UPDATE: Talks Renewed For 15th Street Hoboken Light Rail Stop

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla discussed with NJ Transit at their Newark headquarters on Friday the possible construction of an $8 million light rail stop near the city's northern border with Weehawken, which would help revitalize an industrial area of town that's been transforming into a burgeoning redevelopment zone.

Interestingly, the possibility of a train stop near 15th Street in Hoboken first made news in 2014 when Hoboken officials alleged that a member of Gov. Chris Christie's administration pressured Mayor Dawn Zimmer to expedite development in that area because of a development group connected to a close Christie ally.

On Wednesday morning, Bhalla confirmed the meeting with NJ Transit while attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a 2,400-square-foot combined coffee shop and bookstore next to the 14th Street Viaduct in that zone. Bhalla said that a 15th Street light rail stop could revitalize the area, which already includes a professional theater, several low rise developments, and popular restaurants including the Biergarten — but also has undeveloped plots and crumbling cobblestone roads.

The stop might cut traffic in an area that's less than a mile from the Lincoln Tunnel, and would be situated down the hill from Jersey City Heights and Union City.

NJ Transit spokesman Jim Smith said on Wednesday, "Hoboken requested that NJ Transit participate in discussions about the potential for a future light rail station in the northern section of the city. NJ Transit is currently assessing the city’s proposal and providing guidance on HBLR operations and logistics, as we do all for all requests of this nature. "

Bhalla said on Wednesday that the city is "99 percent" done with a proposed plan for the North End Redevelopment Zone, a 16-block area north of 14th Street and east of the Palisade hills. The next step is for the plan to be introduced by the Hoboken City Council. Then the Planning Board will review it and make recommendations as to how it fits with the city's master plan, before it goes back to the council. Area property owners would then begin discussions with the city about their proposals.

Among the property owners in that area is Rockefeller Group, a New York-based company that at one point was represented by Christie associate David Samson, who served as the company's attorney. In 2014, Mayor Dawn Zimmer alleged that a Christie administration official, then-Attorney General Kim Guadagno, hinted that Hoboken's ability to get Hurricane Sandy aid might be tied to the mayor's ability to expedite development in the area. Some speculated that the reason for the alleged pressure might be linked to Rockefeller's ownership of at least two city blocks.

After the matter made national news — with one late-night host even doing a comedy routine about the mayor's diary — federal officials announced in 2015 that they had closed the investigation into Zimmer's allegations, clearing Guadagno and two other Christie officials. Zimmer, who was succeeded by Bhalla in 2018, stood by her statements.

The transit stop is near a long stretch of light rail track that takes passengers between Hoboken's west side and the Weehawken waterfront area. The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, built around the year 2000, brings passengers through several formerly blighted areas of Hudson County, including Hoboken's western border and interior parts of Union City and North Bergen.

It also snakes along the Jersey City and Bayonne waterfronts, where development is burgeoning. One Hoboken stop at Second Street is near the low-income housing projects, and the Ninth Street stop has an elevator up the Palisades to Jersey City Heights, frequently used by commuters in the Heights to get down to Hoboken's public transit to New York.

After Ninth Street, the next station north is near the Weehawken waterfront, with a Whole Foods market and Sheraton Hotel. A Fifteenth Street station would provide a midway option between Ninth Street and Weehawken's Lincoln Harbor area.

Bhalla said on Wednesday his hope is that the developers in the area would together chip in for the $8 million cost of the station, which would obviously benefit their projects. The Rockefeller Group has wanted to build offices in the area, a prospect that some feel would be too dense. Bhalla said Wednesday that the developers still want to build offices, but he has heard they may want to add a hotel and residential component.

To read about the opening of the new Bwe Kafe/Little City Books location at 14th and Adams streets on Wednesday, click this link.

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