Dear Editor:
Like an earlier letter writer to these pages, I was delighted to read that Eugene and Joyce Flinn planned a bed-and-breakfast facility above their restaurant, Amanda’s. At last, a convenient and (knowing Amanda’s) lovely place to put up out-of-town guests. Most people I have spoken with agree. Few Hoboken residents have extra bedrooms available for visitors, and any city of 40,000 without one overnight accommodation, be it hotel, motel, inn, or b&b, is surely lacking.
I was amazed, then, to hear that protesters at a meeting of the zoning board had caused the Flinns to withdraw their application.
Most of the protesters, I learned, were neighbors on Washington and Bloomfield Streets who fear disturbance from the guests. That fear seems far-fetched to me. Amanda’s is a quiet and genteel establishment, and the Flinns bend over backwards to appease their neighbors. No cooking, eating, or drinking is allowed in the back garden, nor can parties spill outside to chat. That’s pretty considerate compared to private homeowners and tenants on my block on Bloomfield Street (and on Garden Street behind) who routinely bombard their neighbors with loud parties and the smell of grilling flesh.
For the proposed b&b (a mere eight rooms, two of them suites, to replace four existing apartments in just one of their two adjacent buildings), the Flinns have already made changes to accommodate neighbors. They have agreed to remove the rear balconies and French doors from the original plans, and they’ve promised to have a staff member on the premises around the clock. They still hope to build a twelve-foot rear extension, but only on the second and third floors, and it would be over a larger (twenty-foot) first-floor extension they added when they expanded the restaurant. I can’t see how this would impinge on Bloomfield Street property. (Again, compare this project with a residential development on my block: Recently the house next door to me converted from three to seven apartments, in the process building up one story and out several feet beyond the back of our house, with balconies on every floor extending further. This was done with no need for variances, no hearings, and no advance notice to neighbors.)
I’m not suggesting that Amanda’s neighbors should be treated similarly. I think the round-the-clock presence is a very reasonable demand, and for all I know there are other concerns to be negotiated and misunderstandings to be addressed. But with a little flexibility, and a written agreement for assurance, these should be worked out.
I spoke with one anti-b&b who is not a neighbor of Amanda’s. His argument went like this: “Okay, the Flinns run a classy restaurant and contribute in all sorts of ways to the community. But it’s the precedent: If they get permission, that might pave the way for others less responsible. Gangs of out-of-town bar-hoppers could rent rooms and continue partying all night.” But the way to prevent wild parties is not to deny a responsible applicant. According to this newspaper, the city of Hoboken is currently revising its Master Plan. So why not write in some provision for b&b facilities, with whatever restrictions and stipulations are deemed necessary to maintain decency and peace? If these conditions are violated, neighbors can call the cops. If violated repeatedly, the cops can close them down for good. But I see no reason to anticipate the worst. Other cities, towns, and villages that I have lived or stayed in have hotels downtown and b&b’s in residential neighborhoods; these are respectable establishments that cause no trouble or objections.
I think we in Hoboken should remember that this is not, thank God, some gated suburb. We’re talking about the main street of a far from sedate city with a history of hotels of every stripe. Eight beds above Amanda’s should improve, not impair our quality of life.
Sada Fretz