Dear Editor:
Two Wednesdays ago the City Council thwarted private effort to build a 300+ car garage in Hoboken. That’s what the council did when it passed a new ordinance stiffening zone requirements for Stevens’ property only. Stevens didn’t want to build a 300+ unit condo, or a 300+ shop strip mall, or a 300+ screen movie plex. No, Stevens wanted to take 300+ cars off of Hoboken’s streets by building a garage on their campus for their faculty, staff and students. And our City Council said no.
I attended classes at Stevens from August 1998 to June 2000, and I know that many of my classmates didn’t hesitate to park on Hoboken streets as soon as the school’s lots were full, which was around 8:30 a.m. each day. I’ve seen Stevens’ proposed facility, and I wouldn’t consider it to be an eyesore on Hudson Street. As a matter of fact, I consider it a whole lot nicer (and more functional) than the garage at 912 Garden Street. I predict that some day this vote will come back to haunt the City Council members, as the day they voted against parking.
Where did the pressure to pass this ordinance come from? The Historic Hudson Street Coalition (HHSC), a group of residents, concerned with Hudson Street, that are against the garage being built on their block. And I thought everyone in Hoboken wanted more parking; talk about the tail wagging the dog. I think the City Council kow-towed to the HHSC.
There were over a dozen speakers at the City Council meeting speaking out for this ordinance that limits Stevens’ options. Not surprisingly, a majority of these speakers were Hudson Street residents. The incredible argument they proposed was that the development in Hoboken had gotten way out of hand and that it had to stop now. Although he couldn’t remember the former president’s name, a Hudson Street resident challenged the City Council with President Truman’s motto of “The buck stops here.” In a clear cut case of ‘not in my backyard’, the HHSC in favor of the ordinance said that the city needed to use this opportunity to turn the tide against over-development. So, all of a sudden, the HHSC gets organized to fight its greatest nemesis, Stevens Tech!
I’d love to know where these people and the money they spent to fight the garage, were over the last several years while dozens of proposals and ordinances were passed to pave the way for developers to run rampant throughout Hoboken. To quote an HHSC supporter, “We like to stroll up and down Hudson Street.” Well, LA-DI-DA. Where was the HHSC when families were being evicted out of their homes to make way for the St. Mary parking garage? (pause). Exactly, strolling up and down Hudson Street. Next time there’s a behemoth structure that’s being proposed in another part of town, I hope to see you take a break from your collective stroll, roll up your sleeves and put as much effort into the next fight as you did this one.
Stephen Santangelo