Hello! It’s been a busy few weeks in Hoboken and I wanted to quickly update you on a few important projects currently underway in our city.
SETTLING THE CITY'S LOST SUPREME COURT CASE + CREATING A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD
When I last wrote to you, I mentioned I had just supported a settlement deal that put an end to the decade-long Monarch litigation - a lawsuit that our current mayor and his predecessor led us into, and one that the City lost in the NJ Supreme Court. All this aside, we were able to reach an agreement that will protect our northern waterfront.
Approaching negotiations from a significantly weakened position wasn't ideal for the City, but the resulting settlement tried to make the best of that loss. The deal prevents the ill-advised development along the northern end of our waterfront, brings much needed additional green space to 8th and Jackson Street and moves the current DPW garage out of the First Ward. Despite all the good, I did warn that the need to settle the litigation without tangible plans could create long-term issues for Hoboken.
Star Wars style, here’s where the saga begins:
At the following Council meeting, my colleagues and I voted on the long anticipated North End Redevelopment plan, which encompasses everything north of 14th Street up to Weehawken. This neighborhood is a former industrial area currently home to small industry and parking lots. I’ve long painted a vision of what this area could become -- a regional destination for tech, makers, creators and a continuation of market rate light industry like coffee roasters, microbreweries and distilleries.
Unfortunately, the plan presented to us by the mayor could not have been any different -- it’s nothing more than blocks of cookie cutter mid-rise buildings that look more like they belong in the suburbs than a vibrant city like Hoboken. The Fund For a Better Waterfront, the non-profit responsible for protecting Hoboken's waterfront, panned the plan saying “without a well defined plan, it puts developers in the driver’s seat.”
One of my biggest concerns, however, was that despite a resolution I sponsored to move the DPW garage to this area, there was no concrete plan in place solidifying its placement. I asked that we postpone the vote until a garage was integrated, but was outvoted. This led me to be the only council member to abstain on the vote to advance the plan.
My prediction here proved correct when, with the development plan merely weeks old, the Mayor proposed changes that would dump the DPW garage in the middle of the keynote linear park, against the guidance of professional planners and our own Planning Board. Further, these amendments proposed allowing a very large, very dense and frankly, very ugly building, which would occupy 100 percent of its lot, ultimately setting an unfavorable precedent for all future development in that area. Given the clear downsides, the Mayor's decision to rush into this development frustrated many members of the public and City Council.
Recognizing the need to find a permanent home for the DPW garage, and though there were other candidate sites the administration didn't pursue, the Council approved a measure that would allow the garage to be built at 1600 Grand Street. In doing so, a majority of the Council made it clear that we did not support the design of the project as proposed, and sent the proposal back to be reconfigured. I am grateful to my Council Colleagues for pushing back on the development plan and stopping the wrong kind of building from getting approved. I’m hopeful we’ll continue on this collaborative process and deliver responsible development that works for everyone.
A MAJOR VOTE TONIGHT
Let's not forget that the need to relocate the garage stemmed from the settlement to protect our waterfront by building residential units at the site of the current DPW garage. So plans for that site were still pending, and are now up for a vote tonight.
Aside from protecting our Northern waterfront, responsibly developing this location is important because it will create necessary tax ratables and add significant retail where brands, such as Equinox, are being pursued in a neighborhood that needs it. Plus, the architect hired, BKSK Architects, has created some of the best architecture around the world, including the beautiful renovation of 44 Union Square in Manhattan and the Urby buildings in Jersey City and Harrison. I've been working hard between the administration, developers and community to find a good development balance, but unfortunately the Mayor has failed to properly socialize the impacts this will have on the existing neighborhood.
Despite the Mayor’s promise to not make any changes to the 2007 redevelopment plan governing the site, he has bypassed the neighborhood directly impacted, and me as the Councilman of the Ward and Chair of the Development Subcommittee that’s overseeing this project, in an effort to upzone and build 9 stories on both Willow and Park Avenues. Keep in mind, the tallest building in the neighborhood is 8 stories and I do believe it should remain that way.
I am in favor of advancing this very important project, but do need the Mayor to respect my neighbor's concerns and implement a seemingly simple fix -- remove one story from the residential streets (Park and Willow) and move that corresponding bulk to Observer Highway, where it will be less impactful to our residential streets.
Many have asked how they can have their voice heard on this subject, and public comment is welcome tonight at 7 p.m. You can dial in on Zoom:
Webinar ID: 918 8476 1006
Passcode: 196840
Urban planning at its best can spark innovative design, placemaking and encourage smart economic development but sadly, that does not seem to be the case in Mayor Bhalla’s Hoboken.
2021 TAXES: SHOULD GO DOWN, BUT REMAINS FLAT
Thanks to federal relief dollars, our tax levy will stay the same despite the fact we were projected to be significantly in the red for reasons unrelated to the pandemic. As you recall, before COVID-19 even hit our city, the mayor let go over twenty long term employees and forced a record high 9% municipal tax hike because of his administration’s inability to stop overspending. Luckily for taxpayers, that was offset by the County lowering our taxes, resulting in a flat tax rate. This has happened in some form every year since he took office so one thing is clear, it's not the pandemic causing the shortages in our budget, it’s the Mayor.
Hoboken received $27.2 million to be paid in 2 tranches, to be spent over 4 years. For this budget cycle the mayor is proposing to use $6.5 million from the federal government to offset lost revenues, but the problem is we didn’t have any lost revenues. We actually had more positive income than last year - an additional $1 million in PILOT revenue and $2 million from the parking utility because the Mayor raised parking prices during the pandemic and never stopped ticketing. Add that to reduced insurance costs and CARES Act funding which further saved the City money.
Instead of offering a tax decrease on account of the federal government’s payout, the mayor simply increased spending for pet projects and politically connected contracts in an election year. This is merely indebting us for years to come, and when the government's aid runs out in four years, it will be too late to curtail out of control spending.
CITI BIKE LOCATIONS
Four years ago I was the first Councilmember to propose bringing Citi Bike to Hoboken because I saw the value and reliability of the program when it was rolled out in neighboring cities. At that time, however, Hudson Bike Share held a lock on our city’s bike contract because of a sweetheart advertising deal that the previous administration was unwilling to part ways with, putting aside what was best for residents.
Luckily, the current administration has worked with the Council to secure a new contract with Citi Bike, which will provide residents the opportunity to seamlessly rent bikes throughout the region.
The first wave of docking locations are currently being installed throughout the City, but if you see a gap and think we need to add additional stations, please send me an email with your feedback.
Happy riding!
PARKLETS, BISTRO LIGHTS + QUALITY OF LIFE!
The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly posed challenges for our hospitality industry and that’s why I, along with Council Vice President Jen Giattino, sponsored plans last spring that now allow our restaurants and eateries to use sidewalk and street space for dining. This jump started the conversation statewide that has undoubtedly helped thousands of restaurants stay afloat through the pandemic.
Helping our small businesses succeed during the pandemic is something I’m genuinely passionate about and why I was also happy to recently co-sponsor an awesome plan by Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher that would allow eateries to use PSE&G poles to string bistro lights. By investing our time and resources into initiatives like this, we’re continuing to activate our streets and enliven our business corridors to blend together inside and outdoors.
’ve long been a supporter of keeping parklets in our Mile Square after the brunt of the pandemic, but if we want to see this program continue to succeed, we need to shift our focus to long term planning. With that said, there’s certainly flaws in the current process, specifically how and why the Mayor is incorrectly citing a state law that governs sidewalks and misapplying it to our City streets. Our own law department confirmed that streets are not included in the state law. In doing so, the community feedback and permitting process was dismissed and we’ve seen an uptick in quality of life concerns, especially in residential neighborhoods.
As the Councilman for the district home to the largest number of bars and restaurants, I’ve fielded countless complaints from neighbors, many of whom have expressed concern about an unexpected parklet attached to a local pub that reportedly violates multiple noise and quality of life ordinances. I’ve spent the past several weeks trying to identify a solution that addresses my neighbors concerns without impacting the business, and despite seemingly reaching a favorable agreement, the Mayor has turned a blind eye.
For me this is concerning for a number of reasons. Not only did the construction of this parklet bypass our local ordinance but it raises the question about how this was allowed to happen. I’m not here to point fingers, but it’s certainly interesting that this specific bar has donated $5,000 to the Mayor’s various political acounts over the last two years.
Listen, my vision for parklets was much more European and family style in nature. I’m a big sportsman myself, but Hoboken doesn’t need drunken bros stumbling through our neighborhoods at the detriment of residents every gameday. This isn’t about politics, it’s about doing what’s right for our neighbors and ensuring that parklets are being used responsibly by businesses to stay afloat, not line the pockets of the Mayor.
SOUTHWEST TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS
One of my first acts on the City Council in 2016 was to force our government to stop ignoring traffic in the southwest and begin working on a plan to address these issues with Councilman Ruben Ramos. At the time, we sponsored a traffic study which resulted in changes in traffic control at multiple intersections in the neighborhood, created new travel lanes, added traffic signals, updated circulation and made other pedestrian safety improvements. One of the last remaining recommendations from that study was changing Paterson Avenue from a two-way street to one way for two blocks to reduce inter-city traffic coming from the Jersey City direction. As the city began discussions with developers in the Southwest, Councilman Ramos and I continued our push to improve circulation and sponsored a follow up traffic study.
Last week, we held a community meeting to discuss a one-year test program that will turn Paterson Street one-way for a year, per the recommendations of the traffic study, as well as make changes to surrounding streets to accommodate that new traffic pattern. Once these changes are implemented, we're going to assess circulation and traffic, continue ongoing conversations to widen Observer Highway if necessary, and potentially add a traffic circle at the 6 way intersection of Newark, Observer, Henderson and Jefferson Streets.
Let me be clear, it is essential that before any new development occurs in southwest Hoboken, we need to fix the existing traffic problem so we can address future ones.
COVID-19 VACCINATION OPPORTUNITIES
It’s certainly been a difficult year for most of us for many different reasons, but it seems that there is finally a light at the end of this pandemic tunnel. As a reminder, all New Jersey residents over the age of 16 are currently eligible to be vaccinated.
I wanted to quickly share with you some information about how you can register or schedule a vaccination appointment if you have not already done so:
Register to be vaccinated through our municipal vaccination program here.
Register and schedule an appointment at the county-run drive through clinic here.
Learn more about the statewide vaccination opportunities by registering here.
As always, should you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to me directly on my cell: 646.372.4341 or via email: mike@mikedefusco.com.
P.S. - With the weather getting warmer, vaccines rolling out at record pace, and the CDC updating guidance on outdoor events, please come join me every Thursday morning in May to discuss community issues, thoughts or just to say hello. I’ll be inside the park at the corner of Newark and Garden Streets with coffee, I hope you can join me for “Mornings with Mike!”