Working to complete a contiguous public park along the Hudson River and promote development that meets the highest standards of urban design.
UNION DRY DOCK
Wednesday, August 7 @ 7 pm
Hoboken City Council Meeting
Ordinance to acquire UDD for a public park
Wednesday, August 7 will be a pivotal moment. The Hoboken City Council will vote on an ordinance that allows the City to offer a fair market price to acquire the Union Dry Dock property for use as a public park. Be sure to attend and show your support. If the owner, NY Waterway, declines the offer or fails to negotiate in good faith, this ordinance will then allow the City to take control of the site through eminent domain. The final vote will be on September 4. Mayor Bhalla and the Hoboken City Council have all become vigorous advocates for completing the park at Union Dry Dock, thus connecting one of the final missing links of Hoboken's contiguous public waterfront park.
THE MONARCH TOWERS
Proposed settlement also on August 7 City Council agenda
Also before the Hoboken City Council on Wednesday is a resolution that would allow the City to move forward with an agreement with Shipyard Associates to swap development rights to the Monarch Pier for the Municipal Garage site on Observer Highway. This is an opportunity to complete another section of Hoboken’s waterfront park. To do the entire Monarch pier would be cost prohibitive but engineers hired by FBW estimate that the derelict pier can be removed, the bulkhead repaired and park & walkway can be built on the 0.6 acre land portion for a cost of $7 million. FBW’s primary concern is that the new developer’s agreement generate sufficient funds to pay for the bulk of this cost.
HOBOKEN COVE
3,000-year old outrigger canoe tradition lives on at the Hoboken Cove
Around 200 AD, Polynesian paddlers followed the migratory patterns of birds to discover the Hawaiian islands. Their discovery was made possible by outrigger canoes. Since that time, the history of Aloha state has been inextricably tied to the ocean and outrigger canoes. This rich tradition has now come to Hoboken, brought to us by the Ke Aloha Outrigger Canoe Club. They have partnered with the Hoboken Cove Community Boathouse in Maxwell Place Park to provide an opportunity for the public to learn and participate in this human-powered boating experience that is thousands of years old.
Hudson County Superior Court Judge dismissed NY Waterway's lawsuit against the City of Hoboken.
Judge Jablonski refered to ferry operator's claim that without use of Union Dry Dock, a regional transportation crisis would occur, as "unsubstantiated." “The relief being sought here is extraordinary, unnecessary, and inappropriate. It’s extraordinary because it asks this court to brush aside statutory procedure for land use administration and make an unprecedented ruling that local zoning is preempted by waterfront development regulations,” stated attorney Chris Miller of Maraziti Falcon, representing the City of Hoboken before the court.
We believe that successful waterfronts begin with sound planning, time-tested urban design and an understanding that the water's edge belongs to the public.
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