The Hoboken City Council, at their first meeting of the month on Wednesday, discussed several issues that will impact residents directly, including changes to traffic flow for the southwestern part of town and a proposal to change a rule prohibiting new liquor-serving establishments from opening within 500 feet of each other.
The council also introduced an ordinance to allow businesses to post “feather flag signs” after a hair salon owner complained in a Reporter cover story three weeks ago about their prohibition. The signs allow him to get the attention of walk-in customers.
On Wednesday, the City Council voted to introduce a measure with the principal amount of up to $1.3 million to fix traffic snarls at the city’s southern border. This came after a redesign of Observer Highway completed in April of 2016 began causing traffic backups near that part of town, near the commuter train tracks and the entrance to Jersey City.
The City Council has made efforts to fix the problem. During a July meeting the council approved a 90 day pilot program to help alleviate traffic.
The pilot program took place on Jackson Street between Observer Highway and Newark Street and created a temporary left turn only lane during morning and evening rush hours.
John Jahr of Petry Traffic LLC gave a presentation describing the changes he believes will fix the traffic flow.
Jahr proposed that the city install three new traffic signals, create two lanes behind the fire house located at 43 Madison St., making one lane right turn only, and make Paterson Street a one-way street between Monroe and Harrison Streets.
The new traffic signals would be at the intersections of Harrison Street and Observer Highway, Jackson Street and Observer Highway, and Madison Street and Observer Highway.
Jahr said that he believes these changes will make the southwest end of town significantly safer for both motorists and pedestrians as it is now a “free for all where pedestrians and motorists are competing.”
As part of the plan, at the meeting, the council passed a resolution to award Petry Traffic LLC a contract for professional traffic engineering services. They will design a new traffic signal at Madison Street and Observer Highway for $16,700.
Hoboken could repeal 500-foot rule
The council discussed a new proposed ordinance that would amend the city’s code in the chapter titled “Alcoholic Beverages.”
The code currently states that new bars, restaurants, and liquor stores with a liquor license cannot open within 500 feet of one another. (There may be stores and bars in existence now that are in closer proximity, but they would have been approved years before the law was passed.)
The ordinance states that the code “prohibits the granting of any request to transfer or establish any business with a plenary retail consumption license within a distance of 500 feet from any other premises” with the license.
The change to the ordinance, sponsored by Councilmen Michael Russo and James Doyle, will effectively delete this section of the code.
The ordinance cites “changes in the business environment, and the growth and redevelopment of the city” as reasons to remove this section of the code as the “city does not believe that it is in the best interest to continue this prohibition.”
Russo said that he believes the town has changed substantially since the law was first introduced in the 1990s.
“The city is very different from the 1990s,” said Russo. “It was a very collegiate town where people got into fights and sloppy drunk. And now people want to go out with their spouses to a nice restaurant.”
The law would not add to the number of liquor licenses allowed in town (currently more than 140), but would allow licenses to be used in closer proximity.
Russo said that the council needed to start the conversation, as the town has changed and this change hasn’t been addressed.
Council members Tiffanie Fisher, Michael DeFusco, and Peter Cunningham moved to table the ordinance, to no avail.
Russo assured them that the ordinance will take into account the opinions of the community and may undergo several changes before the council votes on it again. Ordinances need a vote of introduction, and then, after a public hearing, a second vote to adopt.
Thoughts from business owners
Eugene Flinn, owner of Amanda’s at 908 Washington St. and The Elysian Café at 1001 Washington St., spoke out against the proposed ordinance.
“I find it unfair that all of a sudden the rules could be changed.” – Armando Luis
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“I think the council is moving too quickly on an item that will change the character of the town,” said Flinn.
Flinn said the council should take into consideration comments from the community before passing the ordinance.
“The people of Hoboken need to hear about what you are planning before you turn it into an ordinance,” said Flinn.
“If you allow a license to be wherever someone can put it, it will create a situation where your constituents will be unhappy, and change will be to the detriment of our community,” said Flinn.
Partner in La Isla and Hoboken resident Armando Luis also spoke out against the ordinance.
“I find it unfair that all of a sudden the rules could be changed,” said Luis. “I just signed a 10-year lease extension at the Shipyard for my second location. People use this to make business decisions and to simply invoke it without input from the industry is wrong.”
Luis said that he believes the council should consider changing the rule for different areas of town.
He added, “Business conditions on the north side of town are not the same on First and Washington, and bottom line is it’s an important change in the rules of the game for residents and business people, and the City Council should deliberate carefully on it.”
Russo said that he and other members of the council had been approached in the past by business owners with liquor licenses who felt “trapped in their lease” due to the rule and being unable to move their business easily.
He also said that over the past few years his constituents said, in passing, that they wished more restaurants were in their area instead of primarily on Washington Street.
Russo “wants the 3rd Ward to be a vibrant community” and that he wants restaurants to offer the most they can.
The 3rd Ward sits on the western edge of town and extends from 9th Street to Third Street and Park Avenue to Marshal Drive.
Council to review signage code
Councilmen Michael DeFusco and Ravinder Bahlla introduced a new ordinance that will amend the sign and signage section of the city’s zoning code.
This came to fruition after local businessman David Adier of Shear Madness reached out to DeFusco and the city for help during his ongoing battle with the city’s zoning office over his salon’s signage. (For background on the issue read cover story “$40,000 in fines over a sign” from the Aug. 28 issue of The Hoboken Reporter. The story was subsequently covered on News 12.)
Adier spoke to the public and the council and urged them to consider passing the ordinance. He believes that the new ordinance is truly a “win-win” as it is more business-friendly and yet curbs the usage of feather flag signs when they are truly obstructive.
The new ordinance would allow feather-flagged signs in a limited capacity. They were previously outlawed in 2012.
The new ordinance would allow the signs for a business where “exterior signage equal to 10 percent of the storefront is not permitted pursuant to landlord or condominium association prohibition, and the property has no more than two street-facing windows, not inclusive of doorway or transom, with total display area totaling less than ten square feet.”
Those permitted to have feather flag signs must follow strict guidelines.
Business may only have one feather flag sign that is to be displayed only during operational hours. The law places height and width constraints and the sign can’t impede passageways.
DeFusco said he took on the ordinance change after Adier from Shear Madness contacted him. He said it “confounds me that we are using city resources to attack local business.” Adier has gone to court several times.
DeFusco said that he believes the city of Hoboken should be encouraging local business instead of prosecuting them.
He said that he is currently working with colleagues to alleviate other signing concerns, such as neon signs at local businesses.
“I am working with colleagues on finding a way to respect the historic intent of the code and not penalize small businesses currently under attack from Amazon and e-markets,” said DeFusco.
Marilyn Baer can be reached at marilynb@hudsonreporter.com