Hoboken examining performing arts center as part of Rail Yards development

HOBOKEN—As negotiations with New Jersey Transit over the Rail Yard development project unfold, the administration of Dawn Zimmer is considering including the construction of a large performing arts center near Hoboken Terminal as one of its demands. The Hoboken Yards Redevelopment Plan approved by the City Council in December requires that NJ Transit or its designated developer to build 23,000 square feet of indoor public space along Observer Highway between Hudson Street and Park Avenue, but does not specify its intended use.
According to a Feb. 18 city press release, Zimmer will include the construction of an arts center in the negotiation of the Redevelopment Agreement with NJ Transit if the idea has community support and is deemed to be economically feasible.
“With almost unparalleled access to mass transit, southeast Hoboken could be the ideal place for a regional performing arts center for music, theater, dance, and more,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “Along with the resurgence of the Monroe Arts Center, the preservation of Neumann Leathers through a proposed Rehabilitation Plan, and the construction of Mile Square Theatre’s new facility next to the Viaduct, the Hoboken community is demonstrating its commitment to artists and the arts.”
Hoboken currently has a number of small-scale venues but no large-scale performing arts space, and residents seeking entertainment options must often travel outside of Hudson County. The Hudson County Master Plan calls for “the development of a performing arts center to provide a source of entertainment and to meet the needs of local performing artists.”
The potential location of an arts center at the southern end of Washington Street where it meets Observer Highway was a topic of discussion when the Hoboken Planning Board reviewed the Hoboken Yards plan in early December. Some commissioners suggested that placing a building in that location would be a detriment to the Washington Street’s view corridor when looking south towards Jersey City.