A proposed Stevens Institute of Technology parking garage and athletic facility, which is marked for the 700 block of Hudson Street, is sparking controversy in the quiet historic neighborhood. The project is to go before the Planning Board this Thursday.
Local residents have banded together to form a neighborhood coalition, which has hired a lawyer and a preservation specialist in order to help preserve that community image and atmosphere that they cherish.
“I understand the need for new parking in Hoboken,” said Hudson Street resident Bo Dziman, one of the organizers of the neighborhood coalition, last week. “And if [Stevens] has to build the garage, I am not against that. We just feel like we should be a part of the process to choose a plan that fits best into the community that we live in.”
The neighborhood coalition, which has held several meetings, has had attendance of up to 40 people and is made up mostly of residents the live between Fifth and 14th streets on Hudson Street.
Dziman went on to say that at first he felt like there was a great deal of miscommunication between Stevens and the residents on Hudson Street.
There was a Zoning Board meeting set up to discuss the project Tuesday night, but it was postponed. Residents only heard about it two weeks before, Dziman said.
“At first I thought they were trying to pull a quick one,” said Dziman. “It was Christmastime and some of us felt that they were going to try to sneak this through. So we got together and hired a lawyer, and at least now Stevens and the architect are starting to talk with us.”
The project is slated to have two levels of parking, three levels of office space, and a soccer/lacrosse field on the roof. The plans also call for a 15-foot fence, which will extend around the fields. The plans, which are available at the Planning Board office at City Hall, have some Hoboken residents concerned about how this building will fit into the over all image of the street.
“No way,” said Hudson Street resident Beth Mason last week, when asked if the current plans uphold the visual image of the area. “The building looks institutional, and lacks the historic flair of the neighborhood.” She added that the fence is an eyesore, the narrow windows do not conform to the look of the street and the structure does not exhibit the decorative flair makes Hudson Street identifiable.
Mason went onto say the people that live here should have been consulted on this project before the plans were drawn because the architects aren’t from around here and do not know all of the nuances that make the area so special.
In addition to hiring a lawyer, the coalition has also hired a preservation specialist to look into making the area a historic district.
According to Preservation Specialist Mary Krugman, one of the benefits of becoming a historic district is that all new buildings that are being built in it must conform to visual compatibility and retain a certain quality of the neighborhood. She added that while the upper section of Hudson Street is not yet a historic district, it has many of the qualities and features that most historic districts have.
City steps in
“In the beginning of this project, there was quite a bit of miscommunication,” said Hoboken Mayor Anthony Russo in a phone interview last week. “We feel that it is extremely important that a consistent image of the community is upheld. The city has stepped in and we going to make sure that the concerns of everyone who lives one Hudson Street are addressed.”
Russo added that the city had asked Stevens and the neighborhood coalition to sit down and discuss their misgivings before the Planning Board meets to discuss the matter at their next meeting this Thursday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
An informal closed-door meeting was held Wednesday night with members of the coalition and with representatives of Stevens.
A representative from Stevens said last week that the institute did not want to make a statement until after the Planning Board meeting, but that they are willing to discuss the matter with the neighborhood coalition. Sixth Ward Councilman David Roberts, in whose ward the project falls, said Thursday that the city has a responsibility to act as a third party to make sure all concerns are addressed.
“This is a very important issue to me,” said Roberts, who was instrumental in getting certain blocks in the city designated as historic districts several years ago. “It is crucial that the residents are made a part of the process and are given all the necessary information to be a part of that process.”
Dziman said, “It is a good thing that Stevens is now coming to us wanting to negotiate and talk with us. It is just a shame that every time there is a new development in town, it seem like it is necessary for the residents to talk through lawyers. That is not how it should be.”