Dear Editor:
I would like to thank Councilwoman Zimmer for putting forward the resolution to require a comparative analysis for all payment in lieu of tax (PILOT) agreements. I would also like to thank Councilwoman Mason and Councilman Cammarano for voting to pass this important resolution, along with the rest of the council members who were present at the meeting.
This is a very good first step in protecting our community from one of the destructive elements of redevelopment – its exemption from property taxes, pushing its municipal, county, and school costs onto the backs of Hoboken’s taxpayers. Hoboken has a history of approving redevelopment PILOT agreements which do not cover Hoboken’s share of the redevelopment’s costs, resulting in increased property taxes. Zimmer’s PILOT analysis resolution will give the City Council and public the information needed to assess the financial damage before it is locked in for decades.
Our next mayor will be at the helm for the finalized plans for N.J. Transit, Northwest, Western Edge, and Southwest redevelopment zones. The Rockefeller area comprising 19 blocks in northwest Hoboken may also be declared a redevelopment zone.
I remain concerned about the unfortunate paradigm that has too often been voiced: that redevelopment is inevitable. With the amount of over scale development we’ve had crammed into our town over the last two decades, the very idea that redevelopment is inevitable is abhorrent. Hoboken is overdeveloped, and the unfair characteristics of redevelopment, including eminent domain and exemption from taxes and zoning, will only further destroy our town’s economy and environment. Whoever is elected as our next mayor….please, stop this madness. I am not comforted by statements such as ‘we just need a mayor who will do it (redevelopment) right.’
There is a lot to be said for “old Hoboken” – that small scale, quirky, and diversified city that drew us and keeps us here. If we are not ready to see it buried in a sea of high rise towers, we must cast our votes carefully in the upcoming election and, regardless of which candidate prevails, it is important that positive steps be taken. Dawn Zimmer’s resolution is vital because it will expose the ruinous impact of redevelopment PILOTs before they are locked in. We also need to have the negative impact of further redevelopment on our quality of life exposed, and we need a Mayor and Council who will not deceive us or act against our best interests.
We will not “die” if we stop building. But further redevelopment could kill our town.
Cheryl Fallick