Hilton Hotel Proposed For Hoboken Waterfront

HOBOKEN, NJ — Would a Hilton hotel be a good addition to the south end of Hoboken’s waterfront?

Developers KMS Development Partners (KMS) recently launched a new website with a glut of details about their proposal to construct a Hilton hotel behind the Frank Sinatra Post Office.

The hotel would be built on the site of a parking lot and loading bay at the south end of Sinatra Drive, near Pier A Park, developers say. The 20-story, full-service hotel would include 283 guest rooms, an onsite restaurant and bar, a 6,000 square-foot rooftop event space, off-site valet guest parking and a fitness center.

See a rendering of the proposed location here.

Project renderings and plans for the proposed hotel can be seen online here.

“The City of Hoboken's Master Plan 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,” the website states, adding that the site is currently zoned for a hotel.

“The lot is greatly underutilized and as federal property it generates zero school and real estate taxes for the city,” the hotel’s supporters claim on the website. “The new Hoboken hotel is projected to provide $ 1.6 million annually in real estate and hotel taxes to the city and school district.”

The hotel faces a potentially lengthy approval process that would need to include a municipal redevelopment plan for the site, which the city council has designated as an “Area in Need of Rehabilitation,” as well as a project-specific redevelopment agreement and final site plan approval.

When would the hotel become a reality if approved? According to the website:

“Assuming the redevelopment plan is adopted [in 2016], the subsequent redevelopment agreement, site plan approval process and initial design documentation will take 10 to 12 months. Construction would start with the Post Office interior improvements taking about six months followed by approximately 18 months of sequenced hotel / Post Office loading dock and parking level construction.”

That means the new Hoboken Hilton Hotel could be open for business by the autumn of 2019, developers claim.

COMMUNTY CONCERNS

On the website, developers address some of the potential concerns that community members might have about the project.

“The Post Office will remain open,” the website states. “An important part of this project is that it allows the Postal Service to fund greatly needed improvements to their facility. Proposed renovations include the replacement of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, the addition of another service elevator, creation of additional work space, underground postal vehicle parking and a new, seven-bay interior loading dock off 1st Street. The changes will allow the facility to more efficiently serve the community and accommodate continued volume growth. The River Street and Newark Street facades and the interior public spaces remain as-is.”

In addition, developers also addressed concerns about potential parking issues that might be created by the proposed hotel.

“We’ve worked hard with a prominent local waterfront advocacy group and project stakeholders to put together a plan which we believe actually improves parking, traffic flow, and pedestrian movements around the site. Currently there is no sidewalk on the Post Office side of Newark St., no sidewalk on the Post Office side of Sinatra Drive and the corner of Sinatra Dr. and Newark St. is very awkward with a two-way Newark meeting a very narrow, one-way Sinatra. And this is also where the main entrance is to the Post Office parking lot and loading dock. Our plan adds sidewalks, reconfigures Sinatra Dr., adds eight on-street parking spaces, improves traffic flow and redirects Postal vehicle traffic away from Newark St and Sinatra Drive. In addition – the site is ideally located close by to myriad public transportation options at the Hoboken Terminal. We expect many guests and visitors to use public transportation.”

Read more frequently asked questions about the project here.

Artist’s rendering used with permission, hobokenwaterfronthotel.com

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