Dear Reporter,
For 25 years I’ve watched the Hoboken’s lively, complex culture become increasingly homogenized into expensive condos, restaurants and dry cleaners. With so much money to be made, such change appears irresistible. But I’m shocked to see the mayor and city council to give a shove in that direction by forcing U-Store-It and Kwitman & Sons to sell out for a mega-condo complex.
How can deliberately force out viable, useful businesses? U-Store-It provides a valuable service to current residents. It doesn’t use our school system or park or recreation. It uses our garbage and sewer systems far less that hundreds of condos would and has little impact on our parking and traffic problems.
How can we force businesses like this to leave? Other cities recruit businesses to come and/or stay! Businesses provide jobs, use far less services, create jobs, support local causes and create a more interesting town than a vast sea of condos.
Change happens, some good, some bad, no matter what we do. But the mayor and city council should spend their efforts and legal power making Hoboken a better, more diverse place, not forcing us into more of the same old condos.
Sincerely,
Laura Keating