Dear Editor:
Why is the Hoboken Reporter so mindlessly pro-development? Last week’s story on the Maxwell House development, for instance, was blatantly biased in favor of that development. In a news story, reporter Tom Jennemann used the phrase “nationally respected” in describing two developers involved in the project, Toll Brothers and Pinnacle Downtown.
Did that phrase come from one of the developer’s press releases? Are they really so respected, nation wide? By who? I live in the nation, and I have no respect for them and their architecturally undistinguished developments that rob towns and cities of their small-scale charm.
Jennemann twice used the word “luxury” to describe the Maxwell House development. Is there a word in the English language more misused, or should I say, abused? It’s cunning yet commonplace for developers and real estate agents to describe the property they hawk, ugly or otherwise, as “luxurious.” And from what I saw in the architectural rendering, the development is anything but luxurious. I would describe it rather as fairly typical of new construction; that is to say, cheap and tawdry.
That the high-rise commercial units will also clog up and commercialize what is now a lovely section of Hoboken was not noted in the story. That the development will add more condos, more bad commercial entities, more cars and more people to a city that is already one of the most congested in the nation also went unnoted. And that the city has to rely on developers to build a park for it is a complete and total abomination.
In 1961, Jane Jacobs wrote the most important book ever written on cities and city planning: “The Death and Life of Great American Cities.” In it she lovingly described her quaint old neighborhood in Greenwich Village that was rife with small, five-story row houses, local shops and restaurants and a vibrant street life.
Hoboken possesses these charms, but they are now being crushed by big, sterile, high-rise developments. The developers are making big money on the project, a fact noted happily in the story, while the residents will be left with more congestion. Some say developments such as these, unfortunate as they are, are necessary since they add to a city’s tax base. Question: Will our high taxes go down in the aftermath of the development? Answer: No.
If the old factory has to go, I’d rather it be used for open space. Another aspect of Hoboken’s charm is its stunning views of New York. We shouldn’t imitate Edgewater and occlude those views. We should keep the waterfront as open as possible, as green as possible, so that all residents – not just developers – can profit from it.
Robert Florida ;