

“There's a Hilton hotel coming to Hoboken! Many thanks to Mayor Bhalla and his administration for working with the developer KMS to revise the project, reducing the height of the building nearly 60 feet, making it more compatible with the character of Hoboken. The developer has proven to be a responsible partner in this endeavor, listening carefully and responding to concerns of the community and City. The hotel vastly improves this last south waterfront lot, adding street life and safe sidewalks, preserving the historic Post Office building, and keeping private development on the upland side of the street, leaving the waterfront side undeniably public.”

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SOCIAL MEDIA WEIGHS IN: HOBOKEN HOTEL GOOD FOR CITY?

After Bhalla posted his statement in support of the hotel on social media, several users offered up their own opinions about the idea of bringing a Hilton hotel to the city’s waterfront in the comments sections of his posts.

Here’s what they had to say:

• “The hotel is being built on the post office parking lot and the developer will do repairs on the post office as well. The added tax revenue plus enhancing that area is a win/win.”
• “Mayor, I thought that you ran on fighting against overdevelopment?”
• “Commercial development that doesn't impact our schools with more students or add increased daily commuter crowding is the perfect development cities need. Rather than people taking taxi's or Uber to Jersey City and Weehawken residents can have friends and guests stay IN Hoboken within walking distance to the PATH, taxis and buses. This is a city that’s supposed to have a lot of people and commerce. Employees and clients of the office companies on the waterfront had to reserve rooms in other cities. The hotel tax will also be a nice revenue stream. This a great!”
• “What private lots are the hotel going to be using to house guests' cars? City lots? Also that corner of River and Newark is already extremely congested, how will adding a hotel with more Ubers, taxis, and shuttles all converging on that one small corner affect the traffic in multiple directions all around it?”
• “Having visited Hoboken several times, this is a welcome addition. Love the W, but I agree another hotel is needed.”
• “Maybe you can use that $1.7 million to take care of the cost overruns of the Washington Street project you refuse to address.”
• “Amazing for my hometown.”

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Photo: Artist's rendering used with permission, hobokenwaterfronthotel.com