The future of development is one of the most galvanizing topics in Hoboken. In one of his first moves as mayor, David Roberts, with the unanimous approval of the City Council, carved out a department to deal solely with development-related issues. The new director of the Department of Community Development is lifelong Hoboken resident Fred Bado.
A graduate of Fordham University Law School, Bado began his over-30-year career of municipal and county service by working for the Model Cities Agency in the late 1970s. The program was part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s "war on poverty" and it provided funding and innovative solutions for struggling urban areas.
Following his stint there, he was hired to run the city’s Department of Community Development, a position he held through the mid-1980s. The position was eliminated in Hoboken in 1993 when former Mayor Anthony Russo restructured City Hall upon taking office. For the past 13 years, Bado ran Hudson County’s Department of Community Development and Affordable Housing.
One of Bado’s first duties in his new job is overseeing the creation of a new master plan for the city, which will set limits for heights, density, lot coverage, and appearance for all new development.
"One of the mayor’s first priorities when taking office was to create a new master plan for the city," said Bado from his City Hall office last week. "The last time the master plan was completely re-written was 1979. There was a revision in 1989 and since then, there have been various amendments to certain elements, but the [master plan] is basically the same as it was in ’89."
Since starting the job in July, Bado has crafted a Request for Proposal (RFP) that bids out the task of creating the new master plan. Monday was the deadline for municipal and urban planning firms to submit their qualifications to the city. If the process goes accordingly, a new plan should be in place by next summer.
"The community has a raised consciousness about the rate of development in the city," said Bado. "That is why we have taken great efforts to meet with multiple community groups and residents so that we can come to a consensus about where we want development to go in Hoboken, and hopefully the new master plan will be representative of those wishes."
Another project Bado is working closely with is the development on the southern waterfront. In October of 2000, SJP Properties began construction of the first of two office towers that will be the centerpiece of this development, as well as the corporate headquarters for John Wiley and Sons, a global publishing company currently based in New York City.
The city and the Port Authority joined forces with SJP and the Applied Companies, the group that’s building the residential structure adjacent to the SJP property, to transform the 50 acres of unused waterfront into a commercial, residential and recreational area that allows public access to the waterfront.
If completed as planned, the south waterfront will have more than 1.5 million square feet of office space, a 300-room hotel, over 500 residential units and 125,000 square feet of retail space, along with a public park and open space.
The Applied residential building is almost complete, and the first of two 13-story office towers is under construction. The only portion not yet started on parcel B, which is slated to be the site for office space and the hotel. Bado said the city is in negotiations with the Port Authority and SJP to possibly downsize the last building, but he added that it is imperative that the undertaking get started. "We’re working hard to make sure that this project gets off the ground so that they can bring additional office space and a hotel to the city, which will spur economic development," said Bado. "It is also important the we work with the businesses and retailers to make sure that priority is given to Hoboken residents that are looking for employment."
Economic benefits
According to Bado, one of the greatest benefits of having the southern waterfront developed is economic development. "These buildings are going to play a major role in the economy of the city," said Bado. "They will house new jobs, and the people that work in the new buildings will eat lunch at the city’s restaurants and will shop at Washington Street stores. I see them having a tremendous positive effect on downtown."
Talk of economic development led Bado into explaining another aspect of his new job as the city’s liaison to local retail businesses and restaurants. "One thing that I would like to see is Sinatra Drive become a retail street," he said. "It’s important that the city works with retailers and the Chamber of Commerce to develop and coordinate a retail plan so that businesses, residents and shoppers are best served. Retail stores play an important part in the economy of the city, and if the city doesn’t aid in their development, they can be easily lost."
Bado’s department has also been saddled with the city’s affordable housing issues. "We have been given two initiatives by the mayor when it comes to affordable housing," said Bado. "We are to create new affordable housing, as well as maintaining the affordable housing that we already have."
He said this could be done by seeking out state and federal grants, a process he is very familiar with after working with the county for the past 13 years. The city can also give incentives to developers to provide housing for low- and moderate-income residents in new developments.
Bado will also work with NJ Transit in the implementation of the light rail and the renovations to the Hoboken Train Terminal, which, when completed, will provide the city with expanded ferry and rail service. Work to renovate the terminal is scheduled to begin within the next year.
Other projects that Bado is working closely on are the design of Pier C to re-develop it in to a park that will be similar to Pier A Park, and, with Environmental Services Director Cassandra Wilday, the completion of the waterfront walkway, which within the next three years will extend along the entire length of the Hoboken Waterfront.