Despite the cloud of controversy hanging over the north end of Hoboken for the last five years or so, the city has moved forward with plans to turn the area into a vibrant part of the city by naming DMR Architects as the redevelopment planner.
The north end, not far from the Lincoln Tunnel, encompasses 30 acres of property bordered by Weehawken to the north, 14th Street to the south, Union City to the west, and Park Avenue to the east.
Over the next 10 to 12 months, DMR plans to develop standards for development. Those will include recommendations for land use, bulk and density requirements, traffic and transportation, and other elements.
Specific plans over future development in the area, which is currently an industrial zone, have not been fleshed out yet.
“The goal of the Redevelopment Plan is to engage the community, key stakeholders and residents in an open dialogue to discuss and determine the vision for this under-developed section of Hoboken and to set in place parameters that will ensure a successful revitalization of the area,” said Francis Reiner, senior urban designer and redevelopment consultant for DMR Architects.
City spokesman Juan Melli said the $149, 262 DMR contract – $50,000 comes from a post-Sandy planning grant from the state and the rest from the city budget – was awarded after a stringent interview process and after recommendations from the administration and the City Council Community Development subcommittee.
“The goal of the Redevelopment Plan is to engage the community, key stakeholders and residents in an open dialogue…” – Francis Reiner
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Melli said that the North End planner recognizes the fact the areas share some issues and will have them in mind, such as “traffic and transit, flood mitigation strategies, considering sustainability on a neighborhood scale, and diversifying uses to ensure a neighborhood structure.”
History with Chris Christie
The north end – as outlined by 163-page 2013 North End Redevelopment study commissioned in 2011 – consists of approximately 50 properties owned by about 37 property owners, including NJ Transit and Rockefeller Group.
For many, the area brings to mind national headlines pitting Mayor Dawn Zimmer against Gov. Chris Christie’s administration. Zimmer claimed Hurricane Sandy relief funds were being withheld because the administration wanted her to help expedite development plans by the Rockefeller Group. Rockefeller’s attorney was a close associate of Christie.
After severe rainstorms led to flooding in May of 2013, the mayor sought help from the Christie administration in a letter imploring him to provide aid in the mile square city’s ongoing flood emergency.
According to various published reports, the mayor said that Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno indicated to her, while in the parking lot of the nearby ShopRite supermarket, that the Rockefeller projects were important to Christie and he needed her to “move forward” with them in order for flood protection money to be distributed.
A federal investigation into the claims by U.S Attorney Paul Fishman – as well as other allegations of Christie’s aides for creating a massive traffic jam in Fort Lee to punish that town’s mayor – led to two indictments last May, but neither in relation to Zimmer’s claims.
Still, the mayor stood by her initial claims: “I stand behind my account which was corroborated by substantial additional evidence,” said Zimmer in a press conference following the indictments. “In addition to my contemporaneous journal entry, I told six people about the conversation on the day it occurred, including a lawyer representing the City of Hoboken.”
What’s next?
DMR Architects was named the consulting firm for the north end area in May following a public hearing in 2013 determining the area was in need of rehabilitation based on a report from Maser Consulting.
DMR Architects résumé includes work with Bayonne, Hackensack, Paramus, Westampton and East Orange. The company scored higher on their RFP (request for proposal) evaluations than any other firm that was assessed, according to Melli.
“Similar to prior redevelopment plans, the city will conduct a public visioning process, including a series of community meetings and surveys to understand the community’s preferences for the future of the north end,” he added.
In an announcement of the hiring of DMR, Reiner noted that Hoboken is among the cities in the area that have inherent benefits due to their proximity to transit which draw developers and businesses.
Stepping into the future
The city-wide development boom has been largely absent in the north end. A study commissioned by the city and released in July by Recast City LLC may point to a strategy in addressing redevelopment in the area.
“Based on the recently-completed urban manufacturing study, the administration believes that the plan presents an opportunity to incorporate existing small-scale urban manufacturing companies and foster the creation of new businesses in the area,” said Melli.
Recast City, a consulting company, presented a study on the potential for small-scale manufacturing in Hoboken at the City Council meeting on Aug. 5.
Ilana Preuss, the founder of the company, said the “Hoboken Maker Industries & Industrial Redevelopment Analysis” study consisted of interviews with local small-scale manufacturers “to better understand the business sector and its needs.” Manufacturing businesses like Zoku, The Systems Group, Studio Printworks, and Pan American Coffee Company were interviewed.
The study also points to how “land use in the North End is already industrial and much of that will not change in the future…”
The study recommends that the north end establish an industrial main street because property used by the North Hudson Sewer Authority and PSEF need freight truck access and can be nosier industries not ideal for residents.
Preuss also suggested that the city recruit a microbrewery and/or distillery for the area, maintain transitional and manufacturing supportive uses like the Monroe Center, and work to attract “larger footprint producers.”
“Consider 10,000 – 20,000 square foot ground footprint users interested in building a vertical, modern fabrication plant like the Volkswagen factory in Dresden, Germany,” reads the study. “Retaining some larger footprint options will be important for continued growth of existing local manufacturing businesses.”
Steven Rodas can be reached at srodas@hudsonreporter.com.