Dear Editor: Redesign is difficult when preconceptions cloud debate. For nine months the city has looked with United Diversified at a landlocked three acre site adjacent to Amtrak, above a power substation, between Grove and Jersey Avenue on the edge of Hoboken. It is situated on the HBLRT route, therefore, has a high value as one of 20 stops on the system in Jersey City. The payoff to the city is collection of delinquent taxes with the sale of the property. Some gravy in job promotions and $300K put into councilpersons leisure expense accounts. A number of local groups have met to try to stop the project partly because of the excess greed of city officials and second, the lack of good judgment in terms of planning. The site is problematic. In a 1984 review of the city’s master plan, Berger Associates offered “incentive zoning” as a creative solution to archaic zoning. In a case where a developer wants more and is willing to give back some amenity to the public, advantages of height or density are traded for open space, community facilities, affordable housing, a fee-in-lieu (contribution to parking) fund, development of roads or infrastructure– the key is to make a fair trade for desirable alternatives — say, the essentials of a master plan. The needs of an area must be discussed in public and incentives offered by a board of qualified professionals, often a planning board. The developer, the city and neighborhood groups look for workable ideas in preliminary as well as final review sessions. The Millenium Towers project is an ultimatum for open debate. On May 9 the Planning Board could possibly start the debate on three alternatives: 1. Double the size of the site, develop a mix of commercial, retail and community service facilities. Design usable public open space isolated from the traffic, and a streetscape that encourages other quality developments. Allow the proposed height, floor area and parking. Generate pedestrian, human scaled spaces. 2. Permit the current development and site with reduced height (remove eight residential floors from each tower.) Eliminate top floor below roof deck, and parking below flood plane (parking limited to 450 cars serving entire complex). All taxes abated for five years to be contributed to rebuilding the city government — top down. 3. Start a $300 thousand study of the Jersey Avenue Redevelopment area. Solve problems of downtown traffic, storm-sanitary sewer separation, model schools, study demolition vs reuse of vacant buildings (about 500 throughout the city). Let the city freeze taxes on property until United Diversified presents new plan/2002. Tom Hilmer