Dear Editor:
Richard Turner, serving as both Mayor of Weehawken and Planning Board member (not in his job description, I believe), along with his colleagues, has approved two terrible plans for townhouses along the Hudson River that will create a nearly privatized waterfront.
One plan provides no road by the river to separate the private luxury homes from the public waterfront walkway, thereby depriving the rest of Weehawken of easy access to the waterfront. The “compromise” plan calls for a substandard 15-foot wide one-way “driveway” of sorts with no parking, similarly depriving the rest of us. Either plan, of course, would suit the developer just fine, as both have the effect of creating a private enclave on the waterfront.
Mr. Turner for some reason holds the developers’ interests in higher regard than those of his constituents. And to divert the public’s attention from his failure to stand up to Roseland Properties, who does he blame? The FWW, a community group whose mission is to reduce the negative impacts of this mega development and improve public access to the waterfront.
He and his friends inundate the Reporter with misinformation and silly name-calling (“the FWW are spoiled brats!”) to divert attention from the fact that the public is not being served here. He claims there isn’t room enough for a two-way street on the waterfront with parking, yet doesn’t say that such a road is already built into the design of these townhouses — only it’s behind them instead of in front, and it is solely for the use of their owners.
If Mr. Turner had the public’s interests in mind, he would tell Roseland to swap these roads.
And yes, we are spoiled brats. Spoiled by the panoramic views of New York, spoiled by the (still) relatively easy access to New York and spoiled by the small town feel of Weehawken. All of which will disappear in a cloud of construction dust unless someone comes to their senses.
Eric Conger