Dear Editor:
Campaign literature recently distributed by the Russo administration contains some misleading statements that deserve a response so that the town’s voters are fully informed of the series of events that led to the temporary defeat of the 1600 Park Avenue project. For the record, here are a couple of facts: Hundreds of citizens attended dozens of meetings voicing their opposition to this proposed massive high-rise development to be built just south of the entrance to the Lincoln tunnel. This strong citizen outcry occurred shortly before a city council election.
• Thousands of dollars were raised by tax paying citizens to hire an attorney to protect the citizens’ public interest before a Zoning Board, appointed by the mayor, that had approved even larger projects.
• Many months had passed before the mayor wrote a letter to the Hoboken Reporter expressing his opposition to the height of the project. As far as we know, this was the only act that he took to “fight” the project.
• The project is not “dead”. The developer resubmitted a scaled-back proposal to the Zoning Board. Hearings have been postponed until they address some issues raised by the engineers, but it is likely to return after the election.
If a few citizens had not learned about the 1600 Park proposal and organized their neighbors to oppose it, you would probably be sitting in traffic by the Lincoln Tunnel right now watching the construction of yet another luxury high-rise.
While the mayor takes credit for the one large project that was scaled back due to public opposition, he does not mention the dozens of other luxury high-rises he failed to oppose that contribute to our congested streets and overcrowded town. These include the mammoth complexes on Observer Highway that will pour even more traffic into the bottleneck at the southern part of town; the multi-story luxury project that now looms over one side of Columbus Park, blocking light and forcing the children’s playground to be closed; the whole Shipyard complex (only 50 percent complete) where zoning laws were permitted to be written by and tailored to the developer; and Hoboken Cove, the multi-building high-rise complex yet to be built in front of the Lipton Tea towers near 14th Street. All of these projects were approved by either the Hoboken Zoning or Planning Boards, whose members were all appointed by the mayor.
Old and new Hobokenites alike have been unable to keep track of the thousands of units that have been approved (and many not yet started) nor find out about them until the last minute. It’s impossible to keep monitoring everything before the Zoning and Planning Boards, organize citizen response, and keep paying attorneys. That’s the role and responsibility of elected officials. There needs to be leadership that sends a clear message that the city does not support rampant development.
We challenge any candidate for mayor to prove they want to protect the quality of life in this town. The next mayor, whoever that may be, needs to make a serious commitment to promoting responsible development. That means passing laws that Eliminate Redevelopment Zones. Hoboken is prime real estate, we do not need to provide tax abatements or avert zoning codes to attract developers.
Enforce lot coverage rules – no building should be allowed to cover 100 percent of its lot.
Increase citizen awareness of proposed projects in their vicinity by increasing the distance to which developers are required to send formal notice from the current 200 feet to 300 feet from the proposed site.
Provide real communication to citizens about meetings, agendas, and minutes of meetings on the City’s website and in summary in the local paper.
Appoint board members who have some expertise in urban planning, architecture and engineering so they can make informed decisions about individual projects and how they impact the whole City.
Proactively challenge large developments and encourage development that maintains the character and scale of Hoboken prior to eight years ago.
If we sound mad, we are and we want a mayor that takes real action. We hope you do, too.
Residents for Responsible Development